ARIZONA ADVICE
 

Is there much to do in Mesa or Tempe? Is Mesa worth visiting at all? I will be there in March. I plan to visit Phoenix. Where else should I go at that time of year? Tucson? I think Sedona or anywhere up North will be too cold. Any thoughts?

How long will you be there?
What do you like to do?
Shopping? Hiking? Great food?

My husband and I definitely enjoy good food/wine, golf, some hiking, spa. Not too into shopping.

Not sure yet on exactly how long we will stay. Probably about a week, week and a half.

Do you like baseball? March is the height of spring training, and there are 8-10 teams that train in the greater Phoenix area, including a couple in or near Tempe and the Cubs :) in Mesa (my vote for the biggest attraction in Mesa at that time of year).

For some nice, light hiking near Tempe/Mesa, I like South Mountain Park. Certain trails offer a nice view over the valley. You can find the website by Googling it.

The Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo are near the border of Tempe/Scottsdale/Phoenix, and are nice for walking outdoors that time of year.

Tempe is a college town. Downtown Tempe and the adjacent ASU campus are probably the main attractions there, if that interests you.

If you do want some different shopping, I'd suggest Old Scottsdale.

Thank you so much. That helps alot. We do like baseball so that is a great idea for us. Do you suggest we stay in Mesa overnight or drive there from Tempe since it sounds like Tempe has more to offer?

Mesa and Tempe are adjacent suburbs -- probably 20 minutes driving from the center of one to the center of the other. Where are you basing yourself to see Phoenix and other parts of the valley? Unless you are on the far west side of the valley, I would probably suggest just driving over to Tempe/Mesa for a day (maybe 30 minutes by freeway from north Scottsdale, for example, if not during rush hour).

Here's a link on Spring Training:

http://cactus-league.com/

I think most games are during the day. While it isn't difficult to get into most of the venues, some are pretty popular and may require advance purchase (the Cubs often sell out spring games).

By the way, if you have the time, I think Tucson is worth a couple of days. It is about two hours from Phoenix, so not good for a day trip.

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ion=tucson@159

We went up to the Grand Canyon and Sedona during spring break (late March) a couple of years ago. It was chilly at night and in the early mornings, but not bad during the day. However, the weather can be a bit variable in March.

Have fun.

I would stay in Scottsdale rather than Mesa or Tempe, especially if you like fine dining. There are nice restaurants everywhere. I would drive north of Scottsdale and hike Pinnacle Peak which has a great trail. Camelback is treacherous in comparison but with great views.