Summertime, it seems safe to say, is here, and with it the summer blockbuster movie season. But if you’re not in the mood for superheroes or dinosaurs, have no fear: There are more offbeat, lower-profile movie-going options open to you. Here are a few:

Father's Day is right around the corner (Sunday, June 17th, to be exact) and in case you're still hunting for the perfect present, we're here to help you out! We've rounded up some of the best gift ideas for dad that'll make his day unforgettable.

As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200-page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.

But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-size travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.

Arizona’s unlikeliest boom town – strangely located not in Maricopa County, but in Pinal – incorporated as Arizona’s 88th city in 2000, with a population of 1,040. By 2002, its population soared to 15,934, and today it hovers around 48,602. Here’s what’s new in this swelling desert city, located about 35 miles south of Downtown Phoenix.

Knife & Fork Media Group president Susie Timm had her priorities straight for her second visit to Austin to see family this past Christmas. “Instead of seeing the ‘sights’ we mostly focused on eating as much barbecue, tacos and queso as possible,” Timm says. “The ratio of taco to human is near 1:1. There’s more than one taco place per strip center in some spots... It’s an excellent place to visit to enjoy Texas hospitality and truly amazing food.”

She walks us through her epicurean scavenger hunt.

A running gag in pop culture for the last few decades has been the image of the defeated hippie—cutting his hair, donning a suit and tie and joining the rat race like every other Joe. This may have happened plenty of times, but documentarian and UofA professor Beverly Seckinger’s Hippie Family Values demonstrates that it didn’t happen every time.

For a truly low-budget Mother’s Day outing that you can be reasonably sure Mom’s never been offered before, why not take her to a free, sing-along version of Mamma Mia! at Harkins Camelview at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 13? The Scottsdale multiplex is one of 25 theaters around the country to show the special version of the 2008 “jukebox musical,” showcasing the songs of ABBA.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, landing this Sunday, May 13. In case you're a last-minute planner (like most of us), we are here to help out with ideas for every type of mama in the Valley, from fair foodies to courageous campers.

Last year, David Ira Goldstein retired as artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company after 25 years of breathing life into 190 main-stage plays, workshops and presentations in Phoenix and Tucson. It seems he couldn't stay away for long: Goldstein is returning to direct The Diary of Anne Frank, now through May 12 in Tucson at Temple of Music and Art; and May 17-June 3 at Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. PHOENIX magazine recently caught up with Goldstein to ask him what he's been up to in pseudo-retirement and how he prepared for his latest production.

(Editor's note: Answers have been edited for clarity.)

As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200-page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.

But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-size travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.