A Weekend of Wine, Food & Adventure in Cottonwood
Where It Started:
Arizonans spend an average of $6 billion vacationing in Southern California every year. Yes, that’s billion…. with a B! Local First Arizona (LFA) created WeekendZona to divert some of that spending to Arizona’s many beautiful rural towns. WeekendZona is a two-day event in a designated community, packed full of carefully curated experiences that showcase all that the community has to offer, from outdoor adventures to local food and drinks.
Cottonwood WeekendZona Event:
In partnership with the Arizona Office of Tourism, LFA helped more Arizonans discover and explore the Verde Valley community of Cottonwood as a weekend getaway. From Friday, June 24 through Sunday, June 26, 2022, two hosts from LFA led a group of 20 guests through a weekend of local food, drinks, and activities unique to the area. From lodging at Pine Inn & Suites to dining about town, the weekend was fully arranged by LFA to make it easy for our WeekendZona goers to show up and soak it all in while making new friends with their fellow explorers. These Arizona travelers enjoyed Cottonwood’s Old Town area, Verde River and some of the hidden dining gems like Cork & Catch, Randall’s Restaurant and Firecreek Coffee Company.
As the heart of Arizona wine country, the Cottonwood area boasts local wineries as well as tasting rooms for vineyards throughout the state like Pillsbury Wine Company. WeekendZona guests enjoyed two wine tastings and a tour of the Southwest Wine Center in Clarkdale, where they learned how students run the process from growing the grapes to bottling, naming and labeling the wines each season. For a unique dinner experience, guests were invited to Blazin’ M Ranch, a Western-themed frontier town where activities include bull riding, axe-throwing and a tractor pull before a live-music stage show over a barbecue dinner served chuck wagon style.
With something for everyone, the Cottonwood WeekendZona event allowed guests to experience a taste of all that Cottonwood has to offer for foodies, wine enthusiasts, shopaholics, antique lovers and adventure seekers alike. Build your own trip to Cottonwood here and sign up to receive our monthly rural newsletter for information about future WeekendZona adventures. And if you go, pick up the new Cottonwood Small Wonders Map from the Old Town visitor center or the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce to help make it even easier to enjoy and support more local businesses while you’re in town.
