First time to the Phoenix area. We will have a small group. Trying to decide where to stay/what to do. We would love an area where we could go out and not have to worry about driving, but plan on having a car for day trips, etc. Any suggestions? I've heard good things about Scottsdale? Are there fun areas in Phoenix anyone can recommend. Any good bars?

Thanks.

When are you traveling? The last week in March and the first week in April is Arizona Bikeweek. No, not bicycles, motorcycles. The Scottsdale area will be quite busy. Arizona's version of Sturgis. Even if you don't ride motorcycles, it's one big party.

Downtown Phoenix is where Bank One Ballpark (BOB) is located. Inside the park is TGI Fridays. It is open with or with out a game being played, we love it. It is a nice restaurant/bar over looking the whole stadium. The Point resort at South Mountain (in Phoenix) has numerous bars and restaurants. Tempe's Mill Ave. is one long street of shops, bars, restaurants ect. college town stuff, but very fun!!

Sid, give us more details about your trip. Does your group consist solely of adults or will there be children too? WHen are you heading out there?

Here's another shout out for The Pointe (Hilton) at Squaw Peak. Moderate rates for lots of fun....pools, lazy river, 2 story water slide, and they have a great kids program, too.

Old Town Scottsdale is a nice area for strolling, shopping, eating.

Wow, that's good info about the TGI Fridays at Bank One. We plan to head there during the day for their tour of the park so now we will plan on taking the kids to lunch there too which will save us a lunch stop. Thanks!

You may also want to check out the Arizona Science museum when you are at Bank One Ballpark (the BOB). The museum is other the other side of the parking gargage north of the BOB and there is a walkway connecting it to the parking garage. This is one place we take our visitors with kids.

I love the Point Hilton too! But I prefer Tapatio over Squaw Peak and I have been to both!
I didn't hit too many bars outside the resort because it was hotter then heck and they had a swim up bar with Calypso Music that was quite good, hard to drag myself away from that!!!
They have stuff for kids to do that is free all day but they also have an adults only pool where the swim up bar is. I love this resort because of that. There is something for every taste and situation and it melds well for either a family or adult or combination trip. I think there are about 8 resteraunts between both resorts and free transfers between resorts, by Lincoln Towncar the time we did it no less!!!

To see a little of the natural side of the area I recommend a visit to the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum. It is really lovely. Kids will kike it too (mine did). There are some short and easy hiking trails. You'd have to drive out there. I think it'a about 45 minutes from Phoenix, but an easy drive as I recall. Bring binoculars if you have them there are great birds there too.

I don't see evidence of Sid checking back here, but I will say that last spring I was in Scottsdale during the AZ bike week, and the only thing I saw was some nice clean normal people-type bikers (and awesome bikes)at the Holiday Inn we stayed at first night when we got in late. The first night was kind of interesting, they had a bike w/a jet-type motor set up in the hotel lobby, and the front desk was selling AZ bike wk. tshirts, etc. They seemed to love their bikers and the business. Once we moved to our resort hotel the next day, we never saw any more bikers (we did stay at the resort most of the time but ventured out for a few things like a baseball game, and a dinner). this was somewhat of a disappoointment for our preteens, who really liked seeing the bikes that first night. Maybe they were staying somewhere else, I don't know, but it didn't seem that big a deal for us.

No, Bike Week is at the same place. As a matter of factmy husband and I are booked at the Holiday Inn By the way, "Bike people" are usually nice, clean ,normal human beings. What did you think we were?

Sorry, for the mistakes in my reply. Just a little annoyed at how some people perceive one another.

azgirl: My thought was that I did not want anyone, including Sid, to be potentially concerned about having the bike week coincide w/his vacation, and thought I'd share my experience w/the wk. last yr, which as I said we found enjoyable. My father drove a big Ariel w/a side car when I was little, he went on bike trips all over the U.S., so no bias here. But I thought someone might be a bit worried about "one big party", as you described it, in the same place and time as their vacation, and thought I'd share that we did not find the bike week activity we experienced as anything but a plus.