Over the years, we’ve done our fair share of Arizona road trips. We’ve traveled from Phoenix to Sedona stopping at artsy Arcosanti, an “experimental community.” Though, I’m pretty sure Kevin was convinced we were about to join a cult as we drove past their welcome sign proclaiming we were entering an “urban laboratory.” Um, Big Brother is watching! And of course, one of my favorite Arizona road trips had to be traveling along historic route 66 and dodging wild burros running through the streets of Oatman. Why do all our vacations sound like we’re cast members of The Amazing Race?
For our latest trip to Arizona, we based ourselves in Sedona to enjoy a babymoon before the twins arrive. It was a trip to relax, slow down and recharge our batteries. But of course, all these goals go out the window when I plan a trip!
Checking out the view of the red rocks from the porch of our Airbnb in Sedona.
While Sedona is gorgeous and incredibly Zen, we were ready to mix things up. There are only so many crystal shops and tarot card readings I can do in a week. And no, we didn’t go back and visit the cult, um, I mean artist community! But it is worth checking out at least once in your life.
Welcome to Arcosanti, an artist community in the desert.
Whether you’re spending a few days in Sedona or several weeks, we recommend these easy 1 day Arizona road trips including a few stops along Arizona’s wine country. And you also might want to check out a unique animal sanctuary where you can literally walk underneath lions. Now that’s something you don’t get to do every day. Check out our top picks below.
Arizona Road Trips: Top Pick for the Wine Lover, Verde Valley Wine Trail
View of the vineyard at Page Springs Cellars, along Arizona’s Verde Valley wine trail.
Arizona wine country? Wait, Arizona grows wine? That’s pretty much the reaction I’ve gotten when I tell friends that we checked out Arizona’s Verde Valley wine trail. Even crazier? The region is a quick 15-20 minutes drive from downtown Sedona. The surroundings couldn’t be any more different.
While only three vineyards existed here in the early 2000’s, the Verde Valley wine trail today has over two dozen wineries spread across 450 square miles. If you’re short on time (or lightweights like us), we’d recommend heading straight to Page Springs Cellars to enjoy lunch along the vineyards with a bottle of their Vino de Familia Blanca. It’s a cool, refreshing blend of Malvasia, Gewürztraminer and ugni blanc (a popular grape grown in France).
We loved this stop. During the COVID outbreak, you could only purchase bottles rather than a glass. We were happy with our choice of the Vino de Familia Blanca, a refreshing white wine blend.
There is a restaurant on site, but seating is limited. When we visited, there were just 6 tables inside and a wait time of over an hour. While the restaurant is nice, we recommend ordering your food from the take out window and sitting at one of the open tables located across the property. We ordered a meat and cheese plate, which can easily be split between two people (it’s massive!). We even had leftovers that we took home, along with the extra wine.
If you have more time, we also recommend a stop at DA Ranch Winery. It’s all about the ambiance here with rocking chairs throughout on the winery’s expansive porch along with regular live music most weekends.
Kevin and I love a good rocking chair. Enjoying the incredibly fun atmosphere of DA Ranch in Arizona’s Verde Valley wine country.
You could easily spend most of your afternoon here relaxing. Kevin and I shared a glass of their Chardonnay as we rocked ourselves on the rustic ranch’s porch.
DA Ranch’s main tasting room. Or more like a tasting house!
DA Ranch is a short distance from Page Springs Cellars, making it easy to pair these two spots together. And pretty soon, you’ll be able to tell your friends you’ve been to Arizona wine country, and see their confused reaction!
Head for the Hills: Cool Down in Flagstaff
Flagstaff, less than 30 minutes north of Sedona, was established in 1882 and has deep roots long before Route 66 was built. Today you’ll find an energetic college town with comfy coffee shops, art galleries, several fantastic bookstores and top-notch restaurants all mixed together in a historic downtown. Pretty much, it’s the combo of all things we love. During non-pandemic times, we recommend joining one of Flagstaff’s nightly star gazing events at Lowell Observatory. This is one of the oldest observatories in the United States, and named one of “The World’s 100 Most Important Places” by TIME Magazine.
One of the lecture halls at the Lowell Observatory, where we learned about the mysteries of Venus.
If you’re a shopper like me, downtown Flagstaff has plenty of cute spots to browse such as the Bright Side Bookshop that has a wide range of new books and gifts. Even Kevin got into the shopping action!
We personally loved all the coffee shops in this college town and every trip, spend a portion of our time in Flagstaff trying out the coffee (and okay, brownies) at each of them. One of our absolute favorite spots in town is Steep, which remains open even during pandemic times. But you’ll need to order from outside on the sidewalk.
Inside the cozy Steep in Flagstaff, pre-pandemic times.
Flagstaff is a popular skiing town in the winter. But if you’re visiting Arizona in the summer, it makes a great escape from the brutal heat. Flagstaff’s summer temperatures usually do not hit 90 degrees.
Go Wild at Out of Africa, Animal Sanctuary
Like the rest of the world, we were shocked by every moment of Netflix’s The Tiger King. But we feel like there are places doing it right — focusing on education and showing how incredible these animals are. Out of Africa, located about 30 minutes from Sedona, is well worth the stop. You could spend all day here — doing their zip line course, joining an animal discussion or tour. We visited in July with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees. Despite the brutal temperature, we had such a great time and could hardly believe that we spent 4 hours wandering the grounds.
We recommend timing your arrival for the morning to escape the heat (good luck!). We were lucky to jump on their first open-air bus tour, included with regular admission. This 30 minute drive takes you through the animal enclosures with a guide explaining each of the animals’ backstory. Some animals are fed along the way, too. At one point, a giraffe stuck it’s head inside, seeming to know the drill!
We did the standard admission, and enjoyed checking out the grounds by foot. But do keep in mind that this place is massive. Bring water, since it gets incredibly hot. Though, they sell water and food on-site. If you’re looking for a more immersive experience, they also offer VIP Behind-the-Scenes tours, a SuperMog Safari (a soup’d up, open-air safari vehicle) and close-up animal encounters. General admission tickets are $38.95 for adults and $23.95 for children (ages 3-12). Discounts are available for seniors as well as active military.
Enjoy Cottonwood, “The Biggest Little Town in Arizona”
Charming, small towns get us every time. Cottonwood is located in the Verde Valley and makes a great side trip if exploring the wine trail. The region is a quick drive from Sedona, taking just 30 minutes. We recommend heading to the historic old town district to walk along Main Street to check out the shops and wine tasting rooms. You’ll want to come hungry — there are plenty of great restaurants in town with our top pick going to Pizzeria Bocce.
We felt transported back to West Hollywood with its cool vibe and extensive wine list. But the true star on the menu is their pizza. Chef Michelle Jurisin has true pizza cred — officially certified in the art of pizza-making from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the official overseer of Neapolitan-style pizza. All their pizza is made with Caputo Flour, a gluten free flour, imported from Italy, and made the traditional way. You won’t see any pizza twirling here — rather, it’s all hand kneaded before getting baked in the restaurant’s wood burning stove.
Oops, already ate a slice of pizza before taking the photo. It’s that good.
We happened to visit Cottonwood on the Fourth of July, where the town celebrated the holiday with a drive-in fireworks display. We grabbed our pizza to go and ate it from the comfort of the car. I mean, what is better than fireworks and pizza?
Kevin is ready for the Cottonwood drive-in fireworks.
Planning a trip to Sedona and don’t know what to do? Be sure to check out our babymoon adventure in Sedona where I attempted to find my inner Zen. Have more time in Arizona and looking for other travel ideas? Check out our perfect 2-day itinerary in Page, Arizona that takes you through the picture-perfect Antelope Canyon. Love quirky travel spots and classic Americana? Follow our great American road trip along Route 66. And be sure to check out all our Arizona coverage on Gourmet Globetrotter.
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