Advice on what to do in Phoenix and surrounding area

[Larry Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Larry]

Posted this on TUG but thought I'd get a better response posting here as well.

We are going to Phoenix Arizona at the end of August ( yes I know it will be hot, hot, hot) staying at Westin Kierland Resort and have never been to Arizona before. We have one night reserved at the Garnd Canyon, Kachina Lodge and want to know what Grand Canyon tours or sights we should do. In addition we want to spend a day or two in Sedona perhaps stopping on the way to Grand Canyon and another day later in the week. What tours ( Jeep tours are recommended ?) and sights are recommended. We will have a car the entire week so can do some sightseeing on our own. I have also been looking into the Verde Canyon railroad as something that might be interesting.

Also would like recommendations for museums and sights near Phoenix/ Scottsdale area for afternoons since we only plan on using resort pools either early morning or late afternoon's. Anyone have any good restaurant recommendations for dinners. We usually eat breakfast and lunch in the unit or grab a sandwich or salad for lunch.

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

If you have never been on a hot air balloon ride it would be worth it.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Hi, Larry,

I will have time later tonight to reply more clearly, but a quick response for now:

At GC, Fred Harvey offers bus tours at different schedules, but they also have free shuttles from the Visitor's Center which can be fun to take around the area.

We like seeing the West Rim when we take a tour bus...the buses usually pick up at the Train Station just below El Tovar.

I used to recommend the VVRR, but I don't any longer...they have gone commercial and high tech (meaning they took away the personal touches and opted for canned narratives and no live entertainers on board). The price of the tickets increased and the experience diminished, JMHO.

I prefer to recommend the Williams train to GC if you want to do a train in the itinerary.

Jeep tours ... there are so many in Sedona, Pink Jeep is the oldest and probably the biggest, but there are so many companies, and they all pretty much have the same pick of area sights.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Posted this on TUG but thought I'd get a better response posting here as well.

We are going to Phoenix Arizona at the end of August ( yes I know it will be hot, hot, hot) staying at Westin Kierland Resort and have never been to Arizona before.

You will love the resort. There are many good restaurants within an easy drive too. Golf is close by, if you golf. Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin is nearby. There are museums in Scottsdale, art galleries, and great shops.

A short drive from Scottsdale you can find central Phoenix where you can visit the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum. See the links in the sticky above.

We have one night reserved at the Garnd Canyon, Kachina Lodge and want to know what Grand Canyon tours or sights we should do. In addition we want to spend a day or two in Sedona perhaps stopping on the way to Grand Canyon and another day later in the week. What tours ( Jeep tours are recommended ?) and sights are recommended. We will have a car the entire week so can do some sightseeing on our own. I have also been looking into the Verde Canyon railroad as something that might be interesting.

Are these days in addition to the week you are in Westin? It is about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive to Sedona from Westin. And it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Grand Canyon from Sedona.

In Sedona, if you have never been there, you will find the 2 days go by fast. There are hikes, art galleries, Tlaquepaque and many beautiful ways to just pass the time stolling thru the area enjoying the views.

Also would like recommendations for museums and sights near Phoenix/ Scottsdale area for afternoons since we only plan on using resort pools either early morning or late afternoon's. Anyone have any good restaurant recommendations for dinners. We usually eat breakfast and lunch in the unit or grab a sandwich or salad for lunch.

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Morton's is right in the Kierland Commons area near Westin....and they have that $99 special advertised there too. See the restaurant thread.

There is also P. F. Chang's close to the Westin, a great restaurant for take out or dine in, lunch or dinner.

Cheesecake Factory is also close.

If you like Italian food, Pasta Pomodoro in the nearby shopping mall...or Pizza Picasso, near the same area. Quite a few restaurants are along Scottsdale Road, within short drives.

Scottsdale has a contemporary art theater called SMOCA and there is Desert Stages has "Death Trap" in August

[ronandjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronandjoan]

We'll be in Scottsdale the first week of Aug

Staying at the Sheraton Desert Oasis, but only in a studio

Any word about that resort and places to go other than GC?. Think we'll take a day trip to Sedona,

any others recommended?

[ronandjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronandjoan]

Oh, Katie, I saw this posting too

Thanks for ideas!

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...around-az.html

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Staying at the Sheraton Desert Oasis, but only in a studio

Any word about that resort and places to go other than GC?. Think we'll take a day trip to Sedona,

any others recommended?

I don't think this resort has what I would call studio units. Great resort. Great pool areas including a quiet pool where there are not supposed to be any little ones around. Nice big hot tub area for relaxing after a long day of seeing the sights.

We did the petrified forest but that ended up being a long day, about 14 hours there and back with stops for meals and the meteor crater, too.

We had a great dinner at the Coyote Grill not far from the Sheraton...

[Juleen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Juleen]

If you have time, there is the world class Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix. Dedicated to Native American history, artifacts, crafts and art this is one you won't want to miss! IF you are traveling with kids, there is also a hands-on area for kids to explore life as it once was. You might also want to catch at least one of our ancient cliff dwellings or pueblo style Anasazi or Hohokam ruins. Montezuma's Well and Montezuma's Castle are right off Interstate 17 in the Verde Valley area between Phoenix and Sedona/Flagstaff. Sedona has one of my favorites, Honanki, which we explored many years ago before most people ever knew about it. Outside of Prescott is Tuzigott which is a pueblo style ruin and outside of Flagstaff are Walnut Canyon (cliff dwellings that require a walk into a canyon) and Wupatki, a four story, 100 ruin pueblo, which is my personal favorite Arizona ruin. (There are also other ruins near Wupatki). You'll find a very rare "ball court" and amphitheater which no one has figured out its use. It resembles those built by the Mayan and Toltec cultures of Mexico and may have been for ball games although some archeologist think their use could have had a darker side. Since our ancient ones did have trade routes going down into Mexico and Central America, it's possible the ball court is based on Mexican courts which may have been used for human sacrifice. These trade routes also extended into New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, etc. Parrot feathers (and I believe a parrot skull) were found in the Tuzigoot ruins. My hubby and I do a lot of "ruin crawling" (leave only footprints, take nothing except photos) and know of one canyon outside of Phoenix that has many many petroglyphs. One that fascinates me is of a seahorse. I assume this also can be attributed to the same trade routes. That petroglyph touches my heart! I can only imagine the awe and mystery an ancient person must have felt when holding a sea horse!