For the past couple of years, my family and I have taken a non-beach trip together. Growing up, northwest Florida and the Alabama Gulf Coast were our family go-to vacation spots. We’ve since mixed it up with our most recent trip to Arizona that I’ll recap in this visiting Arizona Travel Guide.
Last year, we settled on Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley. Both places were fun but I’d give the nod to Napa. If you’re into wine, there’s no place in the US like the Napa wine scene. The Willamette Valley outside of Portland, Oregon is a close second followed by the Arizona wineries and then the Virginia wineries outside of DC.
Best Credit Cards to Use in Arizona
The majority of the spending on our trip was in restaurants. If you find yourself in the same boat, the American Express Gold, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the Citi Prestige are cards to consider. The Gold earns 4X on dining and US grocery stores, the Reserve earns 3X on dining and travel, and the Prestige earns 5X on airfare and travel.
The previously mentioned cards have high annual fees. If you’re looking for lower annual fee cards, there are 2 to consider in the Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Green. The Preferred earns 2X on dining and travel. As a Green cardmember, you’ll earn 3X on dining and travel.
How to Fly to Arizona
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is the main airport in Arizona. It’s an American Airlines hub that also offers nonstop flights from low-cost carriers and the major US airlines.
We flew Southwest Airlines out of Hobby Airport (HOU). My family flew United Airlines through Houston–Intercontinental (IAH) from the updated New Orleans (MSY) airport. From what I’ve read and heard from my family, the New Orleans airport is much improved from the old airport.
Where to Stay when visiting Arizona
We had a group of 8 on this trip and opted for an Airbnb. If Airbnb makes sense for you, we stayed at this place in Page, this place in Sedona, and this place in Phoenix. I would recommend the Page and Sedona Airbnb’s. For Phoenix, there are better options out there.
On the points hotel front, the major brands have you covered. In Page, there is the Courtyard Page, Home2 Suites by Hilton Page, Hampton Inn & Suites Page, Hyatt Place Page / Lake Powell, and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Page.
Sedona has the Courtyard Sedona, Element Sedona, Hampton Inn Sedona, Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock, Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Piñon Pointe, and Holiday Inn Express Sedona.
Phoenix has the most options. The Courtyard Phoenix Downtown, Residence Inn Phoenix Downtown, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, SpringHill Suites Phoenix Downtown, Fairfield Inn & Suites Phoenix Midtown, Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Downtown, Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix Downtown, Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix, and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Phoenix Downtown can be booked with points.
Where to Eat and Drink when visiting Arizona
The restaurant scene in Page isn’t as robust as Sedona or Phoenix. With that said, we did find a solid coffee and lunch spot that you should check out. LP Espresso has great coffee to get you started in the mornings. We felt the fried chicken at BirdHouse is worth checking out.
Start your day off in Sedona at Oak Creek Espresso. The vibe isn’t incredible but the coffee is solid. For breakfast/lunch, Mesa Grill Sedona has sweeping views of the landscape and is located next to a private airport runway. Sound Bites Grill has you covered if you need to watch a game. For dinner, we were impressed by The Hudson.
Our time in Phoenix was limited, however, we spent time at one spot that you should go hang out at. The Churchill is an open-air food court with a variety of restaurants, cocktails & craft beer. In addition, this venue has live music.
Visiting Arizona Travel Guide Itinerary
After flying into Phoenix, we made what was supposed to be a 4-hour drive to Page. Just outside of Flagstaff, Ashlee and I got hammered by a snow storm. As I’m sure you could imagine, this made the driving conditions interesting. Our drive turned into 6.5-7 hours but in the end, we made it to Page safely.
The itinerary we put together started us at Glen Canyon Dam followed by Horseshoe Bend. The dam is 710 feet tall and offers daily guided tours. We opted for views along Highway 89 that magnified the expanse of this dam. Horseshoe Bend is a short drive from the dam that offers panoramic views of the Colorado River. This is a great spot for pictures but keep in mind that there will likely be tons of tourists.
Our second day in Page was spent at Upper Antelope Canyon. We went with Chief Tsosie’s guided tour and loved it! The guide detailed how the canyon was formed and the importance of tourism to the Navajo people in this region.
After the 2 hours 45-minute drive south to Sedona, we walked around downtown. LSU played Oklahoma the day of our arrival, so we posted up at Sound Bites Grill. Of the bars we visited, I’d recommend Sound Bites Grill when you factor in the food and setup.
The wineries, covered in more detail below, were the focus of our second day in Sedona. We snagged an Uber from our Airbnb and made the 30-minute drive to the wineries. After the wineries, we grabbed dinner at The Hudson, which was a great way to end the night.
Visiting Arizona: Sedona Wineries to Visit
We made time for 3 wineries during our time in Sedona. Unknown to me before visiting Arizona’s wine country, there’s a wine scene that may warrant a trip in and of itself. I’d recommend visiting closer to harvest as you will not find grapes on the wines in December.
Page Springs Cellars, Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery, and Javelina Leap Vineyard Winery are the wineries we visited. Page Springs and Javelina Leap are the top 2 with Javelina Leap taking the top spot for us. Feel free to skip Oak Creek as the customer service was non-existent and the wine was sub-par compared to Page Springs and Javelina Leap.
An important point to make about the wineries is the Uber/Lyft situation. It’s easy to find a ride out to the wineries, however, it’s difficult to find a ride between and back from the wineries. We walked between the 3 we visited being that all 3 were close. If you are planning to Uber/Lyft back, make sure to request a ride mid-afternoon. We were nearly stranded and luckily found a ride with a Javelina Leap employee.
Conclusion on Visiting Arizona for the First Time
This family trip mixed in a number of different travel experiences for us. We spent time outside at Antelope Canyon and the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Our time in Sedona was also spent outside in downtown Sedona and the wineries.
What about you? Are you visiting Arizona in the near future? What does your itinerary look like? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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