I'm new to the area & need some ideas for things to do for Labor Day weekend (Phoenix: cost, getaway)
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Southern CA can be a great, quick getaway but I recommend flying. The drive, either on the 10 or the 8, is a hassle and will be much worse so on a holiday weekend.
If you stay in town, but want to pretend like you're on vacation, we have some really great resort properties here. The Sanctuary, Montelucia and Fairmont Princess are some of my favorites.
And it is incredibly green right now! There are wildflowers growing everywhere, there is thick dark green grass around all the trails on the peaks, it's one of the best times of the year to go up there and enjoy the outdoors.
Agggh! Hearing your description makes me want to take the trip north! I need some of that in my life right now.
That sounds like a great idea! I do want to explore this city - but the heat is a bit much & everyone says how beautiful it is up north... so what your suggesting may be a good plan. I'm pretty open to do anything - hiking, kayaking, etc - I just want to explore, maybe meet some new people and see what else is out there. Being that I've been waiting my whole life to live away from the snow in the winter - I doubt I'll be going up for skiing over the winter!
Thanks for this suggestion!
Quote:
Originally Posted by adriver
If you're looking for a road trip, I would highly suggest just taking a drive up to flagstaff if you haven't done it yet. We are only a month or two away from them getting snow, and unless you are going to ski/snowboard you probably won't want to mess around up there till spring. It's only about an hour and a half north and a 5,000 ft climb (completely different environment). Once up there; you have mt Humphreys, the meteor crater, the petrified forest, or even downtown flag to go walk around for an hour or few just to get out and see something a little different then desert.
Flagstaff is a lovely trip this time of year (and it's a bit more than an hour and a half, but not a lot. 141 miles to Flag from the first mileage sign in north Phoenix on 1-17. ) But I would not pick Labor Day to go see it. The more cars on I-17, the more likely it is you will get behind a wreck that will leave you stuck in traffic. You have plenty of time to see it before it snows, as that almost always doesn't happen until winter, (and when it snows early it doesn't last) and some winters doesn't happen much at all. Go in October, fall leaves and all.
Stay in town and explore. You got some great suggestions.
Flagstaff is a lovely trip this time of year (and it's a bit more than an hour and a half, but not a lot. 141 miles to Flag from the first mileage sign in north Phoenix on 1-17. ) But I would not pick Labor Day to go see it. The more cars on I-17, the more likely it is you will get behind a wreck that will leave you stuck in traffic. You have plenty of time to see it before it snows, as that almost always doesn't happen until winter, (and when it snows early it doesn't last) and some winters doesn't happen much at all. Go in October, fall leaves and all.
Stay in town and explore. You got some great suggestions.
Really??? I thought it was 121. A quick mapquest showed 144 and that should be from center of town to center of town. Anthem to flagstaff is 114 miles, so I'm not sure where that discrepancy is from. The speed limit is 75 nearly all the way, that's 112.5 miles in an hour and a half, if going the speed limit. I must enjoy debating to bring up some small detail.
I thought those mileage signs were from city hall to city hall, not the edge of the city.
Really??? I thought it was 121. A quick mapquest showed 144 and that should be from center of town to center of town. Anthem to flagstaff is 114 miles, so I'm not sure where that discrepancy is from. The speed limit is 75 nearly all the way, that's 112.5 miles in an hour and a half, if going the speed limit. I must enjoy debating to bring up some small detail.
I thought those mileage signs were from city hall to city hall, not the edge of the city.
When you see a mileage sign on the highway it is from the point that the sign is planted to the "city center." Google maps will give you city center to city center unless you designate a specific starting end ending point.
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You can stay VERY busy in Phoenix. You're living in the sixth largest city in the U.S.! Why not get to know your new city? Get a copy of Phoenix magazine and read the calendar section. Go to the Phoenix New Times website; I guarantee they'll have an article this week on Events for Labor Day weekend. Click on the Menu in the upper right corner. The drop down list will give you a Calendar of Events, a comprehensive music section, and excellent restaurant coverage. You can subscribe to a weekly E-mail called Things to Do. You can also sign up for Voice Daily Deals, which will give you coupons on restaurants and places with entry fees.
There are things to do for virtually every taste. If it's not too hot, go to the Botanical Garden. They have a great restaurant there for lunch or dinner. Explore the art of our region at the Heard Museum. Get a day pass to a spa; you can swim, have a massage, get a facial and other pampering things. Go to the Crescent Ballroom for live music or Trivia Night.
See a play at the Herberger Theater, Theatre Artists Studio, or the Arizona Broadway Theatre. Go to a comedy club — Billy Gardell, Jen Kirkman, and Brad Williams all have stand-up shows in coming days. Are you into cosplay or anime? Saboten Con 2016 will be held at downtown’s Sheraton Grand Hotel all Labor Day weekend. There's a fetish ball somewhere on Saturday night, too, although I don't remember where.
Valley Bar Phoenix, 130 N. Central Ave., has free game night every Monday. Play skee ball, pool, darts, shuffleboard at no charge while drinking $1 drafts. Like football? Mother Bunch will have it on big screens with good quality food and libations in Central Phoenix all weekend. Or pretend you're at the beach sipping a mai tai at Hula’s Modern Tiki, 4700 North Central.
The Musical Instrument Museum has a special multi-media exhibit about Johnny Cash and the Carter Family's influence on American Music. Check out the Atomic Retro Vintage Swap Meet and Farmers Market at the Arizona Event Center in Mesa, 7 am to 1 pm every Saturday and Sunday.
Want to do something with a group? The city sponsors Meet Me Downtown, which is a 5K casual fitness walk every Monday evening, including Labor Day. Just show up at 5:15 p.m. for check-in at Copper Blues inside City Scape at 50 West Jefferson Street. The walkers do a loop on city streets and through a park. Dogs and kids are welcome so it's not a show-off-your-speed-walking thing, it's a meet-the-neighbors thing.
Have a great weekend.
This is actually a pretty good idea. As someone who used to live in Phoenix who now lives in Northern AZ I can tell you the best time in Phoenix is when a lot of people leave on Labor Day weekend. The city feels empty but generally everything is open. It is a good time to see the city.
We in Northern Arizona batten down the hatches and avoid everything touristy as "Phoenix is in town". But if you do get on the road you have a lot of great choices. With four days you could swing through most of the state.
Start South towards Tuscon-
- Goat Petting Zoo
- Bone Yard Plane Museum (forget the actual name)
- Tuscon (some sketchy parts but some nice areas to drive around...check out the Bookman's in Tuscon)
- Tomestone
- Visit "The Thing" Museum ...not as cool as it once was, as it is been run down a bit, but still worth it.
- Some kind of Saguaro cactus forest
Then cut north through the smaller towns and wind up through Coolidge, Globe, on up towards Snowflake
- See the meteor crater and the petrified forest
Spend some time lurking around Flagstaff and Williams
Cut down and see Sedona, then drive through Jerome, then to Prescott, then take the 89 the back way through the Spar Mountains to Wickenberg and do some souvenir stuff.
Actually a pretty good trip, a circle through a lot of the state...you can kind of wander at your leisure through all the small towns' points of interest.
Just know hotel rates are 2x what they normally are, places like Sedona and Jerome will be mobbed. Note I didn't say go to the Grand Canyon...again mobbed, though you could if you wanted just probably not the main town everyone goes to, parking would be very tough unless you get there really early in the morning.
Me, I usually GO to Phoenix over this weekend. I enjoy a less busy Phoenix.
I got info on a RODEO 101st ANNUAL LABOR DAY RODEO - which I've never been to. Has anyone ever gone to this or been to that area? Which day would be the best to go?
You can stay VERY busy in Phoenix. You're living in the sixth largest city in the U.S.! Why not get to know your new city? Get a copy of Phoenix magazine and read the calendar section. Go to the Phoenix New Times website; I guarantee they'll have an article this week on Events for Labor Day weekend. Click on the Menu in the upper right corner. The drop down list will give you a Calendar of Events, a comprehensive music section, and excellent restaurant coverage. You can subscribe to a weekly E-mail called Things to Do. You can also sign up for Voice Daily Deals, which will give you coupons on restaurants and places with entry fees.
There are things to do for virtually every taste. If it's not too hot, go to the Botanical Garden. They have a great restaurant there for lunch or dinner. Explore the art of our region at the Heard Museum. Get a day pass to a spa; you can swim, have a massage, get a facial and other pampering things. Go to the Crescent Ballroom for live music or Trivia Night.
See a play at the Herberger Theater, Theatre Artists Studio, or the Arizona Broadway Theatre. Go to a comedy club — Billy Gardell, Jen Kirkman, and Brad Williams all have stand-up shows in coming days. Are you into cosplay or anime? Saboten Con 2016 will be held at downtown’s Sheraton Grand Hotel all Labor Day weekend. There's a fetish ball somewhere on Saturday night, too, although I don't remember where.
Valley Bar Phoenix, 130 N. Central Ave., has free game night every Monday. Play skee ball, pool, darts, shuffleboard at no charge while drinking $1 drafts. Like football? Mother Bunch will have it on big screens with good quality food and libations in Central Phoenix all weekend. Or pretend you're at the beach sipping a mai tai at Hula’s Modern Tiki, 4700 North Central.
The Musical Instrument Museum has a special multi-media exhibit about Johnny Cash and the Carter Family's influence on American Music. Check out the Atomic Retro Vintage Swap Meet and Farmers Market at the Arizona Event Center in Mesa, 7 am to 1 pm every Saturday and Sunday.
Want to do something with a group? The city sponsors Meet Me Downtown, which is a 5K casual fitness walk every Monday evening, including Labor Day. Just show up at 5:15 p.m. for check-in at Copper Blues inside City Scape at 50 West Jefferson Street. The walkers do a loop on city streets and through a park. Dogs and kids are welcome so it's not a show-off-your-speed-walking thing, it's a meet-the-neighbors thing.
Have a great weekend.
Those are great ideas and I would like to add the zoos and aquariums to the list.
I don't know why people always suggest heading outside the city or state on holiday weekends when they are the worst times for travel because of the traffic and crowds.
There are plenty of things to do here in the Phoenix area over a holiday weekend, the OP could even make a staycation out of it.
If there are going to be more suggestions about statewide points of interest instead of what to do around Phoenix then this topic should be moved to the Arizona forum.
The Grand Canyon, if you havent already seen it, is absolutely worth the 2.5 hour drive north. Hit up the South Rim, but start at the end of the canyon at Desert View Watchtower, and work your way back to Mathers Point.
And ignore the idea of going tubing down the Salt River, unless you like to be absolutely surrounded by college idiots, most of whom are naked and drunk. Its not a pleasant experience to those who dont like to be around that worthless element. Also be aware of glass in the river and, ahem, literal crap in the water.
The Grand Canyon is usually flooded with tourists on a holiday weekend.
I totally agree about tubing on the river, I guess that is okay if you're a teenager or an immature young adult but you're right about the general crowd, it's usually rowdy drunks and other trashy types.
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