Experience the continents of the world without leaving the Valley of the Sun

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- What if we told you to can explore the different tastes, sights and sounds from around the world without leaving the Valley? We set out on a mission to explore the continents in a way that won’t break the bank and will keep you from getting jetlagged.

We set out on a mission to explore the seven continents in a way that won’t break the bank and will keep you from getting jetlagged.

Take Us to Tokyo!

For our first destination, we headed off to the Japanese Friendship Garden! Located near Hance Park, the joint project is between the City of Phoenix and our Sister City of Himeji, Japan. All of the decorative features that you see in the garden and the hundreds of thousands of hours required to design and guide its construction are gifts from the City of Himeji and its citizens.

Located near Hance Park, the joint project is between the City of Phoenix and our Sister City of Himeji, Japan.

Mesa’s Asian district

From central Phoenix to the East Valley: culture is everywhere. In this installment, we checked out the Mesa Asian District, which brings together the southwest’s most vibrant center for Asian culture & community. There are more than 70 Asian-themed restaurants, grocery stores and other services and retail along a two-mile stretch on Dobson in Mesa.

The Mesa Asian District brings together the southwest’s most vibrant center for Asian culture & community.

Hello, Rome!

Time for lunch? Gibby Parra is taking us to Italy. Visit Romanelli’s Italian Deli for a shop that brings the authenticity of Italy to the desert and has been doing so for four decades!

Romanelli's Italian Deli has been bringing authentic Italian food to the Valley for four decades.

Arizonans’ surprising Irish connection

Founded in 1999, the ICC hopes to teach Arizonans the culture of Ireland other Celtic cultures. (Sponsored by Sanderson Ford)

Next stop: Ireland! Arizona’s Family visited the Irish Cultural Center, which was founded in 1999. The McClelland Library first opened in 2012, and the Census estimates that 10% of our state has an Irish relative in their family tree, and 12% have Celtic roots. Who knew? Oh, and it’s located just a few feet from the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Natural History Museum

Located in Mesa, the museum teaches about the pre-Columbian people of the area that built pyramids & much more about Mesoamerica.

Central America is the cultural area between the southeastern Maya periphery in Guatemala and northwestern Honduras and South America. The pre-Colombian people of the area built pyramids and ceremonial centers and had robust ceramic and metallurgy traditions. You can find artifacts from this area & Mesoamerica as well in Mesa at the Arizona Museum of Natural History.

Historic Ruins in Pinal County

Good Morning Arizona anchor Colton Shone had to stay in the Valley but still got to explore some fascinating historical landmarks. Archeologists travel the world looking for places with historical significance that have been here for hundreds and hundreds of years. And there’s one right in Arizona! Archeologists have discovered evidence that the ancestral Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande Ruins also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and extensive trade connections, lasting over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E.

Good Morning Arizona anchor Colton Shone got to explore the history behind the Casa Grande Ruins.

A taste of Africa

Authentic EthioAfrican is a restaurant that opened its door a few years back. It offers vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and meat dishes served in an “African-inspired afro-beat and jazz-bar atmosphere.”

The restaurant offers vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and meat dishes served in an “African-inspired afro-beat and jazz-bar atmosphere.”

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