Montezuma Castle, which, continuing Arizona's naming tradition, was neither built by Montezuma nor…read moreis it actually a castle. This incredible cliff dwelling was built by the Sinagua people more than 800 years ago and somehow manages to look both ancient and architecturally impressive at the same time. Tucked high into the limestone cliff, it offered protection from weather, flooding, and probably the occasional uninvited neighbor dropping by at dinner time. It's amazing to think families lived here, raised children here, and climbed up and down ladders every day. Suddenly carrying groceries up a flight of stairs doesn't seem quite so bad.

Well this is a great spot to be, The last residents , the Hopi, were here 700-900 years ago and…read morebuilt this cave like fortification with a river below. Accessible only by ladder and contained many rooms. i never heard the estimate of dwellers but i would guess 100 plus. the last tourists allowed in were in 1950. So you can only view from the trail. But you can see a lot of detail. Stone by Stone, water, food, everything up the ladders. Amazing.

This is OPEN! Just went to visit Arcosanti with a friend that came to town and what a cool…read moreexperience. You have to schedule a tour, self guided are not allowed. The tour guide Joseph was so kind and full of energy. The video you watch when you get there is a very heart felt explanation of the passion to continue this community. They own 800 acres and the property is built on 20 acres, it was built between 1971-1975 for the main spaces that are shared. 45 people live there but could range to 80. They show how the products and structure are made. I had no clue about silk casts and loved the hands on understanding and history. They have concerts, events, gatherings. Etc at the amphitheater. Check out the website. The cafe is closed. You can stay as a hotel guest overnight. They offer apprenticeship also.

I'm not sure why the Yelp page states Arcosanti is closed. We were just there and is open and…read moreoperating. Clearly what the original architect had in mind many years ago never came to fruition as it really hasn't changed in years. Is appears to be a small artist community but we didn't see anything going on at the moment so couldn't tell if it id still active or they make everything south in Scottsdale at Cosanti. There is a gift shop where you can watch a brief video on the history and learn about their wind chime creations. Personally I've received many of the wind chimes over the last 20 years for housewarmings or Christmas gifts. Each is unique. The greeter in the gift shop was friendly and stated there is a tour available as well. We didn't have time for the tour but purchased a couple of small gifts. He suggested visiting the Scottsdale location as well which is called Cosanti. I had no idea it was located in Scott's well. Will check it out.

This was my first visit to the Verde Valley archaeology center, and I was truly amazed! I was…read morehoping to see artifacts from the immediate vicinity at this location and was not disappointed! The center has been here for 15 years and exists primarily to display artifacts recovered from a single site in the area. This is extremely rare as most sites have been pillaged by pot hunters over the last 100+ years, and this site was privately owned and protected for many decades. I was honored to received what was basically a private tour of the facility by the executive director Monica Buckle. She took her time and provided much detail to give an excellent overview of this facility. Thank you so much Monica! The entire Verde Valley area is a much overlooked archaeology gem in the history of our country & this facility champions the learning and understanding of this unique place. If you're ever in the area, I strongly recommend a visit. Please note the visiting hours change for the summer season so be sure to research this first.

This spotless well appointed museum is user friendly and can be completed quickly under 1/2 hour if…read moreyou breezed through. We chose the guided free tour which lasted about an hour and was quite thorough. I really enjoyed the quality of items on display and learning about the artifacts. If one is lucky the libraries in Scottsdale have a free pass for 2 people to enter. We paid but it was worth the $5 entry fee each.

Very cool shopping village in the heart of Sedona. A lot of the shops here are small businesses or…read moresmall chains, so you get a ton of unique items to shop for. We also visited a couple of restaurants here during our trip; good variety of food options at differing price ranges too. Overall, great time HOWEVER, parking was a nightmare both times we visited (once on a weekday night, and again on a weekday afternoon).

Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village is one of Sedona's most enchanting spots! It is designed to…read morelook like a traditional Mexican village; where art, culture, and community come together. The cobblestone paths, stucco walls, archways, vine-covered courtyards, bubbling fountains, beautiful Spanish-inspired architecture and locally owned art galleries adds to its charm! With 50+ shops, galleries, restaurants, cafés, boutiques, and local artisan stores, it's the perfect way to spend the day.

What a great place to absorb some Arizona history. And the kid loved it, too! We enjoyed the…read morebuildings, the collections, and the well-kept grounds. Definitely a must see!

Incredibly informative museum in honor of the first woman to hold a paid position in Arizona. She…read morespent her life preserving artifacts from Native American and Frontiers cultures. This museum is beautifully maintained and the grounds and gardens between the buildings are lovely and provide welcome shade in warmer months.

This is a neat national monument - expect to spend 1-2 hours here exploring the visitor center and…read morewalking up to the pueblo structure. The visitor center has a lot of artifacts and information about the history of the area and how it was excavated, as well as how the name came to be. It's a Tonto Apache term for "crooked waters," from nearby Pecks Lake. There's also a gift shop with the usual assortment of NPS offerings. Out off to the side of the visitor center is a paved pathway to the 2- to 3-story pueblo. You can even climb up to the top of a reconstructed room to view the area. It's impressive in size - Tuzigoot is the largest and best preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo structures. There was a volunteer out in the structure to answer any questions one may have - very nice touch. I saw a deer wandering out in the marsh vegetation and a lot of birds flying around.

Tuzigoot is a cool National Monument near Sedona! You see the ruins from over 900 years ago. It's…read morereally cool to see how they built places for survival. I would recommend a tour for more information if you can get one. I just walked around and explored, but would have gotten more history with a guide. There is a small gift shop and museum to check out as well. If you are there around lunch time, there are picnic benches available to sit on if it's not too hot! Overall, it's a great stop if you like history!

My party was wrongfully kicked out! There was no air circulation, therefore it was hot dancing in…read morethe crowd. I gave my underage friend ice from my cup that was empty to cool down and was dragged out by security and rudely yelled at outside. After explaining the situation and that the cup is empty the security said there's alcohol on the ice (they were not consuming the ice). We even tried to buy ice earlier in the night since the water they sell is barely cold and they said no. Egotistical ah security guards. L staff:(

Get with the times Orpheum: I looked at the site and saw…read moretickets were 19.45 'prices same at the window'. Went to the window for 2 tix and 'service fee' (see I eliminated any such service simply by finding my own parking, walking to the venue, standing in a line)." 57 dollars please" We are willing to pay artists ! Your tack-on fees are greed.

Fort Verde State Historic Park presents what life was like in Arizona, early in its history -…read moreincluding Indian wars. We spent about an hour in the main building, walking through a number of rooms and browsing the various exhibits depicting life, especially military life in Arizona in its early days. Many wartime artifacts are on display across many discipline from doctoring, to soldiering and more. In the last room of the main building, a video plays on a loop. The video is about Indians in Arizona and how they were involved in wars and especially how many of them helped the white man's army. It was too hot to visit the other 2 buildings across the street today, as they are not air conditioned, so we're not sure what's in them. Restrooms are in another building. Get the key from staff in the main building, then return the key. As the restrooms remain locked, they were in good condition and clean. We did enjoy our visit.

John had this on his hit list of things to do- we stopped in just in time to see one of the rangers…read moregiving a demo on various firearms used in the era that the fort was operational. Insert John's happy face here! They have an extensive museum and an outcropping of buildings that made up the fort. Unlike the other forts we have explored- there was no wall to help with defense. Reasoning was that the natives knew not to attack where the army was. So they didn't bother with the labor intensive work of building high walls. My only complaint was that the restrooms were far enough away from everything and locked. You had to get a key from the ranger for access.

Today's adventure took us to the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site, where we discovered that people…read morehave apparently been leaving messages on rocks long before Facebook, Instagram, or questionable TikTok dance trends. These ancient artists carved their stories into stone, and unlike my photos, their work has survived for centuries without needing cloud storage or a software update. The hike was short, the views were spectacular, and the petroglyphs were fascinating. Standing there looking at markings created hundreds of years ago really makes you wonder what they meant... a hunting story? A map? Ancient Yelp reviews? "Water nearby. Scenery: . Would carve again."

The Crane petroglyph site is an amazing location in central Arizona, a little bit off the beaten…read morepath, but well worth it! Approximately 3 miles from the highway, the roads are very passable, if not the monsoon season - .4 mile trail from parking lot to the site, a visit is well worth it! Make sure you stop by the visitor center to sign in and say Hi, they have wonderful air-conditioning on a hot day...

Jay Allan & the uncommon good band. What a fabulous night of music, one of my favorite places for a…read morelive venue. Jay did not disappoint. I WOULD RECOMMEND

Cool place on Whiskey Row for drinks and people watching! Cheap drinks and a cool laid back vibe!read more