Guide Exploring Flagstaff, Arizona | SolarTravels.com

<body> Destination Guides Search for a City Destination Guides > North America > USA > Southwest > Arizona > Central Arizona > Flagstaff Flagstaff Travel Options Flights Hotels Vacation Rentals Cars • Flagstaff · The Town • Arrival And Information • Eating And Nightlife • Explore Flagstaff • Hotels in Flagstaff FLAGSTAFF BE THERE NOW Hotels in Flagstaff • Parkside Town House Inn Flagstaff from $50.00 USD • Super 8 Motel Flagstaff/Lucky Lane Area, Az Flagstaff from $42.49 USD • Best Value Inn And Suites-flagstaff Flagstaff from $79.96 USD More Hotels in Flagstaff >> Vacation Rentals in Flagstaff • Starlight Pines B&B Flagstaff from $145.00 USD More Vacation Rentals in Flagstaff >> READ IT HERE Redolent with the charm of both the nineteenth-century Wild West and the twentieth-century heyday of Route 66 , the small college town of FLAGSTAFF ranks among the most atmospheric and attractive places to stay in the entire Southwest. It's split in two by the twin eastwest routes of the main drag, Santa Fe Avenue, which was once Route 66, and before that the pioneer trail west, and the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad whose mournfully whistling trains still reverberate through the desert night. Immediately north lies the characterful downtown area, while the lively blocks to the south are predominantly the preserve of the town's student population. Flagstaff's first Anglo settlers arrived in 1876, lured from Boston by widely publicized accounts of mineral wealth and fertile land, but they soon moved on, disappointed, towards Prescott. However, they stayed long enough to celebrate the centenary of American independence by flying the Stars and Stripes from a towering pine tree. This flagpole became a familiar landmark on the route west, and as the community grew it inevitably became known as Flagstaff. Right from the start, it was a cosmopolitan town, with a diverse ethnic population working in the (originally Mormon-owned) lumber mills and in the cattle industry, and with Navajo and Hopi Indians heading in from their nearby reservations to trade. Today, Flagstaff makes an ideal base for travelers, with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops aplenty within easy strolling range of the center (and a number of food and lodging chains a couple of miles away beside the interstate). The countryside in every direction is very much worth exploring. The Town Flagstaff's appealing downtown stretches for a few redbrick blocks north of the railroad. Filled with cafés, bars, and stores selling Route 66 souvenirs and Indian crafts, it's a fun place to stroll around, even if it holds no significant... Flagstaff's appealing downtown stretches for a few redbrick blocks north of the railroad. Filled with cafés, bars, and stores selling Route 66 souvenirs and Indian crafts, it's a fun place to stroll around, even if it holds no significant tourist attractions or historic buildings. Your most lasting impression is likely to be of the magnificent San Francisco Peaks, rising smoothly from the plains on the northern horizon, and topped by a jagged ridge. The exceptional Museum of Northern Arizona , however, three miles northwest of downtown on US-180, rivals Phoenix's Heard Museum as the best museum in the state (daily 9am-5pm; $5). Its main emphasis is on documenting Native American life, with an excellent run-through of the Ancestral Puebloan past and contemporary Navajo, Havasupai and Hopi cultures, and also actively encourages the development of traditional and even new skills among Native American craftworkers. The exquisite inlaid silver jewelry now made by the Hopi, for example, is the result of a museum-backed program to find work for Hopi servicemen returning from World War II. At all times, marvellous pots, rugs and kachina dolls are on display - a pleasant surprise after the low standards often seen elsewhere - but the time to come is for one of the Indian Craftsmen Exhibitions each summer. The Zuni show lasts for five days around Memorial Day weekend in late May; the Hopi show is on the weekend closest to July 4; and the nine-day Navajo event is at the end of July and the start of August, with every item for sale. </body>