How to Spend 3 Days in Sunny Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona had always been high on my list of places to visit in the United States, but we just never got around to planning it… until our favorite band added Phoenix to their US tour. See, we are huge Eagles fans (the band, not the football team), and we love to see them in different cities, and then we work a 2-week trip around the concert. So we put Phoenix at the tale end of a 2 week road trip through the west, beginning in New Mexico. Although we used Phoenix as a reason to see The Eagles, we ended up enjoying a lot of awesome things in our 3 days in sunny Phoenix.

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital of the State of Arizona. Its hot desert climate makes for long, and extremely hot, summer days. In fact, this city records the highest temperatures of any major city in the United States.

The city of Phoenix is known for its over 200 golf courses on which you can play all year around. It also has some great high-end spa resorts, cactus gardens and National Monuments. Phoenix is a great place to base yourself for other sights around the state, such as Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, awe-inspiring Sedona, and the Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona.

Things to See & Do in Phoenix

Free Walking Tour

On the second Saturday of each month, there is a free Phoenix History Walking Tour provided by Azingtours.com. The guides work for tips, so do remember to tip them what you feel the tour is worth. On other days throughout the week, the tour will cost you $18.00 per person.

If you prefer to do a self-guided tour, download the GPSMyCity app. This app offers set tours that you download to your phone, or you can create your own. The app works offline, so there’s no need to use a dat plan when traveling. Each of their tours comes with a map and photos, as well as background information for each attraction.

Phoenix Zoo

We really had only about 2.5 days in Phoenix/Scottsdale, so we hit the ground running.

The first thing we did was visit the Phoenix Zoo . This is the largest privately owned non-profit zoo in the US with over 3,000 animals. It sits on 125 acres of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. The zoo has over 1,400 animals, and it also has over 2.5 miles of walking trails, including the Arizona Trail (flora and fauna), the Africa Trail (animals of Africa), the Tropics Trail (animals of the rainforest), and the Children’s Trail (petting zoo).

Phoenix Zoo is more of a sanctuary than a zoo. It’s a home to animals needing a place to live, and also for animals who are being rehabilitated to return to the wild. Some of the animals are in a breeding program, such as the African spotted dog. Some of the animals you’ll see here are Arabian oryx, Bali mynahs, white rhinos and Mexican gray wolves.

Other attractions at the zoo are a Stingray Bay where you can touch stingrays and bamboo sharks in a 15,000 gallon tank, a carousel, camel rides, and a Safari Train.

Phoenix zoo also has a large variety of youth programs and encounters with animals which include Night Camp, Summer Camp, and field trips.

Cruise the Zoo for Social Distancing

Cruising the zoo allows you to see some of the animals while maintaining a safe distance during the trying times. See more about cruising the zoo here.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument is an interesting place to check out just outside of Phoenix in Camp Verde. The area and the dwellings where designated by Teddy Roosevelt as a US National Monument in 1906. These dwellings were used by the pre-Columbian culture known as the Sinagua people. The main residence, which is sitting about 90 feet up a sheer limestone cliff, is one of the best-preserved in the US. It is kind of like a prehistoric high rise apartment, with 5 stories and over 45 rooms. Several families lived in this place.

There is a visitor center at the ruins which includes a museum explaining the Sinagua culture and how they built the dwellings. Also on the property are more trails, some through a beautiful sycamore tree grove, and picnic areas on Beaver Creek.

The park offers a wide variety of ranger led programs that last about 25 minutes each. Check here for more information on ranger programs, special events and kids programs.

To get to Montezuma Castle ruins you just take I-17 to exit 289, and then walk the 1/3 mile paved trail from the visitor center. You can only visit the ruins from the outside due to worries about safety of the visitors, and also concerns about damaging the site. Set aside about an hour to visit the ruins. It is open from 8am to 5pm daily, except for Christmas Day.

America the Beautiful Pass

The cost to get in is $10 per person. But, if you’re one who loves to visit the US National Parks and US National Monuments, go online and get your America the Beautiful Pass. This pass saves you time and tons of money. It gets you into any National Park or National Monument in the US for only $80 per year. And, if you’re a senior the pass is only $80 for your entire life.

Camelback Mountain

If you want a challenging hike, Camelback Mountain , with an elevation of 2,704 feet, is an excellent hike or climb. Hiking Camelback Mountain is convenient because it is located in the middle of the Phoenix Valley, just 20 minutes from downtown. There are 2 difficult trails, Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla Trail, but you’ll be rewarded with great views.

No dogs are allowed on the trails, and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes!

Play Golf

Michael loves his golf… me, not so much. But, I do love riding along on golf courses because they’re usually really beautiful! The courses in Phoenix are gorgeous! Some of them are surrounded by mountains, and some in desserts filled with incredible flowering cacti. The courses at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa are pristine! See Golf Digest’s list of the best courses in Phoenix.

Eat Delicious Tex Mex

PHX Burrito House

Phoenix is known for its delicious Tex Mex food such as tacos, , or burritos filled with meat or rice & veggies and then drizzled in sauce and cheese, or Chimichangas… a burrito that has been deep fried – yum. The place to get the best burrito is the PHX Burrito House.

Otro Cafe

But, the best thing in Phoenix is the huevos rancheros at Otro Cafe on 7th Street. Oh my, I still dream about this all these years later.

El Chorro

For dinner with a view and fabulous steaks, go to El Chorro at the base of Camelback Mountain. The beautiful restaurant is on 14 acres of desert in Paradise Valley, and it’s absolutely gorgeous! The building itself is stunning, inside and out. But, the views of Camelback Mountain are phenomenal. This would be an incredible wedding venue!

See a Concert at the Glendale Arena

And, for the real reason we were here – The Eagles concert! We have seen them several times in many different locations, but this was the first time we splurged on a VIP package. The Ticketmaster package included a party before the show with all you could eat and drink, an autographed poster and seats somewhere in the first 10 rows. We didn’t find out where we were sitting until we arrived at the pre-show party. The seats couldn’t have been any better! Second row, directly in front of Joe Walsh!! It was an amazing show and we met some really fun people. Can’t wait to do it again!

This is one of our favorite ways to see a new city… if not with a concert, then with another event or festival. Plan your trip around one of Phoenix’s annual festivals and events.

Top Tours for Phoenix

See all Viator tours for Phoenix, Arizona.

Annual Festivals and Events

Plan a trip around one of Phoenix, Arizona’s annual festivals and events.

Best Time to Visit & For How Long

Phoenix is a dessert and can be either HOT or COLD! The average temperature in July is a cool 104 degrees! In January the days are in the 70’s, but the nights can dip into freezing temperatures.

The best time to visit is in the spring or autumn. This is when the temperatures are cooler in the mountains, but warmer in the desert, but not so hot that you can’t be outside.

Three days in Phoenix is enough to see the highlights, unless you want to do some hiking or some road trips from Phoenix… then probably 5-7 days is good!

Where to Stay in Phoenix

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge

Years ago we had a timeshare in Lake Tahoe that we were able to trade. This year we traded it for the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa for our 3 days in Phoenix. The 316 acres of grounds in the Sonoran Desert are beautiful, the pool and lazy river are refreshing, the spa is tranquil, and the golf course is challenging! Each room has its own balcony or patio with amazing views of the desert and mountains.

The Resort was in a convenient location, kind of in the center of town near to most sites. And right across the street you can find shopping, restaurants and pubs.

Finding and Booking Accommodations

Lodging is one of the most important aspects of planning a trip. You want to find the right place for the best price. Our favorite resource when making reservations for lodging is Booking.com. They really seem to have the best deals on hotels, B&B’s and rental properties. Read more about finding and booking accommodations.

How to Get to Phoenix

Getting Around Phoenix

Rent a Car

The best way to get from the airport to your accommodations, as well to get around the city, is to rent a car. But, if you don’t want to bother with a rental car, you have several other options.

Uber or Lyft vs. Taxi

Lyft and Uber both are available for transfers to and from the airport, and around town. Taxi’s are also available, and the pricing is about the same. However, with Lyft or Uber you have the luxury of not having to worry about hailing a taxi, money exchanging hands, or instructing the driver on where to go since you will have already put that information into the app.

Public Transportation

The Valley Metro Rail runs from downtown Phoenix out to Mesa and Tempe, passing by some of Phoenix’s top attractions, like the Art Museum, Science Center and ASU. A one way pass on the Rail is about $2, or you can purchase an all day pass for $4.

Find more information for getting around Phoenix here, including buses, bike-shares and e-scooters.

Share Your Travel Tips & Comments

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