Welcome to the Sunshine Travelers podcast, where we help you travel more and better. In today's episode, we explore the magic of Christmas and New Year's in Arizona. From the festive charm of Scottsdale, to the breathtaking beauty of Sedona's red rock landscapes, and finally to the serene wonderland of the Grand Canyon, we'll show you how to create unforgettable holiday memories in the desert. Whether you're dreaming of luxury resorts decked out in holiday lights, cozy moments in small -town Sedona, or the awe -inspiring vistas of the Grand Canyon, this episode is packed with tips and inspiration to make your winter season truly unique.
I'm Scott. And I'm Melissa.
I'm Melissa. And we're the Sunshine Travelers.
we're the Sunshine Travelers. Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do. For those who want to learn more about travel, or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you follow along that journey, get ready to hear about our firsthand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on Earth.
If you've been following along on our social media, you'll know that we decided to take our family on a trip this year instead of exchanging gifts. For us, it was about building memories while following our passion. a passion that our kids are starting to develop on their own as well. And we wanted to go somewhere with a warmer climate where we could all enjoy outdoor activities together.
Yeah, so Skye and I had traveled to Arizona in December of 2023, in the middle of December, and we thought that it would be somewhere that the whole family would really enjoy. Last time we were there, I just said, I had told the kids when I talked to them while we were out there, oh, that you guys would enjoy this, and I think you'd enjoy this all together. The last time Scott was in a walking boot, so we didn't have an opportunity to do many hikes. He was kind of on the mend with his Achilles. We did play golf one day, but we didn't get to explore a lot of those hikes. And then the other thing I wanted to say is don't discount this episode as just like, oh, well, I don't need something for Christmas. Like this is going to be, I would say, anytime that you want to do this in the winter. I mean, I guess anytime that you would want to do this trip. But specifically, we're going to talk about why it was especially enjoyable. in the winter for us and why that just gives you a lot of advantages.
Yeah, I mean, and you may start looking to plan your trip for the next holiday season and you want to start getting some of those pieces in place now. And so we wanted to just share this information with you. And, you know, you still have a couple of months where this is good information and you can take it and go use it right now.
Yeah, really, the only holiday stuff is probably going to apply like. From, you know, Thanksgiving through the new year where they really have the Christmas stuff. But everything else is going to apply, you know, throughout the whole winter season when it's not so, so hot there.
Yeah, we did hear, though, that you probably want to avoid this area around spring break. That it was really, really a busy time of year for them. I was actually really surprised because of the mild weather.
was actually really surprised because of the mild weather. And I know a lot of people, you know, go there for wintertime that it actually wasn't more crowded. But yes, I think that's a great tip. Yeah, it's the early spring. Once people do their winter break and spring travels, it probably is super busy.
Well, Melissa, before we get started into information about Arizona, you had wanted to share some information with our listeners about all the different resources that we have available to them.
Yeah, so several things. On our website, sunshinetravelers .com, we do have blog posts. Our podcast episodes are actually searchable there. So if you're listening to this on Apple and Spotify, it's a little bit hard to find. But if you go to sunshine travelers dot com and click on podcast, you can actually search in for the topics. So a lot of times so that I can easily find them, you know, I link to those there. We also have lots of other travel resources. So if ever you're like starting to plan a trip or you just want to kind of see what resources we have out there, everything from e -sims to car rental companies that we would recommend in Costa Rica. to the supplements that we take and take while traveling, just like all kinds of different things and just tips for how we book trips, itineraries. And we're really going to try to beef that up over really this year. I would say we're going to try to beef that up and make that super easy and convenient for you. And then, of course, on our social media, if you're not following us at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. or on Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. A lot of short form content on places that we visit and tips and things like that. And then it's just a good way to just like remind you, you know, of to go into, you know, the places on the website or I'll put links and stuff like that. But then also we do have a weekly newsletter. And so I actually, you know, love these from creators that I like to follow because it does remind you, you know, you get busy and then something pops into your. mailbox that might be really good tips. And so we share a variety of things. And so you can go to the website and sign up for that. The way we have it set up on the website, you get a free packing guide. And so if you put your, you know, you get that free packing guide, you get the weekly newsletter. And so we just have a lot of things in there, typically linked to things that we have created recently or just some resources that we have out there for you guys.
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All right, well, let's start with Scottsdale because that's where we all flew into and we spent the majority of our time is hanging out in Scottsdale. And we kind of prefaced the trip of this was a trip to Scottsdale and then we were going to do on top of that the Grand Canyon. and Sedona.
Yeah. And I felt like that when you're traveling with a group, so we had eight of us for part of the time, and then we had a total of 14 for part of the time. So when you're traveling with a big group, it's a lot more difficult to do like a road trip, for example, and move around, especially with kids. So we wanted to kind of plan ourself in one place. So I did want to give a couple of suggestions about that, especially traveling with a family or a group. The two places that we have stayed, and they're both Marriott properties because you guys know that we like Marriott properties and we have elite status there. And so we typically try to use those a lot.
The Western Kierlin was one of the places that we stayed last year. And then this time we stayed at the Desert Oasis.
Right, which is a Sheraton property. So both of those are villa style places that offer one and two bedroom. type situations. And so that was really helpful. Yes, we did do a lot of eating out, but it's really helpful when you have a large group to be able to, you know, have things for breakfast and especially with kids to keep snacks and then bring leftovers and, you know, just different things like that. So if you're looking for that type of thing, that's a great option because then also, I mean, of course, then you could look at, look at renting homes or something like that. But this is also a great option if you don't want to be like all together all the time. Everybody can still kind of have their own space. And then you still have more of a resort -style amenity. It had a pool. It had a hot tub. It had some activities and different things like that. And so there were a couple of times where we went to the pool and ordered lunch and had drinks and things like that. So just a couple of suggestions that might be useful there.
Well, you kind of jumped straight into the where did we stay, but why did we even pick Scottsdale to begin with? We talked a little bit about it in the beginning. is, you know, we had gone there. But what is it about Scottsdale that makes us a good place to take our family, to take this large group and go and spend the holidays?
Well, for us, it was definitely the warmer weather. It wasn't, you know, we had guys that wanted to play golf. We wanted to be able to do some hiking. And we just had, it was one of those places that we had thought that they would enjoy as well, kind of all together. It definitely has, you know, there's lots of shopping. And just a different environment, right, without having to go out of the country. Everybody had passports and stuff like that, but just not wanting to add that extra level of complexity. For us, it's not a huge time difference, you know, two hours. And then we have, you know, part of our group was from Alabama. So it only ends up being like a one hour time difference. So you just don't have like a huge amount of jet lag. It's not super long to get to, you know. We'd say, oh, we'd love to go to Hawaii or something like that. But then just eats up so much time with travel time as well.
Yeah. And when you talk about shopping, I mean, this isn't just like, you know, they have a one area with a few stores. There's lots of different places in Scottsdale that you guys found where you could go and do shopping. You had the areas with the boutiques. You had the areas that was maybe a little bit more touristy with, you know, tourist stores and stuff like that. And then you also had the high -end shopping malls that are right there.
Right. So tons of shopping. We actually, so these places that we stayed are in North Scottsdale, but still there's lots of, yeah. So there's like outdoor shopping there and then in more closer to downtown Scottsdale and old town Scottsdale, just a variety of things to be able to do. And yeah, so that was really, that was really just kind of, kind of why. And then, like I said, that we had been there. And said, hey, I really think that everybody would enjoy this. We don't have. So it's not like for us, like we would take this whole group and, you know, we don't have a lot of skiers or anything like that.
We learned something new about Scottsdale while we were there last time. Is that the palm trees are not native to Scottsdale.
Oh, no, I didn't know this. So tell me. Yeah. So they bring in all of those palm trees.
Yeah. So they bring in all of those palm trees. It has a lot of palm trees and you would think that palm trees just grow natively there, but they're not. They're brought in. I guess that 100 % makes sense.
brought in. I guess that 100 % makes sense. And then some of them are like really, really tall. So I don't know what the variety is, but like compared to what we have in some, you know, where we are in Florida anyway, they're just like really, really tall and skinny. But that totally makes sense.
that totally makes sense. And they do a lot of Christmas lights. So the palm trees are all, you know, wrapped in Christmas lights like we have here on the island. But then the other thing that I laughed about is, you know, they have these big barrel cactus and they would wrap those in lights, too. Now I'd hate to have that job.
I'd hate to have that job. Yeah. We wondered, like, how do they do that? Because there was one time when I was like, that one's not even real. And you were like, yeah, that's that's 100 percent real. So, yeah, lots of we're going to talk about a few of the holiday things, but really a lot of things to do and see all over, I would say, for the holidays, too. Yeah.
Yeah. And we got a couple of rounds of golf in, which was great. So. I went with our sons and played golf one day before everybody got out there. And then once the whole group got in, we took a group of like seven or eight people and went and played golf. So you have lots of options. I mean, we played at public courses, obviously, because we didn't have any memberships out there. But we played at the Duke, which I thought was a great course. The guys at the PGA Tour Superstore acted like they had never heard of it, but it was actually a really nice course and we enjoyed it. Beautiful views. So you had these mountains that you were just looking at in every hole. And so great views. And then when we played with the larger group, of course, we played somewhere that was maybe a little bit more friendly to newer golfers and stuff like that. But once again, terrific views.
And I guess now that you say that, like that's the other thing that I think the landscape is so different from what, you know, not only what we have here and what, you know, the kids and stuff are used to. Everybody else like lives in Atlanta, too. And so I think just having, you know, the mountains, but they're very different from the North Georgia mountains. Right. Yeah. It's the rocky and, you know, the red terrain and stuff like that that we're going to get into. So I think that, too, just having a different. You know, a different landscape to experience.
Yeah.
Well, let's talk a little bit about the holiday activities that, you know, we were able to do while there. Because I think this was pretty special. And it's, you know, something that you're going to want to make note of. And you might want to go and do this yourself.
Yeah. And like I mentioned earlier, so probably from Thanksgiving all the way till New Year's, you would get to experience a lot of these. So the first one was Christmas at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, which is a hotel. But it's a, so it's a pretty massive complex.
Yeah. 65 acres.
Okay. Yeah. So 65 acre complex, but all kinds of things that you can do. And it's really, it's for locals. Like they even sell like a annual pass or like a season pass that you could get to go to it because you could go and do a lot of the, you know, do a lot of things. So, you know, things for kids, tons of holiday lights in like different configurations. So like. light show. And then on the building, they had kind of like a show that we're used to seeing kind of like on, you know, the castle at Disney, kind of like that kind of light show. And then they have the world's largest traveling Ferris wheel. Yeah. And they have like ice, like ice, ice tubing,
tubing, ice tubing.
ice tubing. That's what snow tubing. Yeah. Yeah. It's really more snow. So it's like, you know, the ice tubing they had do have ice skating that you can do. And so all of this is in
what snow tubing. Yeah. Yeah.
Like you get like a pass, like a like a pass and then an armband that's like, you know, good for that particular day. You also do if you are driving and you have a car, you do need to also purchase a parking pass. But the transportation, they put you in a little shuttle and it was very quick getting back and forth. But if you. If you wanted to and you didn't have so many people, like you could actually probably like do an Uber or something. Was the ice skating included? So the ice skating was not included. That was an extra. So they did have some things that were extra on top of that. And like we didn't really have, you know, we didn't really have time to do that. And I think you would have had to like make reservations and stuff like that. But so that is that is on top of that.
Was the ice skating included? So
that is that is on top of that. But you could actually you could just go as well. So if you didn't want to do the like activities like the kids rides or the. It was just certain areas that you had to show your armband to get into. And then there were other places where you could just literally walk around. So, for example, if you were staying at the hotel, right, you're not going to have to get a pass to because it kind of mixes all in, you know, into everything. So we did buy the pass and we did go on Christmas. We did go on Christmas Day, which was a very nice thing. It was open from four till, I don't know, 10 or 11 Christmas night. So that was just a neat activity for us to do something very different for us.
So we did buy
very different for us. But on Christmas Day.
Yeah, the kids absolutely loved it, you know, including the littlest ones, the grandkids.
Yeah. And the other thing I would say is one of their big things was having like fire pits everywhere to where you could do s'mores and they had kits that you could buy. But we did see a lot of people who I guess were locals and knew they had brought some of their own kits and they have drinks and food for sale and things like that. The other thing was there was a Christmas train that kind of went throughout the property. And obviously that was part of, you know, having to have the armband.
Yeah, I think the only thing was like the $10 water. I couldn't wrap my head around.
Yeah, that was the, yeah, yeah, they didn't have water. Yeah, but you could bring food, you could bring drink, you could bring all that kind of stuff too. So yeah, bring a water bottle because we weren't.
You could get a cocktail or you could get a bottle of water for the same price. Yeah. So that one was a little bit weird.
The next one, and we actually went to the Desert Botanical Garden during the day, and that's a fantastic botanical garden. Scott, you have not gotten to go. That's something where that we would go back. But throughout the holiday season, they have a, and I'm going to try this, Las Noches de las Luminarias. Las Noches. Sorry. Las Noches de las Luminarias. Maybe. Is that like the light of the night or something like that?
that like the light of the night or something like that?
Well, it's like you're familiar with the luminaries, right? And so they were actually having it that night, the day that we went. So we went while the guys played golf. A lot of the girls went and we took the little kids. And so they were setting up for that event. So they have music throughout the throughout the property and then the luminaries and things like that. So it looked like it was going to be very beautiful.
You know, just the different. So the landscape, it's also obviously a desert botanical garden, but that was really neat. And then just on a side note, the zoo is very close by. And they also have like the zoo nights with the zoo lanterns and stuff like that during the holidays, which I know they have a lot of places throughout the country. So that gives you a couple of options for those types of things as well.
I think one of the surprise things that we did. that I just didn't know that would be such a big hit was the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park. And so we went there. They had kind of the holiday lights set up at this park. And, you know, very similar to the way that it was done with the princess at the Fairmont. But this was at the, I don't know, it's just a little train park. And I think locals can go there. You know, it's got a train that goes around the property that you can ride. But the thing that was the biggest hit is inside this park, there is this massive model railroad museum, I guess, where it's actually working model railroad. So there's cars going all around. But this whole building is one huge model railroad setup.
it's actually
Yeah. And one and part of it, like they were like older. And then part of it, it seems like they try to like. put in new, you know, new type things and things that kids would really like enjoy. And they had a lot of Christmas themed type things and the guys that, you know, do it. But yeah, that was something that I didn't even realize that was there. And I think that we probably enjoyed that more than, so it was like you said, you have to have a train that you can ride and they have a carousel and all that was like holiday and they had a couple of little holiday things, but it was really that, that we, we enjoyed more than anything. So this is actually something that you can visit year round. It's actually operated by the Parks and Rec department. And so it's, you can go, you know, during the day it runs and it's, you know, a couple of bucks each to ride the train thing around. But what's special about it at night is the train goes back into this where it's like tons of lights and stuff like that. And it's a short little ride, but you could do it more than once if you wanted to. I would recommend getting there when it opens. Well, I guess they have like different, they have, they had like three different time slots, but go do the train first because that line kind of got, you know, long or whatever. And you can buy those tickets online ahead of time. But yeah, I think you're, that's funny that you say that, but we did enjoy that. The model, we spent more time inside the model train. And well,
And well, let's go back to the train though, because the, while the line was long to get onto the train, I was surprised because they had like two or three engines running, pulling cars. So I'm. It's probably a pretty fast moving line to go through.
Yeah, you're right. And they sell only a certain number. Like when I bought those in advance, several weeks in advance, if not a month in advance, and I had seen actually that it was even sold out. So you want to buy those in advance. And I mean, this would be great. You know, these things are great, even if you're local or you, you know, are somewhere close by and wanted to do just like a, you know, a weekend trip or something like that for the holidays. Yeah, so we really enjoyed that. We had just seen it last time when we were there. And it wasn't something that we did last time because we didn't have kids with us. And that just kind of stuck out in my mind. And then we had found out about the Fairmont Princess and did that. You know, wanted to buy tickets for that also.
One of the things is a couple of years ago when we were out skiing with Will and Emily, Will and I went to the store in Vail, Colorado and bought us Stetsons. And so this year, going out there to Arizona, Our son -in -law, Brady, was like, I think I want to get a Stetson this year. And so while we were there, he went into this store called Mavericks. And in the back, they had a hat bar set up with all the Stetson hats, stuff like that. And then they custom fitted it and formed it for him while we were there. And so that was really a neat thing to do as well.
Yeah, and they do like a brain, like you can have your... initials or whatever you want branded on it and stuff like that so that's a neat neat thing to have so he had seen a couple of different shapes of the hats or whatever and he told him he said i want it you know kind of more like this and so the lady actually formed the shape of the hat based on what he really wanted versus what it was oh that's really cool so that's pretty neat
whatever you
he had seen a couple of different shapes of the hats or whatever and he told him he said i want it you know kind of more like this and so the lady actually formed the shape of the hat based on what he really wanted versus what it was oh
that's really cool so
pretty neat
And so the other thing I want to talk about, like as far as Christmas type stuff is what we did for Christmas lunch. We decided that we we wanted to we had a few little brunch type things in the morning, but we had lunch at Zuzu, which is very close to Old Town Scottsdale, probably considered being in Old Town Scottsdale at the Hotel Valley Ho, which is. More up done, but it seems very retro hotel. So definitely recommend that if you're out there for the holiday, especially for Christmas, that you look for a place and get reservations. So a lot of places that weren't open and we did have to have reservations for this in advance, but highly recommended their Christmas buffet lunch. They had a buffet for like the appetizers and the salads and stuff. And then you ordered an entree.
Yeah, it kind of gave me the vibe and feel of like an old motor lodge. That someone had taken very upscale.
Yeah, that might be something, you know, that you want to look at to stay as well.
Yeah, I would definitely stay there. And so one of the things that we wanted to do and part of why we chose to go to Scottsdale is we wanted to have outdoor activities, things that we could do with the family and go and be outside and enjoy this great weather. And so we did hiking at Lost Dutchman State Park. And that was a really great area to go to. One trail that we did all of us together. And I think it was a couple of miles round trip, something like that. Went part of the way up the mountain. And we had just some terrific views. The kids did so great. So if you worry about, you know, taking your kids, because Rhodes is three years old, right? So three and six. And if you worry about taking your kids on something like this, they did wonderful. Now, you know, he had to stop a few times and play with his trucks in the dirt and stuff like that. But that's fine. You know, let him do that. Another part of the group wanted to keep going up the summit of this mountain. And I guess they just had a little energy to burn or something like that. Maybe too many Christmas goodies or something. And so they went on up and hiked a good portion of the mountain towards the summit. I don't think they ever really got there. You know, they did that while the rest of us came down off the mountain, went and grabbed some lunch and, you know, enjoyed the rest of the day.
Yeah, but highly recommend Lost Dutchman State Park. It's about 45 minutes from North Scottsdale area. It's probably about 20, 25 minutes from the towns of Mesa and Gilbert. But really some really good trails. Like you said, short. They even had shorter trails than what we did. And then they have camping there and things like that too. But then the longer trails.
What was the name of that restaurant we ate at in Gilbert?
So we ate at Culinary Dropout. So Culinary Dropout has a lot of locations throughout Scottsdale. They actually have a lot of locations now in other cities as well. But this particular one, yeah, had like some special holiday stuff and stuff like that. So that was a lot of fun. And the little town of Gilbert almost looks like...
the little town
looks like... Part of it looks like like an old Wild West town. And then they've added on to it. They've added like a like a parking garage and then like these new places. But like when you drive in through the old like the old downtown part. But then, of course, you would see that the town of Gilbert is big, you know, like any other suburb. But you didn't take me there because when you were talking about it and we were going out there,
like any other suburb. But you didn't take me there because when you were talking about it and we were going out there, you were talking about like some kind of ghost town type place.
there, you
I shouldn't have said ghost town. I said. It's an old Wild West town is how like the buildings as we drove toward that. And then we took a ride and went into that. Yeah, I still didn't see that.
Yeah, I still didn't see that. But OK.
I know. Sometimes it's hard when you're driving. You miss things. So. But yeah, I highly recommend those. Town of Mesa as well. We didn't make it there on this trip. But lots of like wall building murals and different things like that. You're about to say Walmarts.
about to say Walmarts.
The other thing that I would recommend, and this, of course, is also very dependent on your group. This is something that I've gotten to do. Scott hadn't gotten to do this yet, is go to the Frank Lloyd Wright House, which is called Taliesin West. So if you enjoy that type of thing, that is really neat as well. So you want to look at making reservations or buying tickets for that ahead of time as well.
Well, let's talk about a few travel tips for Scottsdale, and then we'll move on to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.
Yeah, so one of the things... Is that TPC Scottsdale is where they have the waste management open, which I think is gotten to be like one of the largest. And rowdiest. And very popular.
rowdiest.
Golf tournaments.
Yeah, golf tournaments is right there near in North Scottsdale, right there near the Sheraton Desert Oasis. So I would say like if you're not there for that, make sure you look at the dates for that because. It's going to be very crowded and very expensive to stay and stuff like that. But they were already setting up for that.
stuff like
It's the first week of February.
Okay. Yeah. So just make sure that you look at that. I wouldn't say go then unless you're going for the tournament. It was also not very busy. Like we got there on Christmas Eve and it wasn't busy at all. even like for a couple of days after. And even they got there on the 27th and they were like, oh, is it always not, you know, is it always like not this crowded or whatever? Which I mean, being used to Atlanta traffic, I think that's one thing. Like they don't have, you know, traffic like that. Then I would say the crowds did start to pick up closer to New Year.
Yeah, even at the hotel where we're staying, that desert oasis, you know, there was nobody there. It's almost like we were the only people staying there. And then all of a sudden it was just full. The pool was full, like there was people all around the pool deck and stuff like that. So it really got a lot busier closer than it got to the new year.
Yeah, for sure. I would definitely say that Scottsdale is a place where you want to plan to rent a car. Yeah.
I mean, because if you think about it, I mean, if you're just going to stay like in that downtown Scottsdale area at like the Valleyhoe or something and everything you're going to do is right there in that space, then, you know, Try one of the autonomous driving Waymo cars, right?
Oh, yeah. We forgot to mention that. Yeah.
Yeah. So the, you know, cars, no driver, just driving themselves. We didn't get a chance to try it this time, but you could do that. But I think if you're just going to, if you're going to be there and you're going to go out and you're going to go hiking or you're going to go up to Sedona or maybe even go up to the Grand Canyon like we did, you're going to want a car.
So there's also a ton of local hikes near Scottsdale. Go into the Lost Dutchman State Park, but there's lots of places that you can go, even in that park that's right there around where the botanical garden and the zoo is. There's some, you know, hiking trails local, all kinds of places. So just make sure that you take layers, water, you know, some snacks, that type of thing.
Yeah, this time of year, the afternoons are beautiful. You know, 75 degrees, many of the days it got up to. During night, as the sun went down, you definitely wanted more layers.
Yeah. And as it gets warmer, you obviously have to have a lot more water. It gets really hot, but the weather was just we couldn't have asked for nicer weather. And you just do have to pay attention, I think, to sunset times. So just be aware, you know, that I mean, not super, super early or anything like that, but just being aware of that. And then one other thing I wanted to say, Scottsdale, Arizona in general would be a great place to do. like a photo session. And so a lot of times you think of, oh, we need to have couples photos or family photos or whatever. But doing that on vacation is a great way to do that. And, you know, using social media and things like that to, you know, find people that. But we had a family photo session done captured by Haley and it's H -A -Y -L -I -E. And I'll put the link to her Instagram. She is in Arizona, but she also photographs in Utah. Also, she she has clients in both places. So just depending on where she is. But so we're excited to get those pictures back. But just keep that in mind. You know, whenever you go somewhere, seeing if you can find a local photographer and getting that done for a special thing for vacation.
Yeah. And she was really good with the kids. Yeah. And it wasn't super long.
And it wasn't super long. Like we were in and out in 45 minutes. And I think it's going to be great with the we did it at sunrise. So that was that was early.
in and out
did it at sunrise. So that was that was early. But she was great with the kids. Did some headshots and just, you know, what else do y 'all need? So that was that was really great.
Well, let's talk about Sedona. You know, we were red rocking in the new year.
Yes, we were. Yeah. So Sedona. So Scott and I didn't get to spend much time there at all last time. So we were excited that that we were going to get to have a day, an extra day to spend there this time.
Yeah, that's one of those where you've seen the. memes that say this isn't going to age very well. And I think that's my opinion and take on Sedona was that I would just skip it. And so I think that it's not going to age very well in our old podcast on Sedona. But this time we were there, we were there during the day, got to go out and do some hiking. And I just had a different opinion of Sedona after being there and actually spending some time during the day there.
Yeah, so Scott, do you know why it's called the Red Rocks?
Yeah, I found out on our Jeep tour. It's because of the iron oxide that's found in the sand. So it's rust, basically. So the sand is covered in rust. And those rocks that you see are all made of that rust -covered sand. And that's why they're red.
Yeah, it's also so interesting that all of that used to be at sea level. Everything that you see in Sedona, Grand Canyon, all that used to be at sea level. And that's just fascinating when you learn a little bit about the geology of the area.
Yeah, I don't know about the Grand Canyon if it's the same dynamics going on. I think a lot of that is erosion. But in Sedona, the Red Rocks, it was because there's a tectonic plate there or two tectonic plates coming together and it shifted up. And that's where the... you know, those rocks that were underground at some point got pushed up above the Earth's surface. And so that's why you see that red is the red from the iron oxide or essentially rust. Yeah.
So again, tons of hiking opportunity around that area from all kinds of level of trails, right? Because a lot of the trails loop and connect in with each other and you'll see just parking, you know, on the side of the Well, they have parking spots on the side of the road that's like you pay a small fee to park there unless you have the America the Beautiful Pass.
And let me just say one thing about Sedona. It's, I think, somewhere between 5 ,000 and 6 ,000 feet above sea level. So if you're thinking Scottsdale to Sedona, it's going to be a little bit cooler in Sedona.
Yeah, and just be aware of that, you know, the elevation change as well. Yeah, so there's lots of lots of things just right near the road. Like I said, you can park Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock. And, you know, if you look on things, you know, you look on Google Maps and you can find them or all trails and kind of tell you how to get there. But they have lots of signs and then and then hiking maps.
The parking for all of those was off the chain, though.
That day, yes. It was very, very crowded.
It was very, very crowded. So we went on New Year's Eve, and I mean to tell you, people were parked in no parking areas. Clearly a sign, but they had just given up, and they were like, screw it, I'm parking here. So it was crazy. But we found that if you just kind of went and did a U -turn and came back, the Yavapai Trailhead had... parking there.
They actually called it the overflow parking, but it was actually another trailhead. Yeah,
Yeah, it's a different trailhead. And we found that that is actually probably a better hike than doing Cathedral Rock or Bell Rock. Now, I mean, if you want to do those and you want to go up on those rocks, obviously you have to go on that trail. But if you want to see them, you want to photograph them, go across the street to the Yavapai. Because that's where you're going to get the great views of those rock formations.
Yeah, we weren't looking to do like a long hike either. We had like an hour, hour and a half before our Jeep tour. So we really did have some great views of that. So unless you're wanting to, you know, climb the rocks, like Scott said.
Well, let's talk about this Jeep tour. I didn't know what to expect. It was the pink Jeep tours. But that was really cool. They have these custom Jeeps that they've made. With this really, you know, bumped up suspension on them. They're lifted. And then they're extended out so they can seat like, I think, eight people or something like that. Eight to ten people. And so they take you out into the backcountry on these four by four trails. And they take you out to see the Red Rocks. And we went on a sunset tour. You know, right before sunset, they came, they picked you up, they take you out there. It's probably a, you know, 30, 40 minute ride to get out to the place where they're going. You can get out, you take some pictures of the, you know, the nice evening golden hour sun on those red rocks. And then they put you back in and you go back to town again. But the Pink Jeep Tour, I think we would recommend it.
Yeah, and they have them all times of the day. They also have different levels, right? So if you need one that's not so bumpy, I wouldn't say. I mean, they called it their extreme one or, you know, moderate one, but they have some that just, you know, stay on pavement and take you to certain different places. But it's a pretty big company. And there's a lot of Jeep outfitters there, but they seem to claim that theirs were a lot more customized, would you say? Because you would probably know a lot more cars about cars, but a lot more customized and a lot more. Like with the suspension and what they've done to the Jeeps is that they have a little bit more capability, would you say, maybe than some of the other companies? Yeah, he was telling me.
Yeah, he was telling me. So they get these Jeeps in and the first thing they do is they strip off all of the stock suspension and take off the axles from these Jeeps and they replace them with these one ton axles. So really heavy duty, beefy axles and custom suspension. And so like. Literally, he wasn't slowing down to go over these big rocks and bumps and stuff like that. But I never felt like I was about to be just absolutely thrown out of the vehicle.
Yeah, I would say, too, I would add that you can do the pink Jeep tours like they take you on longer tours to it. Like so they have excursions that go like all the way to the Grand Canyon and different things like that if you're looking for something a little bit longer. But yeah,
I'm not sure about that.
Yeah, but this was the one that we did.
Well, if you have your own 4x4 vehicle and you're in the area, so maybe you've gone out and you've taken your own 4x4 and it has sufficient ground clearance. Now, the national parks or the state park, I'm not sure which it is. I think it's the national parks. They have put these big rocks in front of those trails. And so, like, if your vehicle can't get over that initial rock, it can't go on the trail. But if you've got enough clearance on there and you've got a four by four and you want to take them out there and go on these trails, you can. And where we went, you can get really close to things like the Devil's Bridge trailhead. And so, you know, one of those places where you see a lot in Instagram and, you know, people have taken pictures, stuff like that. Well, this would get you a little bit closer.
So the other thing that we want to mention about that whole area, Sedona, and even up to Flagstaff, is the dark sky. The fact that it's a dark sky, considered a dark sky park. There is an observatory in Flagstaff. But so what we did is after the sunset, we got something to eat. And then we actually went back to the parking area where we had done the Yavapai Trailhead and just... Even though it was chilly, we didn't stay really long, but did some astrophotography and looked at the stars and stuff like that. I mean, it is absolutely incredible if you don't live in a place that's a dark sky like that, because just from the naked eye, I mean, you were looking at the Milky Way, the time of the year, what we could see. I mean, they were in that time of night, there were like four different planets. It was also the moon had already set both nights that we kind of stopped and did this. So that, you know, there wasn't a lot of moonlight either. It's incredible the amount of stars. So if you don't live in a place that's like that, Arizona, and especially that area is just absolutely incredible for that.
Yeah, I have a professional camera, but I'm not a professional photographer. But we managed to get some really good pictures, you know, there. I put my camera up on a tripod and use my phone as the remote to the camera. And we got some pictures of like the Milky Way. It's absolutely amazing.
Yeah, so Scott, let's... Let's talk about some tips, especially because last time you said Sedona, skip it. And so let's give some tips about Sedona.
Well, so first of all, you need to spend a couple of days there, I think. Or at least be prepared to spend a full day there. Get there early in the morning and stay till the evening if you're not going to stay in Sedona. But, you know, hiking in those red rocks and seeing all that. is just absolutely amazing. And so last time we talked about that it was dark when we came back from the Grand Canyon. And so when we were driving there, we didn't see all the red rocks. And then our plan was to get up and leave the next morning because we had to drive back to Phoenix and get on an airplane. And so we just didn't have the opportunity to really experience the magic of Sedona. But this time it was amazing. So that would be my tip is to make sure you're spending enough time there in Sedona.
Yeah. And the village of Oak Creek is just like right below that. And that's actually closer to those hiking trails. So I think that people would say like if you stay in Sedona, like it like feels like it's surrounding you. But I think Oak Creek could be a little bit less touristy maybe and a little bit less expensive possibly. So and there's some golf courses there as well. So you might just want to take a look at that. The traffic to now we were really lucky coming in and going north and we found a place to park. I think the traffic coming in to Sedona, especially from the north coming south, could be very crowded. Matter of fact, the directions we had to be at that tour 30 minutes early and they were like, give yourself like an hour from, you know, close by just to account for traffic because it it is. And I think he did tell us that they are working on some kind of like. bypass type stuff or something like that to alleviate some of that traffic. But just be aware of that. It's one of those places where you could get caught in the traffic.
We also have a couple of tips on the local eateries. If you go out past Mariposa on West 89A, and so when you get to Sedona, this would make more sense or if you pull up a map, but if you go out West on 89A, there's some really good local restaurants in West Sedona. So you have the little downtown area of Sedona and, you know, there's restaurants there. But it seemed like all of the local eateries were mainly out there in that West Sedona area.
Yeah. So we ate at the Torre de Fuego on New Year's Eve. And there was a lot of people who'd come in. They had like a dessert cabinet, like right there. A lot of people come in who just got that for carry out. There's another place. It's more. kind of in the downtown called Hudson's. We ate there last time and Emily's family actually went there while we were doing the hiking this time and had, and we all highly recommended that during the day. They have some really great views of the Red Rocks as well. And so that's the other, the other thing is whatever tour, like if you do a tour in this area, you do the Jeep tour, this pink Jeep tour, ask your tour guide. They're happy to. Matter of fact, they he was kind of pointing out places, this place, this place on our way, like without us having to ask. And he said, if I don't point it out, there's a reason, you know, and he mentioned, you know, like a like a Chinese place that was really good and just a bunch of places. So that's always our tip is regardless of what you're doing a tour for, ask that local of, you know, where the best places to eat, because there's places where we live where we would be like, don't go there.
Let's get on to that big hole in the ground, the Grand Canyon. You know, That is absolutely a majestic view. And I remember the first time seeing it and just being awed by the view of the Grand Canyon. But I don't know that it was a whole lot less seeing it the second time.
Yeah, and we did some different. So like last time we went in from the train, didn't have a car, relied on the buses. So you didn't get to go from that, really that east entrance and go to that desert watchtower, a place where a lot of people. you know, tend to see it for the first time as well. So why visit the Grand Canyon? Let's just say in the winter. Why visit in the winter?
Well, there's a whole lot less people there is our understanding. If you go at, you know, around the springtime or summer, you can't even drive in the park because they make you go and park in these parking areas and you're only allowed to take the shuttle buses. There's so many people there.
And it makes sense. We were actually even shocked being we went on December 30th. We intentionally didn't go on the weekend. So this was a Monday as well. And I was still surprised at how many people were there compared to last time when we were there, like during the week in the middle of December. I mean, which makes sense. So if you can avoid again, those even those holiday breaks. I mean, it wasn't we could still drive everywhere. You know, it was a little bit harder to find parking. But. Wow. We were we were surprised.
Not impossible, though.
Yeah, not impossible. But even like at the Desert Watchtower, the last the time that I had been even in October, you just went and you walked up. But they were limiting the number of people who could go in the tower at a time. And I think we waited, what, probably 20 minutes in a queue to like even go up. They were limiting the number of people. So just be aware of that. And it would be a very, very difficult place. I feel like to visit in the. in the spring and summer. Just be prepared for that.
And I imagine it can, like it's very cool during the winter, I imagine it could be very hot during the summer as well. So, yeah, I think we would suggest that winter is a great time to go and visit the Grand Canyon. If you like snow, sometimes they have snow during winter. They didn't have any snow this time, which was fine with me. But, you know, it is possible to have it there.
Yeah. So this time we actually did, like we mentioned before, just the logistics of the hotel rooms and things like that. We drove from Scottsdale to the Grand Canyon and back in a day. And that is a long day trip. It's three to three and a half hours. We did stop in Flagstaff for kind of a break. But that is a long day trip. So just be aware of that. If you can stay up closer or do some kind of road trip, that would be good.
But it is a doable trip. Yeah. It was very doable. Matter of fact, we even turned around the next day and drove back to Sedona, which is, you know, almost halfway or a little over halfway there.
Yeah. So, you know, making Flagstaff or making Sedona, you know, like a stopping point, you know, if that's a possibility. We would also suggest that you make you go in that east gate near that desert view watchtower. So unfortunately, I didn't remember how far those gates were apart from each other. And we had gotten separated, which caused a little bit. You know, we were apart for a while, but it's like 20 miles.
like 20 miles.
Yeah. So it takes it takes a good. And so then part of the group didn't get to go to the Desert View Watchtower. And then we some of us didn't even stop at like the visitor center because it had gotten quite crowded. But I would say also it's also a very nice drive. So from Flagstaff, put in Desert View Watchtower and it will take you to that escape. We also did not wait in line to get in the gate. And. The ones that were with us who ended up going through that south entrance had to wait like 30 minutes, which is another reason that I said, man, during summer, how long it would take you, you know, to get through the gate because then people have to, you know, pay and stuff like that. And we also had the opportunity to stop at the entrance at the National Park sign,
And we also had the opportunity to stop at the entrance at the National Park sign, the Grand Canyon National Park iconic sign. And we had pictures made there. And so they couldn't do that because there was just so much traffic. So many people stopped trying to take pictures and all of that stuff. So, yeah, I think that we would recommend that people might go in through the East Gate. There's going to be a little less traffic going that way. And I thought that the view that we had, the scenic view driving in, was far better than the view going out that South Gate.
Yeah, because at Southgate, you're you really are like away from it. And then you just go through a town very quickly as well. So but you could do like we did. And we came in the one the east and then out the south as well.
Now, we didn't do any holiday activities here, but they do have a few things during the holidays at the Grand Canyon.
Yeah. So if you go back and listen to our other Arizona episode, which I will link in the show notes. We talked about last time that we went, we actually took the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams. And Scott and I spent the night at the El Tovar Hotel. But they do have that same ride as a Polar Express train in the wintertime as well. So I think that would be really neat for kids. And then special Christmas events at the different hotels and lodges at the El Tovar and the Bright Angel Lodge as well.
Yeah, that El Tovar Lodge is something to go and visit. So if you're at the Grand Canyon just for the day and you're not going to stay at the El Tovar, make sure to go into the El Tovar Lodge and just check that out. I mean, it's not like it's some huge, massive lodge, but it is very neat. And, you know, knowing that a lot of U .S. presidents have stayed there is pretty cool as well.
Yeah. And even if you can't, I mean, there might be the opportunity. It's like on a first come, first serve basis. to get a place to eat there. But you can actually go and see some of the different, you know, it has the different China and just some of the different things that have been used there over the years, just in that lobby. But yeah, definitely walk in there and see. It's not like a massive lodge, like Scott said, but it is really neat to see. And I actually prefer or really enjoy that little grand, it's called the Grand Canvan Village. So if you want to put that in, because they have some parking close by and you have all those, there's places to eat there as well. And then that is where the Bright Angel Trail. So if you wanted to do a little bit on the Bright Angel Trail or do the Rim Trail, goes by there as well.
Yeah, that's a good point. A lot of people may skip the Grand Canyon Village. And we would say, do not skip that village.
Yeah, because you might. Yeah, because you might think, oh, I don't want to go to this village. And so what you want to be is you want to be on the part that's right on the rim.
because you might.
Right. There is a lodge, the Masuk Lodge, that's, you know, further off. But go to the part that's right on the rim. You know, put in the El Tovar and you'll see that. Or you can, you know, you can do that walk from the geology. I mean, you can actually walk it even from the visitor center, you know, and then the geology. And it goes to the Bright Angel and then just keeps on going. So, but yeah, that's all considered Grand Canyon Village, but it's not necessarily a village. It's right on the edge of the Grand Canyon.
And like we said, it was really busy the days that we were there. And so, you know, wait times to get into the restaurants there in the village. We're astronomical. So the Harvey House, it's like a burger place, right? We went and of course we had 14 people. So keep that in mind. But the wait was going to be over an hour and a half. Well, it just so happened that somebody in our party went around to the Arizona Steakhouse, which I think is the same, potentially even the same kitchen serving the same food. And we only waited 30 minutes. Don't get thrown off by it saying that it's a steakhouse. You can still get a burger there. And the French dip sandwich.
French dip sandwich. I think that's one of the other big things. They have steaks and salads and all kinds of things, but I think you're right. I think it's a very, very similar menu.
Yeah, the bison burger was phenomenal.
Yeah, but they have that, like Scott said, the Harvey House and that. And then, of course, the Elva Tovar Lodge, which they also have a lounge there. And they also have more of a snack bar type place. But unfortunately, I don't know if they also didn't realize it was going to be so crowded. But I mean, this was like one thirty, I think, and they were already out of sandwiches and different things like that. So we we were I was getting a little bit nervous. Also, don't wait like super long to eat either. Things typically they close around three so then they can open back up for dinner. So don't think, oh, we're going to do all this and then, you know, it's going to be open, you know, all afternoon. So just be prepared for that.
Well, we have a couple of tips for exploring the Grand Canyon that we want to share. One is sunset. So there are some amazing sunsets at the Grand Canyon. And you just see the change of the color of the rocks as the color of the sun changes and stuff like that. So you definitely want to catch a sunset at the Grand Canyon. And we would say the best place to do that is at Mojave Point.
Yeah, and I would say I don't know how much that changes throughout the year. So that would definitely be for December as well. You could kind of use, there's an app that we like called Skyview to kind of see maybe where the sun's going to be. But I'm sure that you could stop in and talk to a park ranger too and kind of ask. But we had learned this one. We had done a sunset tour last year when we didn't have a car and had to have it. And what's nice about this time of year is that you can actually drive there. So even the time I went in October, we had to rely on the buses. And the buses do run like past what the sunset time would be. So that would be the other tip that I would have is just make sure that you do a little research before you go. And for that time of the year, know kind of where you're going to have to park and where you would have to rely on that bus transportation as well.
Yeah, but I'm just thinking about that place. And I think. I honestly think that probably year round, that would be a good sunset view. Okay. Is there at the Mojave Point. But like Melissa said, ask a park ranger. They can probably tell you the answer to that for sure.
Yeah. And so then I would say if you plan on doing any hiking, just make sure that you have a water bottle with you and some water. And then also layers too, because it's that sun. You know, if you start early in the morning, it's going to get a little bit warmer, especially as you have activity. Now you're at a lot higher elevation than you are, you know, in Scottsdale. And then also layers to put on, too, as the sun starts to set because it started to get really chilly.
And then be really careful. You know, there's not a lot of railing around the, you know, rim or the trails. And so don't go. peeking over it. Don't go up next to the edge of the rim. It could break loose. You could fall in. You could lose your balance. And there's nothing to stop you from falling over that cliff. So just be really careful and cautious, especially if you're taking kids with you, right? Just make sure that they're safe. And I would say that that's probably one of the biggest tips that we might give you. We have seen people I didn't see it this time, but last year we saw people climbing down the rock face to get to these ledges that were lower down. And I just think that's incredibly stupid.
Yeah. And I would say like our son -in -law, I think he was a little bit, you know, a little bit nervous with the kids, you know, and just, you know, having to be mindful of, you know, and tell them, you know. We need to be holding our hands and stuff like that. He said that was a little bit, you know, different than if you didn't have little ones. So just being aware of that.
Well, Melissa, what do you need to pack when you're going to these places in wintertime?
Yeah, so definitely layers for varying temperatures. In the mornings, even, it would be very chilly. And then, you know, by lunchtime, we were like, wow, it's really warm. And then as the sun would start to set. But so you didn't have a huge amount of time. So you definitely want some kind of hiking shoes. And that red sand can be dirty as well. So just, you know, keeping that in mind.
I would say all of Arizona was pretty dusty. So it didn't matter if we were in Scottsdale, Sedona or the Grand Canyon. All of that was pretty dusty.
Yeah. And so you kind of had a good tip to say, pack something that you can then put your dirty shoes in. So like if it's some kind of shoe bag, a lot of times, you know, packing cube kits come with shoe bags or you could bring like a big plastic bag or. or something like that. So yeah, mine got kind of dusty and I didn't bring like a whole lot of shoes. I had brought shoes that I normally wouldn't probably travel with since we were like doing a fancier lunch and then having the photo shoot, you know, and bringing a pair of boots and stuff like that. And so I didn't bring as many tennis shoes probably as I would normally have. And so mine got kind of pretty dusty. So definitely you don't think about this because it being warm, but you know, bring a coat. It's going to be warm, but then also like gloves, hat, scarf for Sedona and the Grand Canyon. They are at the higher elevations. And as it gets, you know, as the sun comes up and goes down, it's going to be cooler.
Definitely bring your swimsuit and for ladies, you know, some type of cover up. The pools there in Scottsdale at the hotel where we stayed were heated. And so, and of course they have hot tubs as well. The kids, if you're taking your kids with you, they're going to want to get in those pools. So just prepare for that.
going to want
You had said you wish you had taken a pair of sandals for lounging at the poolside and the walking back and forth from the room.
Yeah, I was just like, oh, I'm not going to need these. And it's just nice always to have a pair if you need to run out to the car for something. So that was the one thing when you asked me that I really wish I would have brought. that I usually take when I travel.
One of the other things we said is a refillable water bottle, like a Yeti or something like that. And let me just take a moment. We're not sponsored by Yeti, but you would think that we are if you looked in our cabinet. But they do have a Yeti store there in Scottsdale. So anyhow, take your Yeti, fill it up with some water, have that with you. You probably want sunscreen and lip balm as well, even if it's just protection from the wind. Melissa's laughing because I had to go to the store. I was looking for like some Carmex or something. And the only thing I could find was like this massive 20 pack or something like that. And so I was trying to give everybody in the world Carmex.
Yeah. And definitely some sunglasses. I was also laughing because like having not being in your, you know, it's different. Like I keep some in my purse and, you know, they're there and we get out there and, you know, you have them in the car and different things like that. So not having your sunglasses.
Yeah. Once again, not sponsored by Costa, but if anybody out there listening works for Costa, especially in the marketing department, we're open to some negotiations of being sponsored by you guys.
Yeah. And I don't know that I felt like the water out there too. I guess, you know, just being used to the Florida water and having to get it filtered. I thought the water, you know, just the tap water was, was good too. And then of course your golf clubs, if you plan to hit the greens and you'll see. You know, in the airport, they're like 100%. Like there's so many people with golf clubs, traveling with clubs out there.
Arizona offers a truly unique holiday experience with its blend of luxury, natural beauty, and festive charm. Whether you're golfing in Scottsdale, hiking in Sedona, or marveling at the Grand Canyon, this trip promises unforgettable memories for the whole family. What is your favorite destination that you've gone to for the holidays? Send me an email, scott at sunshinetravelers .com, and let me know. You can also share it as a comment on our social media post. Your comments may inspire us for our next trip during the holidays. Our kids are currently suggesting Belize. What do you think? We hope you enjoyed this episode and found some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. If you could take a moment to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, it would be greatly appreciated. Your five -star reviews help us get discovered by others and possibly featured on your favorite platform. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our podcast to get notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember, that is Travelers with one L. Most importantly, please share it with your friends to help them catch the travel bug. You never know. they may become your greatest travel companion.
