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Raise Your Glass to These February Beer Festivals in Arizona, Ohio and Quebec

Besides the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day—we could take or leave that last one—February doesn’t have too much going on. It’s a great month to head somewhere warm to escape the winter weather, but it seems like this season hasn’t even been that chilly or snowy. That’s why we’re suggesting the old standby—drinking—to get you through this month. Here’s three beer festivals where you can toast to February:

Cincy Winter Beerfest

They’re preparing plenty of kegs, glasses, and other beer paraphernalia in preparation for this month’s frothy festival in Cincinnati. The fun takes place on February 10 and 11, and there are still plenty of tickets available for you and your drinking buddies. This year tickets will set you back $35 in advance of the party, and that’ll get you a snazzy souvenir cup—capable of holding five ounces—that you can refill up to 25 times. Things get underway each evening around 7:30pm, and the last call is just after 10pm so be sure to pace yourself.

The drinking take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center, and this year’s festival marks the end of the inaugural edition of the city’s beer week. Expect at least 300 different craft beers from here, there, and everywhere, and organizers are hoping for at least 10,000 beer fans to be in attendance. Brewers like Dogfish Head, Elevator, and Three Floyds are just some of the attendees planning to show off their lagers and ales. Organizers even have a spreadsheet of those planning to attend, so you can even take time to prepare your plan of attack.

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Rental Cars / Cars / Avis / Budget / Hertz / Travel Deals / Road Trips / Arizona Travel / Road Trip Travel / → All Tags

More Road Trip Deals! Drive Outta Arizona For Just $5 Per Day

Not too long ago we were all excited about rental car deals out of Florida to pretty much everywhere, thanks to the migration of old people and college kids south. Now the rental car party is moving the way of Lewis and Clark, as Arizona has some cheapo one-way deals.

Now through the end of May you can grab a car from Hertz for as little as $5 per day. There’s no mileage caps, no drop-off fees, and all kinds of places to pick up the car and drop it off. California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington are just a few of the states where you can end your road trip. Just be sure to use the code DRV5 to get the deal or just click right here.

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Spring Training / Baseball Travel / Arizona Travel / Sports Travel / Chicago Cubs / Kansas City Royals / San Francisco Giants / → All Tags

Batter Up! Here's the Scoop on Baseball Spring Training in Arizona

Despite the temperatures across much of the country, the date on the calendar says that spring is right around the corner. We were hesitant to believe it thanks to the latest winter blast, but pitchers and catchers have already reported to Arizona, and that’s enough confirmation for us. Cactus League games are already underway as everyone has been busy burning those extra off-season pounds, and now it’s your turn to skip out of work, get out of the snow, and celebrate the national pastime.

Here’s the scoop on a few teams, where they play, and what they offer:

· San Francisco Giants
You might not remember who won the 2010 World Series—seems like a long time ago—but we’re sure that residents of San Francisco know that their Giants were victorious in last year’s fall classic. Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson are back to shut down the opposition, and the rest of team is in Scottsdale getting ready to warm up for the season.

They play all their spring homes games at Scottsdale Stadium, which isn’t too bad of a stroll into downtown for some drinks—and more nachos—following the game. Tickets for this season’s games start at just $7 for some of the cheap seats, but even the best spots in the house don’t really go too far north of $30. The Dodgers come into town on Saturday, but if you’re not around this weekend, the Brewers and the Angles are options for next week.

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Two Words: Ostrich Racing.

The Southwest might not be on your Spring Break short list, but they’ve got something that might be even better than the surf and sun. It’s definitely a little warmer there, and in just over a week one of the most unique festivals invades Chandler, Arizona.

This year’s Ostrich Festival—yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like—runs from March 11 through March 13. They’ve been putting on the party for almost 25 years, so at this point it’s pretty much a must-see.

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Arizona May Welcome an Indoor Snow Theme Park

Arizona really isn’t known for their vast variety of roller coasters or theme parks, and that’s probably because it’s just too darn hot to even go outside during the summer. There’s a solution to this weather problem, and a group of investors is looking to build it, with a new kind of amusement park right in the desert that will keep visitors cool all day long.

Catalyst Land Holdings is planning an amusement park filled with snow. They want kids to be able to build snowmen, go sledding, and chuck snowballs at one another while temperatures soar well above 100 degrees outside, yes just like the one in Dubai (although without the skiing).

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Would You Go on a 'Polygamy Experience' Bus Tour?

When it comes to polygamy, many people's experiences with the practice of having multiple wives is limited to watching documentaries on it on TV. But one Arizona bus tour is looking to change all that, by offering a "Polygamy Experience" tour, which takes a 4-hour-long journey into one of America's communities where this is practiced.

Aol Travel reports on the popular tourist excursion:

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Rental Cars / Arizona Travel / Avis / Thrifty / Portland Travel / Cars / → All Tags

Forget Florida; Rent a Car Out of Portland for $1 Per Day

Last week we were busy planning an out-of-Florida road trip, but if you’re allergic to the Sunshine State, there’s other options as well. Apparently people enjoy spending their winters in Arizona just as much, and the Grand Canyon State also has too many rental cars clogging their lots.

There’s a few rental car companies practically begging for a little assistance with relocating their fleet in time for the spring and summer seasons. Avis is offering one-way midsize vehicles rentals for as low as $18 per day with unlimited mileage and no drop off fees. The cars do have to be returned to another Arizona location or somewhere in California or Nevada. There isn’t as much flexibility when compared to the Florida deals, but we’d rather go on a coastal California road trip anyway. The deals are good through the end of the month, but after that they jump to around $80 per day.

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Spring Training / Baseball / Baseball Travel / Arizona Travel / Sports Travel / → All Tags

Where To See Your Favorite Team During Spring Training in Arizona

Somehow it’s already March, and we’re excited to talk about baseball spring training travel. We've already discussed the excellent options in Florida, but the teams in Arizona are a worthy competitor to the Sunshine State's group. The only downer is that there aren’t too many beaches in and around Phoenix, but there’s always cacti! Here’s the deal on a few teams, where they play, and what they offer.

· Chicago White Sox
President Obama has a lot on his plate right now, so we’re thinking that he won’t be taking Air Force One out to see any Chicago White Sox games this spring. Regardless of how much you have going on at work, you can always call out sick and head to Glendale. Here the the White Sox work out the winter kinks at Camelback Ranch—it’s also the spring home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Football Stadium Tours / Tours / Sports Travel / Football Travel / Sports / Arizona Travel / → All Tags

Take A Tour of the Arizona Cardinals' Desert Football Oasis

It’s hard to be a football fan in Arizona right now. After last year’s run to the Super Bowl, it’s going to be difficult to sit back and watch the remaining teams battle it out for a chance to win in it all. After being sent home early by the New Orleans Saints, fans of the Arizona Cardinals are wondering if they’ll see Kurt Warner again next season. Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the team’s chances for a win in 2011, there’s one thing that isn’t going anywhere—the University of Phoenix Stadium and it’s one of the best in the league.

If you’re depressed about your team heading to the golf course a little earlier than you expected, make your way to this fortress of football to take a tour of the stadium. The place swung open its doors in 2006, and it’s located just outside Phoenix in Glendale. It was the home of Super Bowl in 2008—that’s the one where the Giants upset the Patriots—so it already has its share of a little history.

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Food Travel / Holiday Travel / Arizona Travel / Events / Festival Travel / → All Tags

Add Tamales To Your Holiday Menu At An Arizona Festival

While your family is busy waiting in line to pick up one of those spiral sliced hams, there’s plenty of others picking up tamales for the holidays. If you haven’t added the traditional Mexican dish to your seasonal spread, now’s the perfect time to do it. However, if you are a little nervous to shake up your family’s tradition, just swing by the Somerton Tamale Festival this weekend in Arizona to get a taste of what you’re missing.

Things run from 11am until 10pm on December 19, and this is the third year that organizers have been running the party. It's a free festival, so don't worry about postponing all the Christmas chores for another day in favor of heading out to the city of Somerton. There will be music and other entertainment throughout the day, including mariachis and other traditional Mexican sounds. Later in the afternoon is when your vote will matter—that’s when festival organizers tally the votes for the Best Tamale Award.

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Fall Travel / Surveys / Travel News / Tourism / Arthur Frommer / Arizona Travel / → All Tags

Frommer's Arizona Boycott Can't Keep This State Down

Despite Arthur Frommer’s feelings about the Grand Canyon State, people seem to be ready to head out to Phoenix this fall. It is possible that his opinion might not have made it through to everyone yet, or it’s possible that nobody cares what Frommer thinks. Even though things are slow due to the economy, the Valley of the Sun appears to keep drawing the crowds into town.

According to the 2009 Travel Leaders Fall Travel Trends Survey—catchy name—the Phoenix and Scottsdale area sits just outside the top ten at number 11 among destinations booked throughout the rest of the year. People must want to avoid the cool crisp days of autumn at any cost. About 75 percent of those asked said that trips were down compared to last year overall, and about 60 percent said they had a good feeling about the strength of the fall travel season. Let's just hope the travel season isn't too strong, we're getting used to all the great deals.

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Open Threads / Dangerous Travel / Arizona Travel / Arthur Frommer / Travel Boycotts / → All Tags

Frommer Announces Arizona Travel Boycott; Do You Agree?

Travel guru Art Frommer proclaimed on his blog recently that he's putting a moratorium on vacationing in Arizona because of its lax gun laws. To clarify his position, Frommer said he was alarmed that the state's gun statutes allowed about a dozen armed people, including one toting an assault rifle, to sit outside a place where President Obama was speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He said:

I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest. I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my own personal safety there. And therefore I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more.

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