Spotlight on Arizona
Blessing McAnlis-Vasquez’ employer correctly bet that there’s no shortage of people wanting to bet.
McAnlis-Vasquez is marketing manager for Arizona’s Talking Stick, which bills itself as a cultural and entertainment destination found on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian reservation, which in turn is in a location that provides quick access to urban life.
And among the Talking Stick’s tourist attributes is Talking Stick Resort, a 496-room, 15-floor retreat that features casino gambling all day and night, every day and night, she said during a Wednesday Arizona gathering in Toronto.
“Our casino is open 24/7, 365 days a year,” McAnlis-Vasquez said of a casino that offers the likes of more than 700 slot machines, blackjack and poker on a 240,000-square-foot gaming floor.
Other resort features include an open-air spa.
The resort is also a showcase for native American culture, with its Cultural Center displaying over 100 pieces of Maricopa pottery and Native American art, while visitors may also see Pima social dances, hoop dancing and other Indian cultural performances.
Another accommodation option is a Courtyard by Marriott property.
Visitors can also find two 18-hole golf courses that McAnlis-Vasquez said provide “spectacular desert views. It’s not uncommon to see wild horses or coyotes when you play.”
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in turn serves as the spring training home for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, with its 13 baseball fields and a shaded stadium. “Every day during the month of March we have a game,” McAnlis-Vasquez said.
Pavilions at Talking Stick is home to the likes of McDonald’s Rock’n’Roll Car Show, the longest-running car show in Arizona and held every Saturday, drawing hundreds of cars.
Early 2016 will see the opening of the OdySea Aquarium, which will be the largest aquarium in the southwestern United States. It’s promising a “high-tech, high-entertainment, oceanic adventure with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer aquatic life viewing – even in the restrooms – and underwater acrylic tunnels that lead to each level.
McAnlis-Vasquez said that Talking Stick is five minutes from both Scottsdale and Mesa, and 15 minutes from Phoenix. Downtown Scottsdale and Talking Stick are linked by a complimentary trolley.
Meanwhile, Megan Neighbor of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau said her city can easily accommodate both those who prefer urban locales and those who enjoy natural environments.
Scottsdale is home to the likes of a “thriving arts scene,” while the Scottsdale Sonoran Desert, one of four major deserts in North America, is “the most biologically diverse desert in the world,” among other things home to the saguaro cactus, often viewed in Western movies and unique to the Sonoran Desert.
The desert can be viewed on foot, by Jeep and hot-air balloons.
Neighbor added baseball fans will be in their element in Scottsdale during spring training, with Cactus League games played there. “It’s a very intimate way of getting to know the players, meet them, get their autographs, the whole nine yards,” she said.
Neighbor said her city’s dry climate provides around 330 days of sun a year.
Scottsdale’s hotel scene will be enhanced next year when Hyatt opens one of its Andaz properties, with Neighbor describing that brand as “upper, upper echelon.”
Meanwhile, Tony Alba of the Arizona Office of Tourism said his state’s iconic Grand Canyon is just one of numerous points of interest for visitors. He cited the likes of a “fabulous food scene,” and opportunities to become familiar with Native America culture in a state that has around 22 tribes.
Pictured are McAnlis-Vasquez and Neighbor.
(http://www.visitArizona.com, http://www.talkingstickarizona.com, http://www.Scottsdalecvb.com)
