Things To Do
Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site
This is my favorite rock art location I've seen in all of Arizona! It's about a half mile to the mural with stunning ancient petroglyphs, all open to interpretation. Ponder how they were able to carve the San Francisco peaks and an overhead map of the Verde Valley river system without Google Earth. Incredible stuff. The site acts as a solar calendar aligning with the eclipse to outline crop planting seasons and monsoon cycles. There are turtles and cranes, indicating a much greater riparian presence in the valley than today. Don't get me started on riparian habitat loss in Arizona. Also I like the stick figure guys with big feet placed near the cracks; what I was told is that their big feet are for stomping out evil spirits that were believed to come from the cracks. I like picturing that. -Kiki
Red Rock State Park
You can't go wrong visiting Red Rock State Park. We were so close to holding our wedding here, it just would have been a logistics headache. Stunning views, beautiful trails, plenty of water features.
Wet Beaver Creek
A slightly ambiguous recommendation, but a life changing longer hike you can do (with a silly name) is called "The Crack" at Wet Beaver Creek. It's about eight miles total, but with the most stunning views, all rewarded by a breathtaking cliff diving spot at the end. Of course please exercise caution, bring electrolytes and water, and be wary of rattlers!
The Wave Cave Trail
This trail is about four miles total, and I accidentally took Tyler when it was snowing. Highly recommend though.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
This place is so cool, and not a castle at all! It's actually an ancient apartment complex built by the Southern Sinagua people. The scale of it will blow you away. A little further away there's also Montezuma's Well which is cool in its own right. If you have limited time though, see the castle.
Pisa Lisa
The pizza is really darn good.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
If you're making an extended trip to Arizona, you have to visit Tonto Natural Bridge (especially during this time of year). It's the most beautiful place. We went for our first Valentine's Day together, then again to take our engagement photos. It's where we'd build our Minecraft house.
Water Wheel Falls Hiking Trail
The hike to water wheel is great for water lovers; me and Jose did a couple hikes around this area and it's serene. There are some free roaming cows who you might run into, but mostly you're just hiking along the river. This area is quite bear country, and there will be warning signs at the trailheads. Bring bear spray out of extreme caution, but you'll likely see nothing. The more concerning feature of this trail is that it's not well marked and more akin to backcountry hiking at points. We utilize AllTrails Premium for this and download the trail map beforehand. Please do not get lost in the woods (for too long)!
Sedonuts Donut & Coffee Shop of Sedona, AZ
Might seem like just a tourist trap, but dang their donuts are good.
Sedona
Other than trails we don't have too many Sedona recommendations. We're always galavanting around up there. It's gorgeous and hard to go wrong with a visit to Sedona. Get outdoors and go explore! Some people will act like it's their first day on earth. It's a tourist town with a vibrant local community... a plurality of whom are investors and/or people who own vacation houses. Among other things. Just trying to keep it real for those who've never been or haven't visited in a long time. If there is a vortex in Sedona it makes people drive really poorly. Traffic can get terrible on weekends and there are one million roundabouts. All this to say, patience is a virtue! This virtue will very likely be tested in Sedona. Tlaquepaque is a fun place to visit for window shopping. There's a turquoise McDonald's! But the real magic of the area is outdoors.
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Listen, I'm a Lake Pleasant apologist, which is why Jose and I got engaged here while looking for botryoidal chalcedony at my favorite spot. Let me know if you want those coordinates! Lake Pleasant receives mixed reviews across the valley, but it's always been perfectly clear and gorgeous when I go paddling. There are burros abundant who might sadly be relocated soon due to government plans... The area is gorgeous for hiking, scorpion hunting, and swimming. Just bring watershoes! Cactuseses!
Desert Botanical Garden
It is as cool as everyone says it is. Go in the daytime!
Phoenix Rock Gym
Our rock gym for people who like climbing!
Postino Central
Just go to any Postinos. Wine and bruschetta, what else do you need?
Romanelli's Italian Deli
Fantastic gabagool
Musical Instrument Museum
I've been here idk how many times. It's always cool.
Glendale Public Library Main Library
Might be a weird suggestion, but I love my local library. Particularly because there are tons of peacocks roaming all around! They've been highly controversial lately and the city is planning on reducing their numbers, but they won't get rid of them entirely... I hope!!
Tres Leches Café
The conchas are to die for.
Adela's Italian Restaurant
Linguini and clams :0
Salt River Tubing
Yes this is a life changing experience, and it's better on a paddleboard if you can find one. You can see (and probably will see) wild horses, bald eagles, fish galore, red-winged blackbirds abound, and plenty other critters. Please please wear a life vest and don't die.
Ti-Li Boba
We love Ti-Li!
Mochi Fresh Homemade Boba Milk Tea
Some of the best boba we've ever had.
Yucca Tap Room
My beloved, there's a really cool arcade in the back as well. Made up of a few different rooms. Pool!
Papago Park
There's literally a hole in a rock
OdySea Aquarium
The coolest bathrooms you will ever sea.
Phoenix Glass Center
Me and Jose went on a date here and made some really cool pumpkins! They're awesome.
Ponderosa Stables Inc
We went on a horseback ride here and had a blast, we love the scenery around South Mountain. There are tons of incredible hikes and petroglyphs all over the mountain. If you'd like coordinates we can send them to you! You might even see a chuckwalla if you hike around.
Brass Armadillo Antique Mall - Phoenix
For people who like antique shopping this place is awesome! And huge!
Miners Rock Shop
One of Kiki's favorite rock/lapidary shops. Awesome UV reactive section.
Grand Canyon
Okay now we're getting a bit unrealistic.