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What fun things are there to do in the Phoenix area?

post #1 of 20
10/17/07 at 9:54am
Thread Starter 
Hi Everybody,

I will be going there to visit my parents for two weeks next month. I went there in July for a week and it was hotter then h--- so we didn’t do much more then go to the Grand Canyon and to a casino in the mountains somewhere. I know that they plan to take me to Hoover Dam and they also want to take me to Lake Pleasant. Well that covers two days at least. What other cool stuff is there to do?

Thanks,
Kelley
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post #2 of 20
10/17/07 at 11:25am
Organ pipe cactus national monument. Visit Sedona but that's way touristly. If you're into new age stuff, there's supposed to be a "vortex" near Sedona. Oak Creek (?) is a nice hike in that area.

Play on the Mogollon Rim with canyons, hikes and vistas. Could be snowy though. Possibly ski around Snowflake/Flagstaff? Wupatki Indian ruins were interesting built among many old volcanic cinder cones, but that's a ways out from Phoenix. Closer in are Hohokam and Casa Grande. But i always enjoy the Amerind ruins. Two I'd really love to visit require native guides and aren't open year round, but if they were open I'd go see Keet Seel and Beta Takin. It's a horse trip in and some are multi-day...

On the nerd side, Phoenix is a major base for Motorola and Intel. They might have some interesting museums of the past tech.

There's an old military base where they mothballed most every bit of military gear as featured near the end of The Best Years of Our Lives. It's out on the Davis Montham AFB near Tucson. The base is not open to the public except for a bus tour run by the Pima Air & Space Museum.

Speaking of which a jaunt out to Tucson would be fun too.
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post #3 of 20
10/17/07 at 11:35am
We enjoyed the botanical garden near the airport on the south sided of town. We learned a lot about the land and the plant life in Arizona. We also went to the petroglyph site north of Phoenix and to Taliesin West in Scottsdale. We were there in November; the weather was perfect!
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post #4 of 20
10/17/07 at 11:39am
I'd forgotten about Taliesin. I like Wright's stuff.

Phil
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post #5 of 20
10/17/07 at 11:53am
Wow, you weren't anywhere near Phoenix. :D Anyway, there is a place callled the mystery castle that you may like seeing. A bit of Phoenix oddity. Are you into nature or man-made stuff?

Here's a great web site for AZ trips: Arizona Vacations, Arizona Map and Arizona Souvenirs - Arizona Highways Magazine
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post #6 of 20
10/17/07 at 12:45pm
Nothing. Phoenix sucks.
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post #7 of 20
10/17/07 at 12:46pm
I disagree with the first sentence, but agree with the second. :(

Food: Lola Tapas!
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post #8 of 20
10/17/07 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
Free Rider,

Well I actually stayed outside of Phoenix in Buckeye. Admittedly it was WAY TOO HOT but it was a new experience and I had a good week. This time things won’t be so hot and I plan to have a great time.
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post #9 of 20
10/17/07 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Some people think Wisconsin sucks, where I live. Others hate Florida ect. The fact is that every place has it's good and bad aspects but to not experience what different places has to offer is just plane silly. Just my thoughts on things.
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post #10 of 20
10/17/07 at 2:42pm
Ooh, the nuclear power plant. :)

Btw, photography is my hobby and AZ is full of beautiful things to photograph. I mentioned the mystery castle, not a natural phenomenon, because the woman who lives there is old and it may not be around for much longer. It's a weird place made for a personality like Andy Warhol or something.
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post #11 of 20
10/17/07 at 2:43pm
Remembered from grade school... why doesn't Texas slip into the Gulf of Mexico?
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post #12 of 20
10/18/07 at 10:06am
Thread Starter 
HMM. I just have no clue. Why?
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post #13 of 20
10/18/07 at 1:06pm
Because Oklahoma sucks. :D ;)
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post #14 of 20
10/18/07 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 
That’s a good one:lol:. I’ll have to spread that one around. If I wasn’t so geographically challenged I might have been able to guess that one but I always hated geography in school and it has shown up in my lack of knowledge of what is where. Good thing I don’t drive hey.
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post #15 of 20
10/18/07 at 9:04pm
While the Valley of the Sun has been accused of not having much in the way of "cultural attractions", it would help to understand what you find fun to do...

Food things?

Science? (Science Museum)

Anthropology? (Heard Museum, Indian ruins, Snottsdale)

Sports?

Nature/mountains?

There are tons of things to see, do, and taste, but we'd need to know what trips your trigger.
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post #16 of 20
10/19/07 at 9:51am
Thread Starter 
Hi DMT,

I like to do pretty much of anything. Food things, Science (Science Museum), Anthropology, Nature/mountains. I’m not that big into the sports thing. I leave that up to my husband.

Kelley
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post #17 of 20
10/19/07 at 7:56pm
Here are some sites you can look over to see if they are what you're looking for.
In the Phoenix Parks site, look at some of the others that are listed, like Squaw/Piestawa Peak, South Mountain, North Mountain, Encanto, etc.
Some of the others may have links to other related things, too...

HISTORIC HERITAGE SQUARE

ARIZONA SCIENCE CENTER

Durant’s is a fine dining steakhouse in central Phoenix. Durant's Restaurant, Durants, Durants Restaurant, Durant's Fine Foods, Durants Phoenix Arizona

HIKING TRAILS PAPAGO PARK

Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park

http://www.heard.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Pa...d=183&srcid=-2

Stockyards Restaurant

The Phoenix Zoo, Voted One of the Nation's Top 5 Zoos for Kids

Desert Botanical Garden – Papago Park – Desert Plants

There's more stuff out there, but the above is a sampling of things that I find of interest.

Many of the "neat" things in the heart of Phoenix have been torn down and replaced with "newer" stuff, but some of the earlier architecture in the central corridor still stands.

I've been here over 40 years, and the changes have been incredible.

I don't have much info on the far west side (where your parents live).

Now if "shopping" falls into your "fun" category, there is plenty of that around!! :smiles:
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post #18 of 20
10/26/07 at 5:36pm
Thread Starter 
I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the GREAT ideas that you gave me. I plan to make the most of my two weeks that I am spending there and all of you have definitely helped me to plan things out.

I just found out that my parents are planning to take me to Los Vagues one day and then spend the night there. Any good advice for that trip? I’ve never been there before. I’m so excited:bounce:

Kelley
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post #19 of 20
10/26/07 at 8:04pm
Glad to have been of some help (if I was...)

In Vegas, if you're playing the slots, and it allows you to play three coins at a time, do so...

The money will seem to go very quickly, but should you hit a payoff of any kind, the return on a "maximum bet" is significantly better than a single coin win...

Oh, and don't split tens on the blackjack tables... :eek:
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post #20 of 20
10/27/07 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 
Hi DMT,

Yes. You have been a great help.

Alright then, I'll do the three coins then. I sure hope that I can win something. To tell you the trueth I'm not a lover of gambeling but I can't wait to see Vegas at night. That should be so cool.
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