Family-Friendly Fare in Phoenix and Scottsdale

Scottsdale and Phoenix are extremely family-oriented cities with many of their attractions and restaurants aimed to please children as well as discriminating adults. Whether you live locally or are visiting, here are some suggestions for your family entertainment pleasure.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

7301 E Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale

This 30-acre amusement park has a 10,000 square foot Exhibition Hall that is filled with electric trains, toy trains, model sets, and train memorabilia, Admission is free, but there is a donation box if you’d like to help to build new displays. The Railroad Museum features a Pullman dining car that is fully restored with vintage decorations to give you an idea of what it actually looked like.

A special Train was donated by Guy Stillman, who had a chance to sell it to Walt Disney but kept it in Scottsdale. It runs an approximate eight-minute ride around the park and even has a Cattle Car that kids love cramming into. You can also ride on a historic 1950s Carousel. There is a traditional playground and another designed to look like an Old Western Town with a Bank, a Jail, a Stagecoach and a Gold Mine.

MacDonald's Ranch

26540 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

This is FREE and offers pony rides around the grounds for the children, a petting zoo with miniature horses and other animals, cowboy cookouts, learning to lasso, play horseshoes and ring toss, and photo ops that can be taken in front of a Saloon and General Store.

CrackerJax Family Fun & Sports Park

16001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

This is 28 acres of fun and excitement. You can get a wristband that entitles the wearer to four hours of unlimited rides, go carts, bumper boats, laser tag games, and miniature golf. There is an extra charge for the batting cage, driving range, and bungee dome.

Phoenix Children's Museum

215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix

In the Art Studio, children can create art projects and paint a castle, the Book Loft is for reading books, the Building Big space is for building houses and forts, the three-story Playscape is for climbing, tricycles can be ridden through a car wash, there is a play market and kitchens, and Desert Delights displays Arizona painters.

Beckett's Table

3717 E Indian School Road, Phoenix

The restaurant has a special kids menu of sliders, mac and cheese, pasta with red sauce or butter, grilled chicken skewers, PBJ with no crust, a hot dog, or a quesadilla. Kids plates come with fruit or fries, a beverage and a cookie.

The s'mores plate has squares of perfectly roasted marshmallows, small squares of graham crackers, an artistic swirl of creamy peanut butter, and chocolate covered bacon!

Chelsea's Kitchen

5040 N 40th St., Phoenix

A kid's menu features grilled cheese, mac and cheese, a fish plate, chicken tacos, and special creations like "Little Monkey" pancakes and PB&J sushi rolls. They give everyone free chocolate chip cookies with sea salt on the way out!

If you reside in downtown Scottsdale, perhaps in one of the stylish Scottsdale high rise condos, and you have guests with children that want to be entertained, you have an excellent selection of activities and restaurants to present to them. Have fun!

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A Guide to Premier Phoenix Antiquing for Vintage Enthusiasts

Vintage enthusiasts will find that antiquing in Scottsdale or Phoenix is an excellent and intriguing pastime with many treasures to be discovered. Our area has vintage shops for just about any collectible whether it is “antique” and over 100 years old or just tons of “vintage” items that are somewhat newer and bring back fond memories.

Antique Trove

2020 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

Be greeted with 1950s and 1960s oldies music playing on the overhead speakers in this huge store with individual dealer showcases and displays. You will find furniture, jewelry, sports memorabilia, Disney items, Christmas ornaments, turn of the century rare finds, and so much more. It is a wonderland of timeless pieces that will excite any collector.

Best for Vintage Dishware - Flo's on 7th

4116 N 7th Ave, Phoenix

Dishes and serving pieces including vintage Italian dishware will often be tagged with the set's current eBay value! There is jewelry, furniture, Jimmy Choo, Prada, books, purses, Disney movie stills, high-quality nicely arranged used and vintage clothing, electronics, appliances, and so much more. All blue tag items are only a whopping dollar!

The best part is that all of the money raised by this store goes to Florence Crittenton of Arizona, a non-profit organization that has served Arizona's youth and their families for over a century. Its mission is to mainly help at-risk girls from ages 12 to 21 overcome behavioral and/or mental health problems, neglect, abuse, teen pregnancy, teen parenting, and education. Safe environments are created for young adults and families to discover the support of a caring community and the possibility of a new and brighter future.

Best Vintage Christmas and Other Stuff: Zinnias on Melrose

724 W Indian School Road, Phoenix

In addition to Christmas holiday items, there is art, lamps, furniture, toys, mirrors, light fixtures, old photographs, and tons of beautiful pieces in many retro, shabby chic, handmade, contemporary, novelty and some antique articles. There are more than 30 vendors, all with different styles, tastes and offerings. Be sure to shop upstairs, also.

Best Place to Buy Vintage Clothing: Antique Sugar at Zinnia's

724 W Indian School Road, Phoenix

This is inside and connected to the Zinnia’s antique store above. It is a great vintage shop specializing in well-kept and unique 1920s through 1980s clothing in excellent condition as well as a wide selection of jewelry and other vintage accessories. They even have big girl clothes on one rack for curvier gals, a nice mens section, and cute vintage kids clothes,

Best Vintage Lighting Fixtures - Stuff Antiques

4206 N Central Ave., Phoenix

This place is filled to the rafters with a treasure trove of period lighting with stunning exceptional examples of Antique, Art Deco, Victorian, Arts and Crafts and Mid-century Modern pieces. Look overhead to see fabulous ceiling fixtures that make this feel more like a museum of exceptional lighting and a lighting fantasy land rather than just a shop.

There is also antique furniture, display cabinets, stained glass windows, slot machines, gumball machines as well as repair, restoration, and preservation work being done on antiques.

If you are fortunate to be living in one of the Scottsdale high rise condos in downtown Scottsdale, you are close enough to enjoy the local and Phoenix antiquing for exciting purchases or just to browse.

If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/

Everything You Need to Know About Title Insurance

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If you’re looking at downtown Phoenix condos, you may want to become educated on the basics of title insurance. Purchase of a policy at Scottsdale condos closings can save you from a multitude of potential legal and financial issues that problems with the title search to your property could cause.

What Is Title Insurance?

Anyone purchasing Phoenix condos should have a title search performed before closing, as more than one-third of all title searches uncover a problem that can and should be resolved before purchase is completed.

After your sales contract has been accepted, a title researcher will examine public records to scout out any problems with the title, a process which involves reviewing several years of real estate records. This search is intended to make sure the property actually belongs to the seller, that he is free to sell it and that it can be transferred to you at the time of closing free and clear of any other liens. However, title searches may miss serious problems, so homeowners should take the step of buying an owner’s title insurance policy.

Potential Problems With Property Titles

Title problems range from fairly minor to potentially disastrous. A title search may reveal, for example, that the previous owner had failed to pay property taxes or had minor repairs done and had not paid the contractor. It may even be found that the seller doesn’t really own the property, that the home is part of a conflicting will or actually belongs to undisclosed heirs.

Why Buy Title Insurance?

Although a title search should technically uncover any problems with the title, there are cases in which a problem is accidentally missed or is not in the public records. Purchasing an owner’s policy of title insurance will help protect your purchase from the fallout of these unforeseen problems. The policy is purchased at closing for the amount of the real estate purchase and is in effect for as long as you or your heirs own the property.

What Kinds of Issues are Covered?

Owner’s title insurance covers a broad range of potential problems, ensuring that your title company will stand behind you, even covering legal defense if necessary, if a title problem arises after the title search is done and you have bought your home. Common issues include forgery, undisclosed heirs, omissions/errors in deeds or mistakes in examining records during the title search. If you’re in the market for Phoenix condos, check on how this insurance is requested and how it is paid for in your area, as it is not an automatic part of the closing process.

Title Insurance and Refinancing

Refinancing of downtown Phoenix condos is considered a new loan and involves a new title search to ensure full protection of your real estate investment. However, if you bought owner's title insurance at your original closing, the policy should still be in effect for as long as you or your heirs own the property.

Title Insurance and New Homes

Even if you build a new home, you are unlikely to be the first owner of the undeveloped land. There could be many prior owners, and could possibly be liens against the property. Any prior builder or subcontractor who was not paid could place a lien, and purchasing an owner’s title insurance policy will cover any possible problems and associated legal fees.

If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/