Currently my home base is Cave Creek, Arizona, so I wanted to share some of great things to see and do in my part of the state. Sometimes traveling doesn’t have to take you half-way across the world. It can be just as much fun to create a travel adventure in your own “neighborhood.”
The following is a list of things to do and places to see that are relatively close to me. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list. I just chose places that I enjoy experiencing frequently. They are also on my list of potential “must do’s” for out-of-town visitors, so I happily recommend them to you.
My goal is to give each of them an article of its own one day, but in the meantime, I hope this list will be a helpful planning tool for you to explore my little corner of Arizona on your own.
Click to Download List of Top Places to
Explore and Enjoy in Central Arizona
THINGS TO DISCOVER ABOUT CAVE CREEK
Where in the world is Cave Creek?
The Cave Creek Museum
Rare Earth Gallery
Frontier Town
Desert Foothills Community Library
Cactus Shadows Theater
Fiesta Days
Harold’s Corral
The Buffalo Chip
The Horny Toad
The Sonoran Art League and Hidden in the Hills
Spur Cross Conservation Area
Black Mountain Trail
Rancho Manana and Tonto Bar and Grill
Red Truck Trading Company and The Grotto Cafe
Nearby: Pioneer Living History Museum
Phoenix Sonoran Preserve
THINGS TO DISCOVER ABOUT CAREFREE
History of Carefree
Sundial Circle and Cactus Gardens
Carefree’s Enchanted Pumpkin Garden
Snow for Santa
Carefree Art Festivals
Spanish Village and Keeler’s Steakhouse
The English Rose Tearoom
CENTRAL ARIZONA, LAND OF LAKES
Saguaro Lake
The Desert Belle
Shiprock Restaurant
Saguaro Lake Marina
Baldwin Lake
Lake Pleasant
Apache Lake
Roosevelt Lake
FUN EXPERIENCES IN SCOTTSDALE
Taliesin West: Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home
Scottsdale Performing Arts Center
Old Town Scottsdale
Arizona 88
Camelback Mountain
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Talking Stick Resort
Malee’s Thai Bistro
Arcadia Farms Cafe
BEAUTIFUL, MYSTICAL SEDONA
What’s a vortex?
Bell Rock
Cathedral
Airport Vortex
Boyton Canyon
Amazing Art Galleries
New Age Rocks, Jewelry and Other Treasures
Coffee Pot
Enchantment Resort
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping
Oak Creek Canyon
Red Rock State Park
Palatki and Honanki Heritage Centers
Judi’s Restaurant and Lounge
Sound Bites Grill
COTTONWOOD, JEROME AND CLARKDALE
Tuzigoot
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Jerome – Vertical History
Verde Valley Railroad, Clarkdale
SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN FLAGSTAFF
Historical Flagstaff
Downtown Flagstaff
Museum of Northern Arizona
Navajo Festival
Hopi Festival
Zuni Festival
University of Northern Arizona
Walnut Canyon
Wupaki National Monument
Sunset Crater
Fourth of July Parade
San Francisco Peaks
Lowell Observatory
COOL MOUNTAIN AIR IN PAYSON AND PINETOP
Reverse Snowbirds?
Locals flee to the mountains in the summer.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
Fargo’s Steakhouse, Payson
Roundhouse Resort, Pinetop
DON’T MISS THESE SIGHTS AND SITES IN PHOENIX
Heard Museum
Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)
Desert Botanical Garden
Railroad District
Arizona Science Center
Hall of Flame (Firefighting) Museum
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Phoenix Art Museum
Heritage Museum
Pueblo Grande
FOR THE SPORTS FAN
Football: Arizona State University Sun Devils play at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe
NFL Arizona Cardinals play at University of Phoenix Stadium
AFC Arizona Rattlers play indoor football at Talking Stick Resort Arena
Basketball: NBA Phoenix Suns play at Talking Stick Resort Arena
WNBA Phoenix Mercury plays at Talking Stick Resort Arena
Baseball: MLB Arizona Diamond Backs play at Chase Field
Hockey: Arizona Coyotes play at the Gila River Arena
Soccer: USL League One, Phoenix Rising plays at the Casino Arizona Soccer Field
Car Racing: Phoenix International Raceway (Avondale, AZ)
Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (Chandler, AZ)
Horse Racing: Turf Paradise (Deer Valley, Phoenix)
Other: Penske Racing Museum (Phoenix)
Ziegler Fiesta Bowl Museum (Scottsdale)
Majerle’s Sports Grill (Chandler, Phoenix and Desert Ridge)
ANIMAL KINGDOMS, ANYONE
Phoenix Zoo
World Wildlife Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park
Out of Africa
Bearizona Wildlife Park
Ostrich Farm
Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center