Scottsdale Waterfront

The Waterfront in Scottsdale Gives a Sophisticated Riverfront to the Desert

How Did Scottsdale Get a Waterfront?

That there is a Scottsdale Waterfront may comes as a surprise.

After all, Scottsdale is smack dab in the middle of the Sonoran Desert - a landscape known more for cactus than for rivers.

However, long before the glitzy resorts, golf courses and spas, the area's first inhabitants - the Hohokam people - engineered miles of canals across the Phoenix valley between the years 500 to 1450 AD.

These canals diverted water from the nearby Salt River to the Hohokam's many farm fields.

The Arizona Canal has been transformed into the Scottsdale Waterfront

Archaeologists consider this ancient canal network to be one of the largest and most sophisticated irrigation systems ever created using only pre-industrial technology.

Centuries later, when European settlers moved into the area, they used the Hohokam's long-abandoned but still-standing canals for their own crops.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the Phoenix valley's water district - the Salt River Project - cemented many of the Hohokam canals and uses them to this day to deliver water across the region.

For years, the Arizona Canal, which runs through downtown Scottsdale, was a dull eyesore and a dumping ground for all manner of unwanted items.

Today, and $700 million later, the stretch of Arizona Canal between Goldwater Boulevard and Scottsdale Road has been transformed from an ugly duckling into a glamorous - and hip - swan.

Now known as the Scottsdale Waterfront, the canal is sleek, with a higher water level, sinuous pink sidewalks and banks landscaped with palm trees and flowers.

Schools of white amur fish ply the waters, keeping the algae in check. At night, bats glide above the water, catching insects on the fly.

The Scottsdale Waterfront condos overlook the Arizona Canal

The new Waterfront is as much for locals as it is for tourists.

While it's not the French Riviera - or even San Antonio's River Walk - locals have taken to the Waterfront the way desert dwellers take to any water feature in a dry land - with enthusiasm and affection.

You can't miss the Waterfront’s signature feature - the two 13-story, $250 million luxury Scottsdale Waterfront condos.

City leaders and retailers hope the condos will encourage 24-hour occupancy and use of downtown Scottsdale.

That shouldn’t be a problem as there certainly is no shortage of things to do, whether you live down here or are just visiting…

Scottsdale Waterfront Shops

The Scottsdale Waterfront shops include several high end boutiques

The Scottsdale Waterfront shops (7135 E. Camelback Road) are a mix of locally-owned boutiques and national retailers including the Sur La Table cooking store, Urban Outfitters edgy clothes and Borders Books and Music.

One-of-a-kind stores are high-end:

• Mahsa carries trendy shoes, handbags, jewelry and accessories from designers like Stella McCartney,
• Estilo Boutique has chic, flirty dresses and high end jeans,
• Twist Boutique features classic women’s fashions by designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg,
• Haus has hip decor for the home such as mid-century and modern vintage furniture and Jonathan Adler vases,
• Swoozie’s is party central with its high-end stationery and party supplies.

Scottsdale Waterfront Restaurants

When your credit card needs a break from retail therapy, the Waterfront offers several trendy and upscale restaurants for a meal or a cocktail.

Olive and Ivy Restaurant offers Waterfront dining

Olive and Ivy Restaurant and Marketplace (7135 E. Camelback Road #195; 480-751-2200) is one of the most popular spots, for both dining and just hanging out.

Part of the successful Sam Fox Restaurant Concepts empire, Olive and Ivy's canalside outdoor tables are always so filled with locals that it's euphemistically referred to as the "Scottsdale Yacht Club."

While Olive and Ivy hasn't been as popular with food critics, its safe California- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine draws crowds with dishes like braised short rib with mascarpone polenta ($27) and sea bass with puttanesca sauce ($25).

Olive and Ivy's Marketplace is a good spot to pick up gourmet, picnic-ready fare such as flatbread sandwiches, quiches, salads and pastries.

Both of them are open for breakfast, too.

Sauce restaurant

Other Scottsdale Waterfront restaurants include:

• PF Chang's China Bistro (7135 E. Camelback Road; 480-949-2610): this modern and upscale take on Chinese food, started by a local Phoenix entrepreneur, has expanded into a national chain. The menu features updated takes on Chinese chicken salad, Mongolian beef and kung pao shrimp,
• Sauce (7135 E. Camelback Road Suite 160; 480-321-8844): another successful installment of Fox Restaurant Concepts, Sauce features 12-inch thin crust pizzas, pasta and salads in a casual atmosphere. It's less expensive than the other Fox ventures with dishes ranging from $6 - $10.50,
• Wildfish Seafood Grille (7135 E. Camelback Road; 480-994-4040): from the creators of Eddie V’s Edgewater Grille and the current proprietors Roaring Fork, this Scottsdale restaurant is a high energy spot serving prime seafood and steaks including lemon sole in parmesan crust, oysters on the half shell and 22 oz. bone-in Ribeye.

Scottsdale Waterfront Activities

So, what if you don't want to shop and you aren't hungry?

The Scottsdale Waterfront is also home to the Fiesta Bowl headquarters and museum (7135 E. Camelback Road Suite 190; 480-350-0900).

The Fiesta Bowl is a 35-year Phoenix valley tradition for college football fans.

The Fiesta Bowl Museum

The museum is free and displays memorabilia from Fiesta Bowl games and festivals and even includes prestigious trophies like the Heisman trophy.

Interactive kiosks help you relive memorable game moments.

And if that still doesn’t interest you, the Waterfront is just a pleasant place to go for a walk with its neatly landscaped open space, public art and fountains.

To explore the other new downtown Scottsdale district, take the pedestrian- and trolley-only bridge that crosses the canal to the new Southbridge district…

Fast Facts: The Scottsdale Waterfront, Scottsdale AZ

Donald Lipski’s The Doors is one of several public art pieces at the waterfront

Location:   The Scottsdale Waterfront is in downtown Scottsdale, southwest of the intersection of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads. It is just south of Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. The district stretches from Scottsdale Road to Goldwater Boulevard.

Address:    7135 E. Camelback Road Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Phone:    (480) 247-8071

The Downtown Scottsdale Map and Directory below has information on the Scottsdale Waterfront businesses.

Click here for a printable Map of Downtown Scottsdale from the City of Scottsdale

Click here for a printable Downtown Scottsdale Directory from the City of Scottsdale

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