Your happiest adventures may not all take place in our Arizona hometown, although coming home to the comforts found in our sanctuaries will end every day on a high note. The best part of this area is just how many interesting towns, sites, and attractions that can be explored during day trips that begin and end in Scottsdale! I Love Scottsdale isn’t just our name, it is how we feel about this beautiful city we live in, and that love extends to many surrounding towns. This guide to Scottsdale day trips will help put the fun back in road trips and give travelers a more complete picture as to why Arizona is really the only state in which we would ever consider living!
Prescott
One of our favorite day trips from Scottsdale in the summer months, we all enjoy the opportunity to go outside and play in this rustic town located just two hours away. The weather is always cooler up in the pines, and as you drive through the mountains, viewing the rugged landscape along the way, you may stop to do some bird watching or even try to envision what life must have been for early travelers stuck following wagon trails! Once you arrive in town, you will soon discover that the town revolves around the 19th century courthouse that is in the center of Prescott, offering mature trees for shade, benches for relaxing, and soft grass that more than a few people will be laying out on napping in the cool beauty of the day. Surrounded by shops and boutiques, Prescott is the ideal spot for buying unique Christmas gifts, and when hunger pangs strike, a visit to the Palace Restaurant and Saloon, 120 S. Montezuma Street, will give visitors a peek into the past (It is the oldest Arizona restaurant and longest running saloon.) and a taste of steak so perfectly prepared, you will wish you could slow down time so as to enjoy these moments longer!
Sedona
Located just over two hours away from your I Love Scottsdale sanctuary, the town of Sedona is known for its magic, its mystical charms, and its stunning views of red rocks. Spend the day dipping in and out of the shops that line the streets, being sure to take a lunch break at the Cowboy Club Grille & Spirits for some wild game meatloaf and an ice-cold beer. The art galleries of Sedona always offer something uniquely Western, and the magic of Sedona can be felt the strongest at any of the four vortexes that dot the landscape, the most powerful being found at Cathedral Rock. Jeep tours of many colors are popular for learning about the town, and guests can take part in their favorite and still make it home in time to watch a little television before dropping off to sleep on cloud-soft beds.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
If you have ever wanted to take a trip back in time, a visit to Montezuma Castle National Monument, located about an hour and a half outside of Scottsdale’s city limits will instantly send you back almost 1000 years! The Sinagua people carved a community out of the stone cliffs, living in this area for over 400 years before magically seeming to disappear off the face of the earth. The cliff dwellings are remarkably preserved, perhaps by their position high up on the face of the cliffs, and as you stroll around the park area, letting mature trees shade you and listening to the sounds of Beaver Creek’s waters trickling over the rocks, you will easily be able to imagine the hardships those ancient peoples must have faced.
Tombstone
Yes, you read that right. The real town of Tombstone, home to the Earp Brothers and the shootout at the OK Corral, can be found just under three hours away from your modern and sumptuous Scottsdale sanctuary. You’ll find recreations of the shootout (Can you believe it only lasted 30 seconds?) and the opportunity to belly up to the bar at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and maybe even spot a spirit of a different sort during your tour of the Bird Cage Theater.
Goldfield Ghost Town
Some of the best adventures can be enjoyed with far shorter road Scottsdale day trips as you explore the beauty of the towns that surround Scottsdale, and Goldfield Ghost Town is the perfect example. Located less than an hour away from Scottsdale in Apache Junction, Goldfield is a reconstructed ghost town that comes complete with tales of those who haunt it and an elevator ride “down” into the mines! Offering gun fights, shopping experiences, and a delicious restaurant that is always crazy busy in the winter months, this fun spot will make your kiddos feel as if they are living the cowboy life.
Modern, Comfortable, and Air Conditioned
However you spend the days of your Arizona vacation, coming home to our Scottsdale sanctuaries every night will bring you joy. Reserve your favorite property today!
