Help me plan my 3 week Arizona vacation! (Phoenix, Tucson: rental car, rental)

[dwnmo]

Hi everyone! We are excited to have 3 weeks in Arizona in March 2016. The first week is set in Sedona followed by 4 days in Prescott. That leaves 10 or 11 days for the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tuscon part of the state.

Trying to figure out if we should pick a spot to stay for 10 days (such as Phoenix) and take day trips to Scottsdale, Tuscon etc or if we should spit up our time and take a few days in each location.

Our son will be with us the last week of our vacation and has requested to experience "the authentic Southwestern culture" - whatever that means. (I'm thinking he's referring to food...maybe Tuscon area?)

What should we make a point to see during our Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tuscon portion of the trip? Should we try to stay a few days in the Tuscon area to make the most of that part of AZ - or should we just stay in the Phoenix area and drive down for a day?

(Edited to add that hubby and I are hoping to get a good look at the state as a possible location for retirement - we are in our early 50's - so it's a bit of a 'first look' for us with potential relocation in mind.)

Any advice would be appreciated.

[atlaw]

When in Sedona, make sure you get to Jerome, maybe the Verde railroad, Flagstaff and of course the Grand Canyon!
I'm not much on the Phx area but you might take a day trip up to Payson and the Salt River.
I'd stay in Tucson a few days, you have the Desert Museum, Kartchner Caverns (you need reservations), Tombstone, Bisbee, Pima Air Museum, Mt. Lemmon and a bunch of other things depending on your interests.

[LarkBea]

Several years ago, my husband had the opportunity to transfer to AZ. We did the same thing you are doing...visiting different areas to determine what we really liked, commuting time, home prices, etc.

We fell in love with Sedona, but the home prices were high. Even if we sold our home for market value where we presently lived, we would have had to take out a mortgage to live there, something we didn't want to do if at all possible. Between that and commute time, it wasn't feasible. The same for Scottsdale as far as home prices were concerned. Prices were more reasonable in Phoenix.

It's only a couple of hours from Phoenix to Tucson so that's really up to you whether you want to stay there or go back. I'd tend to second what atlaw said, though. Stay in Tucson for a couple of days rather than be under more time constraints when touring the area. And definitely see the Grand Canyon. The scenery is something else and the skywalk...well, give it a go (although it's not for everyone).

[adventuregurl]

March can be cold/snowy in Sedona (or not) but be sure to be prepared!!! It's often NOT sandal weather.

Go to the Desert Museum in Tucson for sure!

[Az_Mitch]

I can suggest a few things for you to see in Phoenix. I'm not sure what you enjoy doing or your interests so these are just guesses.

Desert Botanical Garden
Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Heard Museum
World Wildlife Zoo (I prefer this zoo over the Phoenix Zoo honestly and I love feeding the giraffes)

I can't speak to the things to see in Tucson so hopefully someone will chime in and give you ideas there. If you add some specifics about what you enjoy doing we may be able to give you more information.

[fluffythewondercat]

In and around North Phoenix I would make some time to go see Cave Creek and Carefree, areas that tend to be a bit cooler than the Valley in summer (yes, I know you're going in March). Maybe go out Carefree Highway to Lake Pleasant to get an idea of the many recreational opportunities that abound in Arizona.

If you're feeling mildly adventurous, there are sightseeing glider flights out of Pleasant Valley Airport that give a terrific aerial overview of the region and its dramatic scenery.

[stevek64]

You have lots of options.

In the Phoenix metro area:

- Dobbins Overlook in South Mountain Park in Phoenix

South Mountain Park (Phoenix, AZ): Hours, Address, Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor

Dobbins Lookout - Overlooking Phoenix Arizona - Scenic Overlooks on Waymarking.com

Drive up a road that has a great overlook of the Phoenix metro area below. Go at night/sundown. It's a beautiful view. I never get sick of going up there and taking in the view at night. I believe you have to drive up there before sundown as the gate up the summit road closes but of course you can get back down the mountain later. I'd call the south mountain park to get the details.

- Hike Camelback Mountain in Phoenix if you're up for it/know your limits.

Camelback Mountain (Phoenix, AZ): Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Hiking Trail Reviews - TripAdvisor

- Apache Trail drive east of Phoenix. Beautiful drive.

The Apache Trail, a Phoenix Scenic Drive


- Old Town Scottsdale. Lots of stores, restaurants, art galleries, etc. Nice spot to walk around a bit.

- There are nice state parks around the Phoenix metro like White Tanks State Park in the west valley. Some easy hiking trails. The waterfall trail is very nice.

- As someone else mentioned, the Phoenix desert botanical Gardens are really nice.

- Musical Instrument museum.

Musical Instrument Museum

Lots of other things to do around Phoenix from pro/college sports, casinos, etc


Tucson area:

- A drive up Mt. Lemmon is nice near Tucson.

- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is great. We've been there several times and highly recommended it.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ - Zoo, Botanical Garden and Art Gallery

- Pima air and space museum

Pima Air & Space Museum : Tucson, Arizona

- Bisbee and Tombstone

Though I think Tombstone is a bit touristy, it's still neat to visit to see some of the original buildings, where the gunfight at the OK corral happened, etc. Bisbee is a mining town that's not a far drive from Tombstone that is neat to walk around a bit. They used to have a mine tour there also.

- Old Tucson Movie Studio

Old Tucson Movie Studio - DesertUSA


Other parts of AZ that we enjoy visiting/revising:

- Grand canyon

- Monument Valley(just over the AZ border in Utah actually)

MonumentValley.org

- Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon: slot canyon near Page/Lake Powell, Arizona

- Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle, Arizona

- Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona

- As other have mentioned if you are in Sedona and Prescott area, Jerome is a nice town to visit and drive up to as it's not far away.

A nice drive from the west valley of the Phoenix metro up to Prescott is taking Rt 60/rt93 through Wickenburg, then take 89 north through Yarnell and all the way to Prescott. Beautiful road that takes you from the desert floor up through windy roads in the pines.

Also make sure you take highway AZ 89A via oak creek canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff. It's a real nice drive.

Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive | Sedona Arizona

Heading north on 89A, towards the end on the right is a stop off point where native American's sell home made jewelry and there's a beautiful overlook of the valley/windy roads below. Don't miss it!


That's a bunch of things to visit and of course you won't get to them all but figured I'd put a bunch out there and see what might interest you.

And since you're going in March, just make sure to keep an eye out for late season snow in the higher elevations.

Good luck on your visit planning!

[dwnmo]

Can't thank you enough for all the great ideas. I appreciate you all taking the time to respond!

[Zen88]

We were there several years ago. Lots of restaurants in Sedona, which was beautiful, sold kobe beef burgers. They were incredible, and I highly recommend them.

[teddyearp]

Hi there. Three weeks is an good amount of time to see most of the highlights of the state. Too bad (in a way) that you are already 'locked' into a whole week in Sedona and then 4 days in Prescott. Arizona has so many different things and types of things to see, yet it is rather large. Meaning it's not only the amount of things to see, but the amount of time to get in between them. And Sedona is not all of Arizona by a far stretch. As others have posted, you will not want to retire there unless you somehow are very artistic and can perhaps sell your wares there for enough $$ to support the cost of living there.

Stevek64 gave you a very comprehensive list, but considering your 'starting' point of Prescott and then the other objective, to see some places to perhaps retire to, let me go this way for you. I am assuming you will be in a rental car. Go from Prescott through Phoenix and then east to Apache Junction and then hit the Apache trail as steve suggested. Go all the way to the end; just drive slow for the last few miles, that drive will give you a 'taste' of the 'other' Arizona. Once you hit SR188 at Roosevelt Lake, take a right until you hit Globe/Miami and US60. Then take a left on US60 through Globe and then at the other end of town, take another left on US60/SR77 towards Show Low.

This will take you through the "other" Grand Canyon, the Salt River Canyon. Take a right on SR260/White Mountain Boulevard in Show Low. Depending on how many miles you want to drive in a day, you may or may not want to stop for a night in the Show Low-Pinetop/Lakeside area. However, Show Low can be a nice place to live. Proceeding east out of Show Low and Pinetop/Lakeside on SR260 go past Hon-dah (and the casino, unless you are gambling types) and continue east on SR260 until you reach Eagar. Continue straight through the stop light until you see US180/US191 south and take a right there.

If you had not already thought you have seen some pretty country, once you get to Alpine, continue south on US191 and then you will for sure. Especially through Alpine and then Hannagan Meadows. It gets a bit curvy as you drop back down to the lower country and then pass through Morenci, which has one of the largest open pit copper mines around. Afterwards is Clifton which is worth a stop to just to get a picture of the old Downtown main st. Further along you'll hit Three Way and stay right to continue on US191 until you reach US70.

Take a right there to go west on US70 towards Safford, another possible 'new' home for you. And perhaps a night stay. Then go south on US191 out of Safford until you hit I-10. Go west from there and you will pass through Wilcox, Benson and if you are adventurous, you could go south from Benson to Tombstone. But the idea is to end up in Tucson. As you hinted at, there could be some southwest culture there in Tucson. Afterwards you're on your own to perhaps head back towards the Phoenix area to finish up your tour.

Enjoy! And this trip I threaded you through might not be able to be done in March, but with global warming, why not?

good luck