Things to do in Southwest
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Deluxe Grand Canyon West Rim Airplane Tour with Optional Helicopter Tour
6 hours (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Fly like an executive on a deluxe flight from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon West Rim aboard an elite airplane. At the Grand Canyon you can walk out on the…Not LP reviewed
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Los Rios River Runners
Taos-based river outfitter Los Rios River Runners offers a unique twist on the classic three-day Chama River raft trip between El Vado and Abiquiú. For a (mere) $510 the company will arrange for an astronomer, archaeologist, yoga instructor, gourmet chef, local-lore storyteller or herbalist to accompany you down the river. Book your candidate of choice and spend three days floating past perfect swimming holes, down Class III rapids, past towering vermilion cliffs and ancient Pueblo dwellings by day. Come dark, sit around the campfire and soak up your chile with a tutorial from your guru, which, depending on your tastes, could be anything from a lesson on the night sky to…
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Kitt Peak National 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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Biosphere 2
Built to be completely sealed off from Biosphere 1 (that would be Earth), Biosphere 2 is a 3-acre campus of glass domes and pyramids containing five ecosystems: tropical ocean, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savannah and coastal fog desert. In 1991, eight biospherians were sealed inside for a two-year tour of duty from which they emerged thinner but in pretty fair shape. Although this experiment was ostensibly a prototype for self-sustaining space colonies, the privately funded endeavor was engulfed in controversy. Heavy criticism came after the dome leaked gases and was opened to allow a biospherian to emerge for medical treatment. After several changes in…
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Fort Verde State Historic Park
Camp Verde was founded in 1865 as a farming settlement only to be co-opted soon after by the US Army who built a fort here to prevent Indian raids on Anglo settlers. Tonto Apache chief Chalipun surrendered here in April 1873. Today, the town’s Fort Verde State Historic Park offers an authentic snapshot of frontier life in the late 19th century. Exploring the well-preserved fort, you’ll see the officer’s and doctor’s quarters, sprint down the parade grounds and study displays about military life and the Indian Wars. Staff occasionally dress up in period costume and conduct living history tours. To get here, take exit 287 off I-17, go south on Hwy 260, turn left at Finnie…
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Marble View
Our favorite of the many Kaibab Forest overlooks, this viewpoint makes a spectacular picnic or camping spot. From the meadow, covered with Indian paintbrush and hiding Coconino sandstone fossils, views extend over the eastern edge of the canyon to the paper-flat expanse beyond.
This is not a quintessential Grand Canyon overlook that you see in postcards and books. Instead, you're looking down where the Colorado River first cuts into the rocks from Lees Ferry, at the point where it only hints at the rapids and canyon beyond.
Marble View is off Hwy 67, 13km (8mi) south of Kaibab Lodge. From Hwy 67, the road seems to end at an overlook; be sure to take the narrow road through…
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Clark County Wetlands Park
When you’re standing inside a smoky casino dominated by the ding-ding-ding of slot machines, it’s difficult to fathom that a beautiful desert environment cradles the modern edifices of the Strip. It’s worth a visit to this work-in-progress county park just to breathe deeply of the fresh air and to focus your eyes on the Frenchman Mountains arching over this desert basin. The focus of the small wetlands preserve is a sandy and marshy wash environment, rich in seasonal bird life, where gravel trails lead to wildlife-viewing blinds. Drop by the volunteer-staffed information center for interpretive displays about native ecology and the county’s environmental restoration work.…
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T’ai Chi Chih Center
The T’ai Chi Chih Center is the only one of its kind in the country to teach T’ai Chi Chih, a moving meditation originated by Albuquerque resident Justin Stone in 1974. It’s not to be confused with T’ai Chi Chu’an, the ancient martial art with 108 poses; these movements focus on softness, continuity and circularity. Activating, balancing and circulating the Chi (or life force), the practice has a way of bringing into balance for each practitioner that which needs balancing. It’s a tough concept to accept mentally until you try it for yourself. Over its relatively short life span, regular TCC practice has been shown to help all sorts of ailments, from arthritis and…
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Historic Line Camp Gallery & Huichol Indian Museum
About 15 miles north of Santa Fe, the one-of-a-kind Historic Line Camp Gallery & Huichol Indian Museum is a gift shop and museum that claims the largest collection of Huichol Indian art in North America: Nearika, unbroken strands of colorful yarn coiled into tales of life and death, and chaquira, sculptures of animals covered in tiny, obsessively patterned beads, are said to depict the understandably wild dreams of the 'People of Peyote.'
Westerners didn't encounter the tribe, which lives in a remote region of the Sierra Madre, until the 1930s. The small museum has a video as well as artifacts, including clothing, musical instruments, old photos and art, but the most…
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Los Rios Anglers
- Taos, USA
- Activities › Fishing
Taos is ringed with stocked streams and lakes that draw adventuresome anglers (some choice spots require a rigorous hike to reach) and happy hooking, cutthroat and German brown trout. Many sites are within steps of your car door; some spots are fully wheelchair-accessible. You must have a license to take advantage of all the fish; check with local outfitter and tackle shop Los Rios Anglers for the scoop on this and good fishing spots. The company also runs a host of tailored guided trips – for beginners to experienced anglers – that take you to unspoiled private lands threaded with secret sparkling streams. Make reservations 48 hours in advance; day trips for…
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Main Street Station
This surprisingly elegant neo- Victorian casino hotel is adorned throughout with notable objets d'histoire under its pressed tin ceilings and elegant ceiling fans. Pick up a free Guide to Artifacts, Antiques & Artworks pamphlet from the hotel registration desk, then look for the art-nouveau chandelier from a Parisian opera house and a graffiti-covered chunk of the Berlin Wall.
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Romance Package at The Venetian Hotel
Flexible (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Add some romance at the beautiful Venetian Hotel during your Las Vegas vacation. Propose to George Clooney at Madame Tussauds, glide down the Grand Canal, and…Not LP reviewed
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Picacho Peak State Park
Distinctive Picacho Peak (3374ft) sticks out from the flatlands like a desert Matterhorn, about 40 miles northwest of Tucson. The westernmost battle of the American Civil War was fought in this area, with Arizonan Confederate troops killing two or three Union soldiers before retreating to Tucson and dispersing, knowing full well that they would soon be greatly outnumbered. The battle is reenacted every March with much pomp, circumstance and period costumes.
The pretty state park has a visitor center that acts as a jump-off point for trails onto the mountain. If you're fit, you can walk to the peak of the mountain via a rugged trail that includes cables and catwalks. …
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Grand Canyon Deluxe Helicopter Tour with Champagne Picnic
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Take a helicopter flight into the depths of the Grand Canyon for a champagne picnic 3,200 feet (960 meters) below the canyon rim. Enjoy a low-level flight over…Not LP reviewed
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Venetian
In a city filled with spectacles, the Venetian is surely one of the most spectacular. This facsimile of a doge's palace, inspired by the splendor of Italy's most romantic city, features roaming mimes and minstrels in period costume, hand-painted ceiling frescoes and full-scale reproductions of the Italian port's famous landmarks. Flowing canals, vibrant piazzas and stone walkways attempt to capture the spirit of La Serenissima Repubblica, reputedly the home of the world's first casino. Take a gondola ride outdoors or stroll through the atmospheric Grand Canal Shoppes.
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Havasu Canyon
One of the Grand Canyon's true treasures, this is a hidden valley with four stunning, spring-fed waterfalls and inviting azure swimming holes in the heart of the Havasupai Reservation. Because the falls lie 16km (10mi) below the rim, most trips are combined with a stay at either Havasu Lodge in Supai (the only village within the Grand Canyon) or at the nearby campground. For a spot at Havasu Campground you need to book six months to a year ahead.
Parts of the canyon floor, as well as the rock underneath the waterfalls and pools, are made up of limestone deposited by flowing water. These limestone deposits are known as travertine, which gives the famous blue-green water…
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Oak Creek Canyon
For something truly magical take Hwy 89A northeast into Oak Creek Canyon. It's a drive that won't be forgotten. The canyon is at its narrowest here, and the red, orange and white cliffs at their most dramatic. Giant cottonwoods crowd the creek sides, providing a scenic shady backdrop for trout fishing and swimming.
Stop at the Grasshopper Point swimming hole about two miles into the drive, to cool off. Continue on until you reach Slide Rock State Park - a great spot for a picnic lunch.
Head back into town around sunset and turn off at Airport Road. The setting sun makes for a trippy picture - the rocks blaze psychedelic red and orange against a bright pink and purple sky.
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ATV Off-Road Desert Adventure
6 hours (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Get ready for a wild all-terrain vehicle adventure in the red desert near the Valley of Fire State Park! You'll receive expert instruction on how to ride an ATV…Not LP reviewed
from USD$148.99 -
Sin City Scuba
To dive in Lake Mead you will need to present expert technical diving certification. If you have the right card, however, this is one of the most interesting dives in America. Above the dam at Lake Mead, divers can explore the fuselage of a mostly intact B-29 bomber that crash-landed into Lake Mead in 1948 but was only located in 2001. Visit Sin City Scuba in Vegas to hook up either trip. It costs $465 to dive the bomber (www.divethebomber.com) – yes, it’s expensive, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive this region’s Cold War history – and a National Park Service–preserved site. River dives start at $150.
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El Tovar
With its unusual spires and dark-wood beams rising behind the Rim Trail, elegant El Tovar remains a grande dame of national park lodges. Spacious rooms (many with sleigh beds and rim overlooks), a dining room with panoramic views, and wide, inviting porches with rocking chairs offer visitors a comfortable and elegant place to relax after a long journey to the park. You don't have to be a guest here to enjoy its old-world ambience.
El Tovar was built in 1905 for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and designed by architect Charles Whittlesey as a blend between a Swiss chalet and the more rustic style that would come to define national park lodges in the 1920s.
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KÀ™ by Cirque du Soleil® at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
by Viator
KÀ by Cirque du Soleil is an unprecedented theatrical event. A masterpiece in storytelling, KÀ uses acrobatic performances, the thrills and action of martial…Not LP reviewed
from USD$89.99 -
Death Valley Day Trip from Las Vegas
11 hours (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Escape to the desert on day trip to Death Valley during your Las Vegas vacation. You'll travel through the magnificent Mojave Desert and visit the Spanish-style…Not LP reviewed
from USD$204.89 -
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Riviera
The Riviera was the first high-rise on the Strip when it opened in 1955. Liberace did the ribbon-cutting honors. Film auteur Orson Welles appeared on stage the next year performing – of all things – magic acts. A host of big-name entertainers have starred at the Riviera ever since, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Tony Bennett. But that Hollywood glamour has been almost entirely lost by now. Inside the dimly lit, confusingly laid-out casino, Penny and Nickel Town are faves with the old-as-the-hills clientele, who love the hot, hot slot tournies. Outside the front entrance, a bawdy bronzed statue of the Riv’s showgirls is fondly fondled by drunk…
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Grand Canyon West Rim Combo: Luxury SUV, Helicopter and Boat
8 hours (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Go for the combo: Travel to the Grand Canyon West Rim from Las Vegas by luxury Tour Trekker, fly in a helicopter to the bottom of the Canyon, cruise down the…Not LP reviewed
from USD$394.99 -
North Rim
On the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, more than 8000ft above sea level, solitude reigns supreme. Rugged and remote, it boasts meadows thick with wildflowers and dense clusters of willowy aspen and spruce trees. The air is often crisp, the skies vast and blue. If crowds make you cringe, this is where to head for wild isolation. There is only one road in, after all. It’s colder and wetter here, too, and the North Rim is only open for business from mid-May to mid-October. However, the views are spectacular and the lack of huge crowds makes visiting the North Rim a more peaceful, if more spartan, experience of the canyon’s majesty.
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