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Profile

Known as the "Valley of the Sun," Phoenix and its adjacent suburbs benefit from abundant sunshine and warm weather throughout most of the year. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the nation, with a population of nearly 1.4 million, and plays host to more than 13 million visitors per year. What is commonly perceived as Phoenix is really a vast urban sprawl that covers more area than Los Angeles. The Greater Phoenix area, which covers an area of 2,000 square miles and includes 22 additional cities, notably Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe, has a population of close to 3.5 million.

Phoenix's history is steeped in Native American tradition, and is home to 23 reservations. The pioneer spirit of the West is reflected in ruins and replicas throughout the city. Arizona's capital shares a distinction with Las Vegas of being the fastest growing city in the country owing much to its favorable climate and rich heritage.

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Weather

Phoenix has a pleasant average yearly temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and receives more than 300 days of annual sunshine and barely eight inches of rain. Naturally, it is during the winter months that visitors are attracted in droves, drawn from colder climes to celebrate the warmth of the sun. When Easterners are bundled up, it's short-sleeve weather in Arizona. From November through April, the temperature rarely rises above 82 degrees, with June through September considerably hotter, often averaging 105 degrees.

Phoenix Weather

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Attractions

Phoenix and the Sonoran Desert do not immediately bring water-based pursuits to mind, yet there are more than a half dozen lakes within an hour or so of the city limits.

Canyon Lake, one of the chain of lakes formed when the Salt River was dammed, is home to the Dolly Steamboat (480-827-9144; www.dollysteamboat.com), a replica paddle-wheel steamboat that does 90-minute narrated cruises twice a day. The two-deck craft glides between massive canyon walls, with bighorn sheep and eagle sightings often a part of the day's entertainment. Closer in, Rio Lago Cruises (Rio Salado Pkwy. and Mill Ave., Tempe; 480-517-4050) lets visitors skipper their own electric-powered boat around the 2.5-mile Tempe Town Lake.

In Scottsdale, rowdy Old West fun is guaranteed at Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse (23023 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale; 480-502-1880; www.rawhide.com). This re-creation of an 1880s Western town has plenty of shops to browse through, stunt shows, simulated gunfights, stagecoach rides, and a steakhouse that serves slabs of meat mesquite grilled to your taste.

For a close-up look at what the Sonoran Desert has to offer without enduring the rigors of a trek into the actual outback, there's the Desert Botanical Garden (1201 N. Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix; 480-941-1225; www.dbg.org). Shaded paths wind among some of the desert's best plant specimens and helpful docents can advise on which species may be transplanted to your part of the world. At the gift shop, look for treasures with a Southwest flavor to take home.

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Family Fun

Besides bringing the family to the Arizona Science Center (600 E. Washington St. Phoenix; 602-716-2000; www.azscience.org) with four floors of interactive exhibits and 203-seat planetarium, or the Hall of Flame (6101 E. Van Buren, Phoenix; 602-275-3473; www.hallofflame.org) where kids can don turnout gear and ride a replica fire truck, desert jeep trips are fabulous family adventures. Desert Storm Hummer Tours (480-922-0020; www.dshummer.com) offers them in the low-slung 4x4s used during Desert Storm. They can crawl over rough washes and rocks as they hug the terrain-the company motto is "There Are No Dead Ends."

For an adventure astride, trail rides from just a few hours to overnight may be booked through professional outfitters that include Richardson's D-Spur Ranch (602-810-7029; www.dspurranch.com), a working cattle ranch with horseback riding stables. Experienced guides match riders with appropriate horses, then set out among the foothills of the lore-filled Superstition Mountains just east of Phoenix.

Downtown Phoenix is home to Copper Square (www.coppersquare.com) where visitors can attend a seasonal sporting event at Bank One Ballpark or America West Arena, visit a specialty shop, stroll through a street fair, and much more in the heart of Arizona's capital.

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Cultural Arts

One of Phoenix's most renowned cultural venues is the Heard Museum (2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix; 602-252-8848; www.heard.org). Its treasures document the area's Native American history, and also include dazzling jewelry and artwork created by contemporary artists. The museum gift shop is one of the best places in the state to buy a Navajo rug. Best of all, there is no sales tax.

Part of the Central Avenue arts corridor along with the Heard, the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N. Central Ave., Phoenix; 602-257-1222; www.phxart.org) is the largest art museum in the Southwest with more than 17,000 works in its collection from Western, Latin, Asian, American and European artists that span the 16th to 20th centuries.

Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (4619 E. Washington St., Phoenix; 602-495-0901; www.pueblogrande.com) near Sky Harbor Airport, is located on the ruins of a 1,500-year-old Hohokam village, the remnants of which help explain how this ancient culture lived along the Salt River and engineered hundreds of miles of canals.

Founded in 1920, Phoenix Theatre (100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix; 602-889-5284; www.phxtheatre.org) is the oldest theater company in Arizona. It operates a variety of productions for adults including full-length musicals and reviews, and for children via the Cookie Company, which runs youth shows from September through May.

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Sports/Recreation

Golfers have no problems finding a perfect course for their skill level and personal taste. There are over 200 courses in the Greater Phoenix area.

Sanctuary at Westworld (10690 E. Sheena Dr., Scottsdale; 480-502-8200; www. Sanctuarygolf.com) is the first Audubon International Signature course in the area. The 6,650 par-71 daily-fee club provides a natural alternative to ordinary golf. Talking Stick Golf Club (9998 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale; 480-850-7304; www.talkingstickgolfclub.com), on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, is a spectacular 36-hole facility designed by two-time U.S. Masters Champion Ben Crenshaw and partner Bill Coore. Troon North (10320 E. Dynamite Blvd., Scottsdale; 480-585-5300; www.troongolf.com) has two desert-landscaped courses. Golf Digest ranked them the number one and two public access courses in the state.

The Phoenix/Scottsdale region is also the home for Gear-To-Go, a service that delivers clubs to golfers on vacation. Visit www.gear-to-go.com for more information.

The Scottsdale Gun Club (14860 N. Northsight Blvd., Scottsdale; 480-348-1111) is the country's largest, most elegant indoor shooting facility. Offerings include family-oriented safety classes, a self-defense course and life-size Firearms Training Simulator video game.

Arizona Snowbowl Ski Lift Lodge (Hwy. 180 and Snowbowl Rd., Flagstaff; 928-779-1951; www.arizonasnowbowl.com) is a year-round recreation center featuring an average of 260 inches of winter snow for skiing, snowboarding and scenic sky rides that send skiers soaring 11,500 feet in 25 minutes while serving panoramic views of glistening white landscape on the way to the slopes.

The F1 Race Factory (317 S. 48th St., Phoenix; 602-302-7223; www.F1RaceFactory.com) is a full-fledged indoor karting and entertainment destination featuring high-speed European kart racing, rock climbing, billiards, head-to-head video games, and daily sporting event showings.

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Accommodations

Phoenix area hotels and resorts offer the ultimate in comfort and extravagance.

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (7575 E. Princess Dr., Scottsdale; 480-585-4848; www.fairmont.com) is an AAA-rated Five-Diamond resort that features two championship golf courses amidst an oasis-like desert charm. Seasonal rates range from $139-$549 per night.

Welcoming guests for more than 60 years, the Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa (5402 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale; 480-948-1700; www.camelbackinn.com) is the only Arizona resort to hold the Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond awards for 26 consecutive years. Features include a 16,000-square-foot Arizona Ballroom and 453 oversized adobe-style casita guest rooms and suites. Rates range seasonally from $159-$439 per night.

The Four Seasons Resort & Spa (10600 Crescent Moon Dr., Scottsdale; 480-515-5700; www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale), located at Troon North, offers guests preferred use of both the Monument and Pinnacle championship golf courses. 210 luxury rooms, including 22 suites, are arranged in Southwestern-style casitas with private patios and fireplaces. The full service spa offers treatments using local ingredients such as mineral-rich Sedona mud. Rates begin at $165 per night and vary according to season.

The Phoenician (6000 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale; 480-941-8200; www.thephoenician.com) is a 650-plus room luxury resort featuring stunning views, six restaurants, 27-hole golfing, 12 tennis courts, $12 million art collection, and one of the city's best spas. Rooms are spacious and include private balcony. Rates start at $200 per night and vary according to season and view. Children 17 and under stay free with their parents.

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Shopping

A trendsetter since 1963, Biltmore Fashion Park (2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix; 602-955-1963; www.shopbiltmore.com) offers world-class shopping in an outdoor park setting and counts Saks Fifth Avenue, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Cartier among its prestigious purveyors.

Scottsdale Fashion Square (7014 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale; 480-941-2140; www.westcor.com) is the Southwest's largest mall featuring more than 225 exclusive retailers and five department stores including Dillard's, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Linger over lunch at P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Sbarro's Italian Eatery or any number of others among some 30 choices overall. For more information on shopping packages for out-of-towners, contact the mall's Tourism Department at (480) 994-8048.

Five minutes south of Fashion Square, the historic Fifth Avenue Area Shops (Scottsdale Rd. and Fifth Ave., Scottsdale; 480-945-0962) include a number of boutiques with Native American handcrafts, art and jewelry, as well as typically Southwest treasures ideal to take home. Plan at least half a day to stroll among more than 100 specialty shops, and stop for lunch at an open-air café where some 35 restaurants lie within a five-minute walk.

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Nightlife

Alice Cooper's Town (101 E. Jackson St., Phoenix; 602-253-7337; www.alicecooperstown.com), named for the legendary rock star and owner, is an entertainment complex in downtown Phoenix that serves up great barbecue and home-style fare. The biggest attraction is the monster video wall and state-of-the-art sound system. A live entertainment stage has hosted the likes of Dave Mustaine from heavy metal band Megadeth, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Doug Clifford, Dogstar's Keanu Reeves, and Alice Cooper himself.

The Four Peaks Brewing Company (1340 E. 8th St., Tempe; 480-303-9967; www.fourpeaks.com) is a beer distributor and pub located in the historic Borden's Creamery building. A 2004 World Beer Cup award-winner from the Association of Brewers, Four Peaks offers brewery tours and is available for private parties.

Myst and The Ballroom (7340 E. Shoeman; Scottsdale, 480-429-6000; www.mystaz.com) is an ultra modern, ambient nightclub featuring state-of-the-art lighting, sound, swank rooms, and exotic spirits. Club-goers can also sip cocktails at Myst's spacious outdoor patio.

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Travel Info

The Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes an official visitor guide called Greater PHXplorer. Complimentary copies are available by calling toll free (877-CALL-PHX) or by logging on to www.phoenixcvb.com. For more information on Phoenix and Arizona contact the Phoenix Convention Visitors Bureau, 400 E. Van Buren St., Ste. 600, Phoenix, AZ 85004; (602) 252-5588, or the Arizona Office of Tourism, 1110 W. Washington St., Ste. 155, Phoenix, AZ 85007; (866) 275-5816 or (602) 364-3700; www.azot.com.

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Fast Facts

Did you know that Phoenix's dry, warm desert air promotes ideal conditions for sunrise hot-air ballooning? There are more than ten companies to choose from in the Greater Phoenix area and many will feature champagne breakfasts on board, brunch and free video recording of your flight!

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Links

The Arizona Guide

Arizona Vacation Values

Phoenix City Guide

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A New Kind of Holiday Collection

"Operation White Christmas," whose goal is to deliver thousands of golf balls to Arizona soldiers serving our nation in the Middle East this holiday season has been a tremendous success. The drive, which was conducted by the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Valley Hotel & Resort Association, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, and Troon Golf throughout the month of September collected more than 100,000 golf balls and 1,200 golf clubs. With the help of Packages From Home and Proud Patriots, thousands of Arizona soldiers and soldiers from across the country will have the opportunity to experience a piece of home while serving overseas this holiday season.

Travel & Leisure Golf named three Greater Pheoenix area resorts to its list for top golf resorts in the United States. The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North was named the No. 8 Golf Resort in the U.S. and the No. 1 Golf Resort in the Southwest. The Phoenician was named the No. 2 Golf Resort for family trips and ranked the No. 3 Best Golf Resort in the Southwest. The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa was chosen as the resort with the No. 2 Most Underrated Course in the Southwest.

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