Tempe Conventions & Visitors Bureau

Super Bowl XLVI is this Sunday! Get your appetites and thirst buds ready for some great parties in Tempe! Still not sure where to get the best seat for watching the game? Here are a few great options to watch the game and get some good eats too!

Cadillac Ranch at Tempe Marketplace -  Watch the Super Bowl come alive at Cadillac Ranch with rich surround sound on one of their 25 HD Plasma TVs or on the 150 inch HD projector. Enjoy $1 Coors Light Drafts, $3 Mimosas and $4 Bloody Marys! 

Buffalo Wild Wings –  What could be better than watching the Super Bowl while eating a basket of hot wings and drinking a cold beer? With TVs located at every angle, there’s not a bad seat in the house for the big game!

Dave & Busters at Tempe Marketplace – Not only can you watch the big game at Dave & Busters, but you can also play several fun games before and after the big game! Score great deals on drinks and appetizers too!

Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant – Attached to Embassy Suites Tempe, Garcia’s offers a Southwest twist on watching the big game. Enjoy a big screen TV as well as free chips & salsa and bean dip! Garcia’s offers local beers on tap too!

Hooters on Mill Avenue – Located in the heart of the Mill Avenue District, Hooters is always a great spot to watch sports games and enjoy drink specials!

San Felipe’s Cantina at Tempe Marketplace – The fun starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday for the Super Party! $10 Bottomless Mimosas, $3 Bud Lights, $4 Skyy Bloody Marys and $4 draft beers. Live music starts at noon and plays until the big game and then post game with Carvin Jones.

Blondies Tempe -  Stop in to Blodies Tempe to watch your favorite team at Super Bowl XLVI in crystal clear HD quality on 1 of their 30+ Panasonic flat screens! While you are there be sure to try their famous wings and drink specials!

The Tavern on Mill – Located just off of Mill Avenue, The Tavern has something for everyone with almost as much seating space inside as outside. 30 television monitors and flat screens are available for your football viewing pleasure.

The Tavern on Mill

The crack of the bat, the small of hot dogs on the grill and the sound of cheering fans – I’m already getting excited for Cactus League Spring Training!

I’m not your usual baseball spring training fan. I love going to games every year, but I what really look forward to are all the things that come along with spring training season. Here are my top six reasons why I love spring training:

1. Getting some sunshine! What could be better than enjoying a beautiful afternoon outside in 75 to 85 degree weather? 

2. Eating ball park food! This is one of my favorite places to just pig out. When you walk into Tempe Diablo Stadium you can immediately smell hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill – it makes my mouth water!

3. Catching up with friends! Spring Training games are a fun and affordable way for a group of friends to get together and have some fun!

4. Tickets are a steal! Lawn seats at Tempe Diablo Stadium are just $10, so the whole family can afford to go!

5. See the players up close! If you are into baseball, this is the best place you’ll find to get up close and personal with your favorite players. If you’re not into baseball, you get to see a bunch of cute guys run around the field for a few hours! Not bad!

6. Great time for a trip to Tempe! This is a great time of year for people to visit sunny Arizona, and Spring Training is the perfect excuse for your next family vacation! You can squeeze in a few games in between all the other fun things to do in Tempe like hiking, shopping and going to shows and festivals!

Spring Training games are scheduled from March 2 through April 4 and tickets are on sale now! View the Cactus League Spring Training schedule to plan your trip to Tempe at www.TempeBaseball.com.

What a week and terrific start to 2012.  Broadway musical lovers will be thrilled to know that the classic ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S SOUTH PACIFIC will be on stage at ASU Gammage Tuesday through Sunday. Set in the South Pacific during World War II, it’s the story oft two couples whose happiness is threated by the harsh realities of war and the conflicts caused by their own prejudices. Lush sets and a gorgeous score complete this this timeless love story.

On Sunday get ready to rock and roll when the popular P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & 1/2 Marathon returns. Will you be there as a participating runner or as an enthusiastic music-loving spectator who enjoys rooting for the athletes and listening to all the great live music? With 70 live bands, 40 cheer squads and a free headliner concert, the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon is both a sporting and a cultural event and is as much fun for the spectators as it is for the athletes. Once again, Tempe’s the finish line. And a grand finish it will be when everyone will want to head over to ASU Sun Devil Stadium, that “little old place where we can get together,” to hear some of the best dance music ever performed by headliners the B-52s.

Yep, it’s a great week to be in Tempe! Check out this short list of this week’s highlights. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

- January 10-15: ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S SOUTH PACIFIC, ASU Gammage
- January 11: Joel Robins & Friends, Dave’s Electric Brew Pub
- January 11: Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic, Tempe Center for the Arts
- January 11: Arizona Wind Symphony: Arizona’s Centennial, Tempe Center for the Arts
- January 12: Music on Mill, Mill Avenue District
- January 12: Ten for Ten, January 13-14: Alex Reymundo, Tempe Improv
- January 13: Shawn Johnson; January 14: Capital Down, Rula Bula Irish Pub
- January 14: Sundance Studios’ Winter Recital; January 14: Bully Mammoth, Tempe Center for the Arts
- January 13: Chronic Hippies; January 14: Shawn Johnson & The Foundation, Tempe Marketplace District Stage
- January 13: Gradymusic; January 14: Tera Crisalida, Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain
- January 15; P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Finish line: Tempe
- January 15: Trevor Rogers and The Wilderness, Cadillac Ranch

Looking to keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit, while also supporting some fabulous organizations in the process?! What a better way to do both than to participate in a 5K! There are lots of different 5K and 10K walks taking place in Tempe this winter and spring. Here is a list of a variety of fun walks going on through the end of February in Tempe. For info about walks taking place throughout the spring visit the Tempe Tourism Office’s Calendar of Events.

Run, Walk & Roll 5K/10K – January 7 – Tempe Beach Park
This event is held at Tempe Beach Park and has been created to support and raise money for Arizona Disabled Sports (AzDS). The primary mission of AzDS is to provide a wide-variety of sports and recreation opportunities for individuals with all types of disabilities.

Walk For Values USA – January 21 – Tempe Beach Park
Unlike other walks, this is not a money-raiser. Rather, you will make the world richer by giving your commitment to practice values, and character-building. You may also be motivated to serve your community through volunteer work, or by donating blood, or by visiting the elderly or feeding the needy, or just striving to be an exemplary citizen.

The Color Run 5K – January 28 – Tempe Beach Park
The Color Run is a one of a kind experience that is less about speed and more about enjoying a color crazy day with your friends and family. This event is about people of all different speeds, ages, shapes, and sizes toeing the start line. The 2012 Arizona Charity is Banner Health’s amazing Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

The Unity Walk – February 4 – Tempe Beach Park
Walk for unity in our community. Families, community organizations, scout groups, schools and faith groups are encouraged to participate. Walkers are encouraged to carry signs and banners representing their groups. No registration is required. Free t-shirt given at each assembly point. Color of t-shirt will correspond to the city you represent.

Walk the Fight – February 12 – Tempe Beach Park
Walk the Fight 5K Walk and Run raises awareness about Parkinson’s disease and raises funds for the community outreach programs at the Muhammad Ali Parkinsons Center. The Walk the Fight event includes the 5k walk and run, children’s activities, live music and a health fair.

Walk in the Wild 5K – February 18 – Phoenix Zoo
Head to the Phoenix Zoo on February 18 for the Fourth Annual Walk in the Wild where the zoo will honor the endangered Sumatran tiger. Participants receive a commemorative T-shirt, goodie bag and admission into the Zoo for the day. All proceeds benefit the non-profit Phoenix Zoo.

People Saving Pets Walk – February 19 – Tempe Beach Park
The People Saving Pets™ Walk, empowered by PetSmart Charities, is a festival to celebrate the compassion we have for pets! Your participation will raise money for local animal-welfare agencies that will help thousands of homeless pets throughout Arizona. The event includes a pet adoption event, 5K and 1-mile walks (for humans and their four-legged companions), as well as fun activities for children, adults and pets.

We can’t wait to see Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa Hawkeyes fans in Tempe for the Insight Bowl. The big game, December 30 at Sun Devil Stadium, is going to be an exciting match up for sure. But, Insight Bowl 2011 fans will want to extend their trip so they can experience even more of what makes Tempe such a fun place to be.

The Mill Avenue District is the perfect gathering spot for visitors and locals alike. It is right next door to the stadium and the more than 100 restaurants, taverns and shops make for perfect gathering spots for football fans.

Tempe Marketplace is active day and night. Local boutiques, national retailers, tasty restaurants and cafes combine with outdoor fireplaces, colorful fountains and free live music on Friday and Saturday nights are a perfect combo for family fun.

Arizona Mills is home to a fantastic mix of traditional retail stores, value retail stores and entertainment venues such as SEA LIFE Arizona aquarium, GameWorks and an IMAX theatre.

You’ll never think of matchbooks, hubcaps or brooms in the same way if you see STOMP at ASU Gammage, December 28-31. This celebration of percussion using everyday objects appeals to all ages and will have you dancing in your seat. And, as a bonus, you’ll get to see Tempe’s beautiful ASU Gammage, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Visitors, especially from colder climates, can’t get enough of our Sonoran Desert. There are trails at Papago Park and South Moutain Park that are easily accessible from any hotel in Tempe. For a more leisurely, but still beautiful, stroll, don’t miss Desert Botanical Garden. Their seasonal holiday event, Las Noches de las Luminarias, fills the trails of the Garden with thousands of hand-lit luminarias, live music and more nightly through December 30.

And, whether your team wins or loses the Insight Bowl, you’ll still want to start off your New Year with a fun-filled party. The Fiesta Bowl Block Party will fill the Mill Avenue District with live entertainment, beer gardens, BMX bike demonstrations, magic shows and more. There are multiple stages and a spectacular, outdoor electronic dance club. The headlining musical acts are Tempe’s own Gin Blossoms and country music favorite, Sawyer Brown. There are two fireworks shows at 10 p.m. and midnight and a confetti blast at midnight. All ages are welcome at the Block Party. Tickets are $20 at the gate and the event opens at 5:00 p.m.

For more ideas about what to see and do in Tempe on an Insight Bowl trip, visit www.tempetourism.com or go to our Insight Bowl page: www.tempefootball.com.

In just a few short weeks the streets of Tempe will be filled with football fans – more specifically, filled with Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa Hawkeyes fans! The Insight Bowl is scheduled for Friday, December 30, 2011 where the Sooners and Hawkeyes will face off for the win. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. MST at Sun Devil Stadium and the game will be televised on ESPN.

It’s a great time to be in Tempe if you’re planning a trip out for the Insight Bowl. The weather is just right – warm enough to keep the fans comfy in the stands, and cold enough to keep the players on their toes during the game. 

Visit www.insightbowl.org or call 480-350-0911 for ticket information. Game tickets are a bargain starting as low as $25!

Fans can enjoy game day in Tempe spending time in the Mill Avenue District, located adjacent to Sun Devil Stadium. Shopping, dining, pep rallies and tailgates will keep everyone pumped for the big game that night.

Nearby shopping destinations Tempe Marketplace and Arizona Mills are great spots to relax and enjoy the weekend. Tempe Marketplace offers lots of choices for dining, shopping, nightlife and live music Friday and Saturday night. Arizona Mills is a bargain hunter’s dream featuring 175 popular outlets and attractions such as GameWorks and the SEA LIFE Arizona aquarium.

Need help planning your trip to Tempe? There are plenty of Tempe hotels located near the stadium and shopping areas to make your trip convenient and fun. Visit http://www.tempetourism.com/insightbowl/ or call 480-894-8158 for hotel, transportation and parking info to help you plan your trip to the Insight Bowl! It’s gonna be an exciting game!

While walking around the Mill Avenue District this week, you may have noticed the increase of highly fit people! That’s how I know that the Ford Ironman Arizona is on the horizon! The race kicks off in Tempe on Sunday, November 20 at 7:00 a.m. and the athletes have until midnight to complete the distance.

This highly motivating and inspirational event has always amazed me. The athletes devote hours upon hours to train for this race. Competitors swim 2.4-miles, bike 112-miles and run a marathon (26.2 miles) in succession, earning the right to become an Ironman.

Want to see this incredible event for yourself?  There are plenty of opportunities to see the athletes in action along their journey. The swim course takes place in Tempe Town Lake and the Mill Avenue bridges that span the lake provide perfect views of the swim. The transitions to the bike course and marathon course are held in Tempe Beach Park. The bike course is three loops, beginning in the park and circling the Beeline Highway. The marathon course, also three loops, winds around Tempe Town Lake and into Papago Park to the north, with the finish line at the edge of Tempe Beach Park at Rio Salado Parkway and Mill Avenue.

Whether you are seeing this event for the first time or cheering on a family member or friend, it is an emotional race to behold. The finish line is especially emotional as you see the athletes cross the finish line after hours of non-stop physical endurance.

So if you’re looking to be inspired, or just amazed, be sure to head to Tempe this Sunday to see the Ford Ironman Arizona. Need help getting around on race day? View the Traffic Impact brochure for all your traffic questions on race day.

Go Devils!

It might still feel like summer outside, but at Sun Devil Stadium it feels a lot like fall. Why? Sun Devils football!

The first game of the season is September 1 against UC Davis. The Devils have won their last 8 season opening games. And, this will be the first time that we’ve met UC Davis on the football field since 1940. In case you’re wondering, we won that one. Fear the fork.

This is the 99^th season of Sun Devil Football and there’s a lot to look forward to. The Pac-10 is now the Pac-12 with the addition of Colorado and Utah. We’ll have Brock Osweiler as the starting quarterback. He showed everyone his abilities last year and now the 6’8” junior is ready to lead his team. There are 27 seniors on the team, one of the largest senior classes in the nation.

And, last but not least, we’ll see the debut of the new uniforms. This will be celebrated in style at the September 9 game vs. Missouri, where fans are encouraged to wear black. With help from Nike, the Sun Devils reincorporated black into the uniform color scheme as a tribute to ASU football teams of the past who wore black helmets.

If you’re looking for a great fan experience, Tempe is just for you. There are so many choices of where to eat and have a beverage or two with friends before the game…you’re bound to find the perfect spot. The Mill Avenue District and Sun Devil Stadium are both electrified on game days. If tailgating is more your style, I’d like to think that ASU fans have that down to a science.

Get your game tickets at www.thesundevils.com or call 480-727-0000. Let’s all grab our best ASU shirts, do a little maroon and gold face painting and come out in full force to cheer our team to victory. Go Devils!

After living in Tempe for almost 4 months I came to realize that I have not yet been to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. I quickly looked up the D-Back’s schedule online and saw that a couple of good games were coming to town, found a good deal for tickets on stubhub.com, and was ready to go!

Two days later, I got off of work as usual at around 5:00 pm and met up with a friend at Rula Bula’s on Mill Avenue where we enjoyed some Irish fish’n chips.  The game started at 6:40 pm which left us just enough time to grab another happy hour drink before we hopped on the Metro Light Rail. We beat rush hour traffic, avoided parking fees and made it conveniently to Downtown Phoenix in under 20 minutes. We got off at Third Street and Washington where we followed the crowd half a block to Chase Field.

The game was a great experience. The stadium was nice, clean and truly impressive. Even though it was a 105 degrees outside, the roof of the stadium was left open which made it almost an outdoor game. Still the temperature was nice and cool inside.
The D-Backs played a good game and after going into an extra inning they beat the San Francisco Giants, current World Series Champions, that night. Everything came together perfectly for my first baseball experience in Arizona.

After the game, we walked to the next Metro Light Rail station which is literally right across the street from Chase Field. Going back to Tempe was a little more crowded than going to the game; nevertheless we managed to get seats on the train and enjoyed the great view of the light-up bridge when we crossed over Tempe Town Lake into the Mill Avenue District again.

We decided to end the night same way we started it; with a drink in one of the countless cool bars on Mill Avenue.

After this great experience I can only recommend taking the Metro Light Rail to Downtown Phoenix sporting events and conferences. It’s just easy, convenient and inexpensive.

All running events and triathlons are inspirational in their own right, but Pat’s Run is one of those events that makes you want to do more and be more.

This Saturday at 7 a.m., nearly 30,000 people will embark on their 4.2 mile Pat’s Run journey through Tempe to the finish line – the 42 yard line at Sun Devil Stadium’s Frank Kush Field. The number 42 is a symbol for Pat Tillman — he wore the #42 jersey when he was a Sun Devil football player.

Online registration is now closed, but you may still be able to register this week at the north end of Sun Devil Staidum, where race packet pick up occurs. For more info, visit http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/pats-run/race-info/. This event is expected to sell out.

If you’re not able to participate in the actual race, you can still cheer along the race course and inside the stadium. There will be an expo and kid’s area inside Sun Devil Stadium, opening at 6 a.m. on race day.

This is the main fundraiser for the Pat Tillman Foundation and funds support the Tillman Military Scholars Program. For more about this foundation and Pat Tillman, visit http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/who-we-are/.

Good luck to all participants and their friends and family who live in Tempe or are traveling to our area for this great event. Let’s all be inspired by a true American hero.