Flagstaff Festival of Science: Petrified Forest National Park Open House

Petrified Forest is best known for its Triassic fossils. It’s like having two parks in one, an ecosystem over 200 million years old with plants and animals now represented in the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert. There is also a living park with its own denizens adapted to a demanding environment. The Painted Desert Inn was originally built as a business overlooking the Painted Desert. The owner, Herbert Lore built the roadside attraction out of petrified wood from his property in the Painted Desert, nicknaming the building the Stone Tree House.In the late 1940s under the Fred Harvey Company, architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter created a new color scheme and ordered new plate glass windows placed in strategic walls of the Inn to take advantage of the magnificent view. Fred Kabotie, a renowned Hopi artist, was hired to paint murals on the dining room and lunchroom walls. The scenes are glimpses into Hopi culture: the Buffalo Dance, a trek to a sacred salt lake, planting time, and Tawa—the Hopi sun god. The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark is open daily 9am to 4pm. It is located 2 miles from the north entrance of Petrified Forest National Park, just off exit 311 from I-40. Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inn. LOCATION Petrified Forest National Park Visitor Center EVENT TYPE Open House     🎉Part of the 2024 Flagstaff Festival of Science! Download the app Each year, the Festival features 10-days of engaging events and programs, all free, for the community to enjoy and celebrate the wonders of science! This year’s theme is “Accelerating Innovation”! The 2024 Festival of Science will take place from Sept. 20th – Sept. 29th and will commemorate the 35th anniversary. The Festival offers a wide variety of presentations, hands-on workshops, interactive discussions, classroom talks and guided tours led by outstanding Flagstaff scientists and STEAM professionals. Festival events highlight the innovative research happening right here in Flagstaff! Events are held in a variety of venues and institutions throughout northern Arizona.