The historic Sheraton San Marcos Golf Resort and Conference
Center, built in 1912 using a California Mission design, was once a favored haunt
of Hollywood luminaries and heads of state. Today, its posh guestrooms include
high-tech amenities. Other hotels in Chandler include the Wyndham Garden Hotel,
Windmill Inn, Hampton Inn and Hawthorn Suites, with additional hotels expected
in the near future. Also in Chandler is the beautiful, 27- hole Ocotillo Golf
Club, with a clubhouse, restaurant and outdoor dining.
The city pays homage to its past in festivals and museums. Drawing more than
300,000 spectators, the annual Ostrich Festival harkens back to Chandler's early
history of ostrich ranching; the Festival highlight features ostrich racing in
a downtown stadium, first carrying riders and then pulling chariots. In the revitalized
historic downtown area, the Arizona Railway Museum contains displays about state
railroads, while the Chandler Museum focuses on city history. Chandler's arts menu revolves around the Chandler Center for the Arts, with
diverse acts such as Lou Rawls, the San Marcos Symphony and Jay Leno; a high-tech
marvel, the Center's "turntable divisible" design can present three
events simultaneously. The new Vision Gallery displays art, some of it by local
artists, and provides concert space for various events. The annual Mariachi Festival
presents Folklorico dance, the weeklong Motorola Jazz Festival attracts nationally
known artists and during the monthly (except summer) Fiesta Fourth Fridays street
fair, stores stay open late and free entertainment is provided. Adding a new dimension to the shopper's world, Westcor Chandler Fashion Center
is anchored by Nordstrom.
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