Although mostly desert, Arizona has a huge range of tourist attractions. Whether you’re after rafting down the Grand Canyon, shoot-outs in Tucson and Tombstone, or missile launching and space research, there’s something of interest. Here are some facts, trivia, and information that may be of interest to visitors traveling to Arizona.
Best Scenic Drives in Arizona
Scenic drives allow visitors to see some of Arizona’s varied geography and spectacular scenery. These drives may be found throughout the state, and they include…
3 Places to Find Fall Colors in Arizona
Desperate times call for desperate measures. When there’s not a hint of crispness in the air, it’s time to hit the road and go in…
Sedona, Arizona Travel Guide
Sedona, Arizona is a popular tourist destination in the United States. Surprisingly picturesque. Red rock monoliths that are breathtaking. Serenity for the soul. Awe-inspiring in…
Ahwatukee Arizona Foothills
A Phoenix Village. Sometimes referred to as “Ahwatukee Foothills”, Ahwatukee is one of 15 Urban Villages that comprise the city of Phoenix. Residents of Ahwatukee…
Phoenix Attractions & Things to do
Phoenix Points of Interest & Attractions There’s a reason Greater Phoenix has been ranked among the fastest growing cities and a favorite tourist vacation destination…
Major Metro Phoenix Area Museums
List of major museums in the Metropolitan Phoenix area including Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Carefree, Glendale, Chandler and others. Adobe Mountain Railroad Museum 23280 North 43rd…
Phoenix Zoo Tour & Review
Phoenix Zoo Animals Tour Looking for a safe, yet exciting way to visit the countless creatures that call the Arizona desert home? The Phoenix Zoo…
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Imagine a place where a person could indulge their passion for plants, learn about the latest scientific breakthroughs in agriculture, study drought-tolerant landscape design and…
Nature’s Side of Lake Havasu City
Whether you are a visitor, resident, or thinking of moving to Lake Havasu City Arizona, lovers of the outdoors will appreciate this region’s stark beauty,…
Great Fishing on Lake Havasu and the Colorado River
Not too many years ago, tell a friend that you were traveling to Lake Havasu City for any other reason than to indulge in some…
Arizona Colorado River
The Colorado River starts as a mere trickle in Colorado at La Poudre Pass near the Continental Divide. As the stream slowly winds its way…
Things to do in Sedona Verde Valley
Wonders of Sedona and the Verde Valley Sedona and the Verde Valley are rich with a remarkable history, archaeological sites, natural wonders and interesting facts….
Best Hiking in Arizona
Best Arizona Easy Hikes Arizona has a lot of natural beauty to offer, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the waterfall oases that…
Visit Scottsdale Arizona
Scottsdale’s sunny blue skies, classic desert beauty, and abundance of luxury resorts, magnificent golf courses, one-of-a-kind attractions, unique special events and exciting recreational activities make…
Lake Havasu City Arizona
Lake Havasu ATTRACTIONS Grab your bikini. Prepare your boat. This is the water-lover’s paradise of the southwest. Home to the transplanted historical London Bridge, the…
Florence AZ City Guide
Established in 1866 and situated on a terrace overlooking the Gila River, Florence has the distinction of being the fifth oldest town in Arizona. In…
Bisbee AZ Guide
Bisbee City Guide Located 100 miles southeast of Tucson and 35 miles east of Sierra Vista, Bisbee is the picturesque seat of historic Cochise County….
Weekend in Sedona
Your Guide to a Weekend in Sedona Sedona is one of Arizona’s premier tourism, recreation, resort and art centers. Its location at the mouth of…
Arizona Wine Country & Wine Trails
Wine production is certainly nothing new to Arizona. It’s been going on for more than 300 years when missionary settlers first made this area their…
Road Trip to Sedona
Visit Sedona Just two hours from Phoenix, Sedona is nestled against striking red sandstone formations at the edge of a beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. The…
Thing to do in Tempe AZ
Top Tempe Attractions & Activities Tempe is an urban community of over 150,000 residents located in the center of the Phoenix metropolitan region. It is…
Guide to Mesa AZ
Mesa City Guide In 1878, Mormon farmers known as the Mesa Pioneers established a townsite on a flat-topped bluff about three miles north of the…
Guide to Chandler AZ
In 1877, Alexander Chandler, a young Canadian doctor, eagerly accepted a post as the first veterinarian surgeon in the Arizona Territory. Chandler often remarked how…
Tombstone, Arizona
“The town too tough to die.” Tombstone, Arizona has a fascinating and violent past and is truly a historical American landmark. Founded in 1879 in…
Arizona Ghost Towns – Klondyke
Arizona has its share of “Ghost Towns” and Klondyke is one of them. Located in Graham County the town has only about a dozen residents…
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument – Coolidge, Arizona The Casa Grande Ruins are the remains of a “Great House” that probably appeared around 1350. It…
Border Town of Nogales, Arizona
Nogales, Arizona Nogales is a community that is located on the southern boundary of Arizona, borders Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. It is a major international gateway…
Things to do in Southern Arizona
Southern Arizona Things to do Many have attractions that are just what you expect to find; the Sonoran desert beauty, ghost towns, birding, hiking, and…
Arizona Dude Ranches
Guest Ranches in Arizona This type of lodging is also now known as “Guest Ranches where you can enjoy horseback activities on miles of open…
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Lake Mead, Arizona Explore Lake Mead National Recreation Area. If you love spending time in the outdoors, Lake Mead…
Yuma Territorial Prison State Historical Park
If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be in prison during the Old West, then you need only go to Yuma,…
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Discover Desert Wildlife at the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona is an outstanding attraction if you enjoy viewing…
Lees Ferry Arizona – Trading Post & Fort Meeks
Lees Ferry – Marble Canyon, AZ In this area of the state, which was settled by Mormon John D. Lee, there stands a trading post…
Antelope Canyon Tours From Flagstaff Arizona
This day hike starts out with an early morning departure from your hotel of choice in Flagstaff, AZ. We will arrive with a variety of…
Bearizona Wildlife Park – Williams, Arizona
Bearizona Wildlife Park is a drive-through Wildlife Park nestled amongst the pristine Ponderosa Pine forests of Northern Arizona. Bearizona is the only park of its…
Fun, Easy Day Trip: Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
Explorer Juan Bautista de Anza’s Trail A fun, easy day trip from Tucson, AZ, on the trail of the Spanish explorer, Juan Bautista de Anza….
Day Trip From Tucson to the Top of Mt. Lemmon
Mount Lemmon Day Trip The Sky Island Scenic Byway from Tucson to Summerhaven is an easy way to beat the desert heat and to experience…
Cheap Date Destinations in Scottsdale
Looking for romantic but cheap things to do in Scottsdale? Easy access to a high-end lifestyle helped Scottsdale earn its nickname as Arizona’s Most Livable…
Is Monument Valley America’s most beautiful drive?
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in Arizona is called America’s most scenic drive. Famous from John Wayne and John…
Arizona’s Superstition Mountains
Hiking and Exploring Arizona’s Superstition Wilderness Area The Superstition Mountains, located near Phoenix, Arizona, offer both hikers and treasure-seekers hours of fun and excitement. At…
Arizona Biltmore, a Truly Beautiful Hotel
The architecture of the Arizona Biltmore is just one of the beauties of this fabulous hotel. The Arizona Biltmore truly is the “Jewel of the…
Page Arizona is the Center of the Grand Circle
Lake Powell & Page AZ Welcome to Page, Arizona, your mecca for hiking, biking, boating, and off-road adventure. Just seven miles from the watersports playground…
Route 89A – Flagstaff to Sedona, Arizona
Oak Creek Canyon – One of America’s Most Scenic Drives Route 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona, which passes through spectacular Oak Creek Canyon, is one…
Road Trip From Phoenix to Las Vegas
Arizona to Nevada via Sedona, Flagstaff & Grand Canyon A road trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas passes through the red rocks of Sedona and…
Arizona Family Vacations – Arizona for Kids
Think of Arizona as America’s natural “amusement park,” where fun and adventure await your family in every corner of the state. Add an engaging selection…
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
Arizona Desert and Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West offers a striking example of the architect’s theory of organic architecture applied to the…
Boulders Resort & Spa in Carefree, AZ
A beautiful resort in Arizona The Boulders is a remarkable place. Remarkable because it is a hotel that is built into the Sonoran Desert landscape….
Arizona Kitsch on Highway 40
Stewart’s Petrified Wood and Rock Shop Midway between Holbrook and the Painted Desert, you see the first sign of the singular lifestyle a few hardy…
Arizona Mystery Castle Blends Organic Architecture with Kitsch
Among unusual Arizona tourist sites, one of the best is the Mystery Castle just south of downtown Phoenix in the foothills of the South Mountain…
Free Things to Do in Scottsdale, Arizona
If you’re looking for sunshine and sophistication, Scottsdale should be your vacation destination out west. With high-end shopping and innovative dining experiences downtown, along with…
Explore Mt. Lemmon’s Life Zones Near Tucson
25 Mile Catalina Highway Crosses 6 Vegetation Zones on Arizona Peak When Tucson’s temperature reaches 100 degrees, residents often head up nearby Mt. Lemmon. A…
Arizona Ghost Towns – Jerome
Largest Ghost Town in America – Jerome, Arizona Located in the foothills of central Arizona and surrounded by the Prescott National Forest, Jerome was once…
Visit Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff City Guide For many visitors of northern Arizona, Flagstaff is a town they remember passing through on their way to the Grand Canyon. But…
Arizona’s Route 66 Trivia
Facts about this picturesque stretch of America’s Highway Although most of Route 66 has been bypassed by the interstate, some of the scenic transcontinental roads…
Arizona Outdoors Vacation
Grand Canyon, Slide Rock State Park, Kartchner Caverns Plan an outdoors getaway to Arizona and see the natural beauty of this southwestern US state; from…
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Historic Cliff Dwellings in Arizona A mere 7 miles east of Flagstaff is a place where the Pueblo Indians carved out a home for themselves,…
Petrified Forest National Park
Living Museum of the Painted Desert in Arizona The wood is scattered everywhere and actually looks like a rock. Here and there you can come…
Clothing-Optional? Arizona Nude Resorts
Naked Truth About Clothing-Optional Resorts in Arizona Arizona with its beautiful year-round climate should be an ideal clothing-optional vacation destination, but there is only a…
Arizona Travel Facts & Trivia
- You can’t visit Arizona without visiting the Grand Canyon. It’s every bit as incredible as it’s been hyped to be, and the truly brave can try white-water rafting along with it. Be warned, though – the rapids hit Grade 10 in places.
- The state plays host to many Native American people, and to get a taste, head to the annual Navajo Nation Fair in September. It is held on the vast Navajo Indian Reservation.
- Biosphere 2 in Tucson is a self-sufficient mini-earth, although many pour scorn on those claims to self-sufficiency, and there have been teething problems in the past.
- Those wanting to get in touch with their spiritual side should head to Sedona. Amongst the New Age community, it is revered for its ‘energy vortexes’ and thus it proves a magnet for hippy types. Expect the state’s highest concentration of beards and sandals.
- The Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory near Sells is the largest of its kind in the world. If little green men are to be discovered by anything, then this is it this monstrous research center.
- Well, either it’ll be at Kitt Peak or the Flagstaff Observatory. The latter has previous on this score – it was here that Pluto was first spotted. And, even though Pluto is no longer graded as a planet, that’s still a pretty good claim to fame.
- Sells is also home to a big missile launch site, and weaponry fanatics can check out the Titan Missile Museum.
- The town of Winslow is namechecked in Takin’ It Easy by The Eagles.
- The original London Bridge is no longer in London, England. It’s in Lake Havasu, Arizona after being bought by an American businessman and shipped over. An English-themed village has sprung up around it as a tourist attraction.
- If you’re into your Wild West re-enactments, head to the aptly-named town of Tombstone. This was where the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral took place, and now the shoot-out is restaged for tourists every day by stuntmen.
- Shoot-outs were also once held at the Old Tucson Studios, which used to be a major film set for western movies. Tucson also plays host to the Center for Creative Photography
- Old Oraibi has been continually inhabited since the 12th century. This would arguably make it the oldest town in the United States.
Arizona Travel Guide
For scenery on a grand scale, there are few places in the world to rival the American Southwest. Within the wide-open spaces of Arizona, there’s a wealth of spectacular sights and haunting landscapes familiar as the backdrop of countless Westerns. The highlight of any visit to Arizona is undoubtedly the awesome Grand Canyon, while the stunning Red Rock country of Sedona, the Sonoran Desert around the resort cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale, and the extraordinary multi-colored Painted Desert and Petrified Forest are equally memorable. Here are provided some Arizona travel ideas to make your travel to Arizona an exceptional one.
The main tourist attraction in Arizona is the breathtaking beauty of the Mogollon Rim, a region of ancient volcanoes and earthquakes, and prehistoric oceans. This 300-mile long, 7,000-foot high rock formation dominates Arizona’s northern landscape. This is a perfect place for a getaway to experience majestic landscapes including alpine forests, over a dozen lakes, and mountain rivers and streams. The unpaved General Crook Trail was built to connect Arizona’s military holdouts during the Apache Wars, and now hosts hikers and bikers who may spend up to several days exploring the area in isolation. Along this trail, one will find a network of trails and roads leading to the sources of the state’s four rivers, which offer some of the best fishing in the country as well as lazy days spent sunbathing along the banks.
For winter sports enthusiasts, the White Mountains beckon from November through April. Skiers will adore the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s Sunrise Park Resort, which boasts three towering peaks with over 65 runs and provides facilities for beginners to masters. For the avid golfer, this area is a paradise offering several stunning clubs that highlight the landscape making use of the rugged landscape. The town of Alpine hosts an 18-hole course that is one of the most beautiful in the state, as well as the highest course in the Southwestern United States at an elevation of 8,500 feet.
The city of Prescott serves as the state capital and as an interesting diversion from outdoor pursuits. One can spend days here browsing the many antique shops, unique boutiques, art galleries, and artisan shops. Don’t miss Courthouse Plaza and the historic Palace Saloon on Whiskey Row. For some engaging Arizona history, check out the Sharlot Hall Museum which displays three renovated Victorian mansions, a one-room schoolhouse, and the fabulous Territorial Governor’s Mansion and Rose Garden.
A scenic mountain road climbs the Sierra Prieta Mountains through the world’s largest Ponderosa Pine forest to the historic mining community of Jerome, with several abandoned mineshafts dotting the surrounding mountains. Jerome was once a bustling city producing millions of dollars worth of precious minerals and has become a haven for artists and unique shops, galleries, and restaurants. Further down the Verde River Canyon, don’t miss Montezuma Castle National Monument showcasing the well-managed ruins of a five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling built almost 1,000 years ago by the region’s native Sinagua people. Montezuma well is nearby, a sinkhole with a deep pool of cool, crystal clear water.
Although not as mountainous, southern Arizona radiates outstanding landscapes, interesting cultures, and stark contrasts. The state’s Spanish heritage is very evident here. South of Tucson, be sure to visit the Mission San Xavier del Bac, an 18th-century church recently restored by artists from the area’s Indian nations along with a team of Italian preservationists.
Out and about in Arizona
The vast landscapes of Arizona welcome nature lovers to explore deep canyons, sweeping deserts, river gorges and multitudes of national parks, forests, monuments and historic sites. Whether you head straight for the Grand Canyon to hike landmark trails, or spend some time in big cities like Phoenix and Tucson checking out intriguing museums and tasty regional cuisine, you’re sure to find a piece of the state that calls to you. With everything from suburban houses and quiet cottages to casitas with refreshing pools and mountain views, there’s an Arizona vacation rental to suit all styles.
Touring the big cities of Arizona
While the amazing natural attractions are the highlight of Arizona, cities here have a lot to offer as well. Sightseeing in the state’s 2 largest hubs will introduce you to a wealth of museums, galleries and cultural attractions, as well as the unique Sonoran Desert landscape. In Phoenix, a botanical garden is dedicated to desert plants, while Tucson’s Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum boasts a zoo and aquarium, art exhibits and trails that run through desert habitats. The cities are only a couple of hours away from each other, so selecting an Arizona vacation rental in either one will allow you to take daytrips to the other as well.
Exploring Arizona’s natural wonders
The Grand Canyon is by far the most popular attraction in Arizona, with millions of visitors heading to the national park each year. You can admire the wonder from scenic lookouts and miles of hiking trails, or take to the skies on helicopter tours and hot air balloon rides for incredible aerial views. Nearby, the same Colorado River that traces through the canyon forms other geological wonders, including the dramatic Horseshoe Bend. A number of Arizona vacation rentals are available in nearby gateway cities like Flagstaff and Williams, where you can hop on a train and take a ride to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Scorching summers in Arizona
Summers in Arizona can be scorching hot, especially in the Sonora desert and southern cities like Tucson and Phoenix, which see average highs at or above 100 degrees. Outdoor activities like hiking and golfing in this region are best reserved for late fall through early spring, when temperatures peak in the 60s and 70s. In the northern part of the state, around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, average highs and lows can be 20 degrees cooler than their southern neighbors at any given point, meaning winter lows drop below freezing, while the months on either end of summer hang out in the sunny 70s.
The incredible landscapes of Arizona
From the red rocks of Sedona to the cactus-filled desert in Tonto National Forest, there are endless geologic and natural wonders to explore in Arizona. The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in the western part of the state is a great place to see giant cacti and desert mammals like bighorn sheep and mule deer. The Grand Canyon area is ideal for birding, with more than 400 species, including rare owls and condors. No matter which park, preserve or forest you head to, you’re sure to encounter incredible wildlife and interesting plants along the lakes, rivers, canyons and deserts that beautify the state.