GLENDALE, Ariz. - It's like a city within a city, a place where you can take in a concert, dine on cuisine prepared by top chefs and immerse yourself in a chocolate festival.
All that and the promise of a Super Bowl, too.
As thousands of people descend on Glendale for the big game between the Patriots and Giants - many of them from North of Boston - they are finding that killing time here is no problem.
There's no just sitting around and waiting for Sunday's kickoff for those who arrive days early. The area of Glendale around the stadium is like a community unto itself - boasting a complex for concerts, a series of restaurants and bars, and the NFL Experience theme park.
Glendale's annual chocolate festival coincides with Super Bowl weekend, and chocolate lovers can sample sweets while touring Cerreta's Candy Co. downtown all week.
Sports fanatics can sip beer, eat and bet on horse races in a bar that claims the world's largest collection of football helmets.
Golfers can tee off in the desert sun and wear shorts because the temperatures are expected to reach into the mid-60s - while it's cold and snowy back in New England.
"You don't have to shovel sunshine," said Jeff Matthies, a Colorado transplant who works as the assistant general manager of The Legend at Arrowhead golf course at the edge of Glendale.
Sports and entertainment central
Glendale is the current center of the sports universe, where the Patriots will try to finish their perfect season with a win at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
The stadium is about four miles from downtown and sits in a massive campus on the outskirts of the city, guarded by a heavy police presence. The stadium is the centerpiece to the sports and entertainment district. Near the stadium, you'll find Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant amid fountains choreographed to music at Westgate City Center.
Mary J. Blige and Maroon 5 are headlining a concert series Thursday at the Jobing.com arena at the Sports and Entertainment District. RBD, Camila and Belinda are performing on Friday.
But all the frozen drinks and celebrities won't totally distract fans from the real reason they came. The NFL Experience is an interactive theme park where people can participate in football games, attend children's clinics, get autographs and see what is being touted as the largest football card show ever. The Sports and Entertainment District is located at the corner of Glendale and 95th avenues.
Satisfying your sweet tooth
Walk in the door of Cerreta's Candy Co., and the smell of baking sweets intoxicates your senses.
This family-owned candy factory has molded a chocolate football the height of a grown man in honor of the Super Bowl.
"That's about 400 pounds of chocolate there," said Jim Cerreta, one of the owners.
Cerreta's wife, Marisa, gives tours of the factory every day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Free samples are included, and chocoholics can shop in the candy store. The staff prefers if people call ahead before taking a tour. Cerreta's is located at 5345 W. Glendale Ave.
There are more sweets to be had - a whole weekend-ful. Glendale is holding its annual Chocolate Affaire the Friday and Saturday of Super Bowl weekend. The festival features dozens of chocolate vendors, live entertainment and shuttle rides to Cerreta's. The shops downtown will remain open until 10 p.m. The action is happening around 58th Avenue and Glendale Avenue.
No tickets? No problem
If you travel to Glendale hoping to score tickets at the last minute and get skunked, Max's - a bar a few miles down the road from the stadium - might be a viable alternative. Televisions are everywhere you look, and among the sports memorabilia lining the walls are 360 football helmets.
"I have two or three Pop Warner (helmets), all the way through college, pro and semi-pro," said Ken Goodwin, general manager of Max's.
Patrons can bet on simulcast dog and horse races, broadcasted from tracks around the country. The establishment is holding Texas Hold 'em tournaments today, Thursday and Sunday, starting at 7 p.m.
The Phoenix area is home to hundreds of scenic golf courses and places for mountain biking and horse riding. Among them is The Legend at Arrowhead, an 18-hole course on the edge of town that was designed by Arnold Palmer. The course borders Thunderbird Mountain and a neighborhood full of luxury homes.
The highly elevated fifth hole offers a view of the city, University of Phoenix Stadium and the mountains that encompass Greater Phoenix. The Legend at Arrowhead is a public course, so a membership is not required. The course is hosting the Tony Dorsett Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Thunderbird Conservation Park is the place for outdoors sports. People can hike, mountain bike, ride horses, jog, picnic and watch birds in this public conservation park. The main entrance is located at 59th Avenue between Deer Valley and Pinnacle Peak roads.
The city has preserved the 1885 Sahuaro Ranch Museum so visitors can get a glimpse of Glendale's early days. The artifacts are old buildings at the ranch museum. Along the 60 acres of recreation space, you might run into a roaming peacock. The museum is located at 9802 N. 59th Avenue.
Glendale's Super Bowl forecast
* Weather forecast: Sunny with highs in the 60s
* Drive time to Phoenix: About 15 minutes
* Drive time to Las Vegas: About 41/2 hours
* More information: glendaleaz.com/events
