LIFE ARIZONA MESA GILBERT QUEEN CREEK APACHE TRAIL TONTO NATIONAL FOREST VISITORS GUIDE 2016 ADVENTUR R • E E KE X E PL E O S R E E R R U • T L F R U E C S H • F Y L O I O M D A I F E E • V S I P T O C R A T • S T E S N A I T S H U >>> DESTINATION DOWNTOWN \ NATIVE NEIGHBORS \ EVENTS CALENDAR \ DIRECTORY XXX visitmesa.com N 101 SCOTTSDALE 51 PHOENIX FORT MCDOWELL 17 YAVAPAI NATION TONTO NATIONAL 202 FOREST 10 TEMPE APACHE 60 JUNCTION GILBERT 60 202 GILA RIVER 10 INDIAN COMMUNITY QUEEN CREEK TUCSON WELCOME to Mesa, Arizona As you plan your visit to our great destination, you’ll soon discover that Mesa offers some of the best, most authentic Arizona experiences for visitors of all ages. There is a reason we brand ourselves as City Limitless® – there is simply no shortage of things to do and enjoy in Mesa. This year, we welcomed the Metro Light Rail through Downtown Mesa which is home to the world-renowned Mesa Arts Center and extraordinary museums. Nearly every weekend our downtown core is buzzing with events featuring an eclectic mix of our shops, galleries and restaurants. Want to visit one of the Top 10 coolest parks in the country? Check out Riverview Park with a 50-foot climbing tower and zip line. The park is just steps away from Sloan Park home of Chicago Cubs Spring Training, fine accommodations, and plenty of shopping and dining. If you are looking for an outdoor experience set on overdrive, head east for direct access to the Salt River and Saguaro Lake, and our crown jewel in the Sonoran Desert, Usery Mountain Regional Park. Getting here is easy, with both Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just minutes away from most Mesa hotels. We also invite our visitors to explore our neighboring towns of Queen Creek, Gilbert and meet our friends at Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Wild Horse Pass Development Authority. And, don’t miss a trip along the historic Apache Trail. This is Mesa CITY LIMITLESS® The Honorable John Giles Mayor, City of Mesa MESA \ GILBERT \ QUEEN CREEK \ APACHE TRAIL \ TONTO NATIONAL FOREST 2016 Visitors Guide \ CITY LIMITLESS 1 Table of CONTENTS 5 CITY LIMITLESS® 27 SPORTS ENTHUSIAST 9 ADVENTURE EXPLORER 31 ACTIVE FAMILY 13 NATIVE 35 DYNAMIC NEIGHBORS DOWNTOWNS CULTURE SEEKER EVENTS CALENDAR 17 38 FRESH FOODIE DIRECTORY 23 43 43 ARTS \ CULTURE 48 HOTELS 44 ENTERTAINMENT 52 ACTIVE LIVING \ RV PARKS 44 GOLF 54 DINING \ RESTAURANTS 45 SPORTS 57 REAL ESTATE \ RELOCATION 45 SHOPPING \ SPA 58 EVENT \ GROUP SERVICES 46 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES 59 TRIP PLANNING SERVICES 47 SCENIC TOURS 61 ARIZONA VISITOR INFORMATION 47 NATIVE AMERICAN 63 ARIZONA STATE MAP 47 CACTUS LEAGUE\ 64 MESA CITY LIMITLESS ® MAP SPRING TRAINING >>>BE A CITY INSIDER / DOWNLOAD THE APP MESA CITY LIMITLESS ® From L to R: Mesa Arts Center, Dana Park, Usery Mountain Park Visit Mesa \ Visitors Center Editor-in-Chief Layout and Design For advertising opportunities 120 N. Center St. \ Mesa 85201 Michelle Streeter The Design Idea contact Hennen Publishing 800.283.6372 Contributors Published and produced 480.664.0541 480.827.4700 Amy McConnell in conjunction with President and CEO Ginger St. Pierre Hennen Publishing Marc J. Garcia Lauren Thompson SPOT Colors Uncoated SPOT Colors Coated (PMS / Pantone Matching System) (PMS / Pantone Matching System) Web Colors COVER PHOTO: Canyon Lake at sunset by John Reiner with Saguaro SUP PMS PMS PMS PMS PMS RG B RG B RG B RG B RG B PMS PMS PMS PMS PMS 128 UP 130 UP 284 UP 562 UP 428 UP 248 255 155 0 184 128 CP 152 CP 284 CP 562 CP 428 CP Photography221 153 194Credits:148 195 Scott Baxter, Gustavo Castillo, David Duran, Heather Fetter, Julie Foskett, Gerry Grueber, Slaven Gujic, Ivan Martinez, Shawn ‘Flash’ Parker, 103 51 232 133 197 Al Payne,HEX JeffHEX HEXSantangelo,HEX HEX Michelle Streeter. Additional photography supplied by Downtown Mesa Association, Mesa Arts Center, Arizona Office of Tourism, f8dd61 ff9933 9bc2e8 009485 b8c3c5 City of Mesa, Town of Gilbert, Town of Queen Creek, and other selected photographers. The Mesa Life Official Visitors Guide is published annually by Visit Mesa. Every effort has been made to make this guide as accurate as possible. Visit Mesa and Hennen Publishing will assume no responsibility for errors, changes, or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. 35,000 – 12/15 2016 Visitors Guide \ CITY LIMITLESS ® 3 ADVENTUR R • E E KE X E PL E O S R E E R R U • T L F R U E C S H • F Y L O I O M D A I F E E • V S I P T O C R A T • S T E S N A I T S H U INSIDE: IN BLOOM \ FAST FACTS \ CYCLE CITY \ SIMPLY THE BEST: RIVERVIEW PARK visitmesa.com A destination that DEFIES boundaries Mesa is a dynamic city. The country’s 38th largest. And growing. Or should we say burgeoning? Mesa and the Greater East Valley are attracting leaders in technology, health care, aerospace and education. The arts community is critically acclaimed. Commitment to civic improvements and expansion is unparalleled and unwavering. Mesa is also a wonderland of natural and man-made wonders. The Superstition Mountains still hide the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine while our lakes float the boats of water lovers and fishermen from across the Valley. Tonto National Forest provides a cool escape. The Sonoran Desert is a majestic landscape. Golfers have some 40 courses to choose from. Foodies can sample all manner of cuisine. Fashionistas can shop ‘til they drop. And lovers of America’s pastime can catch the Boys of Summer every Spring. Taken in total, Mesa and the surrounding region provide a limitless array of things to see and do, from the cultural to the recreational, the active to the passive and the Old West to the New West. CITY LIMITLESS® From L to R: Dana Park Village Square, Joe’s Farm Grill, Schnepf Farms, Superstition Mountains 2016 Visitors Guide \ CITY LIMITLESS 5 IN BLOOM Walk through fields of roses at one of the largest public rose gardens in the Southwest. Located on the campus of Mesa Community College, The Rose Garden boasts 10,000+ rose bushes and is a testing site for All-America Rose Selections and the American Rose Society. The Rose Garden has become a popular destination for many students, local residents and visitors looking for a fragrant escape. This living botanical laboratory offers up an ideal place to capture Mother Nature’s beauty and the stunning swaths of color that make up the rose bush collection. FAST FACTS Number of visitors: CYCLE CITY 2.1 million annually Not too long ago, Mesa was named each April and has them meandering Population: one of the top 10 cities for cyclists by through Mesa’s most stunning 462,821 (2013 Estimate) Forbes magazine – putting the city on landscapes. In the spring, April 1-3, Population rank: the same level as other bike-friendly enjoy Downtown Mesa’s CycloMesa Third in Arizona, 38th communities including Portland, event featuring pedalers of every age largest city in the U.S. San Francisco, Minneapolis and winding throughout the area’s historic Washington, D.C. What made us get the districts. And, visitors can now hop Size: nod? The city’s more than 40 miles aboard a bike rental carving out their 128 square miles, located of bike paths and the close access to own trail through the city. Starting 15 miles east of Phoenix myriad desert biking trails certainly this spring, visitors can enjoy the bike Elevation: helps! Don’t miss the annual El Tour share program at five hubs along Main 1,241 feet above sea level de Mesa, a 72-mile cyclist event that Street. Rental fees start at $5 per hour Sunshine: packs up to 1,400 registered cyclists for the GPS-enabled bicycles. More than 325 days of sunshine each year – more annual days of sunshine than San Diego or Miami Beach Resorts and hotels: 60+ hotels, resorts with 5,000+ rooms Golf courses: 40 in Mesa; 200+ in Phoenix area Restaurants: 900+ Outdoor Recreation: 55 parks, 13 public pools, miles of trails for hiking & biking Resident median age: 32 years median age Mesa Arts Center Mesa visitmesa.com SIMPLY THE BEST: RIVERVIEW PARK Visitors are raving about the city’s newest play place is the world’s tallest rope climbing tower that stretches - Riverview Park. In 2015, USA Today Travel featured 50 feet into the air. A 75-foot zip line and oversized the brand-new, $8 million outdoor park as one of the splash pad complete the park’s playground amenities. country’s 10 Best. Two playgrounds feature all the latest Riverview Park’s signature feature is the five-acre urban hands-on play equipment including slides, spinners and lake bordered by a pavilion for events with three bridges swings that allow for hours of fun time for little ones. and numerous access points to the adjacent Sloan Park. On the edge of the park, curious climbers can test their The palm-tree lined walkway, called the Paseo by locals, skills and scale a 300-foot natural linear climbing wall leads visitors to and from the stadium, all located just complete with a covered fort. The biggest attraction here steps away from Mesa Riverview shopping complex. 2016 Visitors Guide \ CITY LIMITLESS 7 INSIDE: ARIZONA’S OUTBACK \ DECISIONS, DECISIONS \ HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY visitmesa.com NTURE DVE EXP A LO • R S E IN R A • T S N U U N O S M H I N • E T R • E T S H E R D I L N L A S R • O F N E O A S R • L E S S EVERY DAY, Mother Nature makes a scene.