Cowboys and Culture- Cave Creek and Carefree, Arizona

Carefree and Cave Creek Arizona are adjacent towns with different personalities. Located in the foothills north of Scottsdale, the air is cooler and cleaner, and the location is ideal for day trips south to the city or north to Sedona, Prescott, Jerome, and Flagstaff.

Carefree has the upscale Boulders Resort and Carefree Inn and Conference Center, with gorgeous golf courses, tennis and spa facilities. Downtown Carefree has quaint upscale shops and boutiques, and the lovely El Pedregal shops. In the center of town, you'll see the largest sundial in the country.

In Cave Creek, you'll find the Tumbleweed Motel, the Buffalo Chip Saloon, Harolds, The Horny Toad and The Satisfied Frog, where you are likely to see motorcycles parked next to Jaguars parked next to the horse someone rode in on. El Encanto is a great Mexican restaurant with lots of ambiance. There are lots of fun western stores in Cave Creek, and the lovely Rancho Manana resort, spa, and restaurant.

In the fall and spring, Carefree holds its Fine Arts Festivals, attended by over 50,000 people. In April, the towns jointly hold the Fiesta Rodeo, which begins with a rowdy parade through both towns and three days of professional rodeo fun.

You can take jeep tours through the desert landscape from Rawhide (about five miles south on Scottsdale Road). There are three lakes with swimming, fishing and boating within a half hour drive.

Quick Tips:

The weather is at its best in October, March, April and May. The air is fresher and at least 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix.

The Boulders Resort has gorgeous casitas, a fabulous golf course, the reknowned Golden Door Spa, and the wonderful La Latilla restaurant. Pretty pricey, but a beautiful place to stay. The Carefree Inn also has lots of amenities, including tennis and golf. It's less expensive (but not cheap) and family oriented. Cave Creek has the western style Tumbleweed Motel, for more modest, but comfortable accomodations.

There is plenty of shopping at El Pedregal and the quaint boutiques of Carefree and the western shops of Cave Creek.

Fifteen miles east of Carefree are Bartlett and Horseshoe Lakes. Bartlett has picnic tables with shade and restroom facilities. There is a beach, and you can swim, fish and boat at either location. About fifteen miles west is Lake Pleasant, a large lake with lots facilities.

Wickenburg, known for antiques, dude ranches, and quaint shops is about 40 minutes west. Sedona, Jerome, and Prescott are about 1.5 hours north. Flaggstaff is about 2 hours north and the Grand Canyon is 4 hours.

Best Way To Get Around:

You'll want a car so that you can make the day trips to the lakes, Wickenburg, Sedona, Jerome and Prescott. It's nice to stay here north of the cities, because it's a quick drive down into the cities to museums, shows, spring training games, the zoo and Botanical Gardens, but it's also easier and quicker to head to the great places north of the cities.

From Sky Harbor airport, it's easy to take the 202 east to the 101 north, and get off at Scottsdale Road. Head north about 20 miles on Scottsdale Road, and when it ends at the base of the mountains, if you turn right you're in Carefree and left you're in Cave Creek!

The streets in Carefree have names like Ho Hum and Nonchalant Lane. The main street is Easy Street. It's easy to park in downtown Carefree and walk around the shops. All the stores in Cave Creek are on the main drag.

The Carefree Highway takes you right out to I-17, which takes you south to the city or north to Sedona.

The English Tea Room is a small quaint establishment on the main street of Carefree. It's small and cozy inside, with about ten tables. On cool days, there are two or three outdoor tables as well. All the decor is English chintz, very dainty and feminine. There is also a small shop selling china and gifts.

The menu is for lunch or tea and consists of soups, sandwiches, and quiche. You can also arrange for high tea by reservation. This would consist of tea, of course, and a selection of dainty sandwiches and dessert. The food is quite good.

The atmosphere is "girly" so it's most likely an outing for the ladies. Men who don't take themselves too seriously will enjoy it for the food. If you want, you can choose from the selection of ladies hats to wear during your lunch. This adds to the fun and makes everyone laugh. Especially if one of the men wears one.

This is a great place for a special occasion like a birthday or a small bridal or baby shower. It's a very popular place and reservations are a must on Saturdays and recommended on most other days.

El Encanto is a charming Mexican restaurant on the main road in Cave Creek. The building is hacienda style, with a walled in courtyard for outdoor eating around a duck pond, indoor seating and a lounge. The outdoor dining is charming, especially at night, when it is lit with twinkling white lights on the trees. Inside there are large tables and comfortable booths.

The restaurant serves a wide selection of Mexican food that is considered to be the best in the area. There are enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas and all the usual Mexican fare. Portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. The Margueritas are fantastic. This is a great place to take a large crowd for great Mexican food and a fun family atmosphere.

Harold's is the kind of place where you'll find cowboys, bikers, and millionaires eating side by side. Rumor has it that Tom Cruise likes to come here, but we've never seen him! Harold's is a large wooden building that is very rustic inside: wide board floors, walls, and ceilings, large round wooden tables and a huge bar. This is a place where people gather to chow down on barbecue ribs and chicken, to watch sporting events on TV, and to dance on weekend nights. There is a big sign outside saying "This is Steeler's Country." This is because a one-time owner of the Steelers owned Harolds for a time. If you come here during football season, you better root for the Steelers!

On weekend mornings, you'll see hundreds of motorcylces outside Harold's. They serve big breakfasts and it's a popular spot for motorcycle clubs to stop on Sunday mornings. Harold's serves lunch and dinner too - ribs, fried chicken, steak, burgers - hearty fare and good comfort food. During the fiesta rodeo, Harold's is in full swing with country bands and dancing with the cowboys and rodeo enthusiasts. Although there is a large bar, the atmosphere at Harold's is very family friendly. If you don't like smoke, you'll need to eat outside.

The fun begins on Saturday with the Fiesta Rodeo parade. The parade begins in downtown Carefree and makes its way all the way through Cave Creek. It's a rowdy parade, with western themed floats and most everyone on horseback.

The Fiesta Rodeo is a small rodeo, but it is part of the professional circuit and counts toward professional rodeo "points". There is bronc riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. There are also the famous rodeo "bullfighters" or rodeo clowns.

In the evening, the Buffalo Chip saloon and Harold's in Cave Creek are full of cowboys, and country music and dancing. It's tons of fun!

For a weekend in October, January, and March, the main street of Carefree is shut down to hold the Carefree Fine Arts Festivals. Artists set up their white tents all along the main street (Easy Street). This is a very professional art show, with about 200 juried artists participating. These artists are of a very high caliber. It's an eclectic show, with works in oil, watercolor, acrylic, bronze, stained glass, stone, wood, and photography.

There is live, free entertainment in the open amphitheater in the town center. All the shops and restaurants are also open and offer special sales during the event. There is a barbecue and wine tasting. The shows take place from Friday through Sunday. There is a $2 entry fee.