Last year I won a trip that included 5 days in Arizona, hosted by Visit Phoenix and Visit Mesa. I’ll be honest, before winning this trip I hadn’t really thought of either of these places as a destination for a vacation. Sure, tons of Canadians venture down to Arizona during the winter but if it’s not snowbirds it’s mostly golfers. While I golf, I wouldn’t necessarily plan a trip doing just that.
I will say, the state wildly surprised me. The landscapes were stunning, the people were very friendly and there was enough to keep us busy for our 5 days in Arizona.
The trip from Toronto, New York, Chicago, Boston or Montreal is absolutely doable in a weekend. The time difference may suck for such a short period of time but I actually found it much easier than I thought I would. Plus, getting a direct flight makes the trip even easier.
Phoenix
Our first day was spent exploring Phoenix. We stayed in the gorgeous Pointe Hilton Squak Peak Resort and if truth be told, it was actually hard to leave the grounds to catch the other sights. There was so much to do, including unbelievable pool facilities.
After dropping our stuff off at the hotel we trekked to the Musical Instrument Museum. I know what you’re thinking, that’s super random and in all honesty, it was but it was also really cool and necessary on a super hot day. We were given headphones a walking device that played music from all the different spots in the world once at the various displays. I’ll admit I had no idea there were so many different types of instruments used around the world.
Having arrived in Phoenix midday we only had room in our itinerary for one more activity. The activity of choice? The Phoenix Botanical Gardens. If I’m being honest, I think botanical gardens are super underrated. I loved going to the ones in Copenhagen and the gardens in Phoenix lived up to what I imagine. We were told by Visit Phoenix that the best time to go was right near sunset for the views and the heat. They were right! I can’t imagine going at a different time if I’m being honest.
The rest of the night was spent relaxing and catching up on the sleep I missed having to wake up at 4am to catch my flight!
Sedona
We decided that our second day was going to be spent trekking out to Sedona. Are we ever glad we did! Sedona has to be one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to in the United States. The views were absolutely incredible.
Driving in from Phoenix the first bit of Sedona you see is the beautiful Bell Rock. There’s a place to stop just off of the highway so keep an eye out for it and make the stop.
From there we drove onto Chapel of the Holy Cross. I know what you’re thinking, huh? But honestly, this place was really cool! It’s a Roman Catholic church built upon the buttes of Sedona. I would recommend parking in the first parking lot you see and then walking up if you’re able.
There are tons of hiking trails in Sedona that you can take advantage of as well. Because we were a bit short on time we decided to skip them and head down to Crescent Moon Picnic Site. Don’t let the name confuse you though. This gorgeous spot actually has a quarry and natural spring great for swimming in. It was such an incredible spot to stop and chill.
Our final stop in Sedona was the Airport Scenic Lookout. This would have been a really cool hike but even just hiking up to the lookout point was gorgeous.
Mesa and Gilbert
Our last 2 days were spent relaxing in and around Mesa. For those of you not familiar, Mesa is a city just East of Phoenix and a great spot to station yourself.
One spot we absolutely loved was Agritopia. Even though it’s technically located in Gilbert, it’s really close to Mesa. This 166-acre community was created to encourage agrarianism and to create a sense of togetherness among socioeconomic ranges. Around the community there are restaurants, cafe’s, and a marketplace. You could easily spend half a day here.
In and around Agritopia you can take a tour of an olive oil farm, take pasta making classes on a wheat farm and have cupcakes that have even won The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars!
However, our favourite part of the whole trip was the Desert Belle cruise. Taking place along Saguaro Lake there were epic views at every corner.
A few tips
Spending 5 days in Airzona would not have been possible without getting a rental car. Unlike Europe, public transit is not easy and things are not close together. We ended up spending a lot of time driving back and forth from destinations so that’s key.
Get a place outside of the city limits. Not only will this save you a bunch of money it will be easier to get back and forth from the places you’re visiting.
Apart from a few meals we actually mostly picked up food at grocery stores. It was really easy to save money that way.
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