What to do in/near Phoenix?
 

We are going for 5 days in December.
I have been to Casa Grande, Sedona, South Mountain and a little sight seeing around Phoenix.
What can we do? What's your list of MUST SEE's within 100 miles of Phoenix?
I appreciate your help!!!

You didn't mention Tucson or Prescott. Whiskey Row in Prescott is cute with a lot of shops. Tucson has a lot to see such as the Saguaro National Park and Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert home (it's actually a small complex of buildings) is worth a visit.

Desert Botanical Garden, Heard Museum, Champlin Fighter Museum, Titan Missile Museum, Kitt Peak Observatory, all in Greater Phoenix/Tucson.

Jerome, Meteor Crater, Painted Desert, Monument Valley, Petrified Forest, Canon de Chelly, (more than 100 miles, but easy day trips).

Such great suggestions!
Whiskey Row is a good place for small shops? LOVE IT!
Where are other towns with lots of little shops?
I'm not into malls, but I love little independant shops... especially when there are a bunch in one place!

Robespierre... could you prioritize that list?
We do plan to do a couple of day trips!

Before you drive all the way to Prescott, please do some more research -- I fear you'll be disappointed. It's cute enough, but it's one square and certainly not worth it (IMHO) to the trip from Phoenix just to poke around some stores for a half hour (which is all it will take).

I'd second the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. I remember reading about some cool architectural standouts in the area. Can't remember where they are though, but probably on the way to Sedona.

I passed by some interesting artist colonies on the way south to Mexico. I think Tubac was an interesting artsy shopping place.

Drive the Apache Trail: http://tinyurl.com/5w4ron
On the way back from Globe, stop at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Not sure how Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly rate as 'easy' day trips from Phoenix. They've got to be at least 10 hours of driving round-trip. If you're going to go that far, stay overnight somewhere up there.

Meteor Crater, Monument Valley, Painted Desert, Canyon De Chelly, Petrified Forest are all great places to visit, but they are not day trips. They are all at least 4 hours each way.

Sonoran Desert Museum (Tucson), Boyce Thompson Arboreteum (Superior), Tonto Natural Bridge (Payson), Biosphere (Oracle) are all more realistic for day trips.

Okay - some of them would require a base in Flagstaff or Sedona to drive comfortably. I was guessing from having hit them all in a day by air.

According to maps.google.com:

Meteor Crater - 2hr 55mn
Painted Desert - 3hr 2mn

For a city that almost perfected urban sprawl, Phoenix has a lot of good hiking nearby. Check out Mount McDowell County Park, Superstition Mountains Wilderness, Picacho Peak State Park, and along the Apache Trail.

Note that some trails are NOT to be taken lightly; meeting a diamondback while alone in the desert wilderness is a thrill, but also a real danger without proper preparation.

Which item in the list sticks out the most?

"Meteor Crater, Monument Valley, Painted Desert, Canyon De Chelly, Petrified Forest"

Meteor Crater, is just a hole in the ground with some displays and a gift shop. It's great if you're a space geek, but MV, PD, CdC and PF are large beautiful spaces and/or national parks that you could easily spend endless hours hiking in and soak in history or think of the movies that were filmed there.

Meteor Crater, though the event that created it stirs the imagination, should go at the end of that list or be in a if I have extra time list.