Family Fun – Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass

This may just be because I’m from Texas, but it seems to me that every boy (and man) secretly wants to be a cowboy, and I’ve found a fantastic place just outside of Phoenix, Arizona to indulge that fantasy: Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass.

Arizona’s largest western-themed attraction for over 37 years (and voted the best by Arizona locals), Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass brings together the sights, sounds and spirit of the Old West to a sensational community styled after an authentic 1880s western town, and what’s best, it’s admission-free!

All the excitement of the Old West is on display: you can ride a mechanical bull called “The Widowmaker” (!!!), take a laidback desert train ride, see incredible shows of six-shooter skills, pan for gold, get locked up in the town jail and even attend a shotgun wedding (or have one of your own).

When you’re done moseying about town (oh no, I’m talking like them now!), settle in at the Rawhide Steakhouse which serves western-style cuisine like rattlesnake, buffalo steaks, fried artichokes and more. I have to say the menu’s a little on the pricey side, but no more than you’d pay at most amusement park restaurants, only unlike amusement parks, you can get in to Rawhide for free.

So if you’re on the market for an unusual family vacation destination and you have a boy in the family aged anywhere from 8 to 80, the Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass is right up your alley.

For north Phoenix hotels, we like the Crowne Plaza Phoenix. It’s about 20 miles out from Rawhide, and through March of ‘09 they’re running a giveaway promotion for a Nintendo Wii. Any registered guest over 21 who drops off a business card is entered to win a Nintendo Wii. They’re giving away one per month, so that’s four more chances to win.

Logo used with permission.

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