ARIZONA’S WEST COAST Craft Beverages From small-batch spirits to craft beers, the West Coast region has a beverage to suit your style. Yuma, the sunniest city in the country, is home to Prison Hill Brewing Co. , which takes its name from the nearby historic territorial prison and serves up wittily named selections that include Jailbait Blonde and Allegation Amber. In Lake Havasu City, pull up a chair at Barley Bros. Restaurant & Brewery , where you can enjoy a craft beer to wash down wood-fired calzones. Also here is Hangar 24 Craft Brewing , serving up pints of fan favorites such as the Chocolate Bomber porter and a roster of limited releases. In Kingman, you’ll find desert-inspired agave rum, whiskey and vodka at Desert Diamond Distillery inside the Airport Industrial Complex, where you can have a tour and a tasting for the full experience. Also in Kingman, Black Bridge Brewery serves up everything from blonde to stout on its changing menu. Meanwhile, Cella Winery specializes in handcrafted red wines, so sit outdoors among the grapevines while enjoying a glass of your choice. WET YOUR WHISTLE WITH Black Bridge Brewery, Kingman London Bridge, Lake Havasu City London Bridge (yes, THAT London Bridge) BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON VISIT THE In Lake Havasu City, this antique attraction is a hub for fun. In Arizona, Anglophiles needn’t book a flight to London to get their fill of majesty. Instead, a trek to Lake Havasu to see that city’s London Bridge attraction offers everything from tea and history to beaches and boat rides. The bridge dates to 1831, built to span London’s River Thames. By 1967, the City of London was replacing this antiquity and seeking someone to buy the defunct and dismantled bridge. A pair of willing buyers from western Arizona — entrepreneur Robert McCulloch, Sr., and his friend, former Disneyland “imagineer” C.V. Wood — were looking for a publicity magnet 62 VISITARIZONA.COM to jump start interest in their newly developed community, Lake Havasu City, plotted on the banks of Lake Havasu. They bought the bridge, lock, stock and original lamp posts for $2.4 million, and had the 10,276 exterior granite blocks shipped overseas via the Panama Canal, then trucked to Arizona from California. After three years of reconstruction, the bridge was dedicated, with hoopla, in 1971. Today, the bridge has blossomed into a town center, with shops, restaurants and hotels flanking both sides of the Bridgewater Channel, where you can spend hours exploring. Get your bearings at Lake Havasu Visitor Center , located in the English Village — a collection of English-style shops and businesses adjacent to the bridge. Take a walk across the bridge or on the two-mile pathway that goes under the bridge along the shore. Join a walking tour, or get on the water with an interpretive boat tour. Adventurous? To get up close and personal with both bridge and lake, rent kayaks, canoes or paddle boards from one of several vendors, or go for a dip at nearby beaches. Top off the experience with authentic afternoon tea each Wednesday at the London Bridge Resort . TOP TO BOTTOM: KINGMAN OFFICE OF TOURISM; GO LAKE HAVASU
Arizona Official State Travel Guide Arizona 2024-25: Page 62
