Home Sweet Home
Welcome!
November is arguably the loveliest month of the year to visit Phoenix. Believe it or not, there are leaves falling (from all the big deciduous trees that fill North Central Phoenix). And our nights are getting cold"ish" (this year the evening low for Thanksgiving will likely plunge to a bone chilling 55° F.) And, it gets dark early now, car headlights start popping on around 5:30 pm.
Frequently
my holiday posts describe a visit to some warm or scenic destination.
But once again this year we are lucky enough to just be staying home to enjoy the Valley of the
Sun!
So here is a holiday blog for those lucky enough to be visiting Phoenix over Thanksgiving 2018!
So here is a holiday blog for those lucky enough to be visiting Phoenix over Thanksgiving 2018!
Welcome!
November is arguably the loveliest month of the year to visit Phoenix. Believe it or not, there are leaves falling (from all the big deciduous trees that fill North Central Phoenix). And our nights are getting cold"ish" (this year the evening low for Thanksgiving will likely plunge to a bone chilling 55° F.) And, it gets dark early now, car headlights start popping on around 5:30 pm.
So what is there to do?
Well
here are just a few ideas from Roadboy. My focus is Phoenix. I'm not
into the snooty Scottsdale scene. Roadboy prefers "real".
1. A visit to Desert Botanical Garden (or as we call it the DBG) is always amazing.
Nothing
is more refreshing than a walk in "the garden". And this year the gardens are dazzlingly illuminated in a special night show by the Klip Collective called Electric Desert. Click here to visit the DBG website.
The Desert Botanical Garden
The
garden's holiday festival, Los Nochas de las Luminarias begins Dec 1.
It typically sells out, so reserve tickets well in advance
for that.
2. The MIM!
Arizona's
new Musical Instrument Museum is a treasure. This is a high-tech and
very wonderful addition to Arizona's cultural scene. The MIM displays
musical instruments from around the world and with your GPS headset you
hear most instruments being played as you walk near them! The MIM has a special "Electric Guitar" Exhibition on now.
Also, if you plan to visit any time in November or December the amazingly intimate MIM theater (with its awesome acoustics) will host to the likes of Stringshot, Karla Bonoff, Bettye LaVette, Heart Society and the Manhattan Transfer is once again returning to spread joy with their Holiday Show (Yeah it is always awesome!) Click Here to visit the MIM's website.
Also, if you plan to visit any time in November or December the amazingly intimate MIM theater (with its awesome acoustics) will host to the likes of Stringshot, Karla Bonoff, Bettye LaVette, Heart Society and the Manhattan Transfer is once again returning to spread joy with their Holiday Show (Yeah it is always awesome!) Click Here to visit the MIM's website.
3. EAT!
A proliferation of spectacular new restaurants have joined my list of tried and true favorites. For scenery (and old Arizona charm) the best spot hands down is a lunch or romantic sunset dinner on the patio at Lon's at the Hermosa Inn. Adventurous? Try Pa'La for wood fired delights (limited dinner hours - check) or check out the Taco Guild. For Mexican food with a smoky goodness Cafe Otro. For some zing try Ladera Mexican. For meet market Postino's wine bar on Central should work. For more wood fired yumminess it's Timo's in Sunnyslope. For neighborliness try Windsor. Want Chicken and waffles, its Lolo's. How about a chicken fried turkey dinner? TexAz has got you covered. Or there's brunch at Elly's Kitchen and coffee at Lux. These day's it is hard not to eat well in Phoenix!
4. Culture!
The Phoenix Art Museum is a true gem. After two major expansions by the husband and wife team of Tod Williams / Billie Tsien it has wonderful space to display an extensive permanent collection as well as mount special expositions.
This Thanksgiving they have the special exhibitions: Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire and an exhibition from contemporary artist Ragnar Kjartansson entitled Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths. Click here to visit the Phoenix Art Museum website.
5. Get Smart!
Antoine Predock's stark concrete Arizona Science Center is a perfect place to go with kids (of all ages). It has great interactive displays and a cool planetarium. Alas it will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Click here to visit the Arizona Science Center website.
6. For the Jocks
For the "get out and do it' set November is the perfect time to go mountain or road biking in Phoenix. Sip a Latte while getting fitted for a excellent rental bike at the Trailhead Cafe / Bike Shop at 16th Street and Glendale. From there you can pedal away on the nearby AZ canal or go single track at the North Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Visit the Trailhead's website here. For the "sit and watch" set the Suns play Oklahoma City on November 17th. The Cardinals will play the Raiders at Peter Eisenman's State Farm Stadium on Nov. 18th and the Coyotes play the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 21st.
7. Shop!
All the museums above have great gift shops. But there are also great little boutiques like Frances near Camelback and Central. For Black Friday there is The Biltmore Fashion Park - a perfectly sized outdoor mall featuring some one-of-a-kind shops. It also features great restaurants plus an Apple Store, Saks, and a cute little 1960's vintage Macy's thrown in for good measure. All of the Biltmore's parking facing Camelback is strictly valet. The free parking is located in the big garage behind the mall. Visit the Biltmore Fashion Park website here. On November 23rd there will be an Alternative Black Friday Vintage along with the tree lighting and opening up of the skating rink at CityScape downtown.
8. Ogle!
Walk the Grounds of the Arizona Biltmore Resort. The only Frank Lloyd Wright inspired hotel left standing in the world. Since it opened nearly every sitting president has checked in at the Biltmore. Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas while sitting by the Catalina Pool (the same pool Marilyn Monroe said was her favorite). The Biltmore offers a variety of Thanksgiving buffets and dinners, as do most of the big resorts.
9. The Heard
In the tradition of saving the best for last, I recommend the Heard Museum. In my opinion the Heard ties with the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (near Tucson) as my favorite museums in Arizona. The Heard is the premier showcase of Native American art and culture. It has grown from "a little museum in a little western town" to what it is today - peerless.
Come for Thanksgiving. Enjoy our weather, our culture, our food and everything else Arizona does well!
Roadboy's Travel © 2018
A proliferation of spectacular new restaurants have joined my list of tried and true favorites. For scenery (and old Arizona charm) the best spot hands down is a lunch or romantic sunset dinner on the patio at Lon's at the Hermosa Inn. Adventurous? Try Pa'La for wood fired delights (limited dinner hours - check) or check out the Taco Guild. For Mexican food with a smoky goodness Cafe Otro. For some zing try Ladera Mexican. For meet market Postino's wine bar on Central should work. For more wood fired yumminess it's Timo's in Sunnyslope. For neighborliness try Windsor. Want Chicken and waffles, its Lolo's. How about a chicken fried turkey dinner? TexAz has got you covered. Or there's brunch at Elly's Kitchen and coffee at Lux. These day's it is hard not to eat well in Phoenix!
4. Culture!
The Phoenix Art Museum is a true gem. After two major expansions by the husband and wife team of Tod Williams / Billie Tsien it has wonderful space to display an extensive permanent collection as well as mount special expositions.
The Entry Courtyard of the Phoenix Art Museum
This Thanksgiving they have the special exhibitions: Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire and an exhibition from contemporary artist Ragnar Kjartansson entitled Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths. Click here to visit the Phoenix Art Museum website.
5. Get Smart!
Antoine Predock's stark concrete Arizona Science Center is a perfect place to go with kids (of all ages). It has great interactive displays and a cool planetarium. Alas it will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Click here to visit the Arizona Science Center website.
6. For the Jocks
For the "get out and do it' set November is the perfect time to go mountain or road biking in Phoenix. Sip a Latte while getting fitted for a excellent rental bike at the Trailhead Cafe / Bike Shop at 16th Street and Glendale. From there you can pedal away on the nearby AZ canal or go single track at the North Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Visit the Trailhead's website here. For the "sit and watch" set the Suns play Oklahoma City on November 17th. The Cardinals will play the Raiders at Peter Eisenman's State Farm Stadium on Nov. 18th and the Coyotes play the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 21st.
7. Shop!
All the museums above have great gift shops. But there are also great little boutiques like Frances near Camelback and Central. For Black Friday there is The Biltmore Fashion Park - a perfectly sized outdoor mall featuring some one-of-a-kind shops. It also features great restaurants plus an Apple Store, Saks, and a cute little 1960's vintage Macy's thrown in for good measure. All of the Biltmore's parking facing Camelback is strictly valet. The free parking is located in the big garage behind the mall. Visit the Biltmore Fashion Park website here. On November 23rd there will be an Alternative Black Friday Vintage along with the tree lighting and opening up of the skating rink at CityScape downtown.
8. Ogle!
Walk the Grounds of the Arizona Biltmore Resort. The only Frank Lloyd Wright inspired hotel left standing in the world. Since it opened nearly every sitting president has checked in at the Biltmore. Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas while sitting by the Catalina Pool (the same pool Marilyn Monroe said was her favorite). The Biltmore offers a variety of Thanksgiving buffets and dinners, as do most of the big resorts.
9. The Heard
In the tradition of saving the best for last, I recommend the Heard Museum. In my opinion the Heard ties with the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (near Tucson) as my favorite museums in Arizona. The Heard is the premier showcase of Native American art and culture. It has grown from "a little museum in a little western town" to what it is today - peerless.
Come for Thanksgiving. Enjoy our weather, our culture, our food and everything else Arizona does well!
Roadboy's Travel © 2018
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