We’re right smack dab in the middle of Sonoran Restaurant Week, when around 100 (!) restaurants in Tucson and surrounding cities offer special prix fixe menus for $25, $35, or $45 (plus tax and tip). The price often includes several courses that would regularly cost more.
The idea is to encourage diners to try restaurants they haven’t been to, as well as revisiting old favorites. You many need to ask for the Sonoran Restaurant Week menu if you’re at a participating place and don’t see one. Find participating restaurants and menus on TucsonFoodie.com.
View of the city from inside the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson.
In case you’re not familiar, you can think of a quilt shop hop as kind of like a pub crawl, only with less alcohol and a lot more fabric.
Different quilt shops in a region will participate with demonstrations, prizes, and fun activities. You “hop” around to the different ones. Instead of tickets or admission, you can purchase a single passport that allows you to join in the extra festivities at each shop.
Banner project via Quilt N Sew Connection, Prescott Valley.
To join in, you just start in any of the 6 participating shops and buy a passport for $5. That gets you entry into prize drawings and a 10% discount on merchandise, as you visit the rest of the shops (or as many of them as you’d like).
Route on Google Maps.
The Plan
My mom wanted to go check out that Northern Arizona Shop Hop, so we hatched a plan to make a day trip while I was visiting her recently.
The plan was to time our two-hour drive from Phoenix so we’d arrive as the shops were opening. We wouldn’t get to all of them, but we might be able to go to 3 or 4 out of the 6, and then get back to her house in time for Phillip and I to drive home to Tucson (two hours in the opposite direction).
What actually happened was a different story – more on that in a minute.
While the day did not go as planned, I had looked up a bunch of stuff about the shops ahead of time. And had done some deep dives into Google Maps street views of our destinations, because even map apps can be confusing!
Via Sew-n-Sew Fabric, Notions + More.
Let’s Go to the Hop
In case you’d like to plan your own Northern Arizona quilt store expedition (during a shop hop or not), I wanted to share the information I found about the shops I was planning on going to.
Before you drive across the state, it’s always a good idea to check AZ511 for road closures because of construction, weather, wildfires, etc.
Exit to Chino Valley, via Google Maps.
Start here!
Take the I-17 north out of the Phoenix area.
When you get to Cordes Junction, peel off onto AZ-69 North (take exit 262 for Cordes Lakes) towards Prescott.
You’ll get to Prescott Valley first, and that’s where you’ll find the first two shops on our list…
One of the town trails via Prescott Valley Parks + Recreation.
Prescott Valley
In case you’re not familiar with the area, yes, Prescott Valley is a different town than Prescott, which is almost 100 years older!
Find them at 6546 E. Second St., Suite A, Prescott Valley
From Cordes Junction, stay on AZ-69 for about 30-40 minutes.
Take a left onto Valley View Drive – which may look less like like a street and more like the entrance to the Mattress + Furniture Gallery parking lot.
Quilt N Sew Connection is in one of the Santa Fe style buildings on Second Street, across from the Post Office.
“A great selection of quality quilting fabrics, battings, books and supplies,” as well as “a passion for batiks!” On the home decorating side, they carry an assortment of upholstery fabrics for both DIYers and pros – and (heads up, cosplayers!) they also have an entire foam department.
Find them at 6479 E. Copper Hill Dr., Prescott Valley
From Quilt N Sew, cross AZ-69 and turn onto Copper Hill Drive.
ClothPlus is in a warehouse-looking building on the south side of the street.
Prescott Courthouse via Visit Prescott on Flickr.
Prescott
Prescott’s Courthouse Plaza is home to craft fairs, festivals, and lots of other outdoor events! It’s surrounded by a town square full of quirky shops and restaurants, historic hotels, and old-timey saloons. We were hoping to be there by lunchtime.
Snow falling on the shop! Via Prescott Quilt Works.
A new full-service quilt shop with “a curated selection of both traditional and modern fabrics, patterns, and supplies.” Their goal is “to inspire and help you create your vision while having fun from start to finish.”
Open Tue, Thr-Sat 10am-4pm / Wed 10am-6pm
Contact hello@prescottquiltworks.com / Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / (928) 515-2276 Find them at 1781 E. AZ-69, Suite 29, Prescott
Get back on AZ-69 North until you spot Frontier Village Shopping Center on your left.
Prescott Quilt Works is a couple doors down from Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Overlooking Chino Valley in Northern Arizona at sunset. Via Discover Chino Valley.
Chino Valley
If we had time to squeeze it in, this would be our final stop of the day.
Antique sewing machine at Sew-n-Sew Fabric in Chino Valley.
“This store has been a dream of mine for over 30 years and to see it come to fruition has me beyond words. Our goal is to provide a one stop shop for all your basic sewing needs.”
Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
Contact yoursewnsew@yahoo.com / Facebook / (928) 636-3769 Find them at 1120 S. Hwy 89, Suite E. Chino Valley
Get back onto AZ-69, but prepare to take a pretty quick right.
Exit onto AZ-89 North.
Go through like 6 traffic circles. Make sure you’re still on AZ-89 when you come out the other side of each one!
At the stoplight intersection with Rt 2 S, make a U-turn. (Where are those traffic circles when you finally need one?!)
Sew-n-Sew will be on the right, in a strip mall with a blue roof.
Quilter’s Quarters shop, photo by Paula Fleming via Google Maps.
Cottonwood + Flagstaff
The other two participating shops that we knew we wouldn’t be able to fit into our day trip…
Usually, going to Northern Arizona in the summer means cool weather instead of Phoenix heat.
However, as the shop hop got closer, the whole state seemed to be scorching. Even in the high country, they were expecting temps of 98-100, which is not cool. But cooler than Phoenix by about 20 degrees, so that’s something.*
I checked in with Mom.
Me: If it’s hot up north, do you still want to go?
Mom: Sure!
Mom remembered she had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the morning of our trip. It would mean heading north a bit later, but we could make it work if the appointment didn’t go too long.
Me: If we leave straight from your doctor’s office, do you still want to go?
Mom: Sure!
The appointment went too long. It was midday before Mom finally reappeared in the waiting room. We started talking about if it made any sense to try to drive up just for the afternoon. Then Mom had an idea.
Mom: Instead of making a long drive, do you want to visit a couple nearby quilt shops and then go see the Barbie movie?
Me: Sure!
That was a plan that worked out perfectly. The Barbie movie was great! And I’ll fill you in on the Phoenix-area (East Valley) stores we visited in the next few weeks.
*Temperatures were around 37 Celsius in the normally-much-cooler northern Arizona region. Hot. But slightly less hot than the Phoenix area, where it was 47 C!
“We … find our way on canoes as we travel across the ocean where there are no street signs.”
Even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight – and no GPS – Lehua Kamalu knows where she’s going.
Hōkūle’a was designed to replicate traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes. Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
I learned about Lehua through an interview on the Overheard at National Geographic podcast. As part of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), she has learned to find her way across the waves by employing ancestral knowledge and constant, keen observation of her surroundings.
Captain navigator Lehua Kamalu before departing on a voyage from Hawaii to California in August 2018. Photo by Hye Jung Kim / Polynesian Voyaging Society.
“Wayfinding for us really is the idea that with the naked eye, with all of your senses, [you] immerse yourself into the signs of the natural world around you.”
The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in the 1970s, part of a Hawaiian cultural renaissance of pre-colonial arts, language, knowledge, and skills. They re-learned how to build the large, ocean-going canoes that had originally brought Polynesians to the Hawaiian islands centuries ago, as well as the navigational methods that guided them.
“Waves create regular, readable patterns in the ocean that are long range and very consistent, particularly in the tropics, particularly here in Polynesia, and are very reliable to find your way.”
The first voyaging canoe PVS built was the 62-foot long Hōkūleʻa, which was launched in 1975 and has since traveled over 140,000 nautical miles! The next canoe, Hikianalia, was built in 2012.
Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
In 2018, after years of honing her navigational skills, Lehua Kamalu became the first woman to captain one of these canoes on an extended voyage.
It was fascinating to hear her describe what it’s like to sail across the Pacific Ocean without present-day navigational equipment.
“The navigator’s job is to spend as little time sleeping as possible. And as much time watching for consistency, watching for patterns in the sky and in the ocean, and also for changes and comparing what’s going on between the two.”
Currently, she’s one of the 400 crew members of two Polynesian voyaging canoes (Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia) that are circumnavigating the Pacific on the 43,000-nautical-mile “Voyage for the Earth,” Moananuiākea.
When the Tucson Gem + Mineral Society held their inaugural show in the 1970s, it was the first of its kind, welcoming both professionals and the public. It continues to be the largest gem and mineral show in the world!
2. TGMS takes place annually in mid-February.
The 2024 show is scheduled for February 8-11.
Show hours are typically 10am-6pm, except for the final day (Sunday), when it closes at 4pm.
Ticket sales for the 2024 show will start January 11, 2024. Purchase through the TCC Box Office (520-791-4101) or Ticketmaster.
3. Regular TGMS admission is $13, but there are discounts!
Single-Day Admission Prices
$13 for adults and teens (ages 15+).
Free entry for youth (ages 14 and under) with a paid adult admission.
Where to find TGMS Discounts…
Coupon: Your best bet is to watch the TGMS page closer to the event date for a flyer that includes a $3 off coupon.
2-day pass: If you’ll be spending a couple days at the show, buying a 2-day pass ($22) will save you $4.
Military + Senior Citizens: There’s a discount day during the show when anyone who is over 62 years old and/or active or retired military receives $3 off admission. (In 2023, it was the Friday of the show.)
These discounts are an either/or situation. They can’t be combined.
On a tight budget? Don’t forget to factor in parking costs! See #9 below to learn about the lowest-cost options and transit alternatives.
Mural by Chris Andrews.
4. A single show has sprouted several weeks of shows!
The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show may be the original, but it’s far from the only show in town! Over the years, more and more shows have sprung up around it, creating an entire gem and mineral show season. In fact, there are dozens that take place from about late January to mid February.
Some shows might specialize in a specific type of gem or minerals imported from a certain part of the world.
Phillip walks through the African Art Village.
To avoid confusion with the original Tucson Gem & Mineral Show [registered trademark], these other shows are collectively known as the Tucson Gem, Mineral + Fossil Showcase or simply the “Gem Show.” Most of them are free, open to the public, and take place about late January to mid February.
One very special show is the African Art Village, which happens on the Mercado District Festival Grounds.
Jewelry designer Aïssatou Bamba Kemoko.
It’s an outdoor marketplace with many different vendors selling artisan products imported from Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Morocco, and across the African continent.
Abstract paintings by artist Harouna Ouédraogo.
While some of the items would fit under the “gem and mineral” heading, there is much more variety than that.
Abstract artist Casimir Bationo (“Caszi”) and some of his work.
You can find beautifully carved wooden furniture and figurines, jars of shea butter and black soap, baskets, bags, traditional masks, textiles, oversized necklaces, djembe drums, and even contemporary art!
6. There’s a lot to see in the Mineral District, where it tends to be less hectic.
As you head north of Speedway on Granada/Main/Oracle, you’ll start to see some gem shops and warehouses. This is where you’ll find the 1801 Oracle / Mineral Village Show, Rock Yard Show, and Mineral City Show, which boasts over 100 mineral vendors in one location. Even with all that, these shows tend to be a bit less crowded and easier for more casual shoppers to just pop in and out of.
7. Gem Shows set up in some unusual locations around Tucson.
You can find them outside warehouses, taking over hotel parking lots, crammed into a jewelry store or lobby, on festival grounds, and inside ginormous tent-like structures that are assembled solely for this purpose.
Visit Tucson creates a full listeach year of show dates and locations and which ones are wholesalers-only.
8. Hotel rooms fill up fast.
If you’re coming in from out of town, make sure you have a place to stay well in advance. Hotel rooms, Airbnbs, and all types of lodging get more difficult to find and more expensive as you approach the gem show dates.
In fact, February is the most expensive month to stay in Tucson, according to Google Hotels “When to Visit!”
Currently free to ride – and will be through at least June 30, 2023.
Easily get to the 22nd Street Shows and African Art Village by riding to the western end of the line in the Mercado District.
Also convenient gem show stops at the Tucson Convention Center (where TGMS happens), 4th Avenue, and Main Gate Square.
GemRide Shuttle:
The free shuttles that traveled between gem show locations in past years were discontinued during COVID. I’m not sure if/when this will resume.
Driving:
If you do drive, take it slow! Streets near shows can get congested with sudden stops due to bottlenecks at entrances or trucks loading/unloading. In addition, there are more people walking around and wandering across the street where you wouldn’t expect them to.
Metalwork at the African Village in Tucson.
Where to Park…
Gem Show parking isn’t super expensive, but it is something to factor in if you’re on a tight budget. Or if you just don’t like unexpected costs popping up.
TGMS: Parking at the Tucson Convention Center is $10/day. Other parking options in the area will be around $3-10.
22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem + Jewelry Show makes a big deal about their free admission. But it costs $10 to park there. Which is kind of like charging admission for your car.
Parking for the Mercado District (including the African Village) is $5 during the Gem Show.
Shows in the Mineral City area typically have free street parking.
I haven’t been inside yet, but the newly-opened space has 5 different dealer showrooms, a cafe and bar on site, and promises to be a “perfect setting in which to relax and enjoy a stunning selection of the world’s finest mineral specimens.”
Located: 465 W. Saint Mary’s Rd.
Open: Monday – Friday, 10am-4pm and select weekends (next up: May 12-14, 10am-6pm)
A curated selection of crystals, plants, and handmade plant hangers at the Dunbar Pavilion by the sweet and knowledgeable Drew Berryhill. His shop is outdoors year-round, centered under a large ramada.
Located: 325 W. 2nd St. is the Dunbar’s address. However, you’ll find Drutopia closer to the northwest corner of University and 11th Ave.
Open: Thursday – Sunday, 10am-5:30pm
Mineral Artisan’s work is on the right with Tucson Gallery art on the left.
Home goods made from polished stones and geodes. Their display is the first thing you see as you walk into the merchant collective Proper Shops, which just opened at the end of 2022.
Located: 300 E. Congress St., inside Proper Shops, across from Hotel Congress
While Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year is Classic Blue, I feel like I’ve already explored that in my 2018 Blues color story. Instead, what’s been on my mind – colorwise, at least – is teal.
It’s a tricky one to define exactly.
Teal resides at the divide between blue and green, undulating from one to the other, like waves over the border between sea and ocean. The side it falls on depends on who is seeing it and how.
You might find dark, dramatic shades of teal in a flowing river, in paint and pottery, in flora and fauna. Maybe it’s made its way into your home.
Teal can feel tranquil. Like a deep breath. Like that time after the holidays but before you’ve completely resumed your regular routine. Like the peace we need more of in 2020.
For now, maybe we can start by simply taking a moment to breathe deeply and take in some gorgeous teal tranquility.
2. Diving kingfisher near Kirkcudbright, Scotland. / One of over 720,000 photographs Alan McFadyen shot during his 6-year quest to perfectly capture the birds’ dive into the water. / via Daily Mail
3. Detail of VisionShift, Sonia King’s mosaic installation for the HALL Arts complex in Dallas.
4. Mudstone font sample. / I’m not sure whether this festival actually exists, but I kinda hope it does. / via You Work For Them
11. Sea lions and pelicans enjoying a sunny day at Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California. / I took this photo when we were there in 2012. We stayed in a cute little vintage camper that looked a bit like the lower right one on the tea towel above.
12. Lacinato kale + recipe for kale and sausage skillet via The Rainforest Garden.
14. “You Belong Among the Wildflowers” embroidered Tom Petty lyrics wall hanging by BreezebotPunch on Etsy. (Currently out of stock but you can get on the waitlist or request a custom order.)
15. Abstract sketchbook painting of the Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Northern California) by Heather Day. / Her work is more about sensory experience than the literal represensation of a scene. She camped + painted in a spot overlooking this river in 2017. / via VSCO
16. The Vintage Turkish Over Dye Rug by Cadrys is one of the accessories “Interiors Addict” Jen Bishop selected to help your home feel cozy over the winter. (H/T The Home)
Photo sources: the Monterey and Venice photos are mine. Others are as cited.
This post contains Etsy affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases – at no extra cost to you. So shop away!
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