Join me for an A to Z Road Trip!
I’m taking you on a road trip with me by sharing travel photos for this year’s A to Z Blog Challenge. So come along as we explore some of my favorite offbeat, overlooked and just plain interesting places in Texas… and beyond!
Today is letter I:
Inmate Made Goods at Arizona’s Prison Outlet Store
Unique shopping experience
One of the most unusual shopping experiences I ever had was browsing the shelves of the Prison Outlet Store in Florence, Arizona. At first glance, it looks like any other old timey store you might come across in a small desert town.
Prison Outlet store
Really, if you ignored the name of the place, you might just think you had run across a pleasant Mom and Pop shop full of handmade arts and crafts.
McFarland State Park gift shop
Sadly, the Prison Outlet store has closed down since I visited last year. Even so, it was such a popular venue that the gift shop at the McFarland State Park (24 Ruggles St, Florence, AZ 85132) now carries items that the prison inmates made.
Variety of Handmade Goods
I only visited once, but from what I hear, the inventory changed constantly and you really never knew what you would find. The prices were reasonable, too!
Tagged with name of the inmate
I like that items were tagged with the name of the inmates who made them. And I couldn’t help but imagine that, if I were serving time, having a creative outlet would be extremely important to my morale.
*****I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Come back tomorrow for the next letter in the alphabet!*****
Psst! Instagram, anyone?
If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you! Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!
What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?
Each April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers.
To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can. In addition to my personal blog here, I’m also writing A to Z posts for the the Story Dam writing community. You can check those out by clicking here: Story Dam’s Writing Quotes & Encouragement
Check out more April A to Z Blog Challenge Participants by clicking the link below:
Find out more about the April A to Z blog challenge, and check out the other participants!
![A2Z-BADGE_[2016]](http://storydam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/A2Z-BADGE_2016-300x300.jpg){kind=icon}
Curious about my books? I’ve got 3, so far…
To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.
For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.
For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber
Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:
Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”
Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.
Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.
I think inmates having creative outlets would help them immensely. It’d give them something positive to focus energy into.
Definitely! I’m not even in prison, and having a creative outlet does wonders for my morale! Thanks for stopping by! :D
Great post for I! This is the best kind of road trip. Visiting unique places from comfort of home.
Hi, Jean! I’m glad you enjoy this kind of road trip, too. There are so many interesting places that most folks never hear about. I love exploring them when I can! Thanks for stopping by! :D
That was interesting Tui. Though I lived in Arizona for many years, I never knew the place existed and it’s too bad they closed it. I am sure it was not only a morale booster, but probably made the inmates feel more human and more alive, despite their incarceration.
Thanks for posting!! Can’t wait to see what J brings!
It’s always nice to find on of the few places you, the Road Trip King, have not yet been! From what I understand, the inmates still *do* the crafts. They just don’t have the outlet store anymore. Thanks for stopping by! :D
Very interesting post. I am grabbing a seat on this ride :)
Hi, Dahlia! Glad to have you along for this road trip. Thanks for stopping by! :D