Things to do in Arizona
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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The state's best introduction to the wonder of the desert is here, at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. A cross between a zoo and an interpretive park, Tucson's must-see attraction deserves a full day of exploration and has a nice café. Javelinas (wild boars), coyotes, bobcats, snakes and just about every other local desert animal are displayed in a natural-looking outdoor setting. During summer there's a Saturday-night program where you can see the creepy crawlies who live on the night shift.
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Bison Witches
Dive into a bread bowl at this lively hangout for college students and the occasional hipster. It's all about the sandwiches; the beef and brie is exactly what it sounds like. The music is boisterous, there are myriad TVs and drinks from the full bar are served till 2am.
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Arcosanti
The brainchild of groundbreaking architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti is a desert outpost based on 'acrology': architecture meets ecology. This cross between a kibbutz and design school 65 miles north of Phoenix looks like a village on Luke Skywalker's home planet. Radical when conceived in the 1960s, Soleri's ideas now seem cutting-edge in this age of urban sprawl and global warming. Arcosanti is good for a day trip or a long stay - there are week- and month-long seminars, a café, one-hour tours, concerts and other events. Basic accommodation is available, and the Sky Suite is designed for great views of a dark desert night.
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Meteor Crater
Nearly a mile across and 600ft deep, the second most impressive hole in Arizona was formed by a fiery meteor that screamed into the atmosphere about 50,000 years ago, when giant sloths lived in these parts. Meteor Crater, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, is an out-of-this-world site for those with a thimbleful of imagination. There are lookout points around the crater's edge but no hiking to the bottom. Check out the fun, informative visitor center.
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Lowell Observatory
The Lowell Observatory witnessed the first sighting of Pluto in 1920; before this many scientists thought the existence of 'Planet X' was a crackpot theory. Weather permitting, there's nightly stargazing, helped by the fact that Flagstaff is the first International Dark Sky city in the world. During the day 30-minute tours are offered hourly between 1:15pm and 4:15pm.
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Blue Willow Restaurant
If you’ve greeted the day with bloodshot eyes, get back in gear with high-octane coffee, energy-restoring omelettes or a fiery chorizo scramble at this beloved local institution. Fresh pasta, bulging sandwiches, meat-free choices and daily specials keep the place packed through dinnertime. The patio is heated in winter.
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Riordan Mansion State Historic Park
The Riordan Mansion is a great example of what happens when two Chicago boys head West and strike it rich as lumber barons. In 1904, brothers Tim and Mike Riordan commissioned Charles Whittlesey of Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel fame to build a Craftsman-inspired duplex to house their families.
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Mandala Tearoom
An organic vegan cafe in cheerful minimalist surroundings, it serves up rockin' baked ziti, dozens of organic teas, and a weekend brunch with filling tofu scrambles. In addition to the creative international-inspired menu, treats include vegan truffles from Cosmic Cacao, herbal elixirs (around US$7) and free wi-fi.
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Antelope Canyon
To visit photogenic Antelope Canyon, a stunning sandstone slot canyon with two main parts, you must join a tour. Upper Antelope Canyon is easier to navigate and more touristed. Antelope Canyon Slot Tours is recommended, and runs star-gazing outings as well.
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Reid Park Zoo
A global menagerie including giant anteaters and pygmy hippos delights young and old at the small and compact Reid Park Zoo. Cap a visit with a picnic in the surrounding park, which also has playgrounds and a pond with paddleboat rentals.
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Chelsea's Kitchen
Set in a converted mid-Century Modern home alongside a canal in Phoenix' quietly upscale Arcadia district. Get a platter of tacos or some ribs and you won't be disappointed; it's comfort food (yes, in the Southwest tacos are comfort food) gone gourmet.
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Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park is cut in half by 30 miles of freeway and farms. It's at the edges of Tucson but still officially in the city - though you'll never believe it once you're in the middle of this prickly ocean of green cacti.
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Absolute Bikes
Absolute Bikes has the scoop on the biking scene. The shop offers mountain-, road- and children’s-bike rentals (from $15 per day), as well as trail maps and info. It also sells equipment and does repairs.
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MacAlpine's
The oldest diner in Phoenix serves basic salads and sandwiches, but it's the old-timey soda fountain that's the real attraction - nothing like a malted milk to chase those blues away.
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Sedona Adventure Outfitters & Guides
- Sedona, USA
- Activities › Tour
Offers all sorts of outdoor adventures, from hikes to the top of Cathedral Rock to tubing Oak Creek and kayaking on Lynx Lake. Tours range from $48 to $91.
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High Performance Driving School in a Corvette or Camaro
Varies (Departs Phoenix, Arizona)
by Viator
Spend a day (or three!) pushing the limit and satisfying your thirst for adventure in a Corvette Z06 or Camaro SS. This Phoenix driving experience is more than …Not LP reviewed
from USD$1,649.99 -
Ibt's
The daddy of Tucson's gay bars. Every night has a different theme, from karaoke to dance to barbecue.
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Pink Jeep Tours
- Sedona, USA
- Activities › Tour
Pink Jeep Tours has a great reputation and a vast variety of outings.
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Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block
Don’t let all that messy construction stop you from exploring historic downtown. A good place to start is the Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block, which complements its respectable collection of pre-Columbian, Western and contemporary art with often excellent traveling exhibits and a superb gift shop. Works are displayed in the modern main building and five historic ones, including the 1854 Casa Cordova, one of Tucson’s oldest buildings. The museum complex is part of the Presidio Historic District, which embraces the site of the original Spanish fort and a ritzy residential area once nicknamed ‘Snob Hollow.’ It teems with restored 19th-century mansions, but the ori…
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Arizona Vineyards
Nogales is the gateway to Hwy 82, aka the Patagonia Hwy, which rumbles through rolling hills, open range, wine country and bird refuges to link up 70 miles later with Hwy 80 near Tombstone. Tall grass sways in the breeze and lazy cattle graze in fields dotted with the occasional windmill. If the land looks familiar it’s because you’ve probably seen it on film. More than 50 movies were filmed in this area, including Red River and Oklahoma. It’s truly a road less traveled and a great way to get away from it all and perhaps taste a bit of Arizona wine. Didn’t know they grew grapes down here? OK, so it’s not the Napa Valley and there are only seven wineries thus far, but than…
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Deer Creek
If you're lucky enough to have joined a Grand Canyon rafting tour, Deer Creek Falls tumbles into the Colorado River downstream of Granite Narrows below Mile 136. From this welcoming trailhead you head 150m (500ft) up a steep, bushy slope to a stunning overlook. From here the trail leads into Deer Creek Narrows, an impressive slot canyon whose walls bear remarkable pictographs.
The narrows end in an inviting cascade. Above, lush vegetation lines the trail as it meanders along the cottonwood-shaded creek. The trail crosses the creek and ascends open, rocky slopes to Deer Creek Spring, the trail's second waterfall. From here retrace your steps back to the river. Despite havi…
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South Rim
About 90% of Grand Canyon national-park visitors head for the South Rim. Just north of Tusayan, Arizona is the park’s south entrance station. A short drive further ahead next to ever-crowded Mather Point is Canyon View Information Plaza to help you get oriented. After stretching your legs, continue north to Grand Canyon Village. Duck inside the 100-year-old Hopi House, one of the park’s many Native American–inspired designs by famed Western architect Mary Colter, and the equally historic El Tovar Hotel and cliffside Kolb Studio. At the northeastern end of the village, panoramic views of the canyon unfold at Yavapai Observation Station, which has an intriguing geolog…
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Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Built around AD 1350, Casa Grande (Big House) is one of the country’s largest Hohokam structures with 11 rooms spread across four floors and mud walls several feet thick. Preserved as a national monument, it’s in reasonably good shape, partly because of the strange metal awning that’s been canopying it since 1932. The visitor center has exhibits about the Hohokam society and Casa Grande itself, including a model of what the place may have originally looked like. Ranger-led 30-minute tours are available between November and April. The ruins are about 70 miles northwest of Tucson. Leave the I-10 at exit 211 and head north on Hwy 87 towards Coolidge and follow the signs…
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Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn
Nine miles past Peach Springs, a plaster dinosaur welcomes you to the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, a cool subterranean retreat from the summer heat. An elevator drops 210ft underground to artificially lit limestone caverns and the skeletal remains of a prehistoric ground sloth. If you’ve seen other caverns, these might be underwhelming, but kids still seem to get a kick out of a visit. The complex also includes a campground (tent/RV sites $15/30) amid junipers and a basic motel (r $85). The restaurant (mains $5 to $15; open 7am to 7pm) is a nice little roadside spot with a small playground and serves burgers and fried food. Note that, despite the name, Grand Canyon Caver…
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Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory
From Tucson, Hwy 86 heads west into some of the driest and emptiest parts of the Sonoran Desert. West of Sells, the Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory features the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. Guided tours (adult/child $4/2.50; at 10am, 11:30am and 1:30pm) last about an hour. Book two to four weeks in advance for the worthwhile nightly observing program (adult/child $46/41; no programs from July 1 to September 15 because of monsoon season) - clear, dry skies equal an awe-inspiring glimpse of the cosmos. Dress warmly, gas up the car in Tucson (the nearest gas station is 30 miles from the observatory) and note that children under eight are not …
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