Phoenix, Arizona City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Phoenix, Arizona Travel Guide has been your connection to Phoenix's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Nature’s Wonders in Phoenix
 A nature preserve dedicated to protecting the local plants and wildlife, the Sonoran Desert Museum offers educational programs as well as indoor and outdoor exhibits that are fun for the whole family. Other animal related fun can be found at the Phoenix Zoo, voted one of the best zoos in the nation for kids. The Out of Africa Wildlife Park features safari-like jeep rides through the habitats of giraffes, zebras, and other animals of the savanna. The Desert Botanical Garden is home to 139 rare and endangered species of plants on its 50 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits. Ask your innkeepers which sites are a must see if your bed and breakfast getaway is only a few short days, no one knows Phoenix better than the operators of a local bed and breakfast.
Golfers can rejoice, knowing there is no shortage of golf courses in the Phoenix area, many close to local bed and breakfasts. Courses range from the traditional to more unique courses that feature “desert golf,” ecologically sensitive courses working proactively with the natural topography. This means golfers will be playing through sandy washes, down slightly narrower-than-usual fairways, and sharing the course with barrel cacti, soaring saguaros and massive boulders.
If you’re planning on breaking a sweat during your bed and breakfast vacation, Phoenix has fantastic hiking, biking and horse back riding throughout its breathtaking surroundings. Piestewa Peak is one of the most heavily used trails in the nation, and South Mountain Park encompasses over 16,000 acres, the country’s largest municipal park. There are over 50 miles worth of beautiful trails that crisscross the park offering fantastic views of the Valley of the Sun. The rich, dark red-brown earth of the Superstition Mountains are also just a short drive away, offering more hiking trails as well as rock climbing at Weaver’s Needle. Apache Trail is also a frequented drive, showcasing breathtaking views and numerous historical stops along its route. State Parks, Ghost Towns, and national monuments are all strewn along this scenic byway. Ask your bed and breakfast innkeepers if they offer a pack lunch service, many are happy to oblige at a small additional fee. If you need to leave on your day trip as the sun rises, ask your innkeepers if you can take your breakfast to go.
If you’re looking for a more hands-on way to look at the past, the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Park has trails leading through the preserved ruins of the Hohokam people. Some larger ruins can be found in the surrounding area such as the ruins of Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle, which is made up of 5 story cliff-dwellings as well as smaller buildings made by the Sinagua people scattered through the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
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