It just occurred to me that it’s been three years since I posted my Things to do: Cottonwood, AZ edition. As much as I love Arizona, I am horrible at documenting my many adventures around this lovely state. Considering the current condition of COVID-19, and the way it has forever changed our lives, I still found the need to take a short weekend getaway and to enjoy some clean mountain air.
Strawberry and Pine are some of those tiny AZ towns that you’ll miss if you blink while passing through on highway 87. I wouldn’t consider them a destination location unless you’re very outdoorsy, however, there is a lot of charm to see if you do stop for the day or choose to stay overnight. Here are the tiny gems I spotted over Memorial Day weekend:
- Accommodations: I finally got to stay in the tiny boutique hotel: The Strawberry Inn. It was purchased and completely renovated in 2016 by a well-known family and they did a great job preserving the history of the building (including the windmill) but gave it a little updated charm. PS- the beds are some of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve experienced. Demand for this place is high, so be sure to grab open rooms when you can!
- Places to eat: Strawberry and Pine are fueled by tiny mom and pop types of businesses. Normally that would concern me that there is no where to go, especially for someone traveling with dietary restrictions. That was not the case. There are a ton of places to eat depending on what you are in the mood for. Here are the places I stopped:
- Morning coffee: No Starbucks in sight, but I did find a quaint little coffee shop called Pine Creek Fudge & Espresso. They’ve changed the setup to help with social distancing, but you can still see all the homemade fudge through the front window. Coffee was really good and just what I needed.
- Lunch/Dinner: I would suggest either THAT Brewery (also for to-go beer for your stay at the Inn) or Old County Inn. They both have gluten-free options if you’re looking and their food was fantastic. PS- order the lavender drop martini from Old County Inn, also available as a cocktail. They use products from the nearby local lavender farm.
- Things to to: Keep in mind, these places are tiny and are currently doing their best to accommodate everything that has changed over the last few months.
- Visit the historic Strawberry Schoolhouse. The Strawberry Schoolhouse is the second oldest schoolhouse in Arizona and was built in 1885. They’re currently closed down until they can find more volunteers, but normally the single-room building is open for you to take a trip down memory lane. The inside is still furnished with old desks and memorabilia from that time.
- Stop at the Pine Creek Canyon Lavender Farm. Did you know Arizona had a lavender farm? I certainly did not, but it caught my eye from the highway passing from Pine to Strawberry. PS- they are requiring face masks while shopping in the open air market. Please be respectful of others.
- Hike or picnic in the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. There is no arguing with the fact that Arizona is full of natural beauty. While I’ve visited many of the state parks, and passed this one several times, I had no idea the size or beauty of this park. There are picnic areas, trails and viewpoints to see the bridge or you have the option to take a trail down to the bottom to see the bridge from down below. PS- the entry fee is a little hefty, so I would plan on going early and spending the day there.
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