On a trip back to Phoenix from Page, we decided to make a pit stop at Montezuma Castle National…read moreMonument. If you're going to Page, like I was, or to Sedona, or Flagstaff, I highly recommend that you made this attraction a stop on your itinerary. We stopped by on a Sunday about an hour and a half from close. We had no trouble finding a parking spot in their complimentary lot. Parking is free, but you do have to pay an entrance fee. Montezuma has nothing to do with Montezuma from Mexico. There is a story to the name which you'll find out while you're there. Instead, this National Monument, which is one of the oldest in the country, showcases what used to be a Native American settlement carved into a cliff. It's a majestic sight to behold from a distance. While you won't be able to go inside the old dwelling (you used to in the past before erosion caused safety concerns), there is information about the Castle as you take a short walk in a loop to see it and learn along the way. Inside where you pay, there's further information on the history of Montezuma Castle. Plus a gift shop. Most people take about 30 minutes to get through it. An hour tops. So it makes for a quick yet fulfilling pit stop. After you check it out, add Montezuma Well to your list. It's not in the same location, it's a 15 minute drive, but it seems cool too. I didn't have time to go but it's on my list for a future visit.

Very cool place - expect to spend about 30-60 minutes to visit the gift shop, exhibits, and of…read morecourse, see the castle! It's a very compact place, and very accessible for everyone. You can't go into the castle or the other structures since that would contribute to erosion, so if you want a more detailed look, bring binoculars. As you pull into the parking lot, you pass through the outside washrooms and then enter the visitor center, where you pay the admission fee or show the America the Beautiful Pass/US national parks access pass to get through. There's a small area with exhibits about the people who lived here, as well as a small shop with the standard national park system offerings. Head out the back to the trail to see the castle. I'm glad that they built a lot of shaded benches since it can get hot and you do need to spend at least a couple minutes peering and admiring it. On the path you can also see the Arizona Sycamore which people have defaced with graffiti and so the workers have covered them with burlap to help heal them up. Why are people so disappointing?! There's also another site with more pueblos and the nearby river. Short and sweet. Be sure to also explore Montezuma Well which is 20 minutes east of Montezuma Castle. It's a separate unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument so it's also included in this review. Montezuma Well is 20 minutes east of Montezuma Castle and well worth a stop! There's no entrance fee, but there's a small ranger station at the trailhead and a very enthusiastic volunteer who gave as an orientation speech of the human history of the area and the geology of the area. Without him, the visit would have been less impressive. The water in the sinkhole contains high levels of arsenic and carbon dioxide, so no fish are in the water...but don't worry there are plenty of leeches! Don't enter the water because of that, and also because you do not want to disturb the five species endemic to this spot of water. They're found nowhere else. Interestingly enough, there's near-constant volume of spring water even in times of severe drought, which would have seemed miraculous to the people who lived here. If you look from the rim, you can see several prehistoric dwellings right under the rim on the other side. Hiking down gets you close to more dwellings. Well worth a trip, especially as it's less crowded than the Castle.

This is OPEN! Just went to visit Arcosanti with a friend that came to town and what a cool…read moreexperience. You have to schedule a tour, self guided are not allowed. The tour guide Joseph was so kind and full of energy. The video you watch when you get there is a very heart felt explanation of the passion to continue this community. They own 800 acres and the property is built on 20 acres, it was built between 1971-1975 for the main spaces that are shared. 45 people live there but could range to 80. They show how the products and structure are made. I had no clue about silk casts and loved the hands on understanding and history. They have concerts, events, gatherings. Etc at the amphitheater. Check out the website. The cafe is closed. You can stay as a hotel guest overnight. They offer apprenticeship also.

I'm not sure why the Yelp page states Arcosanti is closed. We were just there and is open and…read moreoperating. Clearly what the original architect had in mind many years ago never came to fruition as it really hasn't changed in years. Is appears to be a small artist community but we didn't see anything going on at the moment so couldn't tell if it id still active or they make everything south in Scottsdale at Cosanti. There is a gift shop where you can watch a brief video on the history and learn about their wind chime creations. Personally I've received many of the wind chimes over the last 20 years for housewarmings or Christmas gifts. Each is unique. The greeter in the gift shop was friendly and stated there is a tour available as well. We didn't have time for the tour but purchased a couple of small gifts. He suggested visiting the Scottsdale location as well which is called Cosanti. I had no idea it was located in Scott's well. Will check it out.

This was my first visit to the Verde Valley archaeology center, and I was truly amazed! I was…read morehoping to see artifacts from the immediate vicinity at this location and was not disappointed! The center has been here for 15 years and exists primarily to display artifacts recovered from a single site in the area. This is extremely rare as most sites have been pillaged by pot hunters over the last 100+ years, and this site was privately owned and protected for many decades. I was honored to received what was basically a private tour of the facility by the executive director Monica Buckle. She took her time and provided much detail to give an excellent overview of this facility. Thank you so much Monica! The entire Verde Valley area is a much overlooked archaeology gem in the history of our country & this facility champions the learning and understanding of this unique place. If you're ever in the area, I strongly recommend a visit. Please note the visiting hours change for the summer season so be sure to research this first.

This spotless well appointed museum is user friendly and can be completed quickly under 1/2 hour if…read moreyou breezed through. We chose the guided free tour which lasted about an hour and was quite thorough. I really enjoyed the quality of items on display and learning about the artifacts. If one is lucky the libraries in Scottsdale have a free pass for 2 people to enter. We paid but it was worth the $5 entry fee each.

Tlaquepaque Art & Shopping Village is one of the premier spots for shopping and eating in Sedona…read more Parking can be crowded so I advise arriving when the stores open. We arrived about an hour after opening and had to circle twice before finding a place to park. There are many art galleries, restaurants and unique businesses located here to keep you busy. Store owners are friendly and engaging. .

Great vibe in a perfect authentic setting. Fountains, statues and sculptures were throughout the…read morevillage. Live musicians performing in the common areas. Lots of shops to visit from simple art to elaborate high end bronze statues. Worth the stroll with the family. Parking is free and there are plenty of restaurants in the village to pick from. Make it an afternoon!

Cool museum Animal artifacts…read more Native American artifacts Governor mansion Numerous buildings on site

What a fun day. This place is filled with interesting and educational information. People were very…read morefriendly and informative. There's definitely lots to see over here. You can make a day of it and learn all the rest to know about Prescott. This is a very family friendly place, and kids and adult adults will find something interesting or enjoyable about this museum. We will definitely be coming back to take our time and read in detail all about the artifacts and items there. We did go on a Wednesday, and it wasn't crowded at all.

This is a neat national monument - expect to spend 1-2 hours here exploring the visitor center and…read morewalking up to the pueblo structure. The visitor center has a lot of artifacts and information about the history of the area and how it was excavated, as well as how the name came to be. It's a Tonto Apache term for "crooked waters," from nearby Pecks Lake. There's also a gift shop with the usual assortment of NPS offerings. Out off to the side of the visitor center is a paved pathway to the 2- to 3-story pueblo. You can even climb up to the top of a reconstructed room to view the area. It's impressive in size - Tuzigoot is the largest and best preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo structures. There was a volunteer out in the structure to answer any questions one may have - very nice touch. I saw a deer wandering out in the marsh vegetation and a lot of birds flying around.

Tuzigoot is a cool National Monument near Sedona! You see the ruins from over 900 years ago. It's…read morereally cool to see how they built places for survival. I would recommend a tour for more information if you can get one. I just walked around and explored, but would have gotten more history with a guide. There is a small gift shop and museum to check out as well. If you are there around lunch time, there are picnic benches available to sit on if it's not too hot! Overall, it's a great stop if you like history!

My party was wrongfully kicked out! There was no air circulation, therefore it was hot dancing in…read morethe crowd. I gave my underage friend ice from my cup that was empty to cool down and was dragged out by security and rudely yelled at outside. After explaining the situation and that the cup is empty the security said there's alcohol on the ice (they were not consuming the ice). We even tried to buy ice earlier in the night since the water they sell is barely cold and they said no. Egotistical ah security guards. L staff:(

Get with the times Orpheum: I looked at the site and saw…read moretickets were 19.45 'prices same at the window'. Went to the window for 2 tix and 'service fee' (see I eliminated any such service simply by finding my own parking, walking to the venue, standing in a line)." 57 dollars please" We are willing to pay artists ! Your tack-on fees are greed.

Fort Verde State Historic Park presents what life was like in Arizona, early in its history -…read moreincluding Indian wars. We spent about an hour in the main building, walking through a number of rooms and browsing the various exhibits depicting life, especially military life in Arizona in its early days. Many wartime artifacts are on display across many discipline from doctoring, to soldiering and more. In the last room of the main building, a video plays on a loop. The video is about Indians in Arizona and how they were involved in wars and especially how many of them helped the white man's army. It was too hot to visit the other 2 buildings across the street today, as they are not air conditioned, so we're not sure what's in them. Restrooms are in another building. Get the key from staff in the main building, then return the key. As the restrooms remain locked, they were in good condition and clean. We did enjoy our visit.

John had this on his hit list of things to do- we stopped in just in time to see one of the rangers…read moregiving a demo on various firearms used in the era that the fort was operational. Insert John's happy face here! They have an extensive museum and an outcropping of buildings that made up the fort. Unlike the other forts we have explored- there was no wall to help with defense. Reasoning was that the natives knew not to attack where the army was. So they didn't bother with the labor intensive work of building high walls. My only complaint was that the restrooms were far enough away from everything and locked. You had to get a key from the ranger for access.

The Crane petroglyph site is an amazing location in central Arizona, a little bit off the beaten…read morepath, but well worth it! Approximately 3 miles from the highway, the roads are very passable, if not the monsoon season - .4 mile trail from parking lot to the site, a visit is well worth it! Make sure you stop by the visitor center to sign in and say Hi, they have wonderful air-conditioning on a hot day...

It's tucked pretty far off the main road and you lose signal but stay on the road and follow the…read moresigns. It's an easy walk from the parking lot. The site isn't huge but still amazing being that close to history. There was a docent and she did an amazing job. Highly recommend if you're nearby. Quick 2 hour stop.

Hubby and I were here on January 17th and ended up staying til close. The bar tenders were quick to…read moreserve and the band was a blast! We have never had a bad experience here!

Please read before you go. This happened December 17th 2025…read more This is honest review and I hate doing this but I need everyone to know. The bar will steal your money if they know your drunk. This is what happen My husband and I walk in to bar. Ask for a beer and a lemon drop, "Kaileena MA" asks cash or credit and my husband says cash. Immediately after he asks for his total and she goes "ummmmm $20". For ONE BEER AND ONE SHOT. My boyfriend hands over 23 cash and says it's all yours. She did not bring my receipt back and i grow curious. Later on i ask for my receipt and she brings back $7 and says oh my bad i totally forgot to check you from the system. She knew she was guilty, I knew she was. She tried using my husbands drunkness as a handle. Could give 0 if I could. Must add, after he gave the money she ignored us for 20 minutes until I asked.