Tag: Phoenix

3 Recharging Getaways

Nothing better than a getaway when the getaway gets you gone but doesn’t involve numerous “travel” days, long lines, and a big hit to the budget. De-stressing, reconnecting, and recharging are important to a happy and healthy life. Here are a few quick getaways that will hopefully have you happy and stress-free by the time you head home.

LA to Palm Springs: Of course, Los Angeles has plenty of sunshine and beautiful beaches, but if it’s your homebase, a little road trip out of the city is guaranteed to ease stress and help you reconnect to the beauty that is California. Book a colorful cottage at Palm Springs and get ready to unwind. Palm Springs is a great place to reconnect with nature thanks to the proximity to Joshua Tree National Park, an ancient desert which is known for having multiple energy vortices. Hike this magical desert landscape which is loaded with spring wildflowers in April and May. Do you enjoy the feeling of wind in your hair? If so, then plan a windmill tour where you can enjoy a self-guided driving tour through a California wind farm (windmilltours.com). If your astrological element is water, then a hike through Tahquitz Canyon to see the waterfall should be on the agenda. For details on this 1.7-mile loop check out tahquitzcanyon.com. This healing vibes getaway is about an hour and a half drive from Los Angeles.

Phoenix to Sedona: Just under two hours from Phoenix, Sedona, Arizona, can be called other-worldly with mystical powers and healing vortexes that can even bring calm to the A-plusses of Type A personalities. Sedona is a healing place thanks in part due to the red-orange color of the red rocks that surround it which is considered one of the most neuro-stimulating colors. Book a cabin, cottage or tiny house at Verde Valley and you’re on our way to restful retreat. Plan hikes to see the vortexes and soak up their healing energy; take a yoga class in the desert; or enjoy some of the spa services offered at one of the numerous spas in town. Plan ahead and enjoy the Sedona Yoga Festival, scheduled for June 2-5. The Verde River is great for relaxing canoe and kayak trips and a wine tasting at nearby Alcantara Vineyards may be just what you need to take the edge off!

Mt Hood Tiny House Village Tumbleweed
Mt Hood Tiny House Village

Portland to Welches:  A roughly less than one-hour drive is nothing if it means within that short timeframe you can travel from the bustle of the city to the serenity of wooded wilderness. If Portland is where everyday life finds you, you’re lucky the drive to Mt. Hood National Forest is a quick trip. Plan a tiny home adventure at the Mt. Hood Tiny House Village and get ready to recharge in the great outdoors. To name a few, outdoor activities here can include hiking, biking, climbing, horseback riding, fishing, birding, and rafting. There is a wine trail and a tap trail (which highlights the region’s breweries, cideries, and distilleries), plus antique shops, galleries, and eateries. If music is your go-to for recharging, make note that the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival is scheduled for May 6-8. If fields of flowers bring you peace, check out the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, set for Sunday May 1, or the Spring Fever Open House, sponsored by the Cascade Nursery Trail, where area nurseries are open for tours, host plant sales, and other flower-themed fun events. Spring Fever Open House is a three-day event scheduled for May 28-30.

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5 Things to Do in…Phoenix

Phoenix is a definitely a “go-to” when it comes to winter getaways thanks to the abundance of blues skies and its temperate winter climate (daytime temps average around 68-76 degrees). That kind of weather makes it fun to hike, bike, and enjoy the sites in and around Arizona’s capital city. Book a stay at one of the cottages at any of our age-qualified resorts in Mesa and get ready to take on all the area has to offer.

  1. If you want to get in the holiday spirit, check out the events of Merry Main Street in downtown Mesa. There’s an ice-skating rink, a four-story tree decorated with twinkling lights, musical performances, Jack Frost’s Food Truck Forest and a holiday market, perfect for grabbing those last-minute gifts. The ice rink is open daily while other events run Friday and Saturday evenings through January 2, 2022. For more details and a time schedule, visit merrymainst.com.

2. The story behind Arizona’s Mystery Castle is full of joy and sadness – upon hearing he had tuberculosis, the castle’s architect and builder, Boyd Gulley, left his family in Seattle and moved to Arizona. However, the memories of the sandcastles he built with his daughter on the Seattle shores stayed with him as did his daughter’s wish to have him build her a castle one day that wouldn’t wash away when the tide came in. Gulley did just that using found items, including salvaged auto parts and discarded telephone poles, to build an 18-room, three story castle. Sadly, he died before he could move his family into the castle, but his daughter and wife did move in after his death. Tours of the castle are offered daily Thursday through Sunday from October to May. For information, visit mymysterycastle.com.

"taliesin west" by eschipul is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
“taliesin west” by eschipul is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

3. Another famous home in the area is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, the architect’s winter home and studio, which is listed on the U.S. Register of National Historic Places. According to franklloydwright.org, Taliesin West resulted from Wright’s experiment with camping in the Arizona desert in 1937. Obviously, it was a success as Wright then began to build his “desert utopia” and wintered there until his death in 1959 at age 91. Located in Scottdale, Taliesin West is now open to the public for daily tours. As an added bonus to this beautiful desert experience, visitors to the site between December 3 and May 31, 2022 can enjoy Chihuly in the Desert, an art installation featuring the amazing works of American glass artist Dale Chihuly. 

4. To learn about the indigenous people who lived in this area of Arizona visit the 1500-year-old archaeological site that is the Pueblo Grande Museum. The largest preserved archaeological site in the area, visitors can walk along a 2/3-mile, accessible trail among the prehistoric dwellings inhabited by the Hohokam people. The site also has three galleries that house artifacts from the Hohokam culture.

5. This and That: A perfect Phoenix agenda could include hikes along Tom Thumb’s Trail or Pinnacle Peak, both top-rated AZ hikes; the RoRo Street Art Tour, which is a guided walk around Phoenix’s to discover the city’s street art scene (tours are available through both viator.com and azingtours.com); a taste of authentic Navajo Fry Bread (check out The Fry Bread House or Maria’s Frybread, both in Phoenix or Angelina’s Fry Bread in nearby Glendale); and a visit to the 140-acre Desert Botanical Garden, which is a great way to take in the amazing landscape of the Sonoran Desert.

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