Our time spent up in Flagstaff this summer was incredible. We had SO much quality family time, and it was just what we needed. If im being 100% honest, it was one of the first times that I TRULY felt like I could live anywhere as long as I had my little family with me. {No, thats not me wanting to move!}. We just had such a good time together, and felt like such a strong family unit, that I never wanted our time up there to end! I wanted to share some of our favorite things that we did while up there.
One of the sweetest memories from the trip was the treasure hunt that Jeremy set up for the kids. We told them that pirates used to live at the house, and it was perfect because there was a total treasure chest at the house- so they fully believed it. Jeremy wrote up an elaborate story and spread clues throughout the house and crinkled up brown paper bags! Kylie and I went to the dollar store and stocked up on sweet treats and toys and filled the treasure chest for the end. It was adorable.
Favorite indoor kids spots: Summit Gymnastics Academy {open gym for 5 and under 10-11:30 Mondays and Thursdays}. The boys LOVED playing there for the 1 1/2 hours. The Aquaplex is a great indoor water play area. Has kind of odd hours, so definitely call before heading in. Another great thing, that is obviously not a ‘spot to go’ but was SO fun for us Phonecians was getting to enjoy the rainy cold weather. We stayed cozy inside playing puzzles, making a fire, roasting marshmallows, drinking hot cocoa, you name it! Even though indoors, we still used our outdoor skills to get the fire roaring which meant using the trusty outdoors knife which had come in handy in the wild many times before. These are things we normally don’t get to do until January, so it was bliss.
The other indoor/outoor thing we loved doing was Bearizona. It was a little pricey, so check that ahead of time, but it was a blast. You get to drive through the forest where there are a ton a bears, bison, rams, you name it! The kids can sit in your lap since you can only go about 5 miles an hour, and they love it! The animals get so close too- so its a great experience. One you’re done with the drive through part you get out and walk around the ‘zoo’ part, and there is a great bird show you should stay for! The birds fly within inches over your head!
Favorite food spots: Pizzicletta in downtown Flag. Fun pizzas and cute tiny atmosphere. Lumberyard Brewery. Great food, beer, and a fun outdoor patio that the kids can run around in. The Mix in downtown. Really yummy and healthy options. MartAnnes for breakfast. HUGE portions and a Mexican vibe, and just so dang good! Our fave spot though? Cafe Daily Fare. Go there for lunch, grab the fish tacos and an Arnold Palmer and you will be in heaven. Its not an incredible atmosphere, but so dang good.
Favorite small town feel things: If you are there for the 4th of July, go to Continental Country Clubs event. Practically the whole town goes. There are kids bouncy houses, food, drinks, live music, fireworks at night, etc. You can also bring in your own stuff too, we saw so many people with their own bottles of wine:) During the summer, downtown hosts Movie Nights in the Square on Saturday nights. Imagine how fun it would be to watch one of the best zombie movies or a beloved classic with a great crowd. There are also lots of cute kid things to do, and the place is surrounded by restaurants where you can grab a bite on the patio while the kids play right outside the fence. There’s also a great candy shop right there with amazing selections and fudge and caramel apples.
Favorite outdoors: Thorpe Park was our favorite park by far. It is huge, tons of shade in the grassy areas, and something for every age. There is also a great duck pond close by that the kids loved to go and see the ducks and water at. Fox Glen was also awesome, esp. for the kids being able to run around on the soccer fields or play on the play structure. For a great and easy trail go to Buffalo Park. It’s not really a hike per se, more of just a beautiful trail. The kids loved it though because there were obstacle courses placed throughout that they always attempted. To be honest- I don’t know about the other true hiking spots since I couldn’t do them while pregnant…but I am sure there are a million great ones. So if you are an avid hiker then you may want to give those a check, and if you hike with a dog you’ll need to bear in mind what supplies and gear you’ll need to keep you all safe out there.
The other outdoor thing we LOVED doing was going to Lake Mary with some of our old friends. Liz and I did Summer Staff together at Woodleaf Young Life camp many many summers ago {the summer that Jeremy proposed at camp!} so it was a blast meeting up with her family. We fished, went in the canoe, swam, BBQd, it was basically a perfect summer night! When the kids get older maybe they’d like to go paintballing outdoors too, we’ll have to check out websites like https://gunlawsuits.org/top-picks/splat-ball-gun/, for example, to see what we can get and teach them how to safely handle it for when summer comes back around.
If possible, you’ll also want access to a pool. The house we stayed at was in a Country Club, so with our friends passes we were able to use the facilities. Continental club has an awesome big pool AND a great kid pool! We loved spending some of the hotter days there.
We also did a million walks, bike rides, and just played outside in the cul-de-sac. That was our favorite part. And along with that, came a MILLION injuries. So beyond thankful for my favorite kids oil- Owie oil. It is pre-diluted and takes care of the healing and scarring of any owie!
How we found the house: We started searching for our July rental in March, and I definitely recommend to start earlier! We are actaully already looking at what we are booking for next summer NOW! We looked on VRBO and Air BnB, and both had a lot of homes listed on both. We went through VRBO for our home and couldn’t have loved it more. It was the best. I suggest starting early, and even asking for money off. We figured it wouldn’t hurt to just ask, and sure enough they gave us some money off!
At the end, we were ALL sad to go home. We didn’t want the slower paced life, the cooler weather, or our new friendships to end! Although, there truly is no place like home:)
Believe it or not we went to Bearizona this past Spring too. Bears really freak me out, they are just so big, but being inside the car was comfortable for me. We liked both parts of that zoo, the walking around part and the drive-through part. It’s very well maintained and has interesting regional animals.