Amazing outdoor experiences on land and water are part of the DNA of Parker, Arizona.
We got the details on everything this town has to offer from the Parker Regional Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, as well as some locals and visitors.
You can hear from them in the video above, or enjoy this handy transcript (lightly edited for clarity).
Mary Hamilton, Executive Director Parker Chamber of Commerce 00:05 – Welcome to Parker, Arizona, the heart and soul of Arizona’s West Coast. My name is Mary Hamilton. I’m the executive director for Parker Regional Chamber of Commerce and tourism.
Parker, Arizona has been around since 1908. It was carved out of the Colorado River Indian tribes. Parker is about 150 miles west of Phoenix on the border of California and Arizona. Our area is outdoor active lifestyle for boating and off roading. And we feature year-round activities because our winter weather is so beautiful. And then in the summertime it is hot, but we’ve got water.
The Colorado River is the lifeblood to Parker, Arizona. We have beautiful pristine water. It’s clear, it’s awesome to swim in. We have recreational skiing, wakeboarding.
MH 01:01 – Parker Arizona is not only known for our exquisite boating community, but we have the best off roading in the country as well.
We have Best In The Desert that comes here for the Parker 425. It’s 425-mile racing. We have the Parker 250, which features the motorcycles and side by sides which is really gaining popularity.
It’s a tradition. It’s culture. It’s what we do.
Here in Parker, we have dirt and water so we have boating and off roading and we’re really good at both.
MH 01:33 – If you want to experience something that the locals do, we’re here at Fox’s Resort on the Parker Strip.
This is a very popular local drinking establishment, restaurant, and RV park. But it also is really rich in history. It’s the first floating dock bar on the Colorado River and it’s 70 years old this year.
Nikol Thompson, Bartender Fox’s Pierpoint Landing Bar 01:55 – My name is Nikole. I am a bartender here at Fox’s. I’ve been here about eight years. We have bands every weekend. We have the best food on the river.
John, our chef has been here six years. He makes great food, most of it is from scratch. We have a smoker we smoke chicken and ribs every weekend. The burgers are the best.
Rick Whitcomb, Visitor to Parker 02:17 – It’s a great place to bring the kids, they love their tubing. Right? And jet skiing water skiing, boating, floating. Yeah, it’s a great place to do all of it.
MH 02:30 – One of our most popular places to stay is the BlueWater Resort and Casino that is owned by the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
It’s a beautiful establishment, has 200 rooms that all face the water. And they have boat docks, they have a wakeboard park, which is all cable driven, so you don’t have the fumes and the wakeboard boat. So if you wanted to come out and do some wakeboarding, you could do that without a boat.
There are about five restaurants within the establishment. A couple of different great big bars inside. There’s a Cantina outside and an amphitheater for amazing concerts. So that is where you stay in the Parker area.
MH 03:05 – The Parker brand is about the river life.
And the river life is just that relaxed, beachy, music, boating, friendships, socializing. It’s just a very social interactive community. And I don’t care if you’re from Tucson or LA or anywhere around the world: You’re always going to be welcome here.
A lot of times people say oh, we’ve passed through Parker or I know I go by Parker. I’m just asking you to give Parker an overnight chance and let us grow on you. You’re always going to be welcome here at Parker.
We know that once you come for a weekend you’ll return for a lifetime. For more information you can visit our website at ParkerAZ.org.
From off roading to wakeboarding, there’s an adventure for everyone in Parker. Looking for a more meditative experience in Arizona? See if Sedona might be your next getaway.
