Grand Canyon Caverns Inn & Restaurant Review!

 

My family & I are always looking for fun adventures and new spots to visit. We've done several cave tours, so when I saw we had a cave here in Arizona, where you can also eat dinner inside of the cave, we knew we wanted to visit. They have longer tours, or short tours that can be combined with a meal inside of the cave itself which sits a little past two hundred feet underground. We did the short tour & dinner combo which ran about $70 a person. They are located at Mile Marer 115 Route 66 Peach Springs, AZ 86434

The cave tour itself was fun, our guide was friendly, chatty and knew a lot of fun facts about the cave including how it was found, and that they've hosted events inside of the cave in the past. Overall, the tour lasted about fifteen minutes from start to finish, then anyone who had food reservations breaks off from the group at the end. There is a small wooden deck inside of the cave which hosts a few tables and a small server's area. 

We had ordered the steak, potato/broccoli dinner and my daughter had picked out the chicken dinner. I wasn't expecting an extravagant five-star dinner in a cave, but I was a little surprised when they did bring our food to us. The steak was a bit burned, the broccoli was cold and there were no toppings aside from butter packets or sour cream packs for the potato. I am not sure if it was because we were one of the last two groups of the night, so maybe the team was in a rush to go home. The other table inside of the cave with us was quite mad about their meals, as they arrived the same as ours, so they refused to eat it and asked for a refund. 

If I were passing by again, I might stop to do the longer tour, but I would not get the meal added on with it again as it was a bit of a disappointment. However, I can say being in the cave itself was peaceful. Aside from the other group dinning and our sever, there were no other people in the cave so it was very quiet. Cell phones of course did not work that far underground, but if you really wanted to be on your phone they had wifi you could hook up too or just enjoy a conversation with your group. 

Is eating lunch or dinner in a cave 200+ underground a activity you would enjoy doing??

💗This post is not sponsored. I love sharing awesome new spots I find with my readers!

Small Business Spotlight - Guadalajara Mexican Grill in Tucson!

 

When we go on trips, we always try to stick to local restaurants instead of big chain restaurants & I love being able to share them with my readers after we visit. On a recent trip to Tucson, we had originally set out to visit a small old school diner, however there was an event going on and it was packed, so we drove back to a Mexican restaurant we had spotted while driving through town. That restaurant was called Guadalajara Mexican Grill. We ended up arriving at just the right time! After we had been seated there was a big rush of people who came to eat as well, however one of the servers had called out so many of the people who came after us had to wait for a table to open up.

Even with a smaller staff our waiter did a good job at keeping up on our drinks and making sure our table was alright. It was a lot of fun having someone come around to handmake salsa & guacamole at our table, and it is nice you are able to choose your spice level on both. We went with the medium on the salsa & are glad we did, as it was pretty spicy so I can't imagine how much hotter a higher level would have been. Both dishes were quite delicious, especially the guacamole! It always bugs me when I can taste the lime/lemon a lot of spots use to keep their guacamole fresher, and this one didn't have any since it was fresh. 

The margaritas were quite large & if you had a party with you that wanted to drink, they had a fun margarita fountain you could purchase. The menu was quite large & there were a ton of delicious entrees to choose from. We all ended up with a dish we were quite happy with and everything was cooked just right! Everyone left feeling happy & full, but not over stuffed. We would happily stop by and visit this spot again the next time we were in Tucson. 

If you are in the Tucson area & want to stop by for a visit, this location is located at 4901 E Broadway Blvd Tucson, Arizona 85711.

Looking for more adventures in Tucson? Type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog.

💗This post is not sponsored. I love sharing awesome new spots I find with my readers!

Small Business Spotlight - Mourning Star Curio Shop in Tucson, Arizona!

 

I love visiting oddities shops anytime I am near one, so I was excited to check out Mourning Star Curio & see what they had in store for me. I love that it is tucked away in a cute historic little alley way of an old building, it almost feels like ducking into a train station waiting platform. The shop itself feels whimsical & the lighting and decor really helps add to the ambiance. 

They had a wonderful selection of products from a number of local artists. You can find prints, stickers, crochet plushies, jewelry, cups, taxidermy, insect specimens, and much more tucked away into this little shop. Although the store was a little smaller than I expected (width wise), the owners did a fantastic job with picking out the perfect shelves and displays to make the store not feel cluttered. 

It was lovely looking around at everything the shop had to offer. I ended up grabbing a pair of earrings and some delightfully scented incense and my daughter picked out a print she wanted. My mother & step-dad also ended up buying a few things while we were there. During check out I was able to pick out a free stone from a little dish she had on the counter, there was a nice assortment of moon and star shaped stones to choose from. She also put everything in a little gift bag with a little bit of tissue paper to keep everything in place. Next time I am back in Tucson, I am sure I will stop by again to see what is new! 

If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog.

💗This post is not sponsored. I love sharing awesome new spots I find with my readers!

Pratt Brothers Christmas 2025! + Giveaway info!

 

It is that time of the year again! All of the holiday lights are up and holiday festivities have begun. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Pratt Brothers Christmas! We were able to attend last year and we loved it! We were invited back again this year, and we had just as much fun as last year. If you love holiday events this is a must and it is fun for all ages. They have everything set up at Rawhide, so not only will it be a Christmas experience, but it will feel like you are in the old West as well. You'll find a train ride through several different themed areas that are absolutely packed with lights, a fire pit area where you can make smores, a fabulous photo opportunity spot where fake snow falls, a Christmas parade, A big light show with pyrotechnics and more. 

When you arrive be sure to pick up a map & guide, it will show you where everything is and have times listed for the different events. If you time everything out right, you will be able to do a lot of the activities back-to-back without a long wait time in between. I highly recommend heading to the back as soon as they open and doing the train ride first as the line can get pretty long. Both sides of the train are decorated and have different lighting & decor, so I suggest going on the train ride more than once since unlimited rides are included with admission. That way you can swap sides and concentrate on each side individually. One of my favorite spots at the Pratt Brothers Christmas is the fake snow area, the "snow" is made from a bubble foam type liquid, but it does look very similar to an actual snow fall. It creates some fantastic winter photos! If you get there a little early for a time slot, you'll be able to snag a spot in front of the snow-covered Christmas trees for even better photo opportunities.  

If you have small children you'll be visiting with you can book a time slot to see Santa! They do allow walk-ups however it is on a first come first serve basis, so I would book a time when you get your tickets online. Your children will also be able to meet Mrs. Claus in another area of the event, plus there is a section to write letters to Santa. See a live show, make Smores, grab some food or participate in one of their two scavenger hunts, there is plenty to do at Pratt Brothers Christmas. 

They offer two different ticket options, you can get a general admission ticket for $38 or opt for a VIP ticket for $89. They also have some discounts available such as the family four pack of general admission for $133 which will save you about $20, or you can go on a weekday for lower pricing. Is the VIP ticket worth it? I know the VIP is quite a bit more than what the general admission tickets are, so let's go over everything that comes with the VIP tickets. 

When you purchase a VIP it comes with everything that is included in the general admission, plus you'll be given a goodie bag & a lanyard. The lanyard gives you access to the VIP lounge where you can grab drinks and sit down for a little bit to rest your feet while watching a holiday movie inside where it is a little warmer. Your goodie bag comes with a ticket for a free hot coco - if you are an adult you can get a spiked hot coco, a free boot shaped mug with your choice of drink - kids can choose from soda, and adults can choose from either a soda or a "Santas Helper" a specialty alcoholic drink. The boots light up which adds a little extra Christmas magic & they are yours to take home. Your gift bag also comes with a ticket for premium seating for the western show, a fast pass for the train, a smores kit, a cookie decorating kit, and a set of hand warmers. Plus in a kids bag they will get a button pin & a wrist band, and adults will get a button along with a holiday ornament. Without the VIP tickets hot cholates are $8, the boot cups are $3, sodas are $4, Santas Helper is $13 and spiked hot chocolate is $10 so in drinks it adds a $15 value to the kids ticket and $15-26 value to adult tickets. I unfortunately didn't see how much the cookie decorating kits & smores kits were if you were to buy them separately. However, given everything that is included in the bags and the front of the line pass/premium seating I would say it makes up for the $50ish difference in price. 

It was busy when we went, however all of the lines were pretty manageable, and we were able to find good spots to watch both the light show and the Christmas parade. It was also easy to find a seat to watch both of the live shows, which was surprising for a Saturday! If you've gone multiple years in a row, the train ride themes haven't changed from last year. Everything was pretty much the same as it was last year, but we still had a lot of fun, especially because my husband and our son didn't make it with to last years event. On a last note, I just wanted to include that since this event takes place in part of Rawhide, this is an outdoors event it will be chilly and the ground is mostly dirt. I would bring something warm to wear & make sure to wear proper shoes as it can be a little muddy out. 

Want to win a family four pack of general admission tickets to this event???? Stop by either my Instagram page or Tiktok and enter on my Pratt Brothers Christmas post. I am @Themoonlitnook on both Instagram and Tiktok. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  Pratt Brothers Christmas provided this experience to us for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Osaka Japanese Steakhouse in Mesa, Arizona!

 

When celebrating a birthday, it is exciting to be able to find a fun spot for dinner that not only has delicious food, but fun entertainment as well. We recently had the pleasure of stopping by Osaka Japanese steakhouse in Mesa, Arizona to celebrate my husbands birthday. A few of our family members live over in the area, so they invited us out to dinner to celebrate and spend some time together. Osaka offers a regular service style section where you can order dishes like sushi, and appetizers or you can request a teppanyaki table & order a dish to be grilled right in front of you. Quite a few restaurants that have this style of seating will often sit smaller groups together at one large table, but lucky for us the table we were sat at fit seven people which was perfect for our party, so we didn't have any strangers at our table. 

Depending on the day & time you want to visit for a meal, I highly recommend calling ahead of time to make a reservation. The restaurant was absolutely packed when we arrived & if we hadn't called earlier in the week to make a reservation we would have been waiting around for quite a while for a table to open up. 

Every teppanyaki plate comes with rice, some veggies, two shrimp plus your choice of meats along with a small salad and soup. I am not a huge fan of the dressing they use, so I didn't eat the salad but the soup was good despite being just a broth with two small mushrooms floating in it.

My teppanyaki dish was delicious, the meat was cooked just right and I enjoy the sauce they serve with it. I do wish that the veggies had been cooked slightly more and they could use slightly bigger portions for the meats with how much each dish is. While I do understand that part of the cost of the meal is the entertainment from watching the chef cook, a bigger protein portion I think would help balance out the cost. Especially since most parties will typically type the chef as well before he leaves the table.

Our table also had some of their sushi, spicy edamame and dumpling. All three dishes were enjoyable and I didn't have any issue with them. A family member of ours treated us to a dinner here for my husbands birthday & had mentioned to the staff that it was his birthday. At the end of our meal they brought over some small cakes, a big candle & a fun mask for my husband to wear while they played some loud drums and a happy birthday song. You'll frequently hear this through out your dinner as almost every table there had someone celebrating either a birthday or another event. The chef who did our teppanyaki had also made my husband a balloon headband to wear because it was his birthday & the chef liked his hair style. This spot is a little pricey per person for a meal, but to visit for a celebration or a once in a while thing I think it is worth it for the experience! 

This specific location is located at 6730 E. Superstition Springs Blvd Mesa, Arizona 85206 and they have a secondary location in Gilbert.  

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers. 

Madrez Cafe Review! (Flagstaff, AZ)

 

When we go on trips whether it is a slightly bigger vacation or just a small weekend trip to explore one of the cities in our home state, I like looking for locally owned or small chain restaurants to support. On our most recent weekend trip to explore a few things in Flagstaff, I found a small locally owned restaurant called Madrez Cafe. There were one or two options I was looking at for lunch while we were in town, but I am so glad that this is the spot we landed on because lunch was fantastic.  

They offer breakfast & lunch at this spot and are closed for dinner. This is the first spot I've been to that has consistent price across the menu, pretty much all of the breakfast options are $13 each and the lunch options are all $14.50 each. In total for the four of us our lunch bill came out to $60 which isn't too bad for an actual restaurant since some fast food spots can run you just as much. Several of us had ordered the Birria tacos, and they were so good! I like that they came with different sauces to dip them into along with some extra cut up onions. The breakfast bagel, breakfast burrito and the farm skillet were all also pretty good and came with a good amount of food.

Inside of the restaurant felt open, welcoming & cozy and I like that they feature the artwork of local artists on the walls with QR codes you can scan to see more of their work. If it is nice out and you feel like enjoying the weather instead, they have seating outside as well. Wait times for the food were short & everything came out on metal plates which helps keep the food warm and also cuts down on waste as they are reusable. (the staff will collect your plates when you are done eating). So if you happen to be in the area and are looking for a spot for either breakfast or lunch, I suggest stopping by to try out the food for yourself!

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers. 

Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona!

 

I absolutely love animals & always enjoy visiting different animal spots. On one of the days of our recent weekend trip up north, we stopped by Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. I actually went to this zoo several times as a child when it was located near Fountain Hills, but they moved everything up north further to Camp Verde. Which actually works out better for the animals, as it is typically a bit cooler for them there than the previous location. While it was 85+ degrees down where we live, it was a nice cool 68 degrees with some wind on the day we visited. 

The biggest part of this wildlife park that I love is how huge the enclosures are for all of the animals. You'll get lucky and a lot of the animals will be in their favorite spots to lounge within view, and others will be kind of like a safari hunt where you'll need to look for them through out the enclosure. This sanctuary was originally started in 1988 by husband and wife Dean & Prayeri Harrison and their love of animals shows through out the park. Sadly Dean has passed away, but Prayeri is still a huge part of every day operations at the park! In fact she was at the park the day we were there greeting guests, helping answer questions and talk to everyone while they waited in line to buy tickets. Tickets might seem a bit pricey compared to other zoos/animal parks as they are almost $50 per adult, however this is a privately owned park and they have a lot of big cats, bears, etc to provide food to, so that is where the money goes along with the typical cost of operations. 

Another big plus about this wildlife park is that the safari ride is included in admission! A lot of other zoos we've been to charge extra for a safari tour, use of shuttles, etc. When you are on the safari you will be right up close to Zebras, Giraffes, and more. If you are lucky one of the two giraffes will come over and take a treat from your hand, or if you are brave enough to put the food in your mouth, they will give you a big kiss. 

As I mentioned before, the enclosures are quite large which makes the wildlife park a bit spread out. If you'd prefer not to walk the whole thing & want to get to the back section where a lot of the smaller enclosures are (lizards, snakes, birds, etc) there is a free shuttle that will take you back to the main area. You can also stop at one of four shuttle stops to be picked up to go back to the front gates when you area ready to head home. 

Out Of Africa has a large amount of big cats, you'll see quite a few lions, leopards, and wolves. You will also come across bears, porcupines, lemurs and more. All the staff are very knowledgeable about the animals & are happy to talk about them or answer any questions you have. They also feature a tiger splash show,  where you'll be able to see some of the trainers interreacting with one of their tigers playing with toys and jumping into a giant pool. Plus for an extra $5 you can feed one of the tigers (safely of course), the tigers looked like they were loving it! You can tell by the healthy coat and of course the little extra pouch under their bellies that they are well fed and well taken care of. All of the animals seemed content and happy. It was also nice to see that aside from one or two of the animals, that all of the enclosures had more than one in it which is great for socializing. 

They have extras you can add onto your experience as well, such as an extra tour, ziplining over the park, and animal encounters. This wildlife park is in Arizona & like much of the desert there isn't a ton of shade so remember to bring your sunscreen + a hat and possibly an umbrella along with water of course. All of the pathways are dirt and a bit rocky, some strollers will have no issue getting around but other strollers with the tiny wheels may have issues getting through the park. Wheelchair wise, I would say it is easier if you have an electric scooter vs a regular wheelchair. 

Stop by my Instagram or Tiktok page to see a short compilation of clips I took of the animals during our visit. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers.