By Peter Fish, Sunset Editor-at-Large
Never underestimate the power of sunshine and palm trees.
Back before Phoenix was the fifth biggest city in the nation, it was above all
a tourist town, luring shivering citizens of Chicago and New York to bask in its winter warmth.
The way things worked out a lot of those shivering people
ended up moving to Phoenix full-time, and what was a little town became a big city. But
there are still places where you feel the romance of Phoenix’ desert oasis days.
The Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa is one of them. It’s a gorgeous hotel, with 500-acres of grounds, including a truly spectacular rose garden. It was actually built as a private retreat for executives of Goodyear Tire and Rubber. (Why were the Goodyear execs here? Because the Arizona winter warmth is good for growing cotton, which apparently is needed in making rubber.) The Wigwam opened to the general public in 1929, which means that this year it’s celebrating its 80th anniversary.
