Arizona Vacation Blog

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New Cubs Spring Training Facility Coming to Mesa

After years of talks, a new Chicago Cubs spring training facility will be built in Arizona.

Mesa leaders must surely be relieved to have reached an agreement with the team.

A big help also came from Mesa voters' approval of a measure to partially pay for the new Cubs spring training stadium.

Read more about the financing, plans, and location of the new Cubs spring training facility.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Grand Canyon

November is Native American Heritage Month and every year Grand Canyon National Park holds a special celebration in honor of the state's 22 Native American tribes.

The historic Hopi House at Grand Canyon National Park, designed by famous architect Mary Colter

Head to the park on Wednesday, November 16 to take part in a day of special demonstrations and presentations at the Shrine of the Ages in Grand Canyon Village, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The day's events include a traditional Havasupai opening prayer, traditional stories of the Grand Canyon by a Hopi elder, and an Apache Crown Dance presented by the Dishchii'bikoh Apache Group of Cibecue, AZ .

While you're at the Grand Canyon, stop in at the Hopi House, which has a great collection of authentic Native American jewelry, arts and crafts for sale. It's also a beautiful, historic building.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon also has ancient Native American ruins that you can see at the Tusayan Ruins and Museum on the East Rim Drive.

See our South Rim Grand Canyon Attractions guide for more details.

We recommend watching the great video of the Apache Crown Dancers at last year's celebration. This ancient ceremonial dance is not something you get to see every day.

Watch it here: Grand Canyon Native American Heritage Celebration.

Arizona National Parks Free Day

If you're looking for something fun to do outdoors this Veteran's Day weekend, head to an Arizona National Park.

All 22 national parks in Arizona will waive their entrance fees for the entire Veteran's Day weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday (November 11 - 13).

Paula stands next to an ancient cliff dwelling at Walnut Canyon National Monument

Which parks should you visit?

We just spent a day at Walnut Canyon National Monument east of Flagstaff.

This beautiful park holds numerous, ancient Sinagua cliff dwellings tucked into the walls of scenic Walnut Canyon.

It's a lovely, serene park that not only preserves part of Arizona's past but is also a great spot for seeing Arizona animals, native plants, interesting geologic formations, and amazing views.

Some of our other favorites include Grand Canyon National Park, Saguaro National Park, Petrified Forest, Wupatki National Monument, and Tumacacori Mission.

As a matter of fact, all national park units throughout the country will observe the access fee-free holiday weekend.

All other national park fees (i.e. camping, permits, reservations, tours, etc.) will still be in effect. Those who plan to stay longer beyond the Veteran's Day weekend will need to pay the regular entrance fees for the remaining days of their stay.

Although Veteran's Day weekend is the final fee free days in 2011, the National Park Service will offer several in 2012.

The 2012 access fee free days are

• January 14 - 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend),
• April 21 - 29 (National Parks Week),
• June 9 (Get Outdoors Day),
• September 29 (National Public Lands Day), and
• November 10 - 12 (Veterans Day weekend.)

2012 San Francisco Giants Spring Training Schedule Posted

Now that the World Series is finished, the remaining Arizona spring training team schedules will start to come out.

The first published, post-World Series, is the 2012 Giants spring training schedule.

The Giants play their first 2012 Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium.

The other teams should be releasing their schedules throughout November.

Tentative 2012 White Sox Spring Training Schedule Available

The home game 2012 White Sox spring training schedule is now available.

The White Sox will play 17 games at their home stadium in Glendale.

Besides the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's published their spring training schedules earlier than usual.

This gives Arizona spring training fans a chance to start planning ahead for the 2012 Cactus League season.

The way time is flying, it will be here before we know it!

First 2012 Arizona Spring Training Schedules Released

Even though the World Series isn't yet over, two Cactus League teams have published their Arizona Spring Training schedules.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have released their home game schedule only.

The Oakland A's published a tentative 2012 Arizona spring training schedule for both home and away games.

We'll post the remaining schedules and any updates as they become available.

See the tentative 2012 Arizona Spring Training Schedule games announced to date.

Fall is A Great Time to Explore Sedona Arizona Attractions

Now that cooler temperatures have to come to Sedona, October is a great time to explore outdoor Sedona Arizona attractions.

One of our favorite autumn outings is driving up Oak Creek Canyon to see the beautiful fall colors.

Ancient petroglyphs at the V Bar V Ranch outside Sedona

The canyon's many deciduous trees, such as maples, including sycamores and cottonwoods, turn lovely shades of gold and red.

Or take a hike or visit an ancient petroglyph site.

If you're short on time, there's plenty of Sedona things to do in town.

The view from the Chapel of the Holy Cross is always worth a visit.

We also enjoy hiking around Bell Rock, one of the most famous vortex sites in Sedona.

For history buffs, there's the charming Sedona Heritage Museum. Afterwards, stop in for great Thai food at the nearby Thai Palace Uptown.

No matter what your interest, there are plenty of great Sedona attractions and interesting Sedona things to do in every season.

Time to Say Bye to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Vultures for Another Year

Fall has come to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and with it one of the Arboretum's most popular events: the "Bye-Bye Buzzards" festival on Saturday, September 24, 2011.

Every spring a large flock of turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), also known as buzzards, migrates from Mexico to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum area where they spend the summer.

A bright red, featherless head is a characteristic feature of turkey vultures

As the Arizona weather turns cooler in autumn, the vultures fly back to their warmer winter homes.

The "Bye-Bye Buzzards" festival is the Arboretum's annual fond farewell to these magnificent yet misunderstood scavengers of the bird world.

The glossy black turkey vulture plays an important role as nature's garbage collector, scavenging on the remains of dead animals.

You most often see turkey vultures in flight as they soar overhead on wings that reach 6 feet in length.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum's "Bye-Bye Buzzards" festival gives visitors a chance to observe the vultures in the early morning - beginning at 7:00 a.m. - where they sit on the rocky cliffs of Magma Ridge waiting for the air to warm up and carry them aloft in their daily soaring flights to search for food.

Afterwards, you can join a guided bird walk on the Arboretum grounds.

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center volunteers will also be on hand with live exhibits of birds, reptiles and small mammals.

Don't miss "Ed, the Education Turkey Vulture" for a chance to see a turkey vulture up close and learn more about these gentle animals.

The Bye-Bye Buzzards festival runs from 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Admission is included with general admission to the Arboretum: $9, or $4.50 for ages 5-12. For more information, see the Boyce Thompson Arboretum's Bye Bye Buzzards page.

Read about our visits to the amazing Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Downtown Phoenix Dining Options

As downtown Phoenix has undergone renovation and renewal, the downtown Phoenix dining scene has seen a bit of a re-birth too.

The Phoenix Public Market, on the edge of downtown Phoenix, has a cafe, groceries and coffee bar

We can remember when we were hard pressed to find much restaurant diversity beyond the sandwiches shops and lunchtime cafes catering to downtown workers.

Now downtown Phoenix restaurants encompass everything from Thai food to a gourmet foodie grocery heaven.

A few old favorites like Alice Cooperstown are still there but now there's a little something for almost everyone.

Whether you're heading to the city center on business, to see a concert or attend a game, there's a good downtown Phoenix dining spot for before or after your event.

Learn Your Lizards at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Walk through the Arizona desert and you're almost guaranteed to see one of the desert's most common animals - a lizard.

A great way to get to know Arizona lizards is by joining the Learn Your Lizards Walk at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, near Superior, AZ.

The 90-minute walk will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011, starting at 8:30 am. This will be the last "lizard walk" of the season.

A collared lizard basks on a rock in Arizona

These quick-moving, generally small and often colorful reptiles are fun to watch and are a special delight to children.

Not to worry; there's no need to fear them. Most of Arizona's lizards are harmless.

The one exception is the Gila monster. This species is generally docile but will give a nasty bite if pestered.

In addition to just being fascinating, lizards eat lots of insects and, so, are beneficial to have around.

During the Learn Your Lizards Walk, you'll explore the Boyce Thompson Arboretum with expert guide "Wild Man Phil" Rakoci, an Arizona State Parks volunteer and reptile enthusiast.

He'll help you identify the half dozen or so lizard species that live on the grounds of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum plus discuss how Arizona lizards live and why they do things like "pushups' and sunning.

Some of the lizard species you might see include:

• greater earless lizard,
• Western whiptail lizard,
• side blotched lizard.

If you're really lucky, you might even see a tree lizard, chuckwalla or Gila monster.

If you haven't been to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, take time after the Learn Your Lizards Walk to explore this magnificent 320-acre botanical garden.

The Arboretum is world famous for its collection of arid land plants and low water use demonstration gardens.

See the Arboretum's page for more information about the: Learn Your Lizards Walk.

Click here to see photos and read about our exploration of the beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

A Squirrel's View of the Grand Canyon Changes Our View of Vacationing

A Grand Canyon rock squirrel

We'd often looked at the view of the Grand Canyon but we'd never enjoyed it so much as when we saw a rock squirrel looking at the canyon.

So often, while we're traveling and vacationing throughout Arizona, we're on a non-stop quest to not only do as much as possible, but bring back lots of photos and ideas to add to this web site.

Watching this little squirrel taught us an important lesson in remembering the value of slowing down and really seeing what is around us.

Read more about how this squirrel's view of the Grand Canyon changed our perspective - and our travels - for the better.

It's Easy to Find Good Sedona Arizona Restaurants

Many travelers don't realize that there are plenty of good Sedona Arizona restaurants scattered throughout the greater Sedona region.

The salmon tostadas at Javelina Cantina

After a day spent swimming in Oak Creek at Grasshopper Point or shopping at Tlaquepaque, we know we have a wide variety of eateries to close by.

We've found a number of good Sedona AZ Restaurants in both Uptown and along Highway 179 through the heart of Sedona.

A few of our favorites are Wildflower Bread Company, Thai Uptown Palace, and Elote Cafe.

If we've been hiking Boynton Canyon Trail or exploring the petroglyphs at Palatki, we head to one of the Sedona Arizona Restaurants on the west side.

We often like to have an organic meal at ChocolaTree Cafe or get a smoothie or lavender lemonade at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace.

And before or after hiking around Bell Rock, we grab a bite to eat at a Sedona Restaurant in the Village of Oak Creek.

Since it seems like one of us is always hungry or thirsty, we're glad that there's a nice variety of Sedona AZ restaurants. Check out some of our favorites the next time you're there.

Safety Crucial During Monsoon Season in Arizona

With last week's big storms in Tucson and another big Phoenix dust storm, it's important to remember monsoon safety tips.

While the rain is welcome, we could pass on many of the other monsoon season storm effects such as dust storms, downed trees and power lines, and close calls with lightning.

This mesquite tree fell over in front of us while driving on North Scottsdale Road during a monsoon storm

Lightning can seem to sneak up on you because it can strike in your area even though the monsoon storm is not dumping rain on you.

That's what unfortunately happened to a group of German tourists at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago.

So knowing your lightning safety tips is crucial.

Getting caught in an Arizona dust storm is also no laughing matter, so you should know what to do if it happens to you.

And last but not least are flash floods. We stopped counting the number of times we've seen people crossing flooded washes and roadways, putting themselves and others in danger.

There is a law that fines those who cross flooded areas and have to be rescued. If you're not familiar, it's good to brush up on the Arizona Stupid Motorist Law.

Whether you're an Arizona vacationer or a resident, it pays to know your monsoon safety tips so you'll always travel safe.

Historic El Tovar Hotel Grand Canyon Offers a Glimpse Back in Time

Whenever we visit the South Rim, we always take a stroll through the El Tovar Hotel Grand Canyon.

We enjoy wandering through its dark wood lobby or having a nice lunch in its famous dining room.

The front entrance of El Tovar Hotel Grand Canyon

Plus, sitting in a swing on the wooden porch makes a nice break from sightseeing as the stately Grand Canyon El Tovar sits just 20 feet from the canyon rim.

First opened in 1905, El Tovar was a modern marvel by the standards of the time.

Unlike many other hotels in the U.S., El Tovar Hotel Grand Canyon had indoor plumbing, electricity, and hot and cold running water.

Today, it's Alps hunting lodge style evokes a time long gone by.

Whether you're visiting for the day or staying at one of the other Grand Canyon hotels, it's worth stopping by to see El Tovar Hotel Grand Canyon.

With the Monsoon Comes the Arizona Dust Storm

Monsoon thunderstorms are a welcome relief from the intense heat of a an Arizona summer.

Not only do we love the cooler temperatures and the much-needed rain, we really love the beautiful clouds, the dramatic crash of thunder and the spectacular lightning.

We drove through this Arizona dust storm on Interstate 10 near Eloy

Unfortunately, where there are thunderstorms, there may also be an Arizona dust storm.

They frequently occur around the greater Phoenix area and on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

That's where we drove through one a few years ago. Although this one wasn't as bad as the historic Phoenix dust storm on July 5, 2011, it was still quite a sight.

If you've never been in a dust storm, read up on safety tips for encountering an Arizona Dust storm.