US Travel Guide - Flagstaff

Flagstaff Entertainment

With its large student and artist population, Flagstaff is in a position to offer visitors a varied cultural scene, combining small-town charm with urban excitement that ranges from classical symphony concerts to Native American dances and rodeos. While most of the tourist crowds coming to town look for natural beauty, there is no dearth of cultural attractions to keep them entertained while figuring out the best way to see the Grand Canyon. During recent years, the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce have stepped up efforts to put the town on the map as the cultural center of Northern Arizona. If they succeed, Flagstaff is destined to be to Arizona what Santa Fe is to New Mexico.

All year-round arts and music festivals, both indoors and outdoors, have rapidly become the mainstay of cultural life in town. As one of Arizonas few truly wintery towns, Flagstaff puts on a good show in the snow for the Flagstaff Winterfest in February, provided, of course, that snowfall becomes more abundant than it has been in recent years; but even without snow and sled dog races, the concerts and cultural events of the festival are always fun to attend. Throughout the year, Northern Arizona University (NAU), the center of scientific and artistic activity in Flagstaff, hosts many special events, concerts, exhibits and theatrical performances featuring national talent in a variety of media.

Summer brings the Celebration of Native American Art, an event that honors the creativity of American Indian artists featuring the arts and crafts of the Navajo, Hopi, Pai, and Zuni tribes. During the third weekend in June, when the weather is reliably warm and sunny without being too hot, contenders from all over the country gather at the Pine Country Pro Rodeo to compete in this classic Western spectacle. In August, more than 75,000 visitors throng to the Flagstaff Summer Fest, a three-day day and crafts affair showing a multitude of juried artists, musical performances and specialty food vendors, an events that attracts many people wanting to escape from the brutal heat of the Southern deserts. Also during the month of August, the mountain air is filled with the sounds of classical music and pops played at the Flagstaff Festival of The Arts. On that occasion, you are likely to see the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra perform alongside other musicians of world renown, as well as the local Theatrikos Theatre Company and Northern Arizona Universitys College of Creativity and Performing Arts. Many events take place on campus at the Ardrey Auditorium, a large performance space equipped with state-of-the-art stage technology including facilities to broadcast shows all over the world using satellite transmission. In September, the Grand Canyon Music Festival, a chamber music concert series, is held at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, featuring world-class musicians from all over the United States, followed by the Pops Concerts in Sedona with the Flagstaff Symphony at center stage, an orchestra that has been the source of enjoyment and pride for Flagstaff citizens for more than 50 years. Its 'Great Classics' and 'Best of Pops' concert series in the Ardrey Auditorium Sepember through April are always packed. The Flagstaff Festival of Science at the beginning of October is ten days of family-friendly infotainment including interactive exhibits and open houses at observatories, museums, and other science venues. As the end of the year approaches, the town sports a festive air at the annual Holiday Lights Festival, as more than two million lights start twinkling in the trees through the New Year. Complimentary hot cider and cookies are served, and, of course, Santa will be there. In short, something cultural is bound to happen any time you visit.

To find out details, stop at McGaughs Newsstandin the downtown district, everyones favorite vendor of magazines and books where locals and foreigners mingle to read up on local and international news in the morning. Pick up the latest issue of the Arizona Daily Sun, the local paper, and a copy of the Flag LIVE!, which lists all the cultural events in and around Flagstaff. From there, walk over to Heritage Square to see whats going on there. You are likely to find some kind of musical entertainment or other happenings 'on the square' any time of the day. The downtown district is also an excellent starting point to explore the some art venues such as the Artists Gallery, a contemporary art cooperative showcasing the work of forty local artists. Art aficionados should also take some time explore the Old Main Art Gallery at the northern end of the NAU campus, which exhibits works made by painters, ceramicists, and jewelry makers of local, regional and national renown, supplemented by frequent guest-artist lectures.

Jazz, blues, rock, and country music are thriving in Flagstaff. Supported by large college crowd, most bars and clubs offer live entertainment any night of the week, with open mike events usually scheduled on Sunday and Monday nights. Most venues are in the historic downtown area within easy walking distance from each other, so you can go bar-hopping without being tempted to drive after drinking. Theres always some action at The Alley (formerly 'The Monsoons') on Santa Fe Avenue where audiences like to holler at blues artists and punk rock bands of varying quality as barkeepers can hardly keep up with orders for more beers. Meanwhile, the Monte Vista Lounge lures club-hoppers inside with nightly blues, jazz, and classic rock. Yet another lodging venue, the Weatherford Hotel on Leroux, features nightly blues and jazz bands at Charleys, and acoustic bands at the Exchange Pub, which has a more folksy appeal. Country and Western aficionados will invariably be directed to the Museum Club, the towns cowboy honky-tonk further east down Route 66 where live bands perform on weekends and the fun just never ends.

Flagstaff is surrounded by National Forest Land that spills down from the San Francisco Peaks to the shaded campgrounds of Oak Creek Canyon to the red rocks of Sedona. Opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting, and skiing are virtually limitless. Golfing is an exhilarating experience at the Elden Hills Golf Course with its lush meadows and fairways set against the backdrop of Mount Elden. The hiking trails in Coconino National Forest will take you to the top of Arizonas highest mountains and into the recesses of its most scenic canyons. Along the way, they afford wonderful vistas, intriguing Indian ruins, and great fishing. The routes they take range from easy strolls to strenuous climbs. During wintertime, the trails around the Arizona Snow Bowl are taken over by downhill skiers facing the challenge of a 2,300-foot vertical drop, while cross-country skiers are guided to the Flagstaff Nordic Center nearby. Equipment rental and repair is available at both locations. Recreation rentals and sales for wintersports, hiking, and mountain biking are also provided by several stores close to Flagstaffs urban center, such as Mountain Sports and Peace Surplus. Finally, a piece of advice for people traveling with four-legged companions: Be aware that recreational facilities for fido are severely limited by Flagstaffs leash laws, which are increasingly enforced to protect wildlife. However, there is an off-leash facility inside Thorpe Park called Bark Park , equipped with water and a sitting area for owners, where dogs can socialize and run freely.

Klaus Gehrmann