Area Attractions

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Must-do Attractions in the Valley of the Sun

With more than 325 days of sunshine each year, it's no wonder Arizona is such an enjoyable place to visit. In addition to 200 area golf courses and world-renowned resorts and spas, you’ll find a wide variety of museums, cultural attractions, shopping and entertainment, and unlimited recreational areas that are sure to please. Need some help narrowing down your list of activities? Here are a few must-do attractions in the Valley of the Sun.

Phoenix Area Attractions

 

Hiking

Piestewa Peak

E. Squaw Peak Dr.

Phone: 602-262-7901

One of the area’s best-known landmarks features a 1.2-mile trail to the peak’s summit. Some hike it for exercise, but most head up for the unbeatable Valley view.

Desert Botanical Garden

1201 N. Galvin Pkwy.

Phone: 480-941-1255
Website: www.dbg.org

Be careful smelling these flowers; many are blooming prickly cacti! This fascinating garden showcases arid-land plants from around the world.

 

Biltmore Fashion Park

24th St. and Camelback Rd.

Phone: 602-955-8400
Website: www.shopbiltmore.com

Shopping doesn’t get much better than this. Situated in a lush setting of gardens and fountains, this outdoor shopping center features 60 upscale stores and numerous gourmet restaurants.

Scottsdale Area Attractions

ShowUpNow! Pass

Website: www.ShowUpNowPass.com

See the Greater Phoenix area's amazing attractions all with one easy pass. Select the museums and attractions you want to visit and you'll receive up to 35% off the total admission price. Visit ShowUpNowPass.com to create your pass and plan your explorations before you arrive.

Scottsdale Fashion Square

7014 E. Camelback Road

Phone: 480-994-8048
Website: www.westcor.com

The Southwest’s largest shopping destination features 225 brand name and one-of-a-kind stores and boutiques, and is located across from the Scottsdale Waterfront.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

7374 E. Second Street

Phone: 480-994-2787
Website: www.smoca.org

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SmoCA) is dedicating to exploring, presenting and interpreting contemporary culture through new and established forms of creative expression. SmoCA is Scottsdale’s gateway to innovative experiences and activities created by internationally recognized artists, architects and designers.

Downtown Scottsdale

Phone: 480-312-7750
Website: www.ScottsdaleDowntown.com

Scottsdale's downtown offers a wealth of opportunities to enjoy galleries and shops, museums and theaters, restaurants and nightlife, and a choice of convenient hotels and resorts.

Scottsdale Public Art Collection & Tour

Phone: 480-874-4645
Website: www.ScottsdalePublicArt.org

Sculpture and integrated artworks are located throughout Scottsdale in parks, libraries, along our roadways, in public buildings and in other public places. The Program was established in 1985 and is dedicated to enhancing urban spaces by commissioning art that creates a sense of place and improves the built environment.

Tempe Area Attractions

ASU Art Museum and Ceramics Research Center

Southwest corner of 10th St. and Mill Ave.

Phone: 480-965-2787
Website: asuartmuseum.asu.edu

The ASU Art Museum offers a broad spectrum of art exhibits year-round at its location on the ASU Tempe campus. Areas of emphasis in collecting and exhibiting are contemporary art, new media, crafts, prints, Latin American and Latino art, and art by Southwestern artists.

Mill Avenue District

Mill Avenue, between Arizona State University and Tempe Town Lake

Phone: 480-921-2300
Website: www.downtowntempe.com

An unmatched, walkable urban experience offering more than 100 shops, restaurants and bars in an eclectic oasis of culture, lifestyle and commerce.

 

Papago Park

Tempe, Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ

Phone: 480-894-8158

Located just minutes north of Tempe Town Lake along Galvin Parkway. Jog or hike along 13 miles of scenic desert trails, enjoy a picnic lunch or visit one of the many attractions, including the Arizona Historical Society Museum, Pueblo Grande Museum and The Phoenix Zoo.

Tempe Town Lake

Mill Ave. and Rio Salado Pkwy., north of Downtown Tempe

Phone: 480-350-8625
Website: www.tempe.gov/lake

This 220-acre urban oasis is the perfect backdrop for the evening headliner concert. The lake and surrounding Tempe Beach Park are ideal for boating, kayaking or jogging along the surrounding five miles of pathways.

 

ASU Karsten Golf Course

Rural Road and Rio Salado Parkway

Phone: 480-921-8070
Website: www.asukarsten.com

Home to one of the strongest collegiate golf programs in the country, the ASU Karsten Golf Course is a classic Pete Dye, links-style course, set in the shadows of ASU’s Sun Devil Stadium. Top PGA and LPGA TOUR professionals such as Phil Mickelson, Billy Mayfair and Grace Park have all sharpened their skills at this premier facility.

Arizona Mills

I-10 and Priest Drive in Tempe

Phone: 480-491-7300
Website: www.arizonamills.com

Arizona Mills features more than 175 manufacturers’ and retail outlets, including Last Call From Neiman Marcus, Off 5th Sak’s Fifth Avenue Outlet and Nike Factory Store, high quality entertainment venues and various themed restaurants.

Tempe Marketplace

Loops 101 and 202 at Rio Salado Parkway

Phone: 480-513-7586
Website: www.tempemarketplace.com/

Tempe Marketplace’s 1.3 million square feet of retail space is uniquely positioned as an open-air, pedestrian-oriented environment, creating an eclectic atmosphere for a memorable experience. Grand opening: September 2007.

Camelot

January 15 – 20, 2008, ASU Gammage

Phone: 480-965-3434
Website: www.asugammage.com/

Lou Diamond Phillips stars in this magnificent new production of Lerner and Loewe’s timeless masterpiece. King Arthur’s enchanted kingdom, CAMELOT, is a place where honor and chivalry reign. Re-discover the grandeur of one of history’s greatest love stories.

 

State of Arizona

Arizona's West Coast

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Come sail away in a place that blends pleasant desert sunshine with the cool blue waters of the Colorado River. Arizona's West Coast is wet and often wild, formed as the mighty Colorado River courses its way south from Hoover Dam to Mexico. Along its shoreline, visitors will find flourishing communities filled with fascinating museums and attractions, water-based activities galore, and natural wonders and habitats protecting the wildlife that proliferates along the river.

Where to go…

Day 1

• Visit Yuma Art Center’s fine art galleries.
• Visit Yuma Territorial Prison State Park.
• Sleep in Yuma.

Day 2

• Golf in Parker – the Emerald Canyon Golf Course offers 18 holes of championship golf amid the canyons and mountains.
• Take a drive along the river up the scenic “Parker Strip” to Parker Dam.
• Spend the night in Lake Havasu City.

Day 3

• Golf in Lake Havasu City – Check out the Havasu Island Golf Course at the Nautical Inn or the London Bridge Golf Club.
• Rent a boat from the Sandpoint Marina to explore the lake.
• Sleep in Lake Havasu City.

Day 4

• Visit Bullhead City, where there’s great fishing for striped bass, channel catfish and rainbow trout under Davis Dam.

 

North Central Arizona

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Enjoy the cool, pine-scented forests of North Central Arizona. Summertime visitors hike, bike and ride their way along tree-shaded mountain trails. High-country communities invite you to enjoy rodeos and festivals. In fall, watch the slopes turn red and yellow. And in the winter, high above the cactus-studded desert, ski at some of the country’s southern-most ski resorts.

Where to go…..

Day 1

• Board the Verde Canyon Railway in Clarkdale for the 40-mile ride down and back up the Verde Valley.
• Book one of the railroad’s wine or music-themed trips.
• Head to nearby Tuzigoot National Monument, the home of Sinagua Indians from A.D. 1125 until 1425.

Day 2

• Start in Cottonwood at the European-styled Old Town Café for some of the best almond croissants this side of the Atlantic.
• Head to the Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well
• Spend the night wandering the steep streets of Jerome before tucking in at the allegedly haunted Surgeon’s House Hotel, a perfectly restored home listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Day 3

• Hike on one of the hundreds of miles of trails in the 1.25-million-acre Prescott National Forest
• Head to the Fossil Creek Llama Ranch in Strawberry and a night spent in a teepee.

Day 4

• Take advantage of the llama ranch’s proximity to the Fossil Creek trailhead… as well as the ability and willingness of its animals to carry your supplies.
• Guide a llama and hike through a ponderosa forest to one of only three natural travertine springs in the state.
• Enjoy the views and as well as a gourmet lunch

 

Northern Arizona

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Enigmatic landscapes that captivate the imagination and capture the soul are found throughout Northern Arizona. Sedona's red rocks, Flagstaff's forested mountains, Lake Powell's blue waters and Monument Valley's sandstone spires are some of the natural wonders that await you.Here, the mile-deep Grand Canyon slashes its colorful course across 277 miles, the cobalt-blue waters of Lake Powell mark a stunning contrast against the sandstone shoreline, and the flourishing forests of the San Francisco Peaks seem to reach to the sky.

Where to go…..

Day 1

• Hop aboard the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams and enjoy bypassing all the auto traffic as you travel the 65 miles to the South Rim.
• Return to Williams in the evening and stay at the recently renovated El Tovar Lodge, where the restaurant’s food can actually divert your attention from the incredible views for a few minutes.

Day 2

• Upon your return to Williams, drive to Flagstaff, where the Museum of Northern Arizona and The Inn at 410 await.

Day 3

• It’s less than 30 miles from Flagstaff to Sedona, but make sure to allot a few hours for the drive down Oak Creek Canyon, a swath of green in the desert landscape.
• Check into the chic boutique Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spabefore getting a bird’s eye view – thanks to a hot air balloon ride – of the area’s red rocks, made famous in so many movies.

Day 4

• Experience a 60 or 90-minute facial, massage, or body treatment at Sedona Rouge’s Spa. Each treatment at Sedona Rouge is custom-designed around your specific needs and skin type. For couples, there are dual treatments offered.

 

Southern Arizona

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Replete with natural wonders, history and culture, Southern Arizona has been romancing visitors with its Old West charm for decades. The region's most populous city is Tucson, thriving with plush golf courses and resorts, flourishing art scenes and historical heritage. With Old West towns and guest ranches, the region is a perfect Arizona getaway for visitors who want to relive the past. Or, for those with an eye to the future, the region is also host to astronomy centers. A number of Southern Arizona's rich riparian areas and rugged mountain ranges are also ranked as some of the world's best birding sites.

Where to go….

Day 1

• Explore the zoo and botanical gardens at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
• Picnic and take a short hike in Saguaro National Park
• Visit Tucson Studios in the afternoon.

Day 2

• Drive to Benson; tour the amazing underground world of Kartchner Caverns (advanced reservations strongly advised).
• Dinner at the down-home Horseshoe Cafe.
• Overnight at the Astronomers Inn.

Day 3

• Stop at Stout’s Cider Mill in Willcox for refreshing, fresh-pressed apple cider.
• Proceed 36 miles southeast to the Chiricahua National Monument, an unreal natural landscape of volcanic rock formations, soaring spires and hoodoos, sedimentary rock formations capped with harder rock.
• Camp in the monument or check-in at nearby Sunglow Guest Ranch.

Day 4

• Head to Bisbee, rich in mining history – $2 billion in copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc ores.
• Board a mine car for an underground tour of the Queen Mine.
• Lunch at Winchester’s in the historic Copper Queen Hotel. Shady Dell offers truly unique lodging in vintage aluminum travel trailers.