Things to do

20 Fun Things To Do In Williams, Arizona

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Williams is a small town in the state of Arizona whose official tagline is 'The Gateway to the Grand Canyon.' The place is popular because it is the last stop on the old Route 66 that Interstate 40 missed in 1984.

This historic route is still in existence passing through the city, and is an area of tourists' interest. Most structures in the downtown are historic thus providing a glimpse into the past.

The town is rich in natural pristine beauty and there are mountains and forests close by. So, go through the guide on the things to do in Williams below in this article:

1. Take A Ride From The Williams Depot

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This is not a museum but a train station that takes you to Grand Canyon National Park. The ride provides a wonderful history of the area along with top-notch food and exceptional scenery.

There is a restaurant, gift shop, coffee shop, and some entertainment while you wait for the train to pull into the station and board. There is seating inside and outside for those who are waiting.

It is more than an hour's ride to the south rim of Grand Canyon. Along the way, you will be entertained and educated by public service advisors on and off. The inside temperature is decent and when windows are open you can feel the breeze.

2. Interact With Animals At Grand Canyon Deer Farm

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The farm is a great place to interact with deer. They are such sweet gentle animals and love people with deer pelts.

They can be a bit overwhelming because they all want food, but it is still fun to feed them. After you are done with them, be sure to walk the path around the farm.

They have quite a few animals. The place is bigger than it seems and they have peacocks, bison, and reindeer, just to name a few. Visiting this petting zoo is one of the best things to do Williams AZ. Also, it is a great side trip if visiting the Grand Canyon or Sedona areas.

3. Stop By Poozeum

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Poozeum is a free museum dedicated to dinosaur poop. You should check it out when in Williams taking Route 66. Come over for fun pictures and a great experience.

The entire area is restricted to one room, but everything is labeled carefully. Who knew there is so much to learn from dinosaur poop. The subject matter is familiar to all and should appeal to kids.

There are so many different kinds of poop, including the Guinness Book of World Record's largest poop. They also have little souvenirs you can buy and gag gifts for all reasonable prices. This is one of the unique things to see in Williams Arizona.

4. Stay or Dine At dj's Wild West Junction

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At the Wild West Junction, one can assume what a town square or junction looked like in the pioneer days. The location is right on Route 66 and it is a place to eat, stay, or drink after returning from the Grand Canyon.

The community has a branding iron restaurant, the Longhorn saloon, a courthouse, and a jail. One of the peculiar characteristics of this place is the wall full of bills left by guests from all over the world with messages on them.

This looks like a fun Western place to eat. Outside tables, everyone dressed like cowboys, a visit from the local sheriff, an extremely friendly host, and even the entertainment comes to sit and chat at your table.

5. Spot Animals At Bearizona Wildlife Park

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If you are wondering what to do in Williams AZ, drive through the Bearizona Wildlife Park. It is the best feeling to drive through the park and be close to the animals.

Most of the time, the animals are not bothered by the vehicles which gives you a lot of room to roam. You might also want to look up in the trees to spot bears.

After driving, you walk into another area to see more animals and feed the otters. The mini zoo inside is delightful, the gift shop is huge with a great selection of curious. There are strollers and wheelchairs to borrow and plenty of spots for a treat.

6. Explore The Pete's Route 66 Gas Station Museum

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A nice little combo of museum and store. The store has both Route 66 memorabilia, an old 1950 Ford, a service station from back then as well as rocks and other items.

This historic place also has old restored gas pumps, oil and lubricant cans, old plates, and even articles on sale. Overall, a step back in time where you can explain to your kids that car gas tanks were located behind the rear license plate.

Although you cannot take pictures inside the store, the area outside and the room with a lot of cool items offer many photo opportunities.

7. Enjoy Rides At Canyon Coaster Adventure Park

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One of the Williams AZ attractions that is mostly enjoyable by adventurous individuals. This place includes a four-person tubing area, a mild but extensive roller coaster, and a dining area with arcade games and good views.

The coaster is a popular experience with more twists, turns, and even more views than the mountain coasters. You can ride as a single rider or double and can control the speed of your coaster.

You can buy videos and pictures of your ride after you get off. In total, it is a nice stop to go on some fun and easy tubing.

8. Play A Round At Elephant Rocks Golf Course

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This golf course will leave you in awe with its gorgeous view. The area is surrounded by beautiful rock formations and lush greenery from the Kaibab National Forest.

Besides, it provides the best combination of difficult holes, especially for high-handed professional golfers. This aspect has been greatly complimented by well-manicured flat fairways and greens that offer a real treat when playing.

The staff of the facility is accommodating and the clubhouse has some mouthwatering foods and drinks. The course is near Flagstaff so people from many nearby cities visit. If you ever plan to visit, here are some things to do in Flagstaff.

9. Fly High With Route 66 Zipline

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The Route 66 Zipline is a short travel journey over Williams. It soars above the high street, right along Route 66, and over Grand Canyon Boulevard.

This thrilling ride provides stunning views and requires no harness. Simply sit back and take in the excitement of this ride while you zip along at 30 miles per hour.

Moreover, to make things more enjoyable, they play music while you fly high. The route is well-known and the last-stop highway for travelers from other states. Buy tickets now at the Zipline Route66 website.

10. Get Ready For Santaland Holiday Event

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Santaland is an entertaining holiday event that will be hosted in Anthem, Phoenix. It lasts from November 15 up to December 24.

Here you will have a wonderful possibility to meet Santa Clause in his home-like house and even take photographs with him. Special events are held every Monday called Santa Paw Mondays, which allows you to bring your pets and have a picture taken with the jolly man.

Like most other Christmas displays, there is a Christmas tree at Santaland and so many decorative things in place. While there explore these things to do in Phoenix as well.

11. Try Mexican Food At Obregon City Tacos

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Right from Highway 66, Obregon City redefines what it means to embrace authentic Mexican food. It focuses more on the street eat like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and anything that is Mexican.

It is famous for its attempts to give hearty portions of tasty Mexican food. There will be many options for vegetarian diets too. The fresh quality ingredients with vivid characterization will give you more taste.

For people who want an extra flair to their food they could try out the tosti elote or tosti nachos. And if you like sweet things try fresas con crema which is the perfect dessert for hot weather.

12. Book A Room At Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel

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This is a decent place to stay either to visit the Grand Canyon or to spend a night. The hotel is linked to the railway and within close walking range.

There are two on-site restaurants with great food. Moreover, the suites are amazing and the property is well taken care of. The venue also receives appreciation for its punctual service, lively atmosphere, decorations, and live music.

The services that can be availed include a game room, indoor pool, breakfast, children's entertainment, and among others. This hotel is also near over 20 places of interest, so, going around will be easy. Buy a ticket or learn about holiday packages here, Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel.

13. Shop Gifts At Colors of The West

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Among the several souvenir shops up and down the main streets in Williams, this one is somewhat popular. Like any large mall, you will get anything you want here. They offer t-shirts, sweatshirts, magnets, stickers, and many others.

Also, they provide a military discount that is usually 10 % off. The best part of is that it is dog friendly and you could walk around with them while enjoying browsing.

Their great customer service also adds value to being one of the most liked specialty shops in the surrounding. This is among the Williams AZ tourist attractions that remind you of your stay at this beautiful place.

14. Try Gunfighter Canyon Indoor Shooting Experience

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This has to be the best adventure in Arizona. For someone who is or isn't into guns and shooting, this will be a fun experience. It is family-friendly and ideal for all levels of shooters.

The staff is very knowledgeable of all things gun-related and very safety-minded. You will be given all the information and are encouraged to ask questions. They even talk about the gun before you select them and some more after.

There are many models of rifles, and you can also use a machine gun. Do add this to your list of things to do in Williams AZ and get the experience of a lifetime.

15. Take Ideas From Williams and Forest Service Visitor Center

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Williams and Forest Service Visitor Center is centrally located where you can get maps and instructions on what to see and what to do in the area. There is a room behind the main desk that is full of information about this town.

It is close to railroad tracks so anyone can sit and watch trains go by all day. The center is well-staffed with intelligent people and has a small gift shop plus a local museum with pictures and artifacts.

You will find plenty of free parking so you can stop and shop to your heart's content. After visiting, you can get to Route 66 and drive one hour to the Grand Canyon.

16. Spend Great Time At Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery

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This place is for anyone who wants to stop in for a drink, get a quick bite, and snap some pictures. Besides, tasty beers and mouthwatering food it has a really fun atmosphere.

Try their beer flight, shrimp tacos, and bread bowl. The bar is surrounded by tree stumps and some of the benches are just long split trunks. There's a big fireplace in the front that you can wait for your table at.

There is a fun little arcade on the second floor that will keep kids busy and plenty of space for them to run around. You will love the decor in this place. It allows great pictures if you are looking for something for the gram.

17. Go Racing At Grand Canyon Go-Karts

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The Grand Canyon Go-Karts is worth visiting with your family. It is situated at Circle Pines KOA campground. Here, you can race go-kart and have lots of fun. 

Every other activity is offered, apart from go-kart racing facilities for a huge bouncy castle, a heated indoor swimming pool, or mini golf. 

There is also an adventure of gem and fossil mining for a real experience of fossicking for stones. Children will be able to go on hay rides and bike rides on new tracks. Check their hours of operation and ticket pricing at the Grand Canyon Go-Karts website.

18. Admire The Flintstone's Bedrock City

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If you grew up watching the Flintstones sitcom and have younger kids who watch or know about the Flintstones this is a fun stop to check out. A roadside attraction that is great and rather underrated.

There is a large city of bedrock to walk around and enjoy the history of the Flinstones. They even have a live Raptor flight from the volcano that is pretty cool to watch and learn about.

The entrance fee is only $5 to stop and admire the creativity. There are a couple of playground equipment pieces for the kids to play on as well. The building inside is made up of props of all the things and you will have lots of photo opportunities.

19. Discover The Grand Canyon National Park

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The Grand Canyon National Park is with regards to 60 miles northeast of Williams, Arizona. The drive usually is sort of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Interstate 40 has a connection to Route 64 which takes you to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

This route is very clear and one will be able to follow directions with ease. The view of the canyon does not seem to be captured well in this picture. It remains an awesome natural beauty that is worth a lifetime visit.

The trails are available for walking, taking a photograph, or just merely watching the landscape. You can explore these things to do at Grand Canyon National Park.

20. Hike The Bill Williams Mountain

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The off-road trail here is not for regular cars or SUVs. It can be very steep and slippery and is best to use the 4-wheel drive.

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful, incredibly well-maintained and marked trail. There is a very low possibility of losing your way. The first half mile is consistently climbed up which will get your heart pumping over time.

The second half mile flattens out and teases you that it will be easy. After that, the real climb begins. The top of the mountain is over 900 feet and there are towers for cell phones and ranger lookouts. It is fun to walk around and take photos.