Education & Resources
Learn More. Guide Better.
Access trusted resources, recommended reading, and educational opportunities to help you share Arizona with knowledge and confidence.
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Recommended Reading
Books, publications and resources to inspire and inform your guiding.
Arizona Knowledge
Learn about Arizona's history, geography, Native cultures, geology, flora, fauna and more.
Guide Education
Professional development and educational opportunities for guides.
Educational Events
Upcoming AGA presentations, tours, workshops and learning opportunities.
Featured Picks
Arizona Highways
Featured Arizona Resource
Award-winning magazine celebrating Arizona's natural beauty, history, people and places. An essential resource for every guide.
- Stunning photography
- In-depth articles
- Travel ideas & inspiration
- Arizona travel guide
Marshall Trimble
Featured Arizona Author
Author of more than 60 books exploring Arizona's rich history, legends and colorful characters. A trusted voice in Arizona history.
- Arizona Outlaws & Lawmen
- Roadside History of Arizona
- Arizona: A Cavalcade of History
- Marshall Trimble's Arizona Trivia
- ...and many more!
Stay Informed
Keep up-to-date with trusted information and insights.
Build Confidence
Knowledgeable guides create meaningful visitor experiences.
Honor Arizona
Share Arizona's stories with respect and authenticity.
Grow Professionally
Invest in lifelong learning and your guiding career.
Continuing Education
Upcoming Educational Trips
Members only unless otherwise noted.
To Be Announced
New AGA educational trips are being scheduled. Details, dates and registration will be posted here as soon as they are confirmed.
Members only unless otherwise noted
Past Educational Trip Destinations
- Canyon Lake
- Goldfield Mining Camp
- Tortilla Flat
- Dolly Steamboat
- Oatman
- Colorado River
- Canyon de Chelly
- Route 66
- Aravaipa Canyon
- Old Tucson
- Rock Art Ranch
- Sedona
Suggested Reading
In the spirit of continuous education, the following suggestions are for those interested in furthering their knowledge of Arizona.
Text of the Year
Arizona Highways, Various1921
This Magazine, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, is full of fascinating articles and exceptional images. The content is useful for planning trips, staying up-to-date with state information, and discovering new “fun facts.”
Author of the Year
Marshall Trimble
Roadside History of Arizona; Arizona: A Cavalcade of History; Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen: Gunslingers, Bandits, Heroes and Peacekeepers; Never Give a Heifer a Bum Steer; Arizoniana: Stories from Old Arizona; Marshall Trimble’s Official Arizona Trivia; Ash Fork; It Always Rains After a Dry Spell!: And Other Short Tales of the Old Southwest, and many, many more.
Vanished Arizona
Martha Summerhayes1908, 341 pgs.
The author, a Nantucket woman, shares intimate, personal stories of Army life in Indian country, raising children under trying conditions, and a detailed travel log with details on countless adventures. First privately printed in 1908, this book was so well-received, it has since been republished again and yet again!
Grand Canyon Answer Book
Boye De Mente2009, 142 pgs.
A booklover’s favorite! The text is full of unparalleled depths of information about the Grand Canyon—listed literally from "A" to "Z."
Arizona Place Names
Will Croft Barnes1988, 503 pgs.
As the first toponymic encyclopedia of Arizona, this book contains published histories, various government documents, and reminiscences culminating to produce a text full of oddments, humor, and now-forgotten lore. The University of Arizona Press reissues this classic that any local guide could make use of.
Arizona Myths and Legends
Sam Lowe2016, 224 pgs.
Explore unusual phenomena, strange events, and mysteries from strange desert deaths to ghosts at the Hotel Vendome and the last stagecoach robbery. Settle in to learn all the scintillating and unsettling details of Arizona's mysterious history.
Arizona Handbook
Bill Weir & Robert Blake1996, 484 pgs.
A traveler's guide to sights, including ancient pueblos, historic missions, the Colorado River and the Navajo National Monument, with in-depth coverage of outdoor recreation (such as conduct, permits, and regulations for visiting Native American reservations, camping, hiking, and whitewater rafting), cities, parks, and driving routes.
Route 66 in Arizona
Joe Sonderman128 pgs.
This book is an overview of how roadside businesses used natural attractions along with Native American and Western imagery to lure travelers to fill up their gas tank, grab a meal, and spend the night.
What Kinda Cactus Izzat?
Reg Manning1941, 108 pgs.
Child-friendly, cartoon illustrated, humorous, and informative information about the varying plant life in the Arizona desert.
Native Americans of Arizona
Paul & Kathleen Nickens128 pgs.
Postcards of 21 Southwestern tribes became the staple of advertising campaigns promoting the region to potential travelers; this book offers a wide-ranging overview of the vintage postcards that captured their visual essence during the first half of the 20th century.
External Links
Trusted Arizona tourism, government, cultural and natural resource references.
Tourism Resources
Local Native Americans
Parks and Monuments
Agriculture
Wildlife
Museum Resources
- The Central Arizona Museum Association
Explore the diversity of over 50 Central Arizona museums including history, art, science, anthropology. A regional consortium of museums dedicated to fostering professional development and promoting museums in Gila, Maricopa, Pinal, and Yavapai Counties.
- Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Located in Tucson, this location is part zoo, part museum, and part botanical garden.
- Museum of Northern Arizona
Features the anthropology, biology, geology, and Fine Arts of the Colorado Plateau region.
- The River of Time Museum
A museum of history and water in the Lower Verde Valley of Arizona.
Never Stop Learning.
AGA is here to support your journey as a guide with resources, education and community.