Travel Tips & Adventures

We’re coming down to the last two Wacky Casino Wednesday’s featuring casinos with hotels here in Arizona.

This week we’re featuring the only casino/hotel in southern Arizona.

DESERT DIAMOND CASINO & HOTEL

From a tent containing a bingo hall established in1984 to a $120 million hotel- casino, the Tohono O’odham nation completed its newest casino project in 2007 including its first hotel.

The quite new Desert Diamond Casino

Located adjacent to the Tucson International Airport, Desert Diamond Casino & Hotel is owned and operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation, the second largest tribal area in Arizona.  Another Desert Diamond Casino without a hotel property is located I-19 & Pima Mine Rd., approximately 10 miles south.

The 323,000-square-foot casino-hotel is located at 7350 S. Nogales Highway.  A 149 room hotel is connected to the 165,000 sq. ft. casino by an 8,000 sq. ft. conference center.

GAMBLING

The casino complex boasts over 1000 slot machines

• 500 Seat Bingo Hall
• 35 Seat Keno Room
• Separate non-smoking slot machine room
• Separate non-smoking poker and table game room

** Note: Smoke Alert!!!  After visiting several casinos over the last few weeks, all which allow smoking on the gaming floor, my opinion is that The Desert Diamond Casino ventilation system is not as adequate as the previous properties we have reviewed.

ENTERTAINMENT

Monsoon Night Club

Hours: Friday & Saturday 8:00PM

DINING

The Steakhouse

Cost: Prime Rib/Steaks: $16.95-$29.95

Hours: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. 7 Days a Week

The Buffet
Cost: Lunch $9.99, Dinner $12.99

Monday Seafood Buffet $16.95

Sunday  Brunch $14.95

Lunch: $8.85
Dinner: $10.85

Food Court

Diamond Grill / Diamond Wok

Cost: Grill – Average Entrees 4.95   Wok – Average Entrees $5.95-7.95

Hours: 24 Hours

HOTEL

As an added benefit to your wallet, there is no lodging tax – a savings of 12.5% per room.

Desert Diamond Hotel with a Vegas kind of look

Facilities

Heated outdoor pool

Exercise facilities

Near the pool

Rooms

King and double rooms are available along with Executive Suites and Luxury VIP suites with one or two bedrooms.

Rooms include:

• Contemporary decor
• 32″ flat panel television (42” flat panels in suites)
• Large work desk
• Complimentary wireless internet access
• Refrigerator

www.desertdiamondcasino.com

When you are traveling – well, you gotta eat!  Where you’d like to eat is obviously determined by diet, preferences, and budget.

Scottsdale has every imaginable food opportunity in both chain and unique restaurants.  Today, we’ll feature two unique restaurants catering to two different culinary inspirations. (more…)

My first stay in Arizona was at the Camelback Inn when I attended a conference.  Let us say that I was not disappointed with my accommodations. Today’s blog will talk about the Camelback as well as an old timer that has been renovated, the Valley Ho. (more…)

We’re back with Wacky Casino Wednesday!  That’s Wacky Wednesday’s featuring casinos with hotels here in Arizona.

This week we’re featuring another casino that’s been around for a while with a hotel property that has a familiar name.

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Ft. McDowell's Indian commemorating when they asserted their sovereign nation status

Unfortunately for the state, five casinos were already in operation around the state so in a desperate move, the Governor asked the FBI to raid the establishments, including Fort McDowell.

When the FBI loaded up 349 slot machines into trucks they found that they were not going to get too far.  Yavapai members blocked the casino access road with all types of vehicles and stood their ground for three weeks.  The governor finally (and surely reluctantly) signed a compact with the Yavapai.  This in essence created the legalization of Indian gaming in Arizona.

If you want to celebrate with them, May 12^th is a tribal holiday!

GAMBLING

With a 150,000 sq. ft. gaming floor, there are 866 machines, 55 table and poker games, keno, poker, and bingo.

ENTERTAINMENT

Lucky 7 Saloon

Friday & Saturday: 9:00pm-1:00am

Sunday: 4:00pm-8:00pm

Outdoor Concerts

Throughout the summer outdoor concerts are presented with nationally known entertainers

FOOD

Fort McDowell Casino Dining

Cottonwood Café: Open Daily – Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Featuring: Asian, Italian, Mexican, Prime Ribs, Sandwiches

Redrock Buffet: Open Daily – Friday-Sunday Buffet with “All you can eat” Crab Legs $14.50

New York New York Deli: Sandwiches / Pizza $5.00 – $12.95

Noodles Sushiya: Sushi Bar in the non-smoking area of the casino $2.95-$7.95

Outside The Casino

Ah-Ha-Qwah-Ja Pool Bar and Café: Beverage & light entrees.
We-Ko-Pa Grill (We-Ko-Pa Golf Clubhouse):  Open daily serving breakfast & lunch.

HOTEL

Radisson Hotel at Fort McDowell Casino

In December 2005, Radisson opened its property next to the casino.  It’s interesting that although it is next to the casino, the Radisson is not physically connected to it or to the conference center that forms a buffer between the two buildings.  Fortunately, the southwestern desert climate makes inclement weather a rarity so even on a brisk winter evening the walk is invigorating.

- 248 rooms (4-star resort)

- Sleep Number Beds available

- $10 in casino play with free Fort McDowell Fortune Club membership

- Amethyst Spa

- Ahnala Mesquite Room restaurant

- Wassaja Conference Center (25,000 sq. ft.

- Heated outdoor pool/Jacuzzi

- We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (two, 18-hole courses)

http://www.radissonfortmcdowellresort.com

http://www.fortmcdowellcasino.com

http://fortmcdowelldestination.com

Tomorrow – We’ll take a quick look at what will soon be the newest, and largest, Resort Casino to open in Arizona.

Even if you are not a student or employed by Arizona State University, ASU has a presence in Tempe, Arizona.  Many large buildings in Tempe sport the ASU name, but the campus is accessible to visitors as well.

Shops and the atmosphere cater to students and their families.  There is also a community feel that the downtown has cultivated where individual shops, not usually part of national chains, create a fun shopping experience.  There are places to eat, like Rula Bula (a pub), Chompie’s Deli, and House of Tricks that offer unique dining experiences from easy on the budget to upscale (definitely House of Cards).

For an evening out, there is Gammage Auditorium, part of ASU’s campus.  National tours of shows like Wicked and Jersey Boys give the locals a chance to see great theater. Crowd pleasers like Phantom of the Opera and Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins and Annie join more serious fare like award-winning August: Osage County.  Prices are typically more reasonable than a Broadway show and the actors are equally talented.  (One note: sound quality may suffer in the upper regions of the theater in the last few rows.  We struggled to hear the fabulous solos of “Wicked.”)

http://www.asugammage.com/

Eating in Tempe

We wandered into the second day of a new chain restaurant in Tempe on Mill Avenue, Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  While it is a chain, it has a very homemade feel to the food.  They do not have freezers and everything is fresh. It also offers more menu choices than the popular In ‘n Out Burger chain.  Five Guys promotes their fries’ potato source as being from Shelley, Idaho, so we just had to try them.  (I am named Shelley, remember.)

A lot more than five guys were prepping burgers and fries in Tempe

They had quite a crowd on their second day due to the Festival of the Arts, but were moving things along very briskly. The place was mobbed, but the red-shirted staff handled it all with aplomb.

In addition to the aforementioned burgers and fries, their menu also includes grilled cheese, hot dogs and many toppings, like grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, A-1 sauce, all free.  The 2-person fries order was GIGANTIC – and that was the small size.  My small bacon burger was a large serving.  Considering that all of the toppings are free and the food is freshly made (“never frozen”), the price tag is very reasonable when compared with other chains.  They also have peanuts available for free that you can scoop out and eat – as much as you like. We spent $16 for our burgers (One large and one small), small fries, one drink and water.

http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

Another chain, but a local one, is Chompie’s Deli, which will fulfill anyone’s craving for deli food.  The bagels are good –chewy and flavorful – and the enormous menu offers so many choices that your biggest issue will be making a decision on what to order.  Old family favorites like giant deli sandwiches and stuffed cabbage, plus new twists like a brisket served in tortillas make it possible for every family member to find something they’ll enjoy. The quality and quantity definitely go hand in hand at Chompie’s, which has been around for 30 years.  You won’t leave hungry!

http://www.chompies.com/

In the heart of downtown Tempe is House of Tricks, definitely an upscale menu with white tablecloth service.  The food service is excellent and the presentations very appealing.  Their restaurant has been around for over 20 years and it is apparent why: exotic and unusual twists on culinary efforts that incorporate the best of many cuisines. One entrée was: Lemon Honey Braised Grouper with Sautéed Watercress, Parsnip Pear Puree and Whole Grain Mustard Buerre Blanc.  An appetizer, “Miso Marinated Foie Gras with Ginger Snap and Warm Black Mission Fig Chutney,” put a homemade touch on what could be something served anywhere.   Their chef is obviously inventive and committed to using fresh, seasonal ingredients, a quality we very much encourage. 

http://www.houseoftricks.com/

So, now you won’t go hungry while in Tempe.  We’ve tried other restaurants as well, but these three are worth a trip.

Now that we’ve given you places to eat, sleep and entertain yourself, we’ll continue our “Wacky Wednesday” tomorrow with a visit to a casino.  You’ll need some luck to win and a means of transportation to get there.

We’re back with things to do at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino – besides gaming.

If you’ve exhausted your roll of pennies, nickels and quarters and are tired of standing in line at the ATM for more money, there are other distractions within and outside of the casino that are part of the Gila River Indian Community. (more…)

There’s something about a college town. I’m not talking about New York City, Boston, or Los Angeles, but rather those small to mid-sized towns that cater to, or are intricately involved with, the day–to-day operations of the campus.

Virginia has several such towns, Lexington (Washington & Lee University), Williamsburg (College of William & Mary), Blacksburg (Virginia Poly Tech), Radford (Radford University), even Farmville (Longwood University) are a few of the ten such towns that are labeled “college towns.”

But, my pick for this article is Charlottesville.

Home to the University of Virginia, designed by United States President and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, Charlottesville is just over an hour from Richmond, and easily accessible by car or plane. Current population of just under 50,000 makes this a small college town with amenities that you might not find in other towns of this size. (more…)

If we seem to be in rhapsodies over Corvallis, you’re right – and we have another activity to share. We happened into an event that features local vineyards paired with local stores. Great idea, right? Well, it was! (more…)

After traveling on the “Over the River and Through the Woods” Scenic Byway, we arrived in Corvallis, Oregon rather worn out.  (The Scenic Byway was, indeed, scenic, but with numerous hairpin turns, it was wearing – just to observe.)

We had originally planned to stay in Corvallis for only one day, but decided to stay two and arrived a day early.  We’re so glad we did!

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