Patagonia a town Patti and I fell in love with the first time around, (late September/early October) along with Patagonia State Park & Lake, which is about 6 miles south of the town. This time around… we wanted to focus on the town specifically… actually we did not even visit the Lake.
Patagonia is located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona in southeastern Arizona. It is about 26 miles north of Nogales on State Route 82. As of the 2010 census, Patagonia had a population of 913. Patagonia was formerly a supply center for nearby mines and ranches. It is a tourist destination, retirement community and arts and craft center. The Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve is adjacent to the town. Native Seeds/SEARCH maintains a farm for growing and preserving seeds of endangered crops in the area.
The town is located in the valley of Sonoita Creek between the Santa Rita Mountains to the north and the Patagonia Mountains to the south. The old mining camps (now ghost towns) of Harshaw, Duquesne and Lochiel lie to the southeast along the eastern margin of the Patagonia Mountains. The high San Rafael Valley also lies to the southeast.
Our first stop was lunch, stomach before information… We stopped at the Stage Stop Inn Hotel and dining establishment – hoping to have a very scrumptious lunch.
Close up of the fountain head
Patti had a ‘loaded’ baked potato (soft food required); I had a burger and both were scrumptious! After we were satiated, we slid on out to the ‘Inn’ lobby to check out a room, for possible future stays…
We did NOT stay at the Inn (this trip) so we cannot attest to their hospitality, we merely looked into the rooms, which were very clean… “Leave a light on for us”: we’ll be back.
Leaving the Inn, we walked down the street stopping at ‘Ovens of Patagonia’ for a treat and window shopping. The bakery serves scrumptious goodies from sugar overload to gluten-free baked goods. We had to get out quick – too many samples were getting to us.
Our next stop was at the colorful Yoga Institute. They offer several different intensities from just learning or re-learning Yoga, to senior classes and prime of life Yoga. So many bright paintings on signs and buildings, we loved it all.
Up the hill and just down the street is the ‘Tree of Life’ Institute. I had read about this institute in a book by Gabriel Cousens ‘Conscious Eating’ and always wanted to find this place. Now we stumbled onto it very casually. I walked inside to get a feel for the establishment and immediately felt at home and very peaceful. Funny how energy gets transmitted even into buildings.
The grounds are beautiful and inviting. They have their own garden which is all organic, and a cafe where the meals are 80/20 (80% raw and 20% cooked). There is a hot tub & infrared sauna, a temple & a labyrinth. There are hiking trails for exercise, casitas for sleeping and lots of space for meditation. I enjoyed my mini tour and made a mental note to return for some Spiritual repose and detoxing.
We checked out land and houses for sale/rent for future visits and possible living arrangement. Prices are a bit high because Patagonia is a destination spot in and of itself.
One last stop before we head home to our temporary home, Safford. We enjoyed our tour of Patagonia & it’s people…
gypsyroadgallery 
This was great – makes me want to hop on a plane – keep ’em coming!
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