discover arizona

by Johnny Fenton, M.A.
Concierge, Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa

“Captivating…Enchanting…!” But don’t take the word of other Arizona visitors. The desert is at your doorstep, but so are the mountains and the canyons. Add an extra day or so to view this exotic slice of the world that’s just around the corner – our kaleidoscopic Southwest.

Suggested Day Trips and Short Trips From Glendale

The Grand Canyon – Neither words nor pictures can capture the singularly spectacular experience of standing at the rim of this 277-mile long, one mile deep wonder of the world. So like the 5 million visitors worldwide who come here each year, you’ll just have to wrap your senses around this stunning gem of geology as did the ancient pueblo peoples of the Southwest some 1,000 years ago. The Canyon is most dramatic when viewed at sunrise or sunset as the shadows move about its walls carving a more vivid image. Allow approximately 4 hours travel time to the most popular South rim or 6 hours travel time west to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River platform of glass on the tribal lands of the Hualapai. Here you can also experience an authentic Indian Village. grandcanyon.com and www.grandcanyonskywalk.com

Sedona – The great gallery of red rock country at 4500 ft. elevations is on its most eloquent pedestal in Sedona. Rumored to be the home of more artists per capita than anywhere else in this country, it has an inspiring aura and an electromagnetic energy that attracts myriad New Age devotees. Tlaquepaque, in the heart of Sedona, is an architectural art object itself as well as a courtyard of shops, galleries and restaurants built to resemble its namesake village in Mexico outside Guadalajara. Take a vortex tour or get a psychic reading after climbing and photographing Sedona rouge. Allow approximately 3 hours travel time. www.visitsedona.com

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – While you can’t put time in a bottle, you can put the desert in a walk, at the renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum adjacent to the Saguaro National Park West. In an outdoor naturescape you encounter hundreds of species of desert animals in a natural setting as you walk through this exotic botanical oasis. The drive along Gates Pass west of Tucson to the Museum cuts through a forest of giant Saguaros where backdrops were shot for many of the John Wayne films. Allow approximately 3 hours travel time. www.desertmuseum.org

Pima Air Museum – The largest private air museum in the U.S. is located southeast of Tucson where aviation enthusiasts can enjoy a great collection of 130 historic aircraft. Inside a 20,000-square-foot hanger and outside there are acres of airplanes; fighters, bombers, helicopters, cargo planes and a Presidential plane used by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Other exhibits highlight NASA achievements, prominent aviators, and experimental aircraft. Noteworthy is the high-security AMARC which requires a photo I.D. and weekday reservation. Allow approximately 4 hours travel time. www.pimaair.org

Kartchner Caverns – The Smithsonian Institute paired with the State of Arizona in showcasing this amazing “jewel box” of caverns, one of only two in the U.S. listed among the Top Ten Caves of the World. Extraordinary high tech environmental efforts protect this unique, wet limestone cavern housing a rare bat species. Reservations are suggested to tour and see soda straw stalactites, moon milk, totems, bacon curtains and Arizona’s tallest column and most massive, Kubla Khan. Interactive displays in The Discovery Center and a hummingbird garden are worth the time. Allow 4.5 hours travel time. www.azstateparks.com

Kitt Peak National Observatory – Southern Arizona is the Astronomy Capital of the World. This monument to science is situated at the 7,000-foot summit of the Baboquivari Peak, a sacred mountain to the Tohono O’odham Indians 60 miles west of Tucson. Take a day tour of an array of shimmering white star steeples housing more than a dozen telescopes, including the world’s largest solar telescope. Or reserve a night show (includes a boxed dinner) for stargazing if you can arrive by 4 p.m. Allow approximately 4 hours travel time. www.noao.edu

Tombstone - The legacy of the rough-and-tumble “Old West,” its cowboys, cavalry, hanging judges, and miners lingers on in Tombstone, “The Town Too Tough to Die.” Reenactments of the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral with Wyatt Earp and his brothers; cardsharp Doc Holliday and the Clanton gang recall the silver-mining streak of the 1880’s that made Tombstone the most important metropolis between El Paso and San Francisco. Don’t miss the infamous Cochise County Courthouse, the Crystal Palace Saloon and the Bird Cage [vaudeville] Theatre as well as “the world’s largest rose bush.” Allow approximately 4.5 hours travel time. www.tombstone.org

[The author, Johnny Fenton, a former NBC journalist, is a 28-year Arizona resident and columnist for Arizona Key Magazine.]