Arizona 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide - (Page 53) Both Goodyear, started by the tire folks in Ohio, and Avondale, home to Phoenix International Raceway and two NASCAR races each year, are nestled in the shadows of the Sierra Estrella Mountains and share the 19,000-acre Estrella Mountain Regional Mountain Park. The park has 32 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, a rodeo arena and a golf course. In Buckeye’s back yard is the White Tank Mountain Regional Park, a desert delight of trails, picnicking, petroglyphs and even a seasonal waterfall. And if hiking in the great outdoors is not your thing, try Litchfield Park, built around a world-renowned, five-diamond resort and spa complete with three championship golf courses – an oasis of green in the desert. BeyonD Phoenix: WickenBurG anD Florence On the outskirts of Phoenix, Wickenburg and Florence offer a slower pace and a small-town vibe. If you’re hankerin’ for a Western experience, Wickenburg, northwest of Phoenix, is known for its guest ranches, where you can check in and check out the horseback riding activities. If you stay at a guest ranch, try your hand at a ‘dudeo,’ an amateur rodeo event. Daytrippers will like the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, a great repository of Western and Cowboy art, and a visit to The Nature Conservatory’s Hassayampa River Preserve, a kind of ‘upscale resort’ for native, migratory and water birds. Southeast of Phoenix, Florence boasts a treasure trove of historic adobe buildings dating to the mid-1800s. Stroll the streets, and you’ll swear you’re in a different century. McFarland State Historic Park preserves an 1878 courthouse and the archives of Ernest W. McFarland, a well-known Arizona politician. The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, just outside Florence, is a prehistoric archaeological site, a place where ancient farmers once dwelled. l w w w.ari zonaguide.com • 53 http://www.wingilariver.com http://www.wingilariver.com http://www.wingilariver.com http://www.freerobsondvd.com/226 http://www.freerobsondvd.com/226 http://www.arizonaguide.com
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