Please help me plan our vacation to AZ/NM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we spent a week at Christmas one year staying in PHX but we did day trips to Tucson and Grand Canyon. Our son was in 2nd grade at the time. He loved it. I think about 3 days were in PHX/area. two were in Tucson (full day) and Grand Canyon/Flagstaff (full day). We put a lot of miles on the rental car.

If you want to go to NM, then I suggest going to NM and only NM. But if you want to go to AZ, then go there. But I would not try to combine the two destinations.

I don't know if you are only trying to stay at hotels where you can use your Starwood points.

Did you change hotels each time or just day trips? I have always loved Arizona. I think it is my favorite place to vacation. Love the hiking, pools, spas and food.

We do not need to use Starwood points. I have stayed at Phoenician, W and Westin in Scottsdale previously. It looks like there is a Westin in Tuscon but it does not look very impressive. I would rather pay for a better resort preferably with an excellent kids club.

We stayed at the same hotel in Phoenix with 2 day trips. We did Day 1 in PHX; day 2 in Tucson. Day 3-4 in PHX; Day 5 in Grand Canyon. Morning of Day 6 PHX (and flew out that afternoon). PHX is about 2 hours from Tucson and 3 ish from Grand Canyon.

We don't need an elaborate hotel/resort with a kids club. We stayed at the Buttes in Tempe/PHX, which was more than sufficient for our needs. We did not hang out at the hotel very much, except one night our son went swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I feel like our kids would get along great!
I'm not really up on New Mexico. It might be nice to do one week in Southern Arizona. Here's what I would consider:
Tucson -- Saguaro National Monument if you want to hike, etc; but Sabino Canyon tram ride will have a nicer orientation to the flaura/fauna and then you can hike/walk a bit from the tram rides. Sonoran Desert Museum definitely. Old Tucson would also be fun. There's also a Wildlife Museum place not far from the Sonoran Desert Museum, but I've never been. The Tucson Zoo is actually a really nice little zoo -- you can feed the giraffes.
There's a dude ranch in Tucson called Tanque Verde guest ranch that would be awesome, but not cheap.
There are some other dude ranches south of Tucson, including one in Sonoita that gets fabulous reviews and might be cheaper.
Kartchner Caverns is supposed to be super awesome -- relatively recently discovered and one of the most impressive caves in the country. Check to make sure when the bats are having babies, though -- I think they close certain caverns because of bat breeding. If you're in the area, you could also do a trip down into the old copper mines at Bisbee, and a visit to Old Tombstone, where they re-enact the shootout at the OK Corral pretty much every day (but without Val Kilmer, who actually could probably use the work at this point).

Tucson up to Grand Canyon is about 8 hours, so it would take a chunk out of the week, but could be do-able if you are the type of family that doesn't mind long drives. Or you could skip the south, and fly into Phoenix and just head north from there.
I also really like Canyon de Chelly, which is also up north. If you do the up north route, there's a ton of great state and national parks, including the painted dessert, petrified forest, hoover dam (do the tour), etc. Do the Junior Park Ranger programs at each park if your kids like nature and animals. I think the northern section of the state would definitely be more of a "look at the beautiful scenery" and clamber around on rocks type vacation, whereas Tucson and the area south has more of a mix.

Our family has also done all of these with kids a little older and a little younger. We love Arizona and would definitely recommend all of the above. I would also add Casa Grande, which is, I think, a bit south of Phoenix. Also, there are some cliff dwellings on the way to Grand Canyon which makes a nice stop on the way up to or back.

Hope you get to do this trip. I think your boys will love it.

[Anonymous]

I'm a huge Sonoran Desert fan.

So let's see. If you fly into PHX, you can effectively split your trip in two and do Tucscon one half and Phoenix and north the second.

In Tucson I'd definitely see the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, plus Saguaro National Park. If you have the time and aren't afraid of CBP, Organ Pipe is beautiful and full of solitude. Seriously one of the quietest places I've ever been. If they're into airplanes, Pima Air & Space Museum is a no-brainer, and consider the add on tour to the 309th AMARG at Davis-Monthan. These depart at scheduled times, so if it's something you want to do, check the times first. Coronado National Forest, either up to Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon or Sabino Canyon is also very nice. We're Marriott people so I can't help with hotels but Tucson tends to be more inexpensive than you'd think.

Northern Arizona is obviously the Grand Canyon. I would also suggest Petrified Forest National Park and Tonto National Monument. That part of the state really isn't my thing, so that's all I can suggest.

[Anonymous]

In addition to some places already mentioned we enjoyed:
Slide rock
Santa Fe
Taos

[Anonymous]

And I guess you'll need to find a resort with gila monsters living under the porch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I guess you'll need to find a resort with gila monsters living under the porch.

We have been talking about going to the Sonoran Desert. My preschooler thought we were going this weekend. He was so excited to see gila monsters. My older child was reminding him that gila monsters have a venomous bite.

We are actually going to Florida this weekend. I really wish we were going to AZ instead. Weather would be wonderful now.

[Anonymous]

Can't believe I forgot Pima Air & Space....

If you're staying in Tucson, look into tickets for the Gaslight Theater. Lots of fun with kids.
But also beware that the Desert Museum and Old Tucson are SOUTH of Tucson, so if you're thinking fo doing Tucson as one day trip off from PHX, the Desert Museum will be significantly more than 2 hours from Phx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe I forgot Pima Air & Space....

If you're staying in Tucson, look into tickets for the Gaslight Theater. Lots of fun with kids.
But also beware that the Desert Museum and Old Tucson are SOUTH of Tucson, so if you're thinking fo doing Tucson as one day trip off from PHX, the Desert Museum will be significantly more than 2 hours from Phx.

Desert Museum is more yes, but yes, it's a haul from Phoenix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe I forgot Pima Air & Space....

If you're staying in Tucson, look into tickets for the Gaslight Theater. Lots of fun with kids.
But also beware that the Desert Museum and Old Tucson are SOUTH of Tucson, so if you're thinking fo doing Tucson as one day trip off from PHX, the Desert Museum will be significantly more than 2 hours from Phx.

Desert Museum is more yes, but yes, it's a haul from Phoenix.

More west.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe I forgot Pima Air & Space....

If you're staying in Tucson, look into tickets for the Gaslight Theater. Lots of fun with kids.
But also beware that the Desert Museum and Old Tucson are SOUTH of Tucson, so if you're thinking fo doing Tucson as one day trip off from PHX, the Desert Museum will be significantly more than 2 hours from Phx.

Desert Museum is more yes, but yes, it's a haul from Phoenix.

More west.

Is the "Desert Museum" the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on Kinney Road? I ask because that's 1:50 from Phoenix via I-10 (according to Google maps).

[Anonymous]

I would definitely focus on Tucson. Lots of cool day trips from there and the scenery is better than around Phoenix.

I think it's not unreasonable to expect an 8 hour drive from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. It's 2 hours to Phoenix, then you have to slog through the valley, then 3-4 hours to Flagstaff, and another hour to the Grand Canyon. Add stops for meals and bathroom breaks and yeah, you're at 8.

Grand Canyon can be iffy that time of year--you can get a snowstorm that will shut down I-17 and I-40 or it will be warm and sunny.


And PP, stop with the Google Maps. Phoenix is BIG and you can't just summarily say how long it will take to drive from Phoenix or Tucson to XYZ location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would definitely focus on Tucson. Lots of cool day trips from there and the scenery is better than around Phoenix.

I think it's not unreasonable to expect an 8 hour drive from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. It's 2 hours to Phoenix, then you have to slog through the valley, then 3-4 hours to Flagstaff, and another hour to the Grand Canyon. Add stops for meals and bathroom breaks and yeah, you're at 8.

Grand Canyon can be iffy that time of year--you can get a snowstorm that will shut down I-17 and I-40 or it will be warm and sunny.


And PP, stop with the Google Maps. Phoenix is BIG and you can't just summarily say how long it will take to drive from Phoenix or Tucson to XYZ location.

I think we will focus on Tuscon. There are no direct flights to Tuscon so we will probably fly to Phoenix and split up our stay between Scottsdale and Tuscon.

Which resorts have the best kid clubs? Our boys will be 5 and 7 years old.

For Tuscon, I have on my potential list:
Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain
Tanque Verde Ranch
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa
Westin La Paloma (we could stay here for free using points)

I have previously stayed at the JW Marriott, W, Westin and Phoenician in Scottsdale. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch looks promising for our Scottsdale portion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe I forgot Pima Air & Space....

If you're staying in Tucson, look into tickets for the Gaslight Theater. Lots of fun with kids.
But also beware that the Desert Museum and Old Tucson are SOUTH of Tucson, so if you're thinking fo doing Tucson as one day trip off from PHX, the Desert Museum will be significantly more than 2 hours from Phx.

Desert Museum is more yes, but yes, it's a haul from Phoenix.

More west.

Is the "Desert Museum" the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on Kinney Road? I ask because that's 1:50 from Phoenix via I-10 (according to Google maps).

I'm kind of surprised at that time. It's definitely longer, since I-10 can be a nightmare and you have to get off the interstate and travel down some back roads with slow speed limits skirting the national park to get there.

OP, the Ritz isn't an awesome location for getting out and about. I'd try Tanque Verde Ranch or the JW.

[Anonymous]

What is there to do around Scottsdale itself? Do you use that as a jumping off point for day trips or to relax by the pool, or something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is there to do around Scottsdale itself? Do you use that as a jumping off point for day trips or to relax by the pool, or something else?

Golf and spas.