Ya’ll know I love Pine-Strawberry and I have six new things for you to put on your bucket list next time you visit. In case you missed my first post, here are the first six recommendations I gave you from a previous trip!

Now, this was the first road trip I’ve taken with my baby boy Teddy. Yes, we hit the road with a four-week-old baby and it wasn’t as chaotic as you would think. You guys know me more for strenuous activities on my trips, but this is a very chill itinerary. It had to be considering I had a newborn in tow. For more on hiking in the area head back to that blog post linked above.
#1 Stay in a Tiny Cottage



My friends at The Strawberry Inn now have tiny cottages! These are fantastic for anyone who wants a little extra space on their trip. We stayed in gorgeous cottage # 1 and it was perfect for our little family. The cottage has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen/living area (that includes a full-sized fridge, cooktop, big sink, microwave and dining table!), streaming TV, wifi, a Keurig coffee maker and a couch. My favorite part of the cottage was all of the patio area. The whole point of our trip was to escape the Phoenix heat and enjoy the outdoors so we loved the extra outdoor space as there is a front patio and basically a giant backyard. The backyard area has grass and a picnic table. It was perfect for having a glass of wine and enjoying the cool temps. I do want to mention for my dog people that the cottage is dog-friendly and The Strawberry Inn always has many options for traveling with your pet.
For a full tour of the tiny cottage, head to my Instagram page and click on the Strawberry highlight.
You can book a tiny cottage or any other accommodations from The Strawberry Inn here.

#2 Check out Windmill Coffee

One of my favorite parts about going out of town is trying new coffee spots so I was thrilled to learn that The Strawberry Inn took the adorable Windmill out front of their main hotel and turned it into a coffee shop! My go-to drink is a vanilla latte with oat milk and Daniel at Windmill absolutely nailed it. This yummy coffee was the perfect way to start our day in Strawberry.
#3 Grab an empanada at Pie Bar

There’s another new spot in town and it’s perfect for a grabbing a quick bite to eat. Pie bar offers empanadas, mini pies and yummy salads. Oh and they sell booze 🙂
The menu changes daily but take a look at the September menu for an idea of what you can expect.



I had the Scorpion Whisperer salad and an apple empanada (along with a little cabernet sauvignon). The salad was fresh and the perfect midday delight before stuffing my face with pizza later… which leads us to number four.
#4 Eat at Old County Inn
If you’ve never been to Old County Inn, it’s worth a trip to Pine alone. This restaurant has been featured in national publications for its deliciousness and once you try the food, you’ll understand why.

I’m normally a pepperoni pizza kinda gal (boring eater alert!) but Old County Inn has the most wonderful combinations on their woodfired pizza menu. My personal favorite is the spinach, artichoke, chicken pizza. There is a balsamic glaze on top that makes this pizza to die for. You absolutely have to try it.



I also got the Green Chili Beer Cheese with breadsticks that were absolutely divine and the Arizona Greens salad.
If you’re a cocktail drinker, you’ll love OCI’s craft cocktails. A mountain town isn’t probably where you would expect to find a killer margarita, but trust me, OCI has one heck of a marg! I look forward to getting one every trip!
#6 Watch the Wildlife

If you love animals but don’t want to put in a whole lot of efforting into spotting wildlife, well this is the place for you. Elk and deer are everywhere! Around dawn and dusk you can spot furry friends all over the place (watch out while driving!). Remember that huge yard I mentioned at our cottage? Well we were enjoying a glass of wine in the evening when we spotted two huge elk and a baby. The next morning I spotted a deer through the window while I was in the kitchen.
#5 Try an off-roading trail
I have been dying to do some more exploring of the Pine-Strawberry area via off-roading trails but with a newborn on board that wasn’t going to happen. We did get a little dirt on the tires on some regular dirt roads, but once things got rocky, we had to bail. Because this area offers so much for off-roaders, I did want to share more on the topic with you so I reached out to my friend Jody Isaac of Dirt Therapy to get you a trail recommendation.

Make sure you check out Jody’s videos and follow him on Instagram.
If you have any questions about planning a trip to Pine-Strawberry send me an email at kgkeogh@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram.