Vacation in Arizona, need tips

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iam_thatdude
iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
in Chit-Chat
Gonna b based out of phx for 7 days in June....plan to hit grand canyon and sedona....what else would u recommend?

Note ill have 3 kids 12,8 & 5
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  • ThePhoenixRose
    ThePhoenixRose Posts: 1,985 Member
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    Don't go in the summer. That would be my recommendation.
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    Don't go in the summer. That would be my recommendation.

    Lol purposely going in summer to see of fam would consider moving there...
  • Daisy_Cutter
    Daisy_Cutter Posts: 774
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    If you're going to Sedona - take a little trip to Montezuma's Castle... very cool cliff dwelling. Also, Lake Havasu is awesome. You can see the actual London Bridge... it's not that cool, but your kids might think it's neat!

    Other than that, the Colorado River runs through Bullhead and Laughlin NV is just on the other side!

    Also - I love the summers here. There are petroglyphs that are not really marked but if you have 4WD I can get you a little map. Some really, really neat stuff to see. Take them out in the desert and show them the cacti. It's crazy beautiful... some of the rock formations are just out of this world.
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    If you're going to Sedona - take a little trip to Montezuma's Castle... very cool cliff dwelling. Also, Lake Havasu is awesome. You can see the actual London Bridge... it's not that cool, but your kids might think it's neat!

    Other than that, the Colorado River runs through Bullhead and Laughlin NV is just on the other side!

    How far a drive from phx??
  • Daisy_Cutter
    Daisy_Cutter Posts: 774
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    If you're going to Sedona - take a little trip to Montezuma's Castle... very cool cliff dwelling. Also, Lake Havasu is awesome. You can see the actual London Bridge... it's not that cool, but your kids might think it's neat!

    Other than that, the Colorado River runs through Bullhead and Laughlin NV is just on the other side!

    How far a drive from phx??

    Mont Castle is on the way from Phoenix to Sedona. Probably 30 min from Sedona - Camp Verde area. I think you can get to Sedona from Phoenix in about 2 hours. Flagstaff to Bullhead/Laughlin is about 3 hours. You could make a loop.... drop down 95 along the Colorado River to get back to Phoenix.
  • SofaKingRad
    SofaKingRad Posts: 1,592 Member
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    You will hate Phoenix in the summer. I would recommend hanging out in Flagstaff if you can tolerate hippies. The Grand Canyon will have tolerable summer weather, as long as you don't hike down to the bottom. With kids, you probably won't. Sedona is beautiful and you will like it there. A lot of weird psychic people though. Jerome is a cool little town just southwest of Sedona and it has a lot of history there.
  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
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    A drive to Vegas would be like 5-6 hours from Phoenix...

    If you like pizza, one of the best pizzeria's in the country is there: http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/

    Other than that, I can't really say because I go to Tucson, not Phoenix. Believe or not, there's wine-tasting tours you can take near the Mexican border in Sonoita, AZ. Edit: Oops, sorry. Didn't see the children part.
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
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    We lived in the Phoenix area for 5 years and loved it. People would complain about the heat but I loved that too. It seeps into your bones and feels great. I'd always say "People pay a lot of money to go to a spa and sit in the sauna. I just have to walk outside." Just don't walk outside barefoot in summer. You will BURN your feet!
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    Well I live in east GA where the heat index is 110 in the summer with mega humidity...so im not worried about heat. I just need stuff for kids
  • CaroSeraMince
    CaroSeraMince Posts: 51
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    If you drive to the South about 3.5 hours (or less, depending on your foot!), you can come to Bisbee. It's a small town south of Fort Huachuca. It was an old mining town. Lots of history but now it's an "artists' town." Good restaurants, galleries, a neat old mine tour the kids would love (the guides are old men who worked in the mines). It's a good place for a day trip. And, since the altitude is higher it's usually a good 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    As an Arizona girl, I will warn you that it will be very hot, but not at all humid yet, which will make a big difference.

    As far as where to go? Anywhere - enjoy our gorgeous sunsets while you're here.
  • Nimbkar
    Nimbkar Posts: 67 Member
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    Havasupai Falls- 12 mile treck to Indian Reservation.It is off of high way 89. Breathtaking falls, the best I ever seen.
    or
    Try hiking the Usery Mountains. - The landscape is sonora desert, and the weather is always cool and windy there. I would definitely suggest getting there early in the morning to beat the AZ sun.
    Usery Mountains should be at 1 hour driving distance if you are in Phoenix proper.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Arizona Science Center (fun for kids)
    Golfland-SunSpash (Minigolf and waterpark) or WaterWorld or Stay at a resort with a waterpark
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
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    Wildlife world zoo and aquarium http://www.wildlifeworld.com/
  • xbabyblueyez21x
    xbabyblueyez21x Posts: 26
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    We have several waterparks and you can also tube the Salt River (though people drink quite a lot and the kiddos might see some inappropriate stuff). You could go to a D-backs game. We have several museums the kids would like. You can go rent a paddleboat at Tempe Town Lake. We have tons of lakes within an hour drive. We have several mini golf places and an indoor go-cart racing place. The Phoenix Zoo is cool but you'll want to go early before it gets too hot. We have roller skating rinks. TONS of things to do with the kids! :)
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Arizona Science Center (fun for kids)
    Golfland-SunSpash (Minigolf and waterpark) or WaterWorld or Stay at a resort with a waterpark
    The science center is wonderful! We had passes for a few years and would go about once a month. I don't think we did everything there was to do there anyhow.

    The water parks are really nice too. TONS to do but bring a lot of sunscreen.
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Wildlife world zoo and aquarium http://www.wildlifeworld.com/

    That's a few miles from where we used to live. It's a great zoo. They built a brand new aquarium that is only about 3 years old. My mom said they went to dinner there just a week or so ago and sat right next to a massive shark tank.
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    We will also be looking at an area to potentially move to, I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the Anthem, AZ area.
  • Nimbkar
    Nimbkar Posts: 67 Member
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    Yep, North Most end of Phoenix, next stop Flagstaff :-) Newly developed area- Honeywell and AMex have their Corporate centers and huge presence in the area
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    Yep, North Most end of Phoenix, next stop Flagstaff :-) Newly developed area- Honeywell and AMex have their Corporate centers and huge presence in the area

    Good place to raise kids? Safe, schools, etc?

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