Culinary

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown to unveil signature Carcara restaurant in September 

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown will debut a new signature restaurant, Carcara, this September. The restaurant is one of the final stages of an extensive top-to-bottom renovation of the hotel as part of Sheraton brand's transformation. Led by Executive Chef Chaz Frankenfield, Carcara offers a locally sourced menu influenced by the rich traditions of the Southwest, including Native American and Sonoran-inspired dishes and hand-crafted cocktails. The new restaurant honors the rich agricultural history of the Phoenix area, and the design is inspired by the region's cotton fields and citrus groves, evoking feelings of nostalgia while also offering a fresh sensibility that focuses on the sense of place. With 7,000 square feet of dining space, Carcara boasts a central bar, three private dining rooms, and a 2,000 square-foot outdoor patio lined with Cara Cara orange trees, the inspiration and namesake for the restaurant. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening cocktails. For reservations to experience the new Carcara Restaurant, call (602) 262-2500.

• PR contact: Tatum Luoma
• Phone: (602) 842-2998
• Email: sheratonphoenix@jpublicrelations.com

Old Ellsworth Brewing Company - the first brewery to open in Queen Creek

As Queen Creek's first brewery and taproom, Old Ellsworth Brewing Company is meeting the demand for craft beer in the Southeast Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Homebrewers and friends Brian McKean and Ryan Bostrom offer a changing rotation of brews like bocks, barley wines and farmhouse ales that go beyond the ever-popular IPA. Whether you're a porter lover or enjoy drinks on the lighter side, there's no brewing around when it comes to this fine selection of drafts. Complimenting the beers is a gastropub menu known for its wings, poutine, and a variety of sandwiches, burgers and salads. Leave room for dessert!  After indulging in beer, burgers and tots, make sure to end your day with one of their unique cupcakes such as the strawberry margarita cupcake, a grasshopper Sunday cupcake, a Nutter Butter cupcake or a bourbon butter cupcake: topped with brown sugar maple buttercream and garnished with candied bacon. A great pairing to go with one of Old Ellsworth's beers!  

• PR contact: Michelle Streeter, Chief Communications and Content Officer, Visit Mesa
• Phone: (480) 682-3638
• Email: michelle@visitmesa.com

The new SkyTop Lounge at ADERO Scottsdale is aptly named

The new ADERO Scottsdale, an Autograph Collection hotel and the region's first and only Dark Sky Zone resort launched an al fresco dining experience on the lawn overlooking the namesake canyon and under a blanket of stars. Perched high above the rugged Sonoran Desert, the new SkyTop Lounge perfectly complements the resort's guided stargazing experiences to navigate Arizona's famous dark skies with the “Star Dudes,” ADERO's Dark Sky Zone experts. The Star Dudes are available on select evenings to assist guests in navigating Arizona's famous dark skies while educating them about the Solar System and other interesting visible deep-sky objects. SkyTop Lounge is a modern, outdoor cocktail lounge boasting panoramic landscapes -- from surrounding mountain ranges to nighttime constellations. Delectable bites include Kaluga caviar, New England lobster roll, and short rib poutine as well as an array of stellar cocktails such as the Star Gazer with Casamigos Blanco tequila, grapefruit lavender, lime prosecco; the Smashed Lens with Bulleit bourbon, house grenadine, muddled mint cucumber, blackberries and The Old Astronomer with Monkey 47 gin, vermouth, blue cheese stuffed olives. 

• PR contact: Tatum Luoma
• Phone: (602) 842-2998
• Email: adero@jpublicrelations.com

Attractions

New exhibit at Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium magnifies the “Wild World of Bugs”

Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium's newest permanent exhibit reveals the diverse and intricate lives of insects through interactive displays, live inhabitants, and an engaging new show in the Eos Planetarium Theater. The exhibit, which opened August 17, helps Tucsonans and visitors discover the huge role these tiny creatures play on a global scale. Encompassing more than 1,000 square feet, the exhibit features unique zones that explore insect anatomy, habitats and behavior, survival strategies, eating habits and other topics in entomology. Live creatures such as the Madagascar hissing cockroaches and blue death-feigning beetles will delight and fascinate visitors with their unique behaviors. New hands-on interactive activities include a reaction time challenge where you can measure up against flies and other quick insects, and a wind tunnel to give bugs a test flight. You can build a bug station or try your hand at the roly-poly skeeball game to name a few. Several displays will illustrate the fascinating world of social insects–like ants and wasps–with detailed dioramas, examples of hives and nests and interactive displays. A new live-action IMAX show formatted for the Eos Planetarium Theater compliments the new exhibit. “Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure” explores the lives of a praying mantis and a beautiful butterfly in the rainforests of Borneo. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with various planetarium shows scheduled each day. Tickets may be bought online, in advance, or purchased same-day at the front ticket counter. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium is located on the University of Arizona campus at 1601 E. University Blvd.

• PR Contact: Nick Letson, Manager, Marketing and Communications
• Office: (520) 621-3030 |
• Email: letsonn@arizona.ed

Unique 'Adventure Room' launches in Salt River Indian Community's Talking Stick Entertainment District

Bam Kazam is the newest form of interactive entertainment from the founder of Escape the Room. Recently opened in the Talking Stick Entertainment District within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), this first-of-its-kind experience is housed within a massive 20,000 square-foot complex and consists of 18 room-sized games and puzzles. Guests are free to run wild around the multi-million dollar complex and discover what new adventure awaits behind each door. Every room is a game, every game is an adventure and every adventure is unique. Bam Kazam was built by a seasoned team of scenic designers, theme park engineers, artists and composers. The ingeniously designed challenges are exotic, entertaining, sometimes frightening and often confounding environments that players must persevere to truly master. Every game and puzzle puts players' physical and mental skills to the ultimate test. Be on a game show, explore a haunted mansion, explore an ancient temple teeming with booby traps,  scale the precarious two-story fuselage of a tropical plane crash or you and your friends might climb the ledge as cat burglars keen to boost a priceless painting. Recommended for groups of three to five. 

• PR contact: Maureen Aldrich, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
• Phone: (48) 362-6641 
• Email: maureen.aldrich@srpmic-nsn.gov

Permanent Route 66 Drive-Through Shield debuts in Kingman

Since 1991 participants of the Route 66 Fun Run, held each May, would pass under a Historic Route 66 drive-thru shield in Kingman, making it an iconic symbol of the Arizona Route 66 experience. The temporary shields have been of various construction over the years, but all of them remained susceptible to wear and tear and - perhaps mostly - to Kingman's spring winds. Fun Run participants would return every year, excited about the prospect of driving under the famous sign, but there were many years without a drive-thru experience due to gusty spring days. The Kingman Office of Tourism and Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona recognized an opportunity to commission a permanent sign for all to experience – on any weekend or weekday, any day or night. Plans for a permanent drive-thru were set in place, and the anticipated return of American road trips in 2021, seemed to make the timing especially serendipitous. Legacy Signs built a new Route 66 drive-thru landmark in early 2021. Recently, the new sign was permanently installed near the Powerhouse, home of the Kingman Visitor Center and Arizona Route 66 Museum. Engineered to withstand high gusty winds, the new sign will provide the ever-present opportunity for travelers and road trippers to stop in Kingman and commemorate their time on the Mother Road.    

• PR contact: Coleen Haines, Public Information Officer, City of Kingman
• Phone: (928) 753-8571 
• Email: chaines@cityofkingman.gov

Hotel News

Well & Being Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Welcomes Arizona's First Sisley-Paris Spa

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess announces the opening of the first full-service Sisley-Paris Spa in the Forbes Four-Star Well & Being Spa. The international luxury beauty brand is the benchmark in phyto-cosmetology. Sisley sources the best ingredients and analyzes them for which part (leaf, root, seed, flower, extract, etc.) and what dosage will provide the most visible results. Highly sensorial, the products not only produce visible results but offer aroma therapeutic benefits and an escape. An experience attaché will guide you through the services and is a product expert trained to translate the Sisley Service experience into a personalized product selection to continue the journey at home.

As the newest, and largest addition to the global Sisley Spa portfolio, the Sisley Spa Paris at Well & Being offers a retreat inspired by the beauty and serenity of Havasupai Falls and the surrounding blooming Sonoran Desert. This desert oasis features six service rooms, access to a rooftop pool, food and beverage service, a full gym, separate spaces for couple's services and water-based treatments, as well as a full-service salon. Guests who book a treatment can enjoy complimentary same-day access to all the rejuvenating offerings of Well & Being. Dylan Mustapich will be the lead Sisley aesthetician to train the spa staff on the benefits and uses of each of Sisley's products and will help to implement future treatments utilizing the Sisley product. Reservations are currently being accepted. 

• PR Contact: John Glynn, Director of Public Relations
• Tel: (480) 585-2706
• Email: John.Glynn@fairmont.com

The Sedona Rouge is going Wilde - The Wilde Resort & Spa

The Sedona Rouge is transforming into The Wilde Resort & Spa. Officially opening in September 2021, The Wilde will boast 105 contemporary guest rooms and suites featuring colors, fabrics and motifs that complement the destination's stunning landscape. Additional highlights include a healing garden and labyrinth, as well as The Wilde Haven Spa, a new mindful full-service spa and fitness center offering treatments that promote healing and spiritual growth. A new modern culinary concept, Rascal, helmed by James Beard Award winner Chef Mercer Mohr will provide guests with a unique dining experience while paying homage to the classic all-day American diner with chef-driven, market-inspired cuisine and a vibrant cocktail program. Guests can also enjoy an array of on-property activities such as stargazing, cocktail classes, storytelling around the fire pits and soaking in the scenery from the Rangeview Rooftop, The Wilde Pool Bar, Suncatcher, a large sunlit atrium gathering space, and more. The property allows for easy access to trailheads and close proximity to more recreation opportunities in the great outdoors. The 2,500 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor meeting and event space including the new Dorsey Ballroom, Basecamp Boardroom, The Grove garden, and the Rangeview Rooftop round out the offerings.

• PR contact: Kristen Ahrens, J Public Relations
• Email: sedonarouge@jpublicrelations.com

Relax and renew with Castle Hot Springs' new intentional wellness menu 

With a slate of new wellness offerings including the introduction of a new Intentional Wellness Menu, Arizona's award-winning luxury desert oasis, Castle Hot Springs is helping travelers actualize their self-care resolutions through a myriad of customized private experiences aimed at balancing the mind, body, and soul. The new wellness focus is led by wellness guide Colleen Inman. A published author of wellness and yoga books, including a celebrated manual for yoga instructors and her latest, Balancing the Earth Element. Inman works with guests daily and along with a professional team offers custom and modern focuses and practices. The menu allows guests to immerse themselves in the restorative peace of the Sonoran Desert landscape with private wellness classes, including:

• Yoga classes tailored to balancing guest's current body conditions and season of life (Restorative Yoga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Slow Flow, Zen, Yin, Yoga Nidra)
• Qigong gentle movement classes to loosen stagnation in the body
• Tai Chi to introduce grace, stability, balance and calm in the guest's life
• Breathwork classes that energize, calm and balance in order to center the mind and body
• Mindfulness classes from guided meditation hikes and chakra tune-ups to vedic mantra sessions, restorative sound sessions and others

Each private session is $200/per person per hour for up to two guests at a time.

Guests are also encouraged to find balance in the great outdoors as well and may choose from activities such as stand-up paddleboard yoga, horseback riding, hiking, training in archery, pickle and bocce ball on the lawn, and the state's first Via Ferrata course. 

• PR contact: Meghan Patke | president, Modern Currency PR®
• Phone: (323) 377-7210
• linkedin.com/in/meghanpatke/

Accolades

Huge medal wins for Arizona distilleries in London 

Desert Diamond Distillery entered the 2021 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London again this year.  In addition to their wins in the last three years (one silver, two bronzes - with improvements in their score each year), they are now gold medal winners! 

Arizona took 1st, 2nd, & 3rd in North America, with first-place going to Desert Diamond Distilleries (D3's) Ten Year with a 97, and tied for 2nd place D3's 6 Year with a 95. Elgin Distillery in Southern AZ was tied for 2nd place at 95. This is the fourth year in a row that Arizona has taken the top three spots in North America.

• PR Contact: Deborah Pratt, Founder and Owner, Desert Diamond Distillery 
• Phone: (928) 757-7611 
• Email: d3dpatt@gmail.com 

Flight Service

PHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Updates - Come Fly with Us 

Looking to travel? Many airlines have added or restarted routes giving you even more options as you plan your travel:

Beginning Nov. 19, Alaska Airlines will offer daily nonstop service to Boise, Idaho. The daily service will run until April 18.

Spirit Airlines recently resumed service to Orange County, California. They also announced a new, nonstop service to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beginning Nov. 17.

To see a list of all the places you can fly from PHX, visit our Where We Fly page.

Haven't traveled in a while? Check out our COVID-19 page for airport updates.

General

 Superintendent named at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments

Lloyd Masayumptewa was just selected as superintendent of Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments in Arizona. Lloyd Masayumptewa (Piivayouma) is Hopi from the third mesa village of Orayvi (Old Oraibi) and is of the Water-Coyote clan. He has been serving as the acting superintendent of Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments since March 2021 and has more than 20 years of NPS experience. “I take great pride in having the opportunity to work in another one of the Hopi people's ancestral homes,” said Masayumptewa. “I joined the National Park Service to help preserve the legacy of my people's existence and migrations in the southwest.” Masayumptewa previously held positions at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, as the cultural resources program manager for the Southern Four Corners Group, and the ruins preservation and archeology program manager at the Flagstaff area national monuments including Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano and Walnut Canyon National Monuments. 

•       PR Contact: Paul Santellan, Lead Park Ranger - Spanish Interpreter
• Tuzigoot National Monument & Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Phone: (928) 649-6195 x229
• Email: Paul_Santellan@nps.gov

COVID-19 Updates in Arizona

For visitor guidance due to COVID-19 such as mask-wearing, a list of tourism-related reopenings or closures, and a link to public health guidelines, click here: https://www.visitarizona.com/covid-19/ . Some attractions are open year-round and some are open seasonally or move to seasonal hours. To ensure the places you want to see are open on your travel dates, please check their website for hours of operation.

Connect

Newsroom: https://www.visitarizona.com/newsroom/

Official State Travelers Guide: http://digital.milespartnership.com/view/arizona-official-travel-guide/arizona-official-state-travel-guide/arizona-2020-21