Photo Courtesy of Arizona Wigwam

Does everyone remember Arizona’s 5 C’s? Copper, Cattle, Climate, Citrus and… cotton! Cotton is especially important to the town of Litchfield Park, home to the historic Wigwam Resort.

Originally, the Wigwam Resort was built to serve as a lodge for ranch suppliers. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company discovered, in 1918, that cotton was the key ingredient to maintaining the life expectancy of its tires. The company bought 16,000 acres of land in the west Valley to cotton farm. To house workers, employees and ranching suppliers, the company established the Organization House, which also served as a winter vacation spot for Goodyear executives and their families.

The Wigwam officially opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1929, as a guest ranch with rooms for 24 guests. Five years later, a golf course was built. The resort has grown over the past 80 years and a portion of the original structure remains at the center of it all.

Visitors today can experience the 331-room resort, which includes three championship golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, a water slide, spa and luxury dining.

http://wigwamarizona.com/arizona-resort-history.shtml

Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor.Com

There are just some things that can’t quite be described as any other way than just “Uniquely Arizona.” The Space Age Lodge and Restaurant in Gila Bend is one of those places. Where else, but Arizona, could you be driving down the street of a small town, and happen upon a hotel beneath a giant, plastic UFO?

The landmark hotel opened in 1965 and was designed by Al Stovall, a metal and plastic supplier during World War II, said to have been good friends of President Eisenhower. Stovall created five futuristic-themed lodges, including the Space Age Lodge at Disneyland and others in Anaheim, California. The Space Age Lodge in Gila Bend is the only one rmaining with the originally intended appearance.

Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor.Com

The hotel came under new management in the late 1970s and Best Western did a renovation in the mid 1980s to update its look. In 1998, a neon sign shorted, caught the restaurant on fire and nearly burned the structure to the ground. But the restaurant and hotel were renovated, keeping the original space exploration theme. A new flying saucer was added and murals were painted in the lobby. The rooms of the hotel feature space art and photos from NASA exploration.

Travelers looking for something a little different or Arizonans looking for a unique weekend getaway, will be spending time in Gila Bend, but enjoy feeling like they have just landed on the moon.

Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor.Com