mamadadapaige

hi all,
just printing out last minute directions, and thought I'd ask once more for any suggestions. The kids are 5 and 18 months.

We will fly from Boston to PHX tomorrow morning (unfortunately we are due for a nor'easter which will likely mess up our flight out.. hopefully not too much or a delay).

We will pick up the car and head for Sedona. I though we'd stop at Montezuma Castle to break up the trip (am I correct, that this doesn't take us much out of our way). Then up to Sedona. Staying at the Sky Ranch Lodge. Pick up a few groceries for the room and settle the kids into bed. Watch sunset with glass of wine in hand.

Tuesday, head to Grand Canyon for a day trip. Drive up through Oak Creek Canyon? Do a couple of small walks - the baby will be in the backpack. Are there any stops between Sedona and Grand Canyon on the way back that would be worthwhile and break up the trip?

Wednesday, explore Sedona, possibly some easy hikes... any suggestions? Visit Chapel of Holy Cross. Head down to Scottsdale.

Once in Scottsdale. Staying at the WEstin Villas. Pool time / relaxation. Planning visits to the Zoo and Enchantment Island, otherwise have no other plans.

In Scottsdale for four nights and fly home Sunday.

Any ideas for me?
thanks!!

rm_mn

If you exit Grand Canyon through the east entrance after taking in the sights on the rim drive, a stop or point of interest may be Wupatki National Monument and/or Sunset Crater. The road through Wupatki will lead you straight into Sunset Crater National Monument.

bigtyke

eat at the SUgar Bowl in downtown Scottsdale for a good old fashioned ice cream parlor treat

I prefer to drive won thru oak creek canyon as you are on the inside lane which i find more relaxing. Plus the views are better.

You might consider going to the World WIldlife Zoo on the west side of the Phoenix area rather than the Phoenix zoo. My wife thinks it is the superior zoo (ansd she has been a fan of the Phx zoo for 40 yrs)

Also go to McCormick Ranch RR Park for RR ride and Merry-go-round

mel710

We stopped at an old mining town called Oatman. It's about a half hour run off the main road from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon. There are wild horses roaming the streets and you can buy food to feed them. They are very tame and the kids would love it. Beautiful scenery on the way too.

sunbabe

Hi,
You may consider Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon. It's along 89A just a short distance north of Sedona. People slide on the slippery creek bottom and it makes for great people watching!

Have fun! ~sunbabe

mamadadapaige

thanks so much!! will print out the thread and bring it with us.
k

MikePinTucson

Just a couple of points:

1. Oatman is more than 2 hours (over 150 miles) west of Flagstaff, in fact just west of Kingman. It is not off the road between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. So it would be quite out of your way.

2. At this time of year you are not at all likely to see anyone on slide rock in Oak Creek. The water is just too cold. And the air will be pretty cool, too.

Sky Ranch Lodge is a good pick. We stayed there last September and will be staying there again later this month. Did you get a "view" room?

A nice easy hike near Sedona would be around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Enjoy your trip.

http://mikepintucson.blogspot.com/

mamadadapaige

Hi Mike,
yes we got a view room. figured this would be the thing to do given our time change. the kids will likely be asleep before sunset so this gives my husband and I the opportunity to see the sunset without disrupting their schedule.

i have spent the last couple of hours copying and pasting info from various threads into a word doc to take with us and came across many of your posts... thanks for replying to me!

I came across a great map of the vortexes that someone posted a link to:

http://www.lovesedona.com/01.htm

While I wouldn't considering my two new-agey, who can't use a little positive energy. We'll try to visit one or two during the course of our travels.

Thanks also for steering me straight about Oatman and the slide rocks. We will unfortunately not have TONS of time so have to pick and choose what we do fairly carefully.

I can't believe we'll be there come this time tomorrow night!!

mamadadapaige

yikes. must get myself to bed.

meant to say, that I don't consider myself too new-agey.

k

bigtyke

For kids of all ages, an interesting store in Scottsdale is

POP The Soda Shop
1649 N. 74th St. (just north of McDowell)
Scottsdale, Arizona 85257
480.994.4505
www.popsoda.com

This store has many, many different types of soda pop. I get a case (24 bottles) of different brands of root beers for my boys each Christmas. And just yesterday I noticed they had 2 more new root beer brands.

They also stock unusal flavors and brands such as spruce beer, birch beer (several brands) and Kickapoo Joy Juice..

udflyers

Sounds a lot like what we did last year (NYC to PHX, Sedona, then Scottsdale). If there is availability at the Fairmont Princess, I highly recommend it. We stayed last August for about $159/night. Old Town Scottsdale is a great place to go look for dinner. Lots of places, people out and about... Have a good time.

USNR

Didn't anyone notice this topic began last April? I have a hunch the original poster either made the trip or decided to move to Arizona!

jefedog

By all means - take the Sedona trolley tours. Both are very interesting, informative and inexpensive. You will see lots of sights you might miss, otherwise. When at the grand canyon, try to have lunch at the hotel. Great food, but often crowded. Have a great trip.

jefedog

I forgot one of my favorites. When in Scottsdale, drive down to Messa and have pizza at Organ Stop Pizza, 1149 East Southern Avenue,Mesa, AZ. They serve pizza, pasta and salad, etc. Price is right and the huge 5000+ pipes theatre organ is fantastic. There's no cover charge. They don't open until 4 PM but you can stay until closing. If you have time, view their website (organstoppizza.com)
This is one of the largest theatre pipe organs in the world. I love this place.

mamadadapaige

I'm the OP... had a fabulous time - posted a trip report separately. the time change was tough on the younger of our two kids (actually easy on him, tough on us as we were up at 4 am with him which was 7 am his time). well worth it though.

PhotoDad

I realize it's a little late for this particular trip, but heck, it's a hot topic.

We have lots of tips for traveling with kids on our Familt Road Trippers blog:
http://familyroadtrippers.blogspot.c...%20with%20Kids

Dan
www.familyroadtrippers.blogspot.com