As it starts to get cold all over the rest of the country, we start to get more visitors in Phoenix--what a surprise! When friends and relatives come to see you for a few days, you are going to need some ideas about where to go and things to see in the area. Here are some of the best places in the Phoenix area to take out-of-town visitors, with a focus on places that are uniquely Arizona.
These attractions are specifically geared toward those people who are active, and don't mind a hike or a long walk.
Located in Phoenix in Papago Park, near the Phoenix Zoo (see below), is our botanical garden. The desert wildflowers won't be in bloom in the winter, but it is still a gorgeous place for people who want to learn about the desert environment, and who enjoy walking a couple of miles on a beautiful winter day in Phoenix.
Scottsdale is internationally known for its art galleries. Every Thursday evening, the galleries of the arts district of Scottsdale open their doors and welcome anyone who wants to stop in, without the pressure of feeling like you've got to pick up a $20,000 painting or sculpture. Sure, you can buy one of those if you'd like to, and there are plenty of more reasonably priced items to consider. But on Thursday evenings just strolling in and out of the galleries and enjoying the environment is perfectly acceptable.
East of Phoenix near the Superstition Mountains, this State Park is more spread out than the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix (mentioned above) and captures the natural beauty of the desert.
If a golfer is visiting you, your job is an easy one. There are hundreds of public golf courses in Arizona, and many of them are right here in the Phoenix area. The rates will be somewhere between $30 and $275 for a round of golf during the winter months!
Make your reservations well in advance for this popular free factory tour. PING Golf calls Phoenix home, and a limited number of people each week are offered a free tour. The target audience here is golf lovers and people who are interested in detail about the company and the technical aspects of golf club manufacture. Not so much entertaining as it is informative, this tour requires you to be in your feet for a couple of hours.
Learn how to operate a Segway on either the Tempe Town Lake Discovery Tour in downtown Tempe, Arizona or on the Desert Ridge Discovery Tour in the north part of town near the border of Phoenix and Scottsdale. No prior Segway experience necessary. They'll teach you everything you need to know.
Right in the center of Phoenix, amid the luxury resorts and the ritzy shopping malls, is a mountain. Piestewa Peak may not be Everest, but it is a very popular place to get a hiking workout and see great views of the city on a clear day.
A few miles northeast of Scottsdale, Arizona there is a living memorial to a great American architect. Nestled in the foothills of the rugged McDowell Mountains and surrounded by the spectacular Sonoran Desert lays a sprawling complex called Taliesin West, designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Several different tours are available, but the Insight Tour is the most popular.
Not far from Scottsdale, Phoenix and Mesa you can take a ride on a horse in the beautiful Tonto National Forest. Enjoy the beauty of the Sonoran Desert on horseback. No riding experience necessary.
