# Visiting your city/state/region: what do I "have to try"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814 "2018-11-19T19:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/61 "2018-11-21T15:18:43Z")
Arizona has so much more than the Grand Canyon (which, to be honest, is pretty good by itself!). But nothing is close. Even if you want to drive across country, it takes hours just to leave the state! Sedona has a lot, even if you don’t appreciate vortexes Driving the Salt River Canyon to the high desert Flagstaff Route 66 Oatman If you’re just in Phoenix Metro, at least go up South Mountain There are tons of authentic Mexican/New Mexican food! You can’t swing a cat without hitting a good restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/62 "2018-11-21T15:29:21Z")
San Antonio, TX: 1. Walk past the Alamo if you haven’t seen it already. Don’t bother going in, unless Alamo history is your thing. Now you can say you visited the Alamo! Yay! 2. If this is your first time in TX, eat the following: … Brisket … Whataburger While I don’t consider Whataburger the end-all, be-all of hamburgers, at least you can enter the “best fast food burger” discussions with some additional experience. 1. If you’re here in April, do some Fiesta activities. What is Fiesta? It’s a two-week long city-wide block party which has events all across San Antonio which each draw from 20,000 - 75,000 people, culminating in the Battle of the Flowers parade. The BotF causes the city to shut down - schools close, the post office closes, the government closes, many businesses close - so over 500,000 people can come downtown in the middle of a Friday to watch a parade. Then they drink for 6 hours until the _nighttime_ parade begins. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/63 "2018-11-21T16:42:03Z")
If you are in Huntsville, Alabama … - In summer, on Thursday evenings you can [drink beer under a Saturn-V rocket](https://www.huntsville.org/listing/biergarten/1882/) at the Space & Rocket Center. - The [white BBQ sauce](http://www.oldgreenbrier.com/) is a regional specialty. Made famous by [Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q](http://bigbobgibson.com/) in nearby Decatur. I haven’t been to Gibson’s but [Old Greenbrier](http://www.oldgreenbrier.com/) is closer and is pretty good. - [Campus 805](https://campus805.com/) is a complex that has several micro-breweries and restaurants, if you are into that sort of thing. I recommend [Straight To Ale](http://straighttoale.com/), and not just because my co-worker is a co-founder of the company. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/64 "2018-11-21T16:47:03Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > San Antonio, TX: > > 1. Walk past the Alamo if you haven’t seen it already. Don’t bother going in, unless Alamo history is your thing. Now you can say you visited the Alamo! Yay! > 2. If this is your first time in TX, eat the following: > … Brisket > … Whataburger > > While I don’t consider Whataburger the end-all, be-all of hamburgers, at least you can enter the “best fast food burger” discussions with some additional experience. > > 1. If you’re here in April, do some Fiesta activities. What is Fiesta? It’s a two-week long city-wide block party which has events all across San Antonio which each draw from 20,000 - 75,000 people, culminating in the Battle of the Flowers parade. The BotF causes the city to shut down - schools close, the post office closes, the government closes, many businesses close - so over 500,000 people can come downtown in the middle of a Friday to watch a parade. Then they drink for 6 hours until the _nighttime_ parade begins. You forgot San Antonio Missions. San Jose is a must stop if you’re in San Antonio. Much better preserved than the Alamo and gorgeous. I guess people like Riverwalk too, but I didn’t find it all that. It’s unique one supposes. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/65 "2018-11-21T16:59:58Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > How about Navajo Tacos/Frybread? I miss almost nothing from Arizona, but I do miss those. I was trying to limit myself to three “must see” or eat and I’ve had “Indian Tacos” offered by Paiutes in Nevada. They are delicious, though. If you want a challenge, try [huitlacoche](https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-huitlacoche-or-cuitlacoche-2342705), fermented corn kernels. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Arizona has so much more than the Grand Canyon (which, to be honest, is pretty good by itself!). But nothing is close. Even if you want to drive across country, it takes hours just to leave the state! > > Sedona has a lot, even if you don’t appreciate vortexes > Driving the Salt River Canyon to the high desert > Flagstaff > Route 66 > Oatman > > If you’re just in Phoenix Metro, at least go up South Mountain > There are tons of authentic Mexican/New Mexican food! You can’t swing a cat without hitting a good restaurant. True, Grand Canyon is something of a cliche, but there’s a reason, and I did warn it is something of a trip from Phoenix, your most likely point of arrival if you’re flying in. Closer by we have the [Casa Grande Ruins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Grande_Ruins_National_Monument) monument and the [Pueblo Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_Grande_Ruin_and_Irrigation_Sites) ruins are in town itself. Museums we have in plenty including the [Heard Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heard_Museum), the [Phoenix Art Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Art_Museum), and the [Musical Instrument Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Museum_(Phoenix)). Most of the restaurants around here are Sonoran, our neighbor to the south but with a bit of searching you can find New Mexican-style. If you know where to look, you can find the also rans like [Mexico City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_cuisine#Mexico_City) and [Oaxaca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaxacan_cuisine). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/66 "2018-11-21T17:52:19Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I was trying to limit myself to three “must see” or eat and I’ve had “Indian Tacos” offered by Paiutes in Nevada. They are delicious, though. If you want a challenge, try [huitlacoche](https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-huitlacoche-or-cuitlacoche-2342705), fermented corn kernels. > > True, Grand Canyon is something of a cliche, but there’s a reason, and I did warn it is something of a trip from Phoenix, your most likely point of arrival if you’re flying in. Closer by we have the [Casa Grande Ruins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Grande_Ruins_National_Monument) monument and the [Pueblo Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_Grande_Ruin_and_Irrigation_Sites) ruins are in town itself. > > Museums we have in plenty including the [Heard Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heard_Museum), the [Phoenix Art Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Art_Museum), and the [Musical Instrument Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Museum_(Phoenix)). > > Most of the restaurants around here are Sonoran, our neighbor to the south but with a bit of searching you can find New Mexican-style. If you know where to look, you can find the also rans like [Mexico City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_cuisine#Mexico_City) and [Oaxaca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaxacan_cuisine). I would add [Antelope Canyon](https://www.google.com/search?q=antelope+canyon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8h4e9hubeAhUYHzQIHXkzAmwQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=969#imgrc=IahnUSysQbYq4M:) to any gotta-see list for AZ. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/67 "2018-11-21T19:41:52Z")
All the previous Arizona posters missed: The UoA Mirror Lab. Los Dos Molinos Gadzooks Nopales con Pollo at Los Reyes de la Torta ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814/68 "2018-11-21T21:12:20Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Most of the restaurants around here are Sonoran, our neighbor to the south but with a bit of searching you can find New Mexican-style. New Mexican Grill, Lindsay near the south 202. Mmm-mmm! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-your-city-state-region-what-do-i-have-to-try/824814.md?page=3)