How to Spend a Weekend in Phoenix

I had a blast in Phoenix last week, here first for a conference and had a couple days to explore Phoenix and beyond. And now I’m ready to share, as promised, on where I ate, shopped, hiked and went sightseeing! Most of my time was spent in Phoenix, but also escape for one night to see Sedona and Grand Canyon and I’ll touch on those too. Read on!

Hiking + Sightseeing

Since my mom and I are newbie hikers, we took it easy and found the easiest trails to maneuver. First stop was Papagos Park where we could walk through the desert trails and admire the red rock formation buttes (and climb them.) It’s a beautiful park and definitely worth an early morning hike.

We also visited the South Mountain Preserve, which we liked because of the trails and the ability to drive through for sightseeing. We hiked for a bit and enjoyed a scenic drive. If we had more time, we would’ve scheduled a trail ride with horses!

I wish we would’ve had time for Camelback Mountain to at least attempt one of the trails, but that will be for next time!Above is at Papagos Park and below is just outside the South Mountain Preserve

Shopping

We shopped only in Scottsdale, and there were plenty of shops to check out in Old Town Scottsdale like the Fifth Avenue shopping district. Shops like Piece and Story, Leela (pictured below) and more are worth checking out. This is also where the Arabian horse fountain is located and it’s beautiful to see in person.

We also visited Scottsdale Fashion Square, a huge indoor mall with outdoor shopping and restaurants sprinkled around outside. We spent a couple hours here to shop and eat. If you love to shop, this is the area for you. It has everything from Louis Vuitton to Nordstrom to H&M and Zara. I bought a pair of sandals since I had zero room in my carryon bag!

Coffee + Tea

During our stay in Phoenix, we visited Lola Coffee which I believe has several locations. There’s also Cartel Coffee Lab in Old Town Scottsdale and Teaspressa in Scottsdale (pictured below with all the flowers and pretties.) 

Cartel Coffee Lab

Eats

We didn’t eat out much since I ate most of my meals at the conference in Phoenix, but we did try Hand Cut which is right by the mall, but I also received multiple recommendations for Culinary Dropout. We were on our way to that restaurant but couldn’t find it and because of my hanger, I decided we should just eat here. And the food was great! If you love a burger or a steak, it’s a great spot, plus it’s just so beautiful inside.

We also went to Arcadia Farms Cafe for lunch. I hear this place is great for brunch. The lunch was just okay, but the outdoor seating and brunch menu look fantastic. Plus, there’s a Arcadia Farms Marketplace next door for baked goods that I wish I would’ve popped into! First two photo are from Hand Cut and photo below is the little nook we ate in at Arcadia.

Traveling Beyond Phoenix

We traveled through Prescott National Forest, through the most winding mountain road. Beautiful views, but not for the faint of heart (or anyone like me who experiences motion sickness.) Even while driving, I felt sick climbing up in elevation and taking those twists and turns. We first visited Jerome, an old mining town, thanks to a recommendation and it’s a small town hanging off the hillside with a haunted hotel and many more curiosities. We didn’t have much time here, but I did grab an ice cream cone and wander up and down the streets. If you have more time to spend here (and I recommend that you make more time!), visit this blogpost as I found it super helpful.

Next stop was Sedona and the views were even more amazing than I could have imagined. We booked a two hour back roading tour with Pink Jeep Tours. The tour guide/driver was incredibly knowledgeable and funny and it was worth the ticket prices to fully experience Sedona. There are lots of cute shops and restaurants. I grabbed a souvenir here and we even returned to town the next day since we loved it so much. It is REALLY busy, so I recommend getting there early and maybe even staying over night to make the most of it.

We visited Grand Canyon and walked just two miles, taking in the sights and views. There are many longer hikes, tours and shuttles to see more of the area, but we got in everything we wanted to see by visiting the South Rim, specifically Mather Point, Mather Ampitheatre and the areas surrounding these spots. Just a $35 entrance fee and you can park and wander.  Sedona photos above!Jerome!