Things to do in Arizona
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Golfland Sunsplash
In Mesa, about 13 miles southeast of downtown, Golfland Sunsplash has year-round miniature golf, a huge video game arcade, a laser tag arena (like paintball, only with lasers), a bumper boat lagoon and a go-cart racetrack. The Sunsplash water park is open from June to August.
reviewed
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SEA LIFE Aquarium Arizona
Flexible (Departs Phoenix, Arizona)
by Viator
Phoenix is hot, so cool off at SEA LIFE Aquarium Arizona, where you’ll dive in and be wowed by the many strange, beautiful and fascinating creatures of the…Not LP reviewed
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Wildlife World Zoo
If the Phoenix Zoo is too tame, make the trip out to the private Wildlife World Zoo to feed giraffes and view kangaroos, tigers, antelopes and other exotic creatures, many of them endangered. It’s 35 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. There's also a new aquarium.
reviewed
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Scenic Sedona Tour
2 hours 30 minutes (Departs Sedona, Arizona)
by Viator
Discover the untouched beauty of America's southwest! On this 2 1/2 hour tour, you will learn about the history and geology of this amazing area. You can shop…Not LP reviewed
from USD$71.69 -
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Pusch Ridge Stables
To go horseback riding amid cacti and scrub brush, visit one of several stables offering excursions by the hour, half-day or longer. Summer trips tend to be short breakfast or sunset rides. One of the most reputable companies is Pusch Ridge Stables, which also offers overnight pack trips.
reviewed
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3-Day Sedona and Grand Canyon Traveler
by Viator
On this 3-day, 2-night tour of Sedona and the Grand Canyon, you'll travel through the Sonoran Desert to Sedona before exploring scenic Oak Creek Canyon and…Not LP reviewed
from USD$489.99 -
Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room
Some people get belligerent if they can’t get a window seat, but the canyon-view windows are so huge it really doesn’t matter where you sit. The menu includes buffalo steak and vegetarian options, but don’t expect any culinary memories. Reservations are not accepted.
reviewed
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Monument Valley and Navajo Indian Reservation
by Viator
Enjoy a full day exploring spectacular Monument Valley, with her breathtaking buttes and mesas. The Navajo Indians still live on the land here, and you will…Not LP reviewed
from USD$149.99 -
Apache Trail / Canyon Lake Steamboat Cruise
by Viator
Arizona is renowned for its spectacular scenery, and you will certainly see a lot of it on this tour. Journey along the magnificent Apache Trail following the…Not LP reviewed
from USD$89.99 -
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Red Bar
The Red Bar has the crushed blood-red velvet walls of a bordello and is a fun and out-of-control trendy part of Scottsdale's lively bar scene. Expect high-spirited company and an elbow-wielding crowd on weekends. If you enjoy things a little more dark and gothic try next-door's Sky Bar.
reviewed
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Rusty Spur Saloon
Nobody's putting on airs at this fun-lovin', pack-'em-in-tight country bar where the grizzled Budweiser crowd gathers for cheap drinks and twangy country bands. It's in an old bank building that closed during the Depression; the vault now holds liquor instead of greenbacks – except for the dollar bills hanging from the ceiling. Pardner, we kinda like this place.
reviewed
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Orpheum Theatre
A splendid, restored movie house downtown used by highbrow touring shows and the symphony. It's chock-full of history; in the days when movie stars toured the cities their movies were playing in they'd often grab a soda in the now-defunct café (owned by this writer's grandparents).
reviewed
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Great Arizona Puppet Theater
Preschoolers will likely be enthralled by the adorable singing, talking and dancing puppets of the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. The repertory includes classic fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and original shows like The Monkey & the Pirate.
reviewed
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Dateland
If you’re driving east of Yuma on the I-8, bring some good music or an audiobook for the lonely 120-mile stretch through largely intrusion-free desert to Gila Bend. For a sugar rush, grab a date shake at Dateland, a family-style diner near an actual date oasis.
reviewed
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Los Dos Molinos
Near the foot of South Mountain in a Spanish Mission-style house, this is the mecca of New Mexican cuisine in Phoenix. The menu sticks to the basics - tacos, enchiladas, fajitas - with plenty of green chili. There's also a location downtown (1010 E Washington St; same menu and hours).
reviewed
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Titan Missile Museum
Cold War history comes frighteningly alive at this original Titan II missile site, where a crew stood ready 24/7 to launch a nuclear warhead within seconds of receiving a presidential order. The Titan II was the first liquid-propelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that could be fired from below ground and could reach its target – halfway around the world or wherever – in 30 minutes or less. On alert from 1963 to 1986, this is the only one of 54 Titan II missile sites nationwide that has been preserved as a museum. The one-hour tours (last tour is an hour before closing), which are usually led by retired military types, areboth creepy and fascinating. After…
reviewed
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Picazzo’s
Pizza purists might shudder at the unorthodox toppings, but clued-in devotees gobble ’em up like M&Ms. If chicken-bacon-gorgonzola or chipotle-barbecue-beef don’t tickle your fancy, you can always design your own. Nice touch: the mouthwash dispenser in the bathroom.
reviewed
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Kai
One of the most highly rated restaurants in Arizona, where simple ingredients from mainly Native American farms and ranches are turned into something extraordinary. The grilled buffalo from the Cheyenne River tribe is a must-try. The restaurant closes for one month from early August.
reviewed
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U-Drive Desert Car Tour in the Sonoran Desert
2 - 3 hours (Departs Phoenix, Arizona)
by Viator
You and your tour guide will drive through some of the finest off road trails, washes, woops and hillsides. This is an exciting off-road/racing styled adventure…Not LP reviewed
from USD$147.49 -
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Matt's Big Breakfast
First, a warning: even on weekdays lines are often out the door. There are no reservations, so sign your name on the clipboard and expect a 20-minute wait (and bring quarters for the meter). The upside? Best. Breakfast. Ever. Every regular menu item is great but daily specials – such as eggs scrambled with peppers and chorizo into fluffy-spicy- ohmygoodness on a bed of mouthwatering crispy home fries – are supremely yummy. A true Phoenix institution.
reviewed
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Havana Café
The fragrant black bean soup, juicy roast pork sandwich and aromatic pollo cubano (Cuban chicken) are all testament to the authenticity of this colorful and contemporary Cuban kitchen that also makes a mean minty mojito. Grazers can pick from a couple of dozen small plates.
reviewed
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Grill
In the wee hours this divey downtown diner gets howling with night owls hoping to restore balance to the brain. Squeeze into a red booth and keep an eye out for that cute drummer you just saw at the club up the street. Just don’t let the moth-eaten animal heads freak you out.
reviewed
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Greasewood Flat
At this beer-garden-sized outdoor pub and ex-stagecoach stop, rough-and-tumble types – cowboys, bikers, preppy golfers – gather around the smoky barbecue and knock back the whisky. Cash only.
reviewed
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Bourbon Steak
Along came celebrity chef Michael Mina to raise the culinary bar in Scottsdale even further with the 2008 opening of this aptly named steak and bourbon joint. The meat is prepared in more delicious ways than an avid carnivore stuck on a meat-free deserted island could ever dream of.
reviewed
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Digestif
A blend of Italian and California cuisine in the happening Southbridge area of Scottsdale - think freshly made ravioli stuffed with farm-fresh pureed pumpkin. Grab a porch seat to people-watch and be sure to check out the listening booth stocked with local bands, near the restroom.
reviewed