Official Yuma Travel Guide | 2024 36 From the Twin Suns of Tatooine to the “Center of the World” to lettuce fields as far as the eye can see, one thing is certain, there’s no place like Yuma. Don't be surprised when you take home a few new stories (the best kind of souvenir). ¡Vamos! Offbeat Occasions Yuma’s offbeat photo ops, intriguing architecture and storytelling opportunities make it a vacation destination to remember. Start your tour of Yuma’s greatest, can’tmiss hits by pulling off the road at the first sight of “Pause, Rest, Worship.” You’ve arrived at Loren Pratt’s Little Chapel or “Tiny Church” as locals call it. Seating just 12 people, the chapel lives up to its name. Continue down the same road to see the McPhaul Suspension Bridge straddling an empty canyon beside the Gila River. Among the most famous attractions in the Southwest, the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area is a 40-mile stretch of grit and adventure, not to mention a Hollywood hot spot. Just beyond Yuma is Felicity, California, where a trio of interesting places await. Located within a 21-foot-tall pyramid made of pink granite, the “Center of the World” also shares a home with the Museum of History in Granite, the Staircase to Nowhere and the Church on the Hill – a one-stop-shop for all things eccentric. Continue your drive through Yuma’s countryside to see endless rows of leafy greens tethering the landscape. Yuma is known in many circles as the winter vegetable capital of the world, and it’s a title we wear with pride. Another Yuma icon, Lute’s Casino, boasts rustic memorabilia and local flair from floor to ceiling. With a well-priced menu of cold margaritas, sandwiches and a signature burger/hot dog combo, the welcoming atmosphere of Lute’s Casino is hardly that of a haunted destination. Downstairs, diners at the restaurant have reported spectral shadows while staff have learned that paranormal patrons are just part of the job. Oddities, Anecdotes and Sightseeing A Different Kind of Desert Town Church on the Hill at the "Center of the World" McPhaul Suspension Bridge
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==