Phoenix and Scottsdale – the Evolving Metropolis of the Arizona Desert
The vast metropolis of Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the entire USA. The once warm and sleepy city at the heart of the Sonoran Desert has become one of the main internal migration destinations of the Sunbelt, and in the last fifty years, it has been built up rapidly. Phoenix and its surrounding urban sprawl are a sought-after residential area brimming with high-tech but offering less in terms of tourist attractions. In the city's downtown, at Heritage Square, there are several historical sites and numerous quality museums perfect for escaping the blazing sun. The neighboring city of Scottsdale, on the other hand, has developed itself into an urban attraction, with its Old Town, the city's historical nucleus, becoming the entertainment center of the metropolis, including the giant fashion mall. At the outskirts of Scottsdale, the master architect Frank Lloyd Wright resided, and his home is now one of the most famous sites in the city.
How many days are needed for a trip to Phoenix and Scottsdale?
For a trip to Downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale, you should dedicate at least one full day.
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Must-sees and activities in Phoenix and Scottsdale?
- Restaurants and entertainment spots in Old Town Scottsdale
- Western settlement history at the Rosson House Museum at Heritage Square
- A Diamondbacks baseball game or a Phoenix Suns basketball game in Downtown Phoenix
- Discover the cultures of the Grand Canyon at the Heard Museum
- Shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square
- Quality modern architecture at Taliesin West
What is Phoenix?
The city of Phoenix is the capital of the state of Arizona and one of the most important cities in the southwestern USA. Phoenix is home to more than one and a half million people, making it the sixth-largest city in the USA. The Phoenix metropolitan area has around five million residents and is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the USA due to massive migration to Arizona thanks to the development of high-tech and relatively low living costs, along with the waves of migration to the Sun Belt. The city is located in the northern part of the Sonora Desert, which stretches south to the Mexican border and is considered one of the hottest deserts in the world.
- Phoenix was established on an area where ancient channels carved by early Native American tribes connected to the Salt River.
- The initial settlement in the area began towards the end of the 19th century with the construction of new canals based on ancient ones, thanks to the efforts of Jack Swilling, an adventurous pioneer from South Carolina who arrived in the desert following the American army that built a fort in the area.
- The agricultural settlement that emerged after the canal digging was incorporated as a town in 1868 and was named Phoenix after the mythical bird that burned to death and rose from its ashes, symbolizing the rise of the modern city from the ancient canals of the Indians.
- By the end of the 19th century, the city rapidly developed as a stopover on the train route to California, but its major development boom occurred only in the 1950s and 60s, when it grew like crazy and became a particularly modern and attractive city.
Map of Greater Phoenix
How to Get to Phoenix?
How to Fly to Phoenix?
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – The Phoenix airport, also known as Sky Harbor, is one of the main airports within the USA. It's located east of downtown Phoenix, just a five-minute drive from the city center. This airport is very well-connected within the United States, with routes to every corner of the vast country. It's also well-linked with airports in Mexico and Canada, and there are several routes to major airports in Europe. The travel time from Phoenix Airport to Grand Canyon Village is about three and a half hours.
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How to reach Phoenix by car?
- Phoenix is located on the legendary southern highway route, Interstate 10, which connects Los Angeles on the Pacific Ocean with Jacksonville, Florida on the Atlantic coast. The highway connects the city with Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and all southern cities in a stunning desert road trip.
- Interstate 8 connects the southern metropolitan area with the city of San Diego in California.
- Interstate 17 connects Phoenix with Flagstaff, along the route of Interstate 40 (the legendary Route 66), leading to the Grand Canyon National Park just to the north.
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When's the Best Time to Visit Phoenix?
Phoenix is a desert city with a very intense and hot summer (everything's air-conditioned) and, surprisingly, a bit rainy. Compared to the summer, the other seasons are perfect, offering an especially pleasant winter.
- The best season to visit Phoenix is the winter, when temperatures are perfect, averaging around twenty degrees and mostly sunny days. This is also the time to head north for trips to the Grand Canyon National Park or south to Tucson. Winter nights can be cold, often not reaching the freezing point, but occasionally it can happen
- Spring and fall in Phoenix are pleasant and comfortable as well. Temperatures are generally nice, though they can rise during the day. These seasons are also very sunny and almost dry
- Summer in Phoenix is desert-like and scorching, often with daytime averages exceeding thirty degrees, and sometimes there are exceptionally hot days. The nights range from pleasant to cool thanks to the desert climate
- Phoenix is a very dry city, and rain hardly affects your visit there. The rainiest months are in the summer, but it's such a minimal amount that the rain can only slightly cool down the heat.
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How to Plan a Itinerary for Phoenix?
The giant Phoenix metro stands alone in the heart of the Sonoran Desert right in the center of Arizona. The trip in the city is mostly isolated from a continuous trip in the southwestern USA, even though the city serves as a convenient base for a trip toward the Grand Canyon, part of the national park, as well as cities along Route 40, Williams and Flagstaff. You can combine the city with a tour of neighboring Tucson and the Saguaro National Park, famous for its cacti.
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Aside from the Grand Canyon, the most popular day trip from Greater Phoenix is to Sedona, around a two-hour drive north towards Flagstaff. The Verde Valley, true to its name, is adorned with stunning formations of red sandstone and serves as an appetizer to the breathtaking abundance of national parks to the north. Most people heading to the national parks route of northern Arizona and southern Utah start from Las Vegas, but you can also embark on this journey from Phoenix. The route includes the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and more.
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The trip in Greater Phoenix is roughly divided into two: a tour of the city's new downtown and a hop to Scottsdale, just a bit east. The center of Phoenix is Heritage Square, where you'll find historic houses, with the famous Rosson House at the helm. Nearby, there's also the Arizona Science Center. A short drive away, you'll find the Arizona Capitol Museum, the city's Art Museum, and the Heard Museum of Native Art.
The Scottsdale tour is much more touristy in nature. The focus of the trip in this city, engulfed by the huge metropolis, is Old Town Scottsdale. Old Town is a highly attractive and touristy spot, full of restaurants, beautiful streets, and occasionally some hustle and bustle. Nearby is the monumental Fashion Square Mall, one of the largest malls in America.
On the outskirts of Scottsdale to the east lies one of the most fascinating and important sites in the new metropolis, the Taliesin West, home to the master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house is a gem of modern architecture and a must-visit for architecture enthusiasts. To the north of the city is the unique home of Paolo Soleri, Wright's distinctive student, which is also a must-see for fans of modern architecture.
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Everything You Need to Know About Lodging in Phoenix and Scottsdale
Phoenix offers four clusters of hotels and accommodations, each with a different purpose:
- Urban hotels in Downtown Phoenix
- Urban hotels near Old Town Scottsdale
- Business hotels and motels near Phoenix Airport (not far from both Downtown Phoenix and Old Town Scottsdale)
- Motels on the metropolitan highways
The downtown Phoenix city hotels are large four and three-star establishments from top American chains like Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton, etc. These hotels provide very convenient access to the metropolitan cultural center and Phoenix's excellent museums, as well as to the professional sports games of the Diamondbacks and Suns.
The urban hotels of Scottsdale are similar in nature to those in Phoenix's center, also being large establishments from top American chains. Scottsdale itself is the metropolitan entertainment hub, so staying near Old Town has a great advantage.
Due to the location of the major metropolitan airport – Sky Harbor, staying near the airport is very convenient. Near the airport, there are large business hotels that serve the city's formidable high-tech traffic. Additionally, there are quite a few good motels near the airport that usually offer the best deal right in the heart of Phoenix.
Throughout the metropolitan area, there are plenty of motels from all the major American chains. Most of the motels are located on the routes between the cluster of cities surrounding Phoenix, such as Chandler, Tempe, Glendale, and more.
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Map of Where to Stay in Phoenix
Everything to See and Do in Phoenix
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is the closest thing in Phoenix to what might be called a historic center. The square is located in the heart of the city's downtown on Monroe and North 6th Street, at the border of the Arizona State University campus. Over the square rise the historic spires of the Rosson House, alongside several other historic buildings over a century old and a museum-like atmosphere of local heritage. At the square's end is Arizona's largest science center museum.
Rosson House Museum at Heritage Square
The home of Dr. Ronald Lee Rosson is a Victorian architectural masterpiece in the heart of Arizona's desert. The grand house was constructed in the late 19th century for Dr. Rosson, who worked as a surgeon in the then small town. Today, the house operates as a historical museum commemorating the lifestyle of Rosson and his wife, including period furnishings collected from around the area for preservation.
Address: 113 N 6th St., Phoenix
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Arizona Science Center
The Arizona Science Museum is one of the largest in this part of the USA. The museum is pretty generic overall, with a combination of exhibits where you can learn a lot about human realms, the stars, and more, along with a rather basic display of museum artifacts. It's a good solution to occupy an hour or two during the peak heat, offering a place to escape the blazing sun.
Address: E Washington St. 600, Phoenix
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Arizona Capitol Museum
The Arizona Capitol Museum is housed in one of the most impressive buildings in the state, which was the state capitol building in 1901. Besides the interesting building itself, the museum's collection includes many items related to the state's history, along with important contributions of items from residents who have bequeathed their belongings to the state.
Address: Washington St. 1700, Phoenix
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Phoenix Art Museum
The Phoenix Art Museum is located just north of downtown and offers a cool escape from the blazing sun when needed. The museum's collection consists of twenty thousand items, including European and American art, Native art, Eastern and South American art, and more. You can find paintings by masters such as Eugène Boudin, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, and others. Although the collection is not too impressive, the design and curation are interesting, especially regarding the American modern collection.
Address: N Central Ave. 1625, Phoenix
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Heard Museum
The museum, named after Mai Bartlett Heard, is located just north of the Phoenix Art Museum. Established in 1929, it features tens of thousands of original artifacts from Native cultures of Arizona and all the western states. The size and quantity of the semi-archaeological, semi-anthropological items vividly and intricately showcase the unique character of each indigenous culture. The collection includes an immense amount of Navajo art and is a deep dive into America's cultural depth before heading north towards the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley.
Address: N Central Ave. 2301, Phoenix
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Scottsdale
Today's Scottsdale is one of the most attractive cities in the entire western United States. Back in the 1970s, this small city just started to develop, and now it’s nestled within the larger Phoenix metropolitan area, but it still retains its unique character and remains a popular tourist destination. Around a quarter of a million people live in the city today, making it one of the highest quality and most expensive cities in the United States. The center of Scottsdale, the Old Town, is a popular tourist spot and a hub for metropolitan entertainment. This area was the nucleus of settlement in the city from the end of the 19th century, with only 2000 residents until the 1960s. About a decade later, the city multiplied its population by 35 times!! And since then, it has developed rapidly.
Old Town Scottsdale
Scottsdale's Old Town is the heart of the settlement from the late 19th century and today one of the most visited and lively places in all of Arizona. Despite the name Old Town, there isn't much that's old there, but the place has a fun and easygoing vibe. Old Town is a cluster of a few winding streets (a rarity in Greater Phoenix) south of the Arizona Canal. The streets are full of restaurants, bars, shops, and plenty of tourists. It's an area bustling all day and night, with a very generically American character of wide streets and parking, but also a unique pride and local spirit that well define the character of Arizona and Phoenix today.
Adjacent to Old Town, just north of the canal, is the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall that completes the strolling and shopping experience of Old Town. It’s the largest mall in the entire southwestern region of the USA, featuring clusters of enclosed malls, street-facing shops, some luxury stores here and there, and a few large American department stores you’d find in any US mall.
Taliesin West
Taliesin West is one of the most important architectural gems of contemporary America. It was the home of the American top architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the place where he passed away in 1959. This large estate overlooks the rolling hills east of Old Town Scottsdale, on the western slopes of the Scottsdale mountains. Wright lived and worked in this house starting from 1937, even before his designs became trailblazers of modern architecture. Today, the house serves as the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which has opened it for guided tours to the public. On these tours, you can appreciate Wright's meticulous modern architecture and learn a lot about his personality and working methods.
Address: N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. 12621, Scottsdale
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Cosanti Foundation
The home of modern Italian architect Paolo Soleri is located north of Scottsdale and Phoenix within the desert avant-garde artist colony Arcosanti. The house was the foundation for the small colony, above a desert channel on the northwestern slopes of the Scottsdale Range. Soleri was one of the famous students of Frank Lloyd Wright and set his home not far from his mentor's residence. While Lloyd Wright excelled in ultra-elegant design and the skillful linear use of modern raw materials, Soleri went completely wild and excelled in extraordinarily rounded designs with lots of breaks. Today, the house serves as a museum managed by the Cosanti Foundation, where visitors can appreciate both the architectural style and Soleri's contributions.
Address: S Cross L Rd. 13555, Mayer, AZ
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Events and Sports Groups in Phoenix
Basketball in Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
The Suns are the popular basketball team of Phoenix. Until recently, they were one of the best in the West, but nowadays they're fairly average or below. The Suns are Arizona's first professional team, founded in 1968 and named after the number one characteristic of the desert state. Many leading league stars have played for the team, such as Charles Barkley and Steve Nash, who led the team for years and achieved impressive feats, yet without winning a championship. In recent years, the team hasn't made it to the playoffs and is quite mediocre.
The Suns play at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, near the Chase Field Stadium of the Diamondbacks, and a short walking distance from Heritage Square. The stadium holds 17,000 spectators, and usually, there's no problem obtaining tickets for the games.
Home Stadium Address: 201 E Jefferson St., Phoenix
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Baseball in Phoenix
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are the great baseball team of the city of Phoenix in the MLB League. They still hold the title of the youngest team in the professional league and were founded in 1998. The team is named after a local rattlesnake. The Diamondbacks won the World Series once in 2001 in games postponed after the September 11 terror attacks. They defeated the New York Yankees, which brought heartbreak to the giant wounded city.
The team plays at Chase Field stadium in downtown Phoenix, which holds 48,000 spectators. Although the team is very popular, there is no problem getting tickets for league games, except of course during the playoffs.
Home stadium address: 401 E Jefferson St., Phoenix
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Football in Houston
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are one of the oldest football teams in all of the USA and are considered one of the founders of the NFL. The team was established in 1898 in Chicago and moved to St. Louis in 1960. During the Chicago era, they won two league championships (even before the Super Bowls). In 1988, they relocated to Phoenix and now play at the State Farm Arena in Glendale, just a bit west of downtown Phoenix. The stadium holds 63,000 spectators, so it's a good idea to book tickets in advance.
Home stadium address: Cardinals Dr. 1, Glendale
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