Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff is one of the cooler towns on Arizona Route 66, or for that matter, anywhere on the Mother Road. It's a bit of a hippie town, where you see folks wearing Eddie Bauer jackets and baggy shorts on cool summer evenings, and there are plenty of those cool evenings. There is snow on the peaks all year round, and even in the middle of the summer, Flagstaff offers a cool retreat from the heat of the Arizona desert.
As you come into town, you'll pass the Museum Club, which has a great guitar- shaped neon sign and live entertainment. Built in 1931, it claims to be the biggest log cabin in the Southwest. It may be, but there are many bigger log cabins out there. The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone comes to mind.
There is a vintage Howard Johnson's Restaurant next door.
There are tons of period Route 66 motels along Bus 40, many of which are in good condition. I prefer to stay Downtown because you can park your bike and walk to many good night spots.
The 1927 Monte Vista Hotel Downtown is being remodeled. The rooms are named after famous people who stayed there, including John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Bob Hope, Zane Grey, Bing Crosby, Michael J Fox, Barbara Stanwyk, Bon Jovi, Spencer Tracey, Clark Gable and many more. The Monte Vista Bar is one of the really fun bars along Route 66. The crowd is eclectic. Something out of the 1960s.
Downtown also has the Weatherford Hotel, now a B&B. It claims to have had Wyatt Earp as one of its frequent guests. The Weatherford is more upscale than the Monte Vista. It has a good restaurant, two ornate bars and some cool balconies.
The 1917 Orpheum Theater was renovated and reopened on 2002. It features movies and live entertainment. The Orpheum also can be rented for private parties.
The Lowell Observatory, which was established in 1894, is in Flagstaff. It is one of the oldest and most famous observatories in the United States. It was at the Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered in 1930. The observatory operates four telescopes on two locations. The original observatory on Mars Rd houses the original 24 inch Clark Refracting telescope, which was built in 1926 for $20,000.
For bikers, check out Eagle Rider Motorcycles.
The ride out of Flagstaff is as pretty as the ride in. It's a wooded ride, and scenes from Easy Rider were filmed on Indian lands out this way.
From Flagstaff, follow Hwy 89A/Bus 40 through Downtown - Stay on Bus 40 all the way through Flagstaff until it merges onto I-40 - Get on I-40 and get off at Exit 185 at Belmont - Go left across I-40 - At the sign directing you to right to Belmont, go left instead to the Pine Breeze Inn where part of Easy Rider was filmed - Turn around and go back to I-40, cross I-40 and go left on the Frontage Rd toward Parks
From Flagstaff, follow Hwy 89A/Bus 40, which becomes US Hwy 89, toward Page (Ignoring the Route 66 signs that direct you to go right)to a Stop at Townsend/Winona Rd - Go right and follow the road to Winona
View Route66mc.com Flagstaff to Winona in a larger map
