Careful planning put us in Kingman, Arizona around lunch time. Kingman is remarkable for being one of only two places in the country that is home to both an In-N-Out and a Cracker Barrel (the other is a suburb of Salt Lake City). According to Yelp, people from Los Angeles and Las Vegas just to have chicken and dumplings. We, of course, went to In-N-Out where Baby Eats enjoyed the fries.
Instead of staying in Grand Canyon Village or just outside the park in Tusayan, we decided to stay on Route 66 in Williams, Arizona. It's a cute and kitschy town that feels a lot more authentic than your average tourist trap. We stayed at The Lodge on Route 66 where we could easily walk to dinner and to the train station (on our next trip, we'll take the train to Grand Canyon Village at least once).
After watching the sunset in the Grand Canyon at Lipan Point, we came back to Williams for dinner. I thought I'd be nice and let Mr. Eats have a steak, so we went to Rod's Steak House. He ordered fish. I had a baked potato. So I can't tell you much about this restaurant except that I felt like I'd been taken back in time. It's one of the many places in town that has changed little in the last few decades to keep a very authentic feel. It was a nice place, though I'm sure all the European patrons inside were a bit put off by the screaming baby.
The real treat was our second day in the park when we made it over to Grand Canyon Village to have lunch in the El Tovar Dining Room. El Tovar is the original lodge built in 1905 and it is grand and beautiful. And the dining room offers spectacular views of the south rim right from your table. It's a wonderful space and the food and service were excellent. When I ordered fries for Baby Eats the server said, "I'll get those out for you right away, if you like." Why yes, actually, that would be nice. Big tip for you, sir.
We went on a weekday at the end of the busy season, so if you go, you might want to make reservations and be sure to time your drives through the park to get there on time. It's 26 miles one way out to the eastern edge but it's slow driving through there so budget at least three hours out and back, including time to take photos and get stuck behind slowpokes looking for wildlife along the drive. Oh, and parking...it ain't easy. We got lucky and got a place right next to El Tovar, but expect to park at one of the outer lots and walk for 10 minutes or so to get into the village.
The view from our table--overlooking the south rim of the canyon
Fettucine Pomodoro
After lunch, we took a walk along the rim where I encountered a tarantula for the first time in my life. Just hanging out on the trail. Not cool. But at least it wasn't a scorpion. And the views were worth it (and now I can say I've seen one in person -- in the wild!).
After taking a few cheesy family photos at the big sign at the entrance of the park, we headed back to Las Vegas in the late afternoon. More good planning meant that we drove into Kingman around dinner time for one more trip to In-N-Out!
3 comments:
That pic of Baby Eats and the In & Out sign is a classic!
Great to meet you last night. Sounds like a fun trip you took!
Sounds like a lovely trip!
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