We recently had the best few days away from it all as a family on a quick little getaway from Phoenix to Strawberry, Arizona! Strawberry is the cutest little town about 2 hours northeast of Phoenix along the most picturesque pine lined roads! I stared out my window the whole time at the scenery!
We have actually never been to this area of Arizona. We are creatures of habit and when we go away for a few days we usually go north to Prescott or Flagstaff so I was really excited to explore a new-to-us area! Strawberry is a really cute small town, just outside of Pine and near Payson, in Arizona's Rim Country. Everything there is absolutely charming- its the perfect small town feel where everyone is friendly and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.
We stayed at the cutest little boutique tiny cottages which are a new addition to The Strawberry Inn.
The Strawberry Inn is an 8 room inn, which is more hotel-style with single rooms facing out to a common area.
The tiny cottages are a couple of blocks away from the inn, and really cool because they are all different, with multiple bedrooms, kitchens, and great front porches and private yard areas. We LOVED this option because we love to spend as much time as possible outdoors whenever we head north to escape the Phoenix heat. We also love having the kids in a separate room so that us adults can still sit and enj0y a drink or shows together after they go to sleep without being afraid to wake them up!
We stayed in tiny cottage number 14 which had a great backyard area with a covered porch, a bunk room for the kids (the door closes!) and a separate bedroom for the parents. It also has a living room, dining area with a table and four chairs, and a small kitchen too with a full-sized fridge, microwave and two-burner stove!
I didn't have any plans of using the stove though because I had heard such great things about the dining options in and around Strawberry so I was excited to check these out! The first night we ate at The Old Country Inn. Their food was fantastic- I think we all agreed that their fries were some of the best we had ever eaten in our life!
They forgot to put in my daughter's chicken fingers order, so they gave her a big basket of fries while it cooked and then not only comped her meal, but also gave her a giant ice cream sundae on the house for dessert! See what I mean about everyone being super kind in this town? It was perfect because it was actually her birthday- so we were wanting to get her a fancy treat for dessert anyway!
After dinner on our first night we went back to our tiny cottage and snuggled up with a blanket out in our backyard to talk and look at the stars! They have some incredible stargazing in Strawberry! We later cleaned up and started a movie on Netflix (that and WIFI are included with your stay!) before calling it a night.
The next morning we woke up to the most incredible feeling weather (it is still really hot out in Phoenix). It was so fun to put on hoodies in the morning.
When I opened the blinds in the kitchen to start making my kids some breakfast I was so shocked to see two giant elk in the front yard of our neighbors cottage! I had heard there was great wildlife up in Strawberry and Pine but could not believe that they were so close! It was for sure one of the best moments of our trip!
They stayed in the yard for about an hour eating the acorns off their grass and we watched them and several other elk from our front yard and back yard too while we ate breakfast on our picnic table in our backyard! It was incredible.
After our big elk sighting, we cleaned up and got ready to go hiking at nearby Pine Trailhead. The trailhead is about a 5-10 minute scenic drive from The Strawberry Inn and part of the Arizona Trail, an 800 mile trail that spans the entire state of Arizona, north to south, from Utah to Mexico, which is very cool.
There are several different trailheads at this location and I can't remember the name of the one we took (only that we headed in the direction of Utah!) and it was gorgeous, as I'm sure they all are. We only went out about a mile and then turned around and came back but these trails are great for all skill levels - not too steep or rocky. They would be the perfect spot to trail run on too!
On our way back to our cottage we stopped at the Ponderosa Market, which is a great market near The Strawberry Inn. It's a smaller grocery store but is well stocked with any essentials you may need on your trip. We also played some yard games in front of the The Strawberry Inn before lunch. They have bean bag and ladder toss, along with giant Jenga and the cutest Little Free Library I have ever seen - all these were a family favorite for sure!
We had lunch back at our tiny cottage. Is it just me or do sandwiches always taste so much more delicious when on vacation and eaten outdoors? After lunch we tried to get Taylor down for her after noon nap in the bunk room. It's great because there is a pocket door that closes on the bunkroom which is super handy for naptime so the rest of us don't have to tiptoe around while someone is sleeping! Brayden and I played some yard games and read in the backyard while Taylor and Adam rested.
After nap/quiet time we went to visit the oldest schoolhouse in Arizona - which was 1/2 a mile down the road from our Strawberry Inn cottage - pretty neat, right? They have free tours but we didn't schedule one so we just peeked in the windows!
Afterwards we headed to The Old Country Inn for an early dinner! Everyone that knew we were going to Strawberry told us to eat here for their amazing woodfired pizza and it for sure did not disappoint! They have a great outdoor dining area, which is where we sat. It is quite popular so we were told to come at off hours. Even getting there at 3:45 on a Wednesday we had to wait 30 minutes, which want too bad at all. They had a great grass field right next to the restaurant with a chicken coop and little wooden tree stumps to sit on while we waited (so fun, right?) and by the time we got seated and our food was brought to us it was the perfect time for an early dinner!
One thing to know about Strawberry and Pine is that it's a small town so certain places are closed on certain days of the week. For example, I think the Old Country Inn was closed for dining on Mondays and Tuesdays - so just call ahead or check their websites (if there is one!) so you won't be surprised! We wanted to go to the Lavender Farm that was nearby too but that was just open on weekends right now - a good reason to visit again soon, right?
After dinner we got some ice cream and went back to our tiny cottage. We played games and watched the stars in our backyard (this was one of our favorite nightly activities while in Strawberry).We all snuggled in the living room after showers to finish our movie on the TV before calling it a night.
The next morning we lingered at our Strawberry Inn cabin knowing it was our last morning there- we were not ready to leave! We ate breakfast outside and I lingered over a couple cups of coffee (the cottages come equipped with the cutest red Keurig coffee makers!) while looking for more elk sightings!
Before heading back to Phoenix we played more yard games and relaxed on our favorite red chairs and wooden porch swing. We loaded up on more coffee and snacks from the windmill coffee stand conveniently located at The Strawberry Inn for our drive back!
We truly had the best time at The Strawberry Inn and I couldn't recommend it more for a few day getaway for you and your crew! It was the best place to relax and recharge and enjoy the outdoors with my family. The awesome folks at the Inn (did you know they are family owned?!) graciously gave me a discount code to pass along to all of you! You can use my code gofastmommy10 and it will save you 10% off your stay. It expires at the end of the month, but is good for bookings through the end of the year! You can find out more about The Strawberry Inn, check out all the available rooms they have, and start planning your next getaway here!
