The last time my husband Tom and I went to Prescott, Arizona, we went in September 2021. The locals told us we needed to come back in December and see the Holiday lights in the town square. So when I asked my husband where he would like to go on our next quick adventure, he said Prescott, Arizona, to see the town decorations and lights.
We stayed at the lovely Hassayampa Inn. The inn was constructed in 1927 and opened as “The Jewel of the County.” Prescott was the Capitol of Arizona at that time. The inn is on the National Historic Register.
The hotel had a fire raging in the fireplace when we walked into the hotel. It was very welcoming. There is an old antique staircase, or you can take the original elevator with a staff member operator.
We stayed in Room 426, a corner suite with a balcony with a beautiful view of downtown Prescott. The patio would be great to sit outside during spring, fall and summer, but in the winter, it was a little too chilly to be out there too long unless you had an outside heater fired up and accompanying you.
During our stay, a few guests asked us about our room. One guest wanted to change their room to 426 after we left. Some were curious about the patio, and others about it rumored haunted. One of the guests said a young bride named Faith hung herself in the room after her husband didn’t come back from the store.
Did Tom or I have any haunting encounters in Room 426?
The only thing I experienced was sitting in a chair in the room on the first day, and I felt like someone was touching my hair, but no one was there. Tom didn’t have any unusual experiences.
We waited for dusk and walked to the downtown court area to see the lights.
With Tom and I living in the desert, we don’t see snow at all, and this was our first time making an effort to go somewhere that may have snow during the holiday, even though there wasn’t much snow.
On this day trip, I went with my childhood friend Krysti. When I had told her about my travel blog adventures, she said she wants to do a day’s travel with me; I said, okay, you pick the place. So the trip planning experience was a let’s go for it approach. Krysti decided on Sonoita, Arizona; it is about a 60-minute drive from Tucson. So we met in Tucson and started our voyage from there. Krysti made some Sonoita Coffee Roasters – Medium Roast Sonoita Sunrise blend coffee to begin our road trip adventure. The coffee is so good! It seemed fitting since we were going to Sonoita, Arizona.
Sonoita is the cross-road to get to Patagonia Lake, Parker Canyon Lake, and Elgin. In addition, there are a few wineries in the communities of Sonoita and Elgin on the beautiful scenic route of Highway 83.
Our first stop was Corner Scoop restaurant in Sonoita, with an outdoor sitting area, for lunch. I ordered an Italian sandwich with pickles. It was delicious.
Our next stop was the Sonoita Vineyards for wine tasting. We walked up to the bar, and I tried the Sweet & Lights wines. The place was in a beautiful setting. The people there were pleasant and friendly and had some unique merchandise for sale.
The next stop was The Village of Elgin Winery for some more wine tasting. I have to say this was my happy wine place. I tasted the Sangaria’s Berry Rose (Blackberry and Raspberry) and Morgana (Pomegranate and Strawberry). I bought a bottle of each. Krysti liked the wine and gin there as well.
Patti at The Village of Elgin Winery Krysti’s wine and gin selection
We met up with the co-owner Benjamin de la Garza, and he was gracious to explain to us how the coffee beans roasted. Sonoita Coffee Roasters traces back to 2010 as a coffee roasting hobby. After six years of hobby roasting and building interest in the town for locally roasted organic coffee, the Sonoita Coffee Roasters LLC began in Sonoita, Arizona. The company grew its clientele locally through word-of-mouth advertising and by participating in local coffee-related events. After learning Sonoita Coffee Roasters’ roasting methodology, Benjamin and Jessica de la Garza purchased the company in 2018. Sonoita Coffee Roasters focuses on the local Sonoita community while expanding its market outwards to the Tucson Metropolitan area, Patagonia, Benson, Sierra Vista, Wilcox, and online markets. They believe fresher is better and in roasting frequently to provide the highest quality product. Roast days are Mondays and Thursdays.
After meeting with Benjamin de la Garza, we headed back to Tucson.
In this adventure of Sonoita and Elgin, we enjoyed learning about wine, distillery, and coffee roasting. However, we wish we had more time to visit even more wineries and distilleries. Until next time.
I would love to hear about your favorite travel adventures in Sonoita and Elgin.
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