Do you know about Arizona?

[aggghgmom]

Hi everyone - I am looking for a place to go on vacation with my family on February break.  The week of break is very hard to get reservations and very expensive for lodging and airfare (plus I had to wait to make sure dh could get vaca that week)

So the travel agent thought we could fly into Tucson for 4 days and Phoenix for 3 days - If we stay in those two "cities" will we get the whole Arizona experience

My family is made up of a 15 year old son (who wants to go to Colorado or Utah skiing...Brrr) my 9 year old daughter, dh and myself - they are all active always on the go - and I like to sit or shop.

If we were in AZ I think I would want a day at the grand canyon and 1 day in Sodona both are at least 2 hours from Phoenix (I think)

So what do you think is there enough going on to keep us all happy and fulfilled?

Thanks so much for your input!!!!!!!!!!!

Randy and Harley (who is going to the doggie spa that week)

[Ali]

I lived in Tucson for 11 years and I'd have to say (although maybe I'm biased) that there is not four days worth of vacationy stuff to do there. Mt. Lemmon is really cool for a half day, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is cool for another half day. You could go South to the Nogales, Mexico, which is about an hour and a half... I guess that'd be a day trip. And, you could go to Tombstone for the day, too. OK, so I'm wrong. But still, Grand Canyon is worth seeing and that is waaaayyy further North than Tucson. Phoenix is a HUGE GIANT BIG busy city - I don't think that would be much of a vacation destination. I think your travel agent is on crack, frankly. Those two are not hardly the "whole" Arizona experience! Sedona is beautiful - now THAT is a vacation spot. Grand Canyon, for sure. Flagstaff will be cold and snowy, and will have skiing for your son. Arizona is pretty, but really spread out. I'm sure Phoenix has some great sights and geographic spots like Tucson, but as far as I know it's really metropolitan. Tucson is way far South. It's tough. Keep doing your homework, but don't let your travel agent tell you that Tucson and Phoenix are "The Arizona Experience"! (BTW, if your travel agent is also your BFF or your sister, or mom, I am so sorry - she is for sure NOT on crack and I'm sure she knows what she is talking about... )

[aggghgmom]

(BTW, if your travel agent is also your BFF or your sister, or mom, I am so sorry - she is for sure NOT on crack and I'm sure she knows what she is talking about... )
[/quote]

Ali,

Thanks for your post - the more I am reading the more I am seeing that while Arizona may be the vacation choice we choose I don't like the way the travel agent has layed it out - I think the only reason she has us going to Tucson is because the airfare was more convenient or cheaper (still way expensive).  Everything I want to do seems to be north of Phoenix, - Sodona, Flagstaff (the snow bowl for my son to ski) and the grand canyon all seem to be 2 - 3 hours from Phoenix - so I think we should skip Tucson altogether.

By the way the travel agent is noone I know so you don't have to worry about saying bad things - I actually think she is being lazy.

Thanks again
Randy

[MagicM3]

Hi there I hate to say it but I think Ali is right..

And from what you say Phoenix may be better for you and your family with trips north..Grand canyon..sedona ..are a must...

We have lived in Tucson since 91 and Mt Lemon is great if there is snow..and there is Old Tucson and Tombstone..

Az north and south couldn't be more different..but I still love it here..

Let us all know what you decide to do...
Tricia and the fur kids

[ZooCrew]

Well I haven't seen all of Arizona but I've driven thru it many times on my way to Ca and back.

Grand Canyon is nice.  Shouldn't be alot of tourists this time of year either I wouldn't think.  Although I'd seen it before hubby wanted to stop there on when we moved from Ca.  Unfortunately it was a bad day for that b/c there were gross flies all over.  They gravitated towards anything lightly colored.  So me wearing a bright yellow shirt, Keiko, and my silver car were covered in black flies.

Flagstaff is a really nice town.  Not huge but I think located in a very pretty area in the mountains. I've been thru both in the summer and winter months.  I think the prettiest area I've been to in Az.

[mynameislola]

This is what I know about Arizona...they have the drought and bark beetle there so lots and lots of their forests are dead.  If you think that would be sad to see, pick a different state, one further north where they still get some rain.

[Ali]

Oh, don't be mislead - the Arizona-Sonoran Desert is beautiful. It's geography is almost alien if you've never seen a desert before. The immense saguarho cacti are so amazing, and the way the wildlife has adapted to desert life is really amazing. It is totally worth seeing. (I'd just never live there again - too damn hot in the summer!)

[Jeri]

I just got back from a month of SW travel 4 weeks ago.  If you can rent a car and to Sedona, don't miss it.  It is amazing.  There are places there called "vortexes" where the earths energy is really high.  You visit these spots and come away with such a sense of well being.  You can take a Vortex tour, which is nice.  It's a beutiful landscape and would be ashamed if you couldn't experience Sedona on your AZ visit,
jeri

[dohertyswissy]

I went to Arizona for a work conference and stayed afterwards for a few days.  I had a GREAT time.  Of course, I wasn't really paying attention to the kid-friendly aspect of AZ.

I agree though - Sedona is wondeful.  One of the most magnificent places I've been in a long while.

[Nicole]

Sedona is definitely awesome!

I spent a spell in Tucson with some friends. I wouldn't go there for a vacay. It had some kind of fun college bar kind of stuff, but uh, that doesn't sound like what you're after.