Tempe Conventions & Visitors Bureau

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.

This is only the second full week of Cactus League Spring Training, which means that all of us have a bit more time to plan trips to see our favorite teams play ball in the warm Arizona sun.

The Tempe Tourism Office makes planning your spring training weekend in Arizona easy with our complete guide at www.TempeBaseball.com. There, you’ll find a baseball spring training schedules, stadium map, ticket information and hotel, attraction and restaurant specials in Tempe.

Tempe Diablo Stadium, home to the Angels, is located just 10 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and within minutes of several Tempe hotels and resorts. Tickets at the Angels home field start at just $6, one of the lowest tickets prices in the league.

Arizona baseball spring training sites are smaller than MLB home stadiums, so fans feel closer to the action. You can also take advantage of the casual setting and watch practices for free from 9:00 a.m. to noon every day during spring training season. Players are oftentimes willing to sign autographs as they walk from the practice fields to the stadium.

Fans and history buffs alike will also want to visit the Play Ball! Experience at Tempe’s Arizona Historical Society Museum. There are more than 400 items that trace the history of spring training in Arizona. Many of the items are arranged by team, making it easy to find your favorites.

And, thanks to everyone who entered our spring training trip to Tempe giveaway. Our lucky winner was baseball fan Mary H. from Georgia.

Play Ball! The Cactus League Experience just opened at the Arizona Historical Society Museum. This exhibition is a must for baseball fans in town for a spring training weekend. There are more than 400 items that depict spring training from its humble beginnings to today at this Tempe museum. Items include a rare 1951 New York Yankees Spring Training program from the team’s brief stint at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and from the Angels, a Gene Autry-signed shirt and Reggie Jackson-signed game-used helmet.

Items are arranged historically and by team, so it will be easy for fans to find items that pique their interest the most. The Web site for Play Ball! provides even more info that further enhances what can be seen at the museum.

I’m the first to admit that I don’t know much about baseball, but I do appreciate history and the impact that Cactus League Spring Training has on Tempe and metro Phoenix. I found this exhibition quite fascinating. Baseball fans and history buffs alike will truly enjoy it.

You can get a bit of a preview by watching this interview with Randy Johnson by Fox Sports Arizona at Play Ball! the Cactus League Experience: http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/pages/video?PID=VnchkkV_cxLiLHtoWJcEIsj2iplEZjN_

Visit the Arizona Historical Society Museum Web site for hours and admission prices. And, visit our blog for more information about attending an Arizona spring training baseball game.

Angels Spring Training at Tempe Diablo Stadium

Calling all baseball fans (especially those of you who root for the Angels or the Dodgers)!

Do you want to go to an Angels spring training baseball game? We’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the Angels vs. Dodgers game this Saturday (2/26) at 1:05 p.m. at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Here’s what you have to do to win:

• RT our original tweet about this giveaway (@TempeTourism) that includes who you want to win the game (ex: #angels or #dodgers)
• We’re going to record all usernames who retweeted and pick 5 winners at random by 4pm MST today, 2/23
• We’ll DM you to let you know that you won. In order for us to DM you, you must folllow us.
• If you win, you must pick the tickets up from the Tempe Tourism Office, 51 W. Third St., Ste. 105, by 5 p.m. on Friday, 2/25.

That’s it! Good luck!

It’s another week in Tempe packed with art, music and literature culminating with a favorite annual event that’s a merry combination of music and marathon, the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon. Remember this is just a sample. View the complete listing of Tempe events or call 480-894-8158.  

• January 10: Beth Lederman Trio, Dave’s Electric Brew Pub  
• January 11: Ali Vincent: Believe It, Be It: How Being the Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life, Changing Hands Bookstore  
• January 12: Walk in Wednesday with Walt Richardson, Tempe Center for the Arts  
• January 13: Thursday Night Market, Tempe Urban Garden  
• January 13: Music on Mill, Mill Avenue District  
• January 13: Jared Howe; January 14: Anna Chepikova; January 15: Will Metzler, John Henry’s Restaurant  
• January 13: Shelby James; January 14: The McCarthy Brothers; January 15: Tyler Nielson Duo, D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Restaurant & Pub  
• January 14: Phoenix Symphony: “The Brandenburg Festival”, Tempe Center for the Arts  
• January 14: Hello Swindon; January 15: Jed’s A Millionaire, Tempe Marketplace District Stage 
• January 14: David & Amy; January 15: Michael V., Tempe Marketplace Barns & Noble Fountain  
• January 15: Matt Long : The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter’s Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete, Changing Hands Bookstore 
• January 16: P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon; Free Vertical Horizon Concert, P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & 1/2 Marathon 
• January 16: Sunday Night Jam Sessions Led by the Jeff Libman Trio, Dave’s Electric Brew Pub

You can feel the excitement in the air in Tempe, Arizona…it’s Sun Devil football season once again! There are two home games this month, Saturday the 11th vs. NAU and Saturday the 25th vs. Oregon. As I bought a brand new Sun Devil gold t-shirt today, I wondered what other pre-game traditions fans enjoy. For me, it’s about acquiring a few new ASU duds and reviewing the lyrics to the fight song that I can never seem to remember. What about you, Sun Devil fans? Is an ASU football game not complete without a trip to The Chuckbox? Or, maybe cocktails at Monti’s La Casa Vieja? Do you tailgate with your closest friends? Get a photo taken with Sparky? We’d love to hear from you!

Visitors and tourists alike love to soak up the sunshine and balmy temperatures that signal spring in Tempe. This Thursday through Saturday, you’re invited to spend time outdoors at ASU Karsten Golf Course and see some great up and coming golfers. ASU Karsten is hosting the Thunderbird Invitational, aka the ASU Men’s Golf Invitational, April 1-3. The ASU men’s golf team will play against teams from U of A, Cal, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Stanford, BYU and many more.

The public is welcome to watch the tournament and support our home team, ASU. Practice rounds for all teams begin at 7:30 am on Thursday, April 1. The first and second rounds of play will begin on Friday, April 2 at 7:30 am with continuous play throughout the day. The final round will begin at 7 am on Saturday, April 3.

If you haven’t been to ASU Karsten, this is your chance to see one of the best golf courses in town. It is a classic Pete Dye, links-style course.  Top PGA and LPGA TOUR professionals such as Phil Mickelson, Billy Mayfair, Grace Park and Anna Nordqvist sharpened their skills at this premier facility during their time at Arizona State University.

For more info, go to www.asukarsten.com. Go Sun Devils!