Three of the Best Mexican Restaurants in Yuma Arizona

As residents of San Diego, when we hear someone say they “ate at the best Mexican restaurant” in some state in the middle of the country, or even in the middle of California, we nod and smile, but we sometimes have our doubts about how good that Mexican food could have really been.  With our close proximity to the Mexican border, we know what good Mexican food tastes like.  We’ve also learned from our travels that while indeed there are some really good Mexican restaurants around the country, Mexican food is one of those ethnic foods that somehow loses its traditional and authentic flavors the farther away it is made from its homeland, and therefore there are a lot of bad Mexican restaurants.  On a recent weekend trip to Yuma, a city also close to the Mexican-American border, we decided to take on the challenge of finding the best Mexican restaurants in Yuma.  We ate at four and, while all were good, three of them made our list.  These three Yuma Mexican restaurants are completely different from each other and special in their own ways.

Preserved History Sites to See in Yuma

We visited Yuma for the second time, this time to attend Yuma Lettuce Days.  We had already crossed a lot of the things to do in Yuma off our list when we explored Yuma’s historic districts, but one thing we hadn’t done on our first visit to Yuma was visit the Sanguinetti House Museum, so we decided to add that to our itinerary.  Through our visit to the museum, a historic walking tour offered by the museum, and our stay at the Historic Coronado Motor Hotel, we learned more about the great job the city of Yuma has done in preserving many of its historic sites.

Off the Beaten Path: The Plank Road of Southern California

Imagine Southern California in the early 1900s.  It wasn’t as easy to travel as it is today, but the love of travel was strong.  People wanted to explore and get away, and they were willing to do some pretty crazy things to do so.  Crazy like crossing the ever-shifting sands of the Southern California desert on a road made entirely of wooden planks.  The even crazier thing?  There’s still a little piece of that Plank Road, built 100 years ago, available for travelers of today to visit.

A Weekend Exploring Yuma’s Historic Districts

The Colorado River, the old gateway to California.

Yuma is often viewed as nothing more than a way-point to bigger cities like Phoenix, Tucson, or San Diego (depending on your direction).  However, Yuma has a lot of history for travelers looking for a small town weekend getaway.  Yuma’s part in United States history began during the California Gold Rush when the Yuma Crossing over the Colorado River was used as the gateway to California.  Today Yuma is an important agricultural town, but it still has vestiges of its past preserved in its historic districts. 

A Small Town Wild West Weekend in Yuma

A weekend visit to Yuma offers both the charm of a small American town and a unique glimpse back to the days of the Wild West.  Yuma has less than 100,000 citizens, though it is estimated its population doubles in the winter when the snowbirds come to town.  Yuma has quite a mix of things to do that highlight its small town charms and Wild West history. If you’re looking to get off the beaten path, Yuma definitely fits the bill with the types of attractions that can only be found in a small town.  

A Date with Yuma’s Agritourism

Agritourism in the United States is a fairly new concept, so you might be wondering, what is agritourism?  According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of agritourism is “the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities.”  In this age where we want to know exactly where our food is coming from, agritourism is the perfect addition to a vacation itinerary, and Yuma, a small agricultural town in Arizona, is the perfect travel destination for agritourism.