Things To Do

Gateway - McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Jerry will be hosting one of the following every day: - A 4-mile walk around our neighborhood, mostly on pavement and with some crushed stone paths. This is a walk that we do a lot when it is not hot. - A 1.5-mile easy walk at Gateway at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. There is no climbing on this walk. - A 4.4-mile moderate hike at the Gateway Loop Trail. There is some climbing on this hike and the views are spectacular!

Gateway Trailhead - McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Our favorite hiking area and where we got engaged 🥰. Free. Gateway loop is 4.4 miles and takes about 1.5 hours to do. There is a nice trailhead with bathrooms and a water fountain. Take lots of water and wear your sunscreen.

USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River ❤️

Free. A very solemn and interesting memorial, second only to the famous one in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. We recommend you go there at night...you'll see why.

Penske Racing Museum

Very shiny and fast objects in this place! If you love auto racing this small but exquisite museum is for the racing enthusiast. Free entrance and our guide was Ken Hedman, of Hedman Headers. That was quite the treat to have someone tell us about the cars and Roger Penske from first-hand experience. Also, browse at the attached luxury dealerships like Ferrari, Bentley and Porsche.

Walking the Greenbelt

Free. The Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt "the Greenbelt" is an oasis of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses traversing 11 miles through the heart of Scottsdale. The greenbelt features more than 24 grade-separated crossings, meaning users can avoid major cross traffic. This world-renown flood control project is rated among the top urban "green spaces" in Arizona.

Topgolf ❤️

Drive some golf balls and have a beer and nachos! Very close to The Talking Stick Resort.

OdySea Aquarium ❤️

Lovely aquarium and you can even swim with the rays.

Desert Botanical Garden

A beautiful natural garden, and very walkable and near the Phoenix Zoo.

Octane Raceway ❤️

So much fast fun!

Taliesin West

This was architect Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home. Enjoy the expression of design meant to capture the nature of the surrounding area, tour his design studio and some living areas. Tours available all day via headset or led by a guide.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament ❤️

Get your royalty on and cheer for your knight! Family dinner theater with actual jousting and sword fighting. If anything, go to see the their beautiful stable of wonderfully trained horses. Spectacular show! We go a few times each year.

Musical Instrument Museum

iFLY Indoor Skydiving - Phoenix ❤️

Sure, go jump into a wind cyclone. It is a ridiculous fun thing to do that Judianne treated her nephew Rhys to on a past visit.

Phoenix Zoo

Monkeys, tigers, bears, snakes, elephants, LIZARDS! Walk on the wild side! Right beside the botanical gardens

Casino Arizona at Talking Stick Resort ❤️

Arizona Renaissance Festival

February 1, 2025 to March 30, 2025 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.