Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914 Small-town tourism in Flagstaff

MCKAYLA HOLDER

The city of Flagstaff has been the place to go when Phoenix locals want to escape the heat of the valley, experience snowfall and spend the day at Arizona Snowbowl. Downtown Flagstaff is where most tourists go to visit old-town shops and top-rated restaurants like Lumberyard Brewing Company, Earthbound Trading Company and Collins Irish Pub and Grill.

Katelyn Kowitz, a sophomore at Coconino Community College, said her favorite place downtown is Bright Side Bookshop.

“It’s right on San Francisco Street, and I remember the first time I went there, I bought a book and sat on a bench right outside the shop just reading for hours,” Kowitz said.

Flagstaff Visitor Center, located on East Route 66, is where tourists can find things to do, places to go and historical information while they visit. Flagstaff is also known as a Dark Sky City, meaning the city works to prevent unnecessary light pollution to preserve the natural view of the night sky. This also means the city is a perfect place to stargaze, which tourists can do at Lowell Observatory

Southside Historic District is where many breweries, restaurants and shops are located in restored buildings from the 1890s. Tourists experience this district through self-guided walking tours, segway tours and haunted history tours.

“Downtown is usually busiest during the winter months,” Kowitz said. “I actually try to steer clear of downtown in the winter because I find it a little bit frustrating navigating my way with all the tourists.”

One of many popular places downtown is a top-rated family-owned business burger place called Mama Burger. The burger joint has won the Arizona Daily Sun “Best of Flag” in the burger category in 2019, 2020 and 2022. It is the only location but is temporarily closed due to renovations.

Mia Smith, a Flagstaff resident and NAU alumna, used to work at Mama Burger.

“Customers would come in from out of town, usually from Phoenix, but some from out of state or even the country,” Smith said. “They would say how they either heard through word of mouth that Mama Burger was one of the best burger places in town, or they saw it on a website as being one of the best burger spots in Flagstaff. Tourists brought in a lot of business and really put the place on the map.”

Another popular place downtown among tourists and local college students is Collins Irish Pub and Grill. According to Collins’ website it was named one of Arizona’s best pubs. The pub serves as a sports-oriented bar serving Irish and American comfort food by day and is a nightclub by evening.

Jenna Jablonsky, a Collins employee, spoke about how tourism affects the pub.

“Tourism is a big part of downtown Flagstaff in general, and a large portion of our business is from tourists, especially during the winter months,” Jablonsky said. “Collins is the type of place that attracts everybody.”

Jablonsky said tourism doesn’t impact the difficulty of her job, but she knows when to prepare for busy days depending on the time of the year.

See TOURISM on PAGE 9

Did Route 66 lose its kicks?

EMILY REHLING

Route 66 is perhaps the most famous highway in American history. The road, one of the original highways in the United States, has been embedded in pop culture history. Hasn’t everyone heard “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” or watched the 2006 movie “Cars,” the setting of which drew its inspiration from small towns scattered along Route 66?

After the completion of Interstate 40 in 1984, Route 66 was decommissioned. Business had been declining since the bypass began construction in the 1960s, according to a 1968 report from the Arizona Daily Sun

“When you divert the bulk of motorists using the major U.S. East-West Highway Route 66 artery from the heart of the city to an Interstate 40 ‘Super Highway’ bypass there is bound to be an impact on business in the town,” the report said. “East side motels are reporting a deep drop off in registrations due to the shifting of traffic from Route 66 to the new I-40 bypass.”

Flagstaff is a lot like the fictional Radiator Springs of “Cars” fame, albeit slightly larger. Route 66 crosses directly through the city, but just like in “Cars,” it’s now a dusty thoroughfare that gets drivers from one side of Flagstaff to the other. Driving along the famed road, you can see how some of the neon signs on decrepit motels once glittered, how the mountains and red rocks once were a beautiful picture of natural wonder for travelers. Tourism was once booming, but not anymore.

Today, businesses on Route 66 are underwhelming. Fast food chains, auto shops and motels make up most of the attractions. But a few gems remain, like the Museum Club or Miz Zip’s — some of the only relics of the route that held onto their history. Other sites to see include an empty lot to your left, three half-demolished buildings to your right and about five or six condemned motels every time you turn your head.

Route 66 is now home to all of the things travelers and locals alike would rather not see, while downtown Flagstaff receives the bulk of tourism, engagement and attention. Isn’t it time to bring the past back to life?

In Miami, Oklahoma, a young entrepreneur named Eli Chenowith has been taking advantage of the historic road’s nostalgia by incorporating it into his own shaved ice business. This is the direction Flagstaff should be moving toward; rather than making Route 66 into a graveyard of dying or unsightly, it should become a shining light of the city’s history.