Winslow Arizona might not make your top bucket list destinations but its location along Route 66 means it’s on the way to a lot of bucket list places. If your next road trip route passes nearby and you’re wondering if it’s worth it to stop. Winslow Arizona offers plenty to keep visitors busy and we share 12 unique ideas for cheap or free things to do.
Table of Contents
- What is Winslow Arizona known for?
- Where should I stop?
- What to do in downtown Winslow AZ?
- Is Winslow safe?
- Best Outdoor Things to do in Winslow AZ
- Standing on the Corner Park
- First Street Pathway Park
- Homolovi State Park
- Little Painted Desert County Park
- McHood Park
- Meteor Crater
- Rock Art Canyon
- Spider Rock
- Top Indoor Attractions near Winslow AZ
- Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
- Drive Historic Route 66
- La Posada Historic Hotel
- Old Trails Museum
- Places to Stay
- Free Camping in Winslow AZ
- Free RV Dump
- Other Places to Stay
- Places to Eat in Winslow AZ
- RelicRoad Brewing
- Other Places to Eat
- Is Winslow AZ Worth Visiting?
What is Winslow Arizona famous for?
A large majority of Winslow AZ tourism can be attributed to one song lyric by The Eagles.
Standing on a corner in Winslow AZ, such a fine sight to see – it’s a girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me – Take it easy.
I hope you sang that last sentence because I definitely did.
Where should I stop in Winslow AZ?
If you are just passing through and wondering where should I stop in Winslow AZ, head directly to the famous corner. Follow the crowds and you’ll find it.
If you have a little more time, keep reading for some of the other awesome things to do in Winslow.
What to do in downtown Winslow Arizona?
There isn’t much to downtown Winslow Arizona and you can walk the whole area within an hour.
You’ll find the lyrically famous corner with a flatbed Ford parked nearby. There were a few restaurants, a brewery, a drugstore, and a few souvenir shops.
Is Winslow AZ safe?
Winslow AZ is small-town America. We felt safe walking the streets after dark. I even went for a solo morning run around the downtown area without any safety concerns.
Use common sense to protect your valuables from crimes of opportunity and you should find Winslow AZ is safe. Check out our Los Algodones Mexico Day Trip post for a few common-sense practices to protect yourself from crime.
Best Outdoor Things to do in Winslow AZ
Outdoor activities are our favorite thing to do in a new town. For a small town, Winslow Arizona has more than its share of outdoor things to do.
If you are visiting Winslow in cooler months and interested in outdoor activities, there are an abundance of parks worth visiting.
Summer heat in Arizona will limit mid-day outdoor activities. If visiting in summer, choose one activity and start early to avoid the dangerously hot days.
Standing on the Corner Park
GPS Location: 35.024454, -110.697745
The city of Winslow embraces its kitsch. It has created a small park, Standing on the Corner Park, on the corner of Route 66 and Kinsley Avenue in Winslow Arizona as an homage to the Eagles song ‘Take it Easy’.
Featured art in the park includes a lifesize bronze statue that resembles ‘Take it Easy’ co-writer Jackson Browne and a mural depicting a red flatbed Ford reflected in shop windows. If anyone needs the motivation to start humming, there are also speakers playing music to get visitors in the mood.
You might have to wait your turn to get a picture on this corner because it attracts tourists year-round.
Obviously, you’ll want to go to the famous corner in downtown Winslow and snap a picture at the iconic spot. But that’s 10 minutes, now what.
First Street Pathway Park
GPS Location for parking at the Chamber: 35.024521, -110.703099
First Street Pathway Park is a nice paved walkway along the downtown train tracks.
The landscaping is very lush and worth the walk. It runs six blocks from the Chamber of Commerce to Hwy 87. There are several art and educational displays along the walk to keep visitors entertained.
It was a great thing to do in Winslow Arizona especially if you’re on a road trip and have been driving all day.
But be aware that homeless residents do sit on the benches along the path. I was walking and not paying enough attention to my surroundings when a gentleman greeted me. It was very startling.
Homolovi State Park
GPS Location: 35.030599, -110.636551
Homolovi State Park is dedicated to the history and culture of the native Hopi tribe and is only three miles from downtown Winslow. Visitors can see pueblo ruins dating back to 1200 AD and petroglyphs. The park has hiking trails, a campground and educational exhibits including artifacts in the visitor center and museum.
Little Painted Desert County Park
GPS Location: 35.156657, -110.470599
The Little Painted Desert County Park is located 15 miles from Winslow Arizona. The unique and colorful rock formations offer photo-perfect sunsets. Visitors can enjoy picnics and hikes at the park.
McHood Park
GPS Location: 34.968591, -110.644536
McHood Park is part of the Clear Creek Reservoir and offers various water-based activities. It is located less than 10 minutes from downtown Winslow.
Swimming, fishing and boating are all popular things to do at this small park. Canoes are available for rent on site.
Meteor Crater & Barringer Space Museum
GPS Location: 35.033959, -111.0214636
Meteor Crater is located 20 miles west of Winslow. It is the best-preserved meteor impact site in the world. Scientists believe the meteor hit nearly 50,000 years ago. The surface is very moon-like and has been designated at a NASA training location.
There is a small museum and a restaurant on-site. Overnight RV parking and tent camping are available. Restrooms and showers are available for visitors near the camping area.
Explore Petroglyphs at Rock Art Canyon Ranch
GPS Location: 34.874895, -110.459254
Rock Art Canyon Ranch is located in a working cattle ranch on private property. The canyon walls contain over 3,000 well-preserved rock carvings or petroglyphs. It is located 29 miles from downtown.
For a fee, the owner, Brantley Baird, and his ranch hands offer personal guided tours. Contact Mr. Baird at 928-288-3260 to confirm current pricing, availability and to arrange a tour.
Canyon hiking and river swimming are popular things to do at Rock Art Canyon near Winslow Arizona.
Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly
GPS Location: 36.109827, -109.351345
Although Canyon de Chelly and Spider Rock are located over 2 hours northeast of Winslow, I had to include them. Canyon de Chelly is located in Navajo Nation in northern Arizona.
It is on my wish list but was closed to visitors due to COVID when we visited the area. If you can fit it into your itinerary, it is safe to consider me jealous.
Spider Rock is a breathtaking sandstone spire rising from the canyon floor. There is a nearby overlook that offers a great photographic perspective to visitors.
Top indoor attractions in Winslow AZ
If you are visiting in warmer weather, you might enjoy indoor activities more than the extreme Arizona heat. Here are a few indoor things to do in Winslow Arizona.
Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
GPS Location: 35.025411, -110.703163
If you are a regular reader, you know I love starting my exploration of a new place at the Visitor Center. It is a great way to get your bearings and get local recommendations for places you might not otherwise consider.
The Chamber of Commerce in Winslow is no exception. They have brochures and maps of the area’s attractions. Additionally, they have several educational historic displays.
Plus they allow free overnight RV parking for visitors, which gives them extra credit in this RVers mind.
Drive Historic Route 66
This isn’t technically an indoor activity. However, most of us have air-conditioned cars. Therefore I’ve included driving Historic Route 66, the Main Street of America, as a climate-controlled or indoor thing to do in Winslow AZ.
Seriously, most of the communities grew in this area because of the construction of one of America’s original highways, Route 66, starting in 1926.
Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago and ends in Santa Monica California.
La Posada Hotel
GPS Location: 35.021576, -110.694718
La Posada was constructed in 1929 by the Santa Fe Railroad. After years of closure followed by restoration, it is one of the grandest remaining railroad hotels in the United States.
The historic trackside hotel was built by the famed architect, Mary Colter. She served as chief architect for the Fred Harvey company. Today the La Posada is part hotel, part botanical gardens, part art gallery and museum.
It is privately owned and the current owners embrace the hotel’s rail history. Visitors are welcome on the property between 7 am until 9 pm unless a private event is being held.
Self-guided walking tour brochures are available at the check-in desk. The tour is approximately one mile and covers over 30 sites on the property, both indoors and outdoors. Guided tours are also available by making advanced reservations through the hotel.
Old Trails Museum
GPS Location: 35.024989, -110.695985
The Winslow Historical Society runs the Old Trails Museum in downtown Winslow. It is located in the historic district of Winslow. Exhibits include Native American history, Sante Fe rail history, Fred Harvey memorabilia, Route 66, western art, and more.
Places to Stay in Winslow AZ
We travel full time in an RV and love finding free camping. Some places are easier to find free spots than others.
Winslow Arizona gets it and offers free camping at their Chamber of Commerce parking lot.
For more free camping goodness, check out our FreeCamping category.
Free Camping in Winslow Arizona
The Winslow Arizona Chamber of Commerce allows overnight parking in their large gravel lot. It is within walking distance to the cute little downtown of Winslow. There are no amenities so you’ll need to be traveling in a self-contained unit.
The lot is located next to the train tracks so you’ll hear trains all night. But for one night we appreciated the free location.
Free RV Dump and Water Fill in Winslow AZ
RVers stopping in Winslow Arizona might be looking for a free RV dump and they are in luck.
The Maverick gas station in Winslow offers free RV dump and freshwater refill. This is a really nice benefit since most truck stops and campgrounds charge $10 or more for the same service.
If we don’t stay in campgrounds with hookups, we occasionally have to empty waste water and refill freshwater between stops. With many years of experience with water conservation, we can make it two weeks without hookups.
To learn more about how we conserve water, read 21 Best Tricks for Saving Water in an RV: Extend Boondocking Stays with Conservation.
Other Places to Stay in Winslow AZ
A few other lodging options in Winslow include:
- Homolovi State Park Campground
- Take It Easy RV Park
- La Posada Hotel
- Best Western
- Quality Inn
Places to Eat Winslow AZ
We love breweries so it was an easy decision to walk to Relic Road Brewing Company in downtown Winslow. Plus there are not many other dinner choices in downtown Winslow.
Relic Road Brewing Company in Winslow Arizona
We decided to try Relic Road Brewing Company because they served local beers, had great reviews and were offering takeaway during COVID-19. When we arrived, the inside bar area was fairly full of customers with little if any social distancing.
We were thankful they were offering dine-in and we decided to sit on the outside patio. The patio was empty and we felt safe enjoying our taco and beer dinner with a view of the famous “corner”.
The taco dinner special was cheap at Relic on the night we visited. However, they were just mediocre tacos and I would not get them again. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
We both had flights of beers at Relic Road and really enjoyed our first brewery visit post-COVID-19.
Other Places to Eat in Winslow AZ
A few other downtown dining options in Winslow include:
- Las Marias Mexican Restaurant
- Bojo’s Grills and Sports Bar
- Sip Shoppe (coffee shop with breakfast and sandwiches)
Is Winslow AZ worth visiting?
Absolutely. What is an American road trip without an Eagles rocking on the car stereo?
Winslow is worth visiting if traveling through Arizona. Even though Winslow is a small town, there are several things to do on your visit.
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