Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona is the capital of Arizona and the fifth largest city in the United States. It is a popular tourist destination due to its sunny and warm weather. It is a great place to escape during the winter. Given the size of the city there is always some big events going on as well. This city is packed with awesome restaurants, things to do, hiking, and more.
How to get to Phoenix
Most visitors arrive via the main airport of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA) is 20 minutes outside of Phoenix. The Tucson International Airport is also nearby about 1.5 hours drive. If you are driving by car from out of state these are some gross estimates of travel time: Albuquerque, New Mexico is about 6.5 hours away, Las Vegas, Nevada is about 5 hours away and Los Angeles, California is about 5 hours and 15 minutes away.
top things to do Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden is one of the biggest attractions in Phoenix. It has thousands of different desert plants from all over the world. It is located in Papago Park which also has the Hole-in-the-Rock Formation and other hiking trails.
Hiking
There are so many incredible hikes around Phoenix area with amazing desert landscapes and views of the area. The most famous one is Camelback Mountain but there are so many more including Piestewa Peak, Hayden Butte, Freedom Trail, Dixie Mountain Trail Loop and so many trails in the South Mountain Preserve.
Dobbins Lookout
In the South Mountain Park which is located south of downtown there are hundreds of trails or if you want you can drive up to the Dobbins Lookout. This gives sweeping views of downtown Phoenix. It is a wonderful place to watch sunset as well.
Catch a sporting event
Phoenix hosts a number of epic sporting events each year. The college football Fiesta and Cactus Bowl, NASCAR events in the spring and fall, Cactus League Spring Training for MLB, and PGA tour Waste Management Phoenix Open. Phoenix also has some great home teams including the Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, and the Arizona Cardinals. While we were in town we went to the famous Waste Management Phoenix Open!
Check out some awesome breweries
There are tons of breweries all over greater Phoenix. Depending on where you stay you will have a bunch to choose from. During our stay we checked out Pedal Haus Brewery, Wren House Brewing, OHSO Brewing, and Fate Brewery.
Check out Tempe
Tempe is a vibrant city and home of the Arizona State University. It has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene as well as the Hayden Butte Hike which gives great views of downtown Phoenix and Tempe.
Check out the Arizona State Capitol Museum
The Arizona State Capitol Museum offers a look into the state’s political history and culture. There are exhibits and artifacts. There is also a very impressive model train. This is free to visit and is open daily except on Sundays.
Other top things to do
The city has several other incredible things to do and check out! Some of the top things to do include the Heard Museum which explores Native American art, culture and history, Taliesin West which is the former winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Phoenix Art Museum packed with art for every art lover and so much more. Trust me you won’t be disappointed on your vacation getaway to Phoenix!
