Weekend Road Trip: The Arizona Salsa Trail

Other posts by DesertMama

A few weeks back my husband and I decided to load up the tots and take a little jaunt over to Safford, Arizona and explore an Arizona culinary attraction: The Salsa Trail. The “trail” runs along Southeast Arizona’s Old West Highway and consists of thirteen restaurants, a tortilla factory and a chile factory.

Casa Manana by Jeff BlairWhen we pulled into the parking lot of the Best Western Desert Inn, our home for the night, the parking lot was filled with a rainbow of polished classic cars. The owners were walking around in hats and t-shirts that said, “I Survived the Salsa Trail”. It was the Classy Car Club from Wickenburg, Arizona in town for the weekend cruising the Salsa Trail.

Not only were the car club members friendly, the entire town welcomed us with open arms. Locals waved as we drove by, while a smile and warm hello became the norm every time we passed someone on the street. Even when I tried to push the double stroller up a curb and my children almost ended up splattered on the concrete locals ran up to help.

Salsa Fiesta by Jeff Blair

Over two days we hit five of the restaurants (Safford is home to eight of the restaurants, tortilla factory, and the chili farm) and believe me when I say this is an experience where polishing off an entire bowl of chips is not recommended. Our first stop was at the Salsa Fiesta in Wilcox. We ate a full lunch there, which was quite good by the way, but from then on we simply tasted the variety of salsas with a few chips. Each restaurant’s salsa was so unique and tasted so fresh.

After we all had our fill, we took the kids back to the Best Western to splash in the pool and watch a stunning Arizona sunset. The next day we hit the local coffee shop on Main Street called A Step Back in Time where barista Mikayla made us a couple of great cups of java.

El Coronado by Jeff BlairNext, we crossed the street for breakfast at El Coronado Family Restaurant where it seemed everyone knew each other by name. The kids indulged in yummy pancakes while Jeff and I had some tasty breakfast burritos, with their special salsa of course. Delish! I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the Salsa Trail restaurants.

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June 22, 2008 | Filed Under Budget Travel, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Luxury Travel, Romantic Getaways, The Cookie Jar 

Comments

3 Responses to “Weekend Road Trip: The Arizona Salsa Trail”

  1. Daniel says:
    June 23, 2008 at

    The salsa trail sounds like something I have to try. Soon as I get back from Aruba, I’ll head out and see how it goes. Mean time, I’m at http://www.bentpage.wordpress.com.

  2. Marie says:
    July 3, 2008 at

    It really is a tasty trip – I’ve been to each and highly recommend the trail.My favorite dish is a mixed green burro, enchilada style, and it’s great at each of them – even different enough to keep me from growing tired of the dish.
    Try it – you’ll like it.
    Even better – they’re each proud to be on the trail and enjoy making it a special occasion for the customer.

  3. Jackie Dishner says:
    October 3, 2009 at

    Oh, DesertMama! You have to go back and try this again. If I can make all 13 restaurants, the tortilla factory AND the chile farm in one long weekend, I gotta believe you’re up for the challenge as well. Ate nothing but Mexican food the whole time we were there, finished off every bowl of chips and salsa, too. Gained a few pounds, but it was worth every bite. I have a few favorites, but they’re in my new guidebook–and you’ll have to review that to find out! :-)

    Thanks for the tip on the coffee shop. Missed that when I was there.

    All my best,
    Jackie

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