On our recent visit in November, it started drizzling when we arrived and if you've never experienced a rainy night in Strawberry- it's the coziest thing ever! We picked up our favorite pizza and salad from The Old Country Inn on our way to The Strawberry Inn, and once we got to our Studio Cottage, we were able to have the coziest night eating, playing games, and watching sports on TV before snuggling into the comfiest beds for the night.
We have stayed in just about every room type the Inn has to offer but this was our first time staying in a Studio Cottage and it was perfect. It had a modern kitchenette which was perfect for us, a dining table and chairs to eat at, and a big comfy bed for me. There were also built-in bunkbeds with a pocket door for the kids. This cottage was pet-friendly, so we were able to bring our new puppy too!
After a cozy night in, we were ready for a full day of adventuring our next day. After sleeping in, we stopped by our favorite Pie Bar for some empanadas before hitting two of our favorite hiking spots near The Strawberry Inn - Pine Trailhead and Tonto Natural Bridge. Pine Trailhead is super peaceful and less than a ten-minute drive from the Inn. Its' part of the Arizona Trail System and has lots of soaring tall pine trees. We even saw several deer off the trail this time. We took our cute puppy along with us and he was so relaxed that he fell asleep in my arms while hiking.
After hiking Pine Trailhead, we grabbed lunch at the best little gas station around! They seriously have the best snacks, and we love their sandwiches too. Plus, the employees are really friendly- everyone is really friendly in this cute little town!
We drove a scenic 15 minutes to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and ate our lunch. It was an incredible view. Because we had our puppy with us, we couldn't go down on any of the actual trails, but we were able to walk around the entire park and see all the scenic viewpoints which were still super breathtaking. If you haven't seen the Natural Bridge in person, it's a must see for sure! We took tuns going down to our favorite waterfall trail too.
After hiking we couldn't resist shopping amongst the cute shops in Pine and Strawberry. A favorite of ours is Fancy Finds- they have so many cute things to look at and we ended up buying some cute holiday decor and hostess gifts.
Afterwards we went back to our cozy cabin to reax for a bit, play some yard games, and play on the new swings and climbing structure in the Lower Park Yard. Right before dinner, we almost always see many elks passing through the creek bed right behind The Strawberry Inn cottages and this visit was no exception. I am never not in awe of how incredible these magnificent beasts are!
We walked to pick up dinner after watching the elk play. There are two great dinner spots right next door to the Strawberry Inn- we've had them both and recommend them always. We ate and had another cozy night in playing games and watching sports all snuggled up in our cottage.
We had to get back to Phoenix early the next morning, so we stopped by Windmill Coffee for our drive back and picked up a new book form the cutest little free library ever - both located on the main Strawberry Inn property!
No matter what the season - there's also so many fun things to do at The Strawberry Inn! See some of our past adventures here, here and here. What is your favorite time of year to visit Strawberry?
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