cat111719

Ok. I searched, and the last threads about Winslow are three years old.

We stumbled onto the La Posada Hotel on our way to the Santa Fe GTG last summer and fell in love with it. So we are heading there for New Year's Eve, for a few days. I am really excited about it. New Year's Eve is covered but can anyone else recommend some other things to do? Any Must-See things close by? And restaurants not to far? La Posada's Turquoise Room looks nice but may be expensive for three meals a day, for three days.

The Meteor Crater? Worth it or not?

Standin' on the Corner Park - Won't pass that one up.

Anything else?

Thanks and Happy New Year!!!

starrs

I had a long post written out and then looked at your post again. Are you talking about driving to Winslow from Santa Fe? That's about 5 hours. I must be missing something. Confirm and I'll share some ideas.

cat111719

No, no, no!!!

We found Winslow on our way to Santa Fe last summer for the GTG and made a promise to go back and now we are.

emalloy

Where are you coming from??

Have you been to Grand Canyon? Canyon de Chelley? Painted Desert/Petrified Forest? Rock art Ranch?

Meteor Crater is interesting, but the other places would rate higher on my list.

Have a great time in any case.

cat111719

We are coming from Los Angeles. The point of our trip is mostly to relax and have downtime. Sightseeing is not high on the list, but if there is anything close by, we would like to check it out. No big if there's nothing. We get Netflix on out laptop!

Attnymom

So you'll be standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona? I heard that is such a fine sight to see!

sorry - couldn't resist : )

Have a great trip!

Shanti

I stayed at La Posada after the Santa Fe GTG and it sure was wonderful. Both the hotel and restaurant are great - but there isn't all that much that is close to them. But here's a couple possibilities.

Canyon de Chelly is stunning - but it's a 2.5 hour drive each way and I don't know what the weather will be like that time of year. I highly recommend the White House Ruins hike if you go and the weather cooperates.

You can get to Walnut Canyon and Sunset Crater National Monuments in under an hour from Winslow. Wupatki National Monument is a little farther - about 1.5 hour drive each way. I enjoyed hiking at all three places but, again, don't know what the weather is like in winter.

Standin' on the Corner Park is nothing special, but it's right down the street from La Posada so it's ridiculously easy to see.

I only stayed one night and ate dinner and breakfast at the Turquoise Room - which was very good but pricey - so don't know about other places to eat.

If you're interested, you can see some photos of the national monuments at http://suewallace.zenfolio.com/p503288334
and Canyon de Chelly at
http://suewallace.zenfolio.com/p518963966

Hope this helps.

cat111719

Thanks, shanti! I was so charmed by that hotel when we saw it. Honestly, if there is nothing to do (2.5 hours probably too far) I am fine with that, but if there was something close, I wouldn't want to miss it.

Half kidding about the Standin on the Corner park, but like you say, it is so close, why not?

We are bringing a cooler with picnic type foods, so we won't need to eat every single meal. And there is a theater close by, so we'll probably go see a movie, which we don't do much of at home.

jvcourt1

You may want to head south of town towards the Mogollon Rim...breathtaking views of pine forests and red cliffs. There is NO movie theater in town, it closed a couple of years ago. The Brown Mug across the street from La Posada has excellent Mexican food, casual dining, very casual. There's a museum about 4 blocks west of La Posada, but probably the best stuff is in the hotel. You might reconsider the 2.5 hours to Canyon de Chelly, it is spectacular, and if you like Anasazi, very interesting. Hopi Land (and cultural Center) are about 1.5 hours north of town and also very interesting. Winslow doesn't look like much, but there are many beautiful sights nearby. Meteor Crater is worth one look, but gets old quick. Sunset Crater, just north of Flagstaff is also interesting. (volcanic, not meteoric). But just hanging around La Posada is a great relaxing vacation. Have a great time.

cat111719

Thanks, jv. When we stopped there before, I had the feeling I could just sit there for hours. We are bringing a ton of books and movies to watch. We don't get a lot of alone time, so that is priority number one! Thanks for the tip about Brown Mug. That is good to know.

Does anyone know if La Posada has free wi-fi?

starrs

cat, if you want a lazy visit, that's great. If you haven't been in the area before, you may want to spend a day driving around.

I like Meteor Crater (won't take too long to see) but I'm a science geek. I also like Petrified Forest NP. And if you are going to drive that far, continue on to Hubbell's Trading Post -http://www.nps.gov/hutr/index.htm

If you go to Canyon de Chelly, I like this tour operator -
http://www.tseyijeeptour.com/

I've not driven the road from Ganado (Hubbell) to Cameron, but I love driving through the mesas/ desert. The restaurant at Cameron has the best fry bread ever

A Winslow, Petrified Forest, Ganado, Cameron, Flagstaff, Winslow loop would be 8 hours of driving - something you may not be interested in, but it's beautiful countryside. Lots of dinner options at Flagstaff. It's the way I'd spend a day out there.

If you could add on a day to your trip, I'd make a reservation at Goulding's at get a good look at Monument Valley. Do the the loop with a stop overnight before you head back.

Here's a neat article about Goulding's -
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/fe...t-valley200903

We stayed at the WigWam hotel in Holbrook and there's a stretch of Route 66 there with plenty of restaurants.
http://www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam/
http://www.theroadwanderer.net/route66AZ.htm

cat111719

Thanks, starrs! We hit the Petrified Forest on the way home from Santa Fe, so we don't need to do that again. But Hubbell's looks right up our alley. I'll keep it in mind. We do love driving around, and I do love fry bread. Hmmmmm...

We really only have the weekend so may have to save Goulding's for another trip.

We drove home by way of Route 66 a year or so ago. That was pretty interesting!

Thanks for all the tips!

Shanti

La Posada had free wifi when I was there - but it had the worst connection of any place that I've ever stayed - I repeatedly lost my connection.

You're right about saving Monument Valley for another trip. Monument Valley is stunning, but it's about a 4-5 hour drive, each way, from Winslow.

cat111719

Thanks for all the tips. It is looking like we will have to postpone our trip for the time being. DD tore her ACL and is scheduled for surgery 2 days before Christmas. Even if everything goes great, I know I won't be able to relax the way this trip was supposed to relax me.

But I will come back to this thread as soon as we reschedule.