Well before Phoenix was my home town (I’ve lived here for 10 years now), we loved to come visit…the weather, the scenery, the variety of things to do, and of course…the good hair days for those of us with natural curls! This particular itinerary is based on a long weekend with kids. Fall break, President’s Day, and Spring Break are all great times to visit Phoenix due to the mild weather. My kids were 5 and 8 the first time we brought them to Phoenix for a visit, but this itinerary is good for kids that are a little older (maybe up to age 12) too. I’ll do a separate itinerary that’s more suitable for teens later!
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Here is a sample 3-day itinerary for Phoenix based on our trip with younger kids in fall or spring:
DAY 1: PAPAGO PARK, BOTANICAL GARDENS, AND A FUN DINNER EXPERIENCE
Before getting in to the itinerary, let’s talk about where to stay. I’m partial to the North side of Scottsdale and Phoenix because of the beautiful mountain views, and variety of nice places to stay and eat, but central Scottsdale is great for location as well. In North Scottsdale / Phoenix I recommend the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess or the JW Marriott Desert Ridge. Both have multiple pools, activities for the kids, great restaurants, and shopping nearby. They also have larger suites and villas for bigger families, but do tend to be a little on the pricey side. If you’re looking for something more affordable, the Hilton North Scottsdale at Cavasson is a newer property, also in a great location, with a beautiful pool area. Finally, if you’re looking to stay closer to central Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Plaza is a great, family-friendly option. There’s a beautiful pool area with a wood-fired pizza place right there, options for villas for larger groups, and a very central location.
Now that we’ve got you a great place to stay, after breakfast at the hotel, start your day Papago Park, in particular, the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail. While it’s not really much of a hike (just climbing up a hill), it’s an iconic landmark in Phoenix that makes for a great photo op and provides nice views of the city. It’s perfect for getting the kids to burn off some energy!
Next, one of my all-time favorite things to do in Phoenix is to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens. It’s very close to Papago Park, so just head on over there and grab lunch at one of the restaurants there. In my opinion, the Botanical Gardens is much better than the zoo (the zoo is fine, but not as unique). There are so many neat desert plants to see, plus there are interactive things to keep the kids entertained as well.
After a couple of hours at the Botanical Gardens, and maybe some pool time at the hotel, make a reservation for dinner at Rustler’s Rooste! While not a Michelin-Star culinary experience, it is a BLAST for all ages, but especially the kids…they even have rattlesnake on the menu! Be sure to “slide” in to the restaurant and explore while waiting for your food. Also, if you time it right, this is a great place to see one of the amazing Arizona sunsets.
DAY 2: GHOST TOWNS, SHOOT-OUTS, AND GOOD EATS
For Day 2, get ready to embrace the Wild West with a trip out to the Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction, which is about 45 minutes from North Phoenix / Scottsdale. We’ve tried a number of these historical towns, and this one is the best! There are jeep tours, mine tours, you can pan for real gold nuggets that you can take home, and be sure not to miss the gun fights that happen every hour from 12-4PM. There’s a saloon there to get lunch as well. Plan to spend the majority of your day here. As a bonus, you’ll get a great view of the Superstition Mountains on your way there too…
On your drive back in to Phoenix, I always recommend grabbing dinner at Oregano’s, a local favorite for pizza. There are many locations throughout the valley. It does tend to get busy, so put your name on the waiting list in advance. If you have young kids, ask for some dough for the kids to play with to pass the time. I love their salads, thin-crust pizza, and you MUST get their pizza cookie (peanut butter with chocolate chips is my favorite)! Theirs are simply the best…under-baked just slightly, and topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
After dinner, if you have any energy left, maybe hit the hotel pool / hot tub (it does get cool here at night when it’s not summer) at the pool and call it a night!
DAY 3: CHOCOLATE FACTORY TOUR, HIKE, AND SHOP
For Day 3, another fun and unique opportunity for the kids is a visit to Cerreta Candy Company, and be sure to book one of their VIP tours. They run tours Monday-Friday at 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, and 1PM. The package includes a tour of their chocolate factory and 3 samples, plus we added on the Italian Pizza Making for them, which was a lot of fun. This is a great family-owned business that has been operating in Arizona for over 50 years.
After everyone’s blood sugar drops from all of the candy, a great option for lunch is In-N-Out, which is “fresh” fast food…nothing is frozen, and it’s really reasonably priced too. It’s a West Coast staple that should be tried at least once, and there are locations all over the valley.
After lunch, I’ve got two options for you to choose from…a longer hike, or an afternoon at the pool, depending on your preferences. If you want to tackle a little longer hike that will give you an opportunity to see desert flora and fauna, I recommend Apache Wash or Pinnacle Peak in the North Phoenix / Scottsdale area. Apache Wash has a lot of different options, and not a lot of elevation gain for the smaller hikers. Pinnacle Peak has an elevation gain of about 600 feet and is just under 4 miles long out and back. It’s a little more challenging for the kids, but you can also just do part of the hike and then turn around. There are really amazing views from this hike. On our kids’ first visit, we attempted the go-to Camelback Hike, but it is extremely busy and really not kid friendly, so I’d steer away from Camelback unless you have teens that are up for a challenge. Be sure to bring lots of water, wear your sunscreen, and watch for snakes!
Finally, if you have any energy left, for your last evening I recommend heading to Scottsdale Quarter or to Old Town Scottsdale for dinner and some shopping. Scottsdale Quarter is very close to the hotels I recommended, with a variety of nice shops and restaurants to choose from. If you’ve got more time and energy, you can make the longer drive in to Old Town for more great restaurant options, and for a more quaint and Western-style shopping experience. Sugar Bowl is a fun, old-time ice cream parlor to grab a sweet treat too. Old Town does tend to get very busy during the high tourist season, and becomes a party area at night, so I wouldn’t stay down there too late!
If you’re planning to stay in the area longer, I’d recommend making a day trip to Sedona (check out my itinerary for Sedona here) or Flagstaff (itinerary for Flagstaff here), which are each around 2 hours from Phoenix and well worth the trip. You could also do the Grand Canyon, but you will need an overnight for that. And if you’re in town during spring training, a baseball game on a beautiful day is a great option too!