Things to do in Southwest
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Las Vegas Super Saver: Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour
90 minutes (Departs Las Vegas, Nevada)
by Viator
Soar over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Colorado River on this exhilarating Grand Canyon helicopter tour! Taking off from the Las Vegas heliport, admire…Not LP reviewed
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Unlv Performing Arts Center
The university’s performing arts center hosts a kaleidoscopic variety of events, with hundreds of performances happening year-round on three main stages. The 1832-seat Artemus Ham Concert Hall has great acoustics, while the 550-seat Judy Bayley Theatre stages everything from classical ballet to experimental music fests. The 175-seat Black Box Theatre presents more-intimate theatrical, music and dance productions. The box office is on the south side of the campus parking garage, off Cottage Grove Ave. Also recommended: Cashman Center Theatre Major touring productions stop at this 1900-seat performing-arts space downtown. Cockroach Theatre Experimental theater group…
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Sin City Rollergirls
Auto racing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway isenormously popular, especially during Nascar Weekend in March. The premier rodeoevent of the year is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held every December. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels college football and basketball teams enjoy a patriotic local following. With a googly-eyed alien mascot, the minor-league Las Vegas 51s baseballteam, a franchise of the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, plays home games from late April through August. Affiliated with the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, the minor-league Las Vegas Wranglers ice-hockey team faces off at the Orleans Arena from October to April. If you adore watching bitchy, buxom girls on wheels, there’s the…
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Las Vegas 51s
Auto racing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway isenormously popular, especially during Nascar Weekend in March. The premier rodeoevent of the year is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held every December. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels college football and basketball teams enjoy a patriotic local following. With a googly-eyed alien mascot, the minor-league Las Vegas 51s baseballteam, a franchise of the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, plays home games from late April through August. Affiliated with the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, the minor-league Las Vegas Wranglers ice-hockey team faces off at the Orleans Arena from October to April. If you adore watching bitchy, buxom girls on wheels, there’s the…
reviewed
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Las Vegas Wranglers
Auto racing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway isenormously popular, especially during Nascar Weekend in March. The premier rodeoevent of the year is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held every December. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels college football and basketball teams enjoy a patriotic local following. With a googly-eyed alien mascot, the minor-league Las Vegas 51s baseballteam, a franchise of the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, plays home games from late April through August. Affiliated with the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, the minor-league Las Vegas Wranglers ice-hockey team faces off at the Orleans Arena from October to April. If you adore watching bitchy, buxom girls on wheels, there’s the…
reviewed
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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…
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Virgin Trading Post
Fourteen miles west of Springdale, you can’t help but pass a Virgin. The town, named after the river (what else?), has an odd claim to fame – in 2000 the council passed a law requiring every resident to own a gun. Locals are fined $500 if they don’t. Kolob Terrace Rd takes off north from here to Lava Point in Zion National Park. The huge store at the Virgin Trading Post sells homemade fudge, ice cream and every Western knickknack known to the free world. But it’s the hard-to-miss Old West Village (admission $1) that’s the real reason to stop. Have your picture taken inside the ‘Virgin Jail’ or ‘Wild Ass Saloon’ before you feed the deer, donkey and llama in the…
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Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Built around AD 1350, Casa Grande (Big House) is the country's largest Hohokam structures still standing, 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 metal awning that's been canopying it since 1932. Although you can't walk inside the crumbling structure, you can peer into its rooms. A few strategically placed windows and doors suggest that the structure may have served as an astronomical observatory. The ball court is one of more than 200 that have been found in major Hohokam villages throughout the region. Experts aren't 100% sure of the purpose of these…
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Born-n-Raised on the San Juan River, Inc
Trout are jumpin’ and visitors are floating. Navajo Lake, which stretches over 30 miles northeast and across into Colorado, was created by damming the San Juan River. At the base of the dam, there’s world-class trout fishing from late June through September. You can fish year-round (although you’ll need a permit), but catch-and-release regulations protect the stocks. The tiny community of Navajo Dam has several outfitters providing equipment, information and guided trips. Talk to the folks at Born-n-Raised on the San Juan River, Inc, based at Abe’s Motel & Fly Shop; the guy who started these personalized trips – he now has guides working for him – has been fishing…
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