what you need to know before visiting arizona
Let’s just say…Arizona is an INTERESTING place. I visited in May, so NATURALLY, I packed for 1,000-degree weather (because that’s what everyone tells you, right?) Wrong. It actually all depends on where you stay! We spent the majority of the time in Flagstaff.
Here is our itinerary and how you should prepare for visiting AZ!
TUSCON (2.5 days)
WHERE WE STAYED: El Conquistador
If you’re looking to explore Tucson/Arizona I don’t recommend staying at a resort-like we did. We were rarely there because we spent so much time exploring! The hotel was great and has amazing reviews, we just wish that we went with something more simple.
WEATHER: HOT but DRY
WHAT TO BRING: A personal fan that goes around your neck! It looks like headphones, not loud, has a long battery life, 3-speed settings, rechargeable, and super sleek looking! My mom used this and benefited so much.
WHERE WE ATE:
Optional boozy brunch!
Multiple Locations (2 within Tucson)
Instagrammable food and SO good
Comfort food at it’s finest, amazing drinks and an attached ice cream shop! What more could you want?
Front and back patio to enjoy the outdoors (highly recommend going at dusk to avoid the heat)
Handcrafted cocktails (like the REALLY good kind)
More upscale than The Hub
Craft beer & wine bar
If you’re looking for a young(er) crowd, live music, the newest beers on tap and great food -- this place is for you
The vibe is almost as if Brooklyn, NY met an old western movie. Hipster but make it Southern?
WHERE WE HIKED:
Honey Bee Canyon (map) - Can be anywhere between 1-4miles
Sonoran Desert Museum - My dad talked about this museum the ENTIRE trip. So I guess you could say he enjoyed it. If you’re interested in learning about Arizona, seeing wildlife and beautiful gardens -- GO HERE! 85% of it is outdoors so go early to beat the heat.
Saguaro National Park West - Take a scenic drive through the National Park -- it’s gorgeous!
PHOENIX
WHERE WE STAYED: Phoenix wasjust a pitstop! We met up as a family in Phoenix and spent about half a day there but don’t worry, we fit a lot in.
WEATHER: So. Hot. Soooooooooo Hot.
WHAT TO BRING:
Portable Charger! - There’s a reason this portable charger has been seen everywhere! It’s AMAZING. Plugs right into the wall, which means you don’t have to carry around a cord (one less thing to worry about) and it completely charges your phone! For long days like these, it’s crucial to have good battery life ESPECIALLY if you’re hiking alone/with a buddy.
Hats!
My mom chose this hat because she liked the idea of clasping the hat upwards to make it go from a bucket hat to a safari hat! It was PERFECT for her. It also has a string to keep around your neck for when you want to get a nice breeze.
Bucket hats for my sister and her boyfriend! They went with the yellow and white color but I just love the blue color so I had to share. They are sold as a set and super affordable.
Baseball cap for myself. I’ve had this hat for years and it’s been one of my favorites. It’s plain and goes with EVERYTHING. I wore it the entire trip to make sure my face was getting as little sun as possible.
WHAT WE ATE
Culinary Dropout - This place was SO cool! Very artsy-fartsy as my dad would say lol but well worth it! Coming from Chicago, it’s hard to beat our food but this was pretty good. I got a BLT I believe and it was good but HUGE. If you’re looking for big portions, this is your place. We also got the nachos and added beef -- very yummy!
Mango Rabbit - If you like boba and are willing to get ~funky~ this is the place! I wish SO badly we had a Mango Rabbit in Chicago! It took me 10 minutes just to decide what to get! I went with a matcha boba but Keith went with a crazy chocolate creation and I HAD to take a pic. Keith and my dad had never had boba before so they were a little taken aback but if you’re familiar with it, you’ll know that it’s some of the best bubble tea that I’ve ever had!
Dirty Dough Cookies - We had to decide between Mango Rabbit and Dirty Dough so I wasn’t able to try the cookies (I was so upset). They look absolutely heavenly. They have a couple of locations so click to see if they’re in your town! If so, please tell me how it is -- I’m DYING to have one of those gooey cookies! I just realized they do nationwide shipping! I might have to get some…
WHERE WE HIKED:
Hole in the Rock - Such a quick hike-- actually I don’t even know if you would call it a hike. It’s more like a trail because you park your car, go up a hill and boom, you’re at the hole… in the rock.
FLAGSTAFF
WHERE STAYED: Airbnb (you don’t need the specifics, it wasn’t anything special).
WEATHER: I don’t know if you know this....but if you drive 2 hours north of Phoenix your temperature will drop SIGNIFICANTLY. We got to our Airbnb, and we were shivering!
WHAT TO BRING:
Even if you didn’t fill it with alcoholic beverages like me, this tumbler is AMAZING. It is sturdy and easy to clean. It really does collapse (see pics below) and keeps drinks cool! Not as cool as my Simple Modern tumblers but nonetheless, I was very impressed.
Table Topics Conversation Starter!
WE LOVED THIS GAME. Okay, maybe it was just me (doubtful) but I LOVED THIS GAME. We played it the first night we got to the Airbnb and we played for hours. It’s a game that literally gets the conversation going. I learned a lot about everyone and the questions are not super meaningful (some are!).
They’re funny or even simple but it allows you to really remember something about your past and you kinda have to explain your answer! I loved it. Keith and I played when our flight got delayed 5 hours (it’s fine) and he liked it a lot more the second time around with just the two of us. He doesn’t open up much so this was venturing out of his comfort zone
My dad has weak ankles and the only thing I could think about before the trip was him twisting his ankle. I looked up the best *adjustable* ankle braces and found these! He complimented and thanked me very often -- claiming he has fine ankles, they just “hurt”. Men -_- He had no problem slipping on his shoes and the braces just look like socks so they’re not bulky at all!
WHAT WE ATE:
During our time in Flagstaff we only ate out once. My sister and her boyfriend cooked almost every night. We were usually so tired, we couldn’t fathom sitting down in a restaurant all dirty from the day we just had. We had lunch before going to the Volcano National Park at the Grand Canyon Brewing Co.
I’m not sure if we brought bad luck but once we showed up the doors were locked, which was funny because it was about 1pm in the afternoon. We awkwardly lingered until someone came out and told us they had lost power and that we could come in but would have to wait a couple of minutes. No biggy for us because we were not in a rush.
We got some beers and ordered LOTS of food. My take is that the food was decent, nothing special. That might be because the restaurant was a bit rattled from losing power and apparently there was only one cook in the kitchen at the time -- so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Beer - idk what’s up with West Coast beer but IT IS WEAK. Everything I tried tasted like a Blue Moon! If my sister’s boyfriend is reading this, yes Robert -- I thought the beer sucked. Even the IPA’s. I got a cider (not sure why it looked/sounded REALLY thirst-quenching) and had to send it back. Not in an annoying way but in the “Hey, I’m really sorry I don’t like this beer but I'll still pay for it. Can you please get me something else? Thanks!” kind of way.
WHERE WE HIKED
Walnut Canyon National Monument - Other than the Grand Canyon this was my favorite. It was the first time I really said, “woah” -- we are NOT in Chicago anymore. I felt small. I felt taken aback. It was very surreal. It made you sit back and think, “wow this world we live in is soooo vast and we’re just a little tiny piece of that”.
JUST NOTE: It was so cold here! We had to go into the town of Flagstaff (super cute) and buy sweatshirts and hats to keep us warm. Who would have thought that Arizona in May would be 65 degrees!? Not any of us, that’s for sure! I was happy, but FREEZING.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument - By this point, I was tired (and coming down from a few cocktails…) so I think the rest of the family enjoyed this more than me lol BUT it was really cool walking all over LAVA.
Yep. You read that right. L-A-V-A.
Over 1,000 years old. The coolest thing about the Sunset Crater National Park was learning that there was no trace of any casualties as a result of this eruption. The Sinagua people must have known an eruption was coming (due to possible earthquakes) and left the area.
WHERE WE SHOPPED
Crystal Magic - I cannot believe I didn’t take pictures inside Crystal Magic! What an interesting place. Picture this: A HUGE STORE DEDICATED TO CRYSTALS. There must have been $1 million worth of crystals in this place -- one piece was $33,000! I actually found a picture of it below, look for the white MOUND of crystals and you’ll see it.
22 LeRoux - to grab some hoodies + more to keep warm. My cute boyfriend ended up buying a hat so he could match me (disgustingly cute, I know).
The last part of our trip was visiting the Grand Canyon! Stay tuned for part 2 to find out everything you need to know about THAT adventure…