Weekend Getaway: Sedona, Arizona and the Verde Valley

 I appear to be a bit behind on recounting trips recently. (That seems to be a good problem to have - too much time traveling and not enough time to write) I realized that I never wrote about our weekend getaway to Sedona and the Verde Valley in Arizona. From last August! So, finally, here it is!

Arizona's Verde Valley Wine Region

Overlooked by Mingus Mountain, the Verde Valley includes the Verde River and the Verde Valley Wine Trail. Located about 100 miles north of Phoenix, the region has gradual slopes and big temperature swings from day to night making it a good place to grow grapes.

We stayed at a hotel near the airport in Phoenix (after a rental car procurement nightmare) since we weren't arriving until the wee hours of the night. The next morning we began our drive to the Verde Valley to visit wineries on our way to Sedona. 

First stop was the Tuscan style Alcantara Vineyards. It was hopping for an early afternoon stop. There is a small bistro that smelled heavenly - they serve homemade pizza - and a limo outside for a (supposed) bachelorette party. We chose to order a glass of wine instead of a tasting and sat outside amongst the vines to enjoy it.

Alcantara has so many options to enjoy besides wine tastings - you can, of course, take a tour of the vineyards but also kayak or SUP on the Verde River right behind the winery, horseback ride through the vines, take a jeep tour or an ebike tour. They have just about anything you could want to mix with wine tasting!

Next up was Page Springs Cellars where we enjoyed a glass of wine out on the deck. Page Springs has a full menu to enjoy lunch or dinner along with several different flights for a wine tasting. They are open 365 days per year and have live music to listen to and an art gallery to peruse while you wait on your table.

Last on our whistle stop tour was Javelina Leap Winery. A family owned winery with an incredible old saloon style bar - the largest tasting bar in Northern Arizona - Javelina Leap has won many awards. We opted for, once again, a glass of wine outdoors in the unique patio area covered in vintage memorabilia. (We're nothing if not predictable) You can order platters of cheese, bread and crackers in their Arizona Room but the afternoon we were there it was popping with a bachelorette party. So a glass of wine on the garden patio and we were good to go.

Sedona

Sedona is a desert town in northern Arizona surrounded by stunning red rock desert scenery. Known for its mild climate and vibrant arts community, it has a reputation for being a bit woo-woo. Or New Age. Or hippie-ish. Or maybe enlightened is a better word. There are vortexes, alternative health fairs (there was one being held in our hotel) and a Center for the New Age - a store for psychic readings, crystals and all things New Age.

We arrived in the late afternoon - right after a rain storm - and checked into our hotel, Courtyard by Marriott. Our room had a balcony with views so we had to enjoy a little balcony time right away. It was still a bit early for dinner but there wasn't a lot of time to go do something else. So we parked by the swimming pool for a delightful rest.

View from the porte cochere

A fantastic patio view

Once our stomachs started rumbling we checked out a few places to eat dinner and settled on Javelina Cantina - an easygoing hangout featuring Mexican dishes and margaritas within view of red rocks. It turned out to be a great choice - the food was fantastic, we enjoyed the outdoor patio and the views were great.

The next morning we were up and out early to head out on our Pink Jeep tour. After breakfast at the Coffee Pot (which sits near the Coffee Pot rock formation), we enjoyed some great Sedona views while driving to meet up with our tour.

Sunrise view

Someone was enjoying an early morning hot air balloon ride

Unfortunately, after our tour we had to check out and start making our way back to Phoenix for our Sunday night flight. So our time in Sedona was short but hopefully, as usual, we will be back.

A Pink Jeep Tour

Several years ago we made a day trip to Sedona after visiting the Grand Canyon over Spring Break. We had no clue how popular the famous Pink Jeep tours were and thought we would just walk up and book one on the same day. Not happening. When we decided to return to Sedona for a longer period of time, we thought to book a jeep tour way ahead of time. This time we were bringing our A game!

We were told to meet at the Pink Jeep office and we would be assigned to our tour. Being that it was August, the tour company had bandanas soaking in ice water to put around our necks - or wherever you pleased. We were given our jeep number, met our guide and we were off.

Statue of a pink javelina mom and baby

We drove a little ways through town until we started the off roading part of the tour. We had chosen the two hour Broken Arrow tour - a rugged, 4 x4 adventure in a Pink Jeep Wrangler which had been fitted out for these tours.  The tour company gives you fair warning that these tours - and there are several to choose from - are very bumpy. You can determine if this is something that your health can handle.

Our tour guide gave us a history of the road we were on - it used to be the only road in pioneer times from Oak Creek to Sedona- and pointed out the unique vegetation, rock formations and photo opportunities of the area. We bumped along until it was time to get out and take photos at the turn around spot. Then it was time to bump back to the office.

There were some others out enjoying the bumpy road, too

Like many experiences I've had, I'm glad I did it but I have no need to do it again. It was VERY bumpy and the views were okay but I'm not sure that it fulfilled all the hype. But once again, glad I experienced it.

Red Rock Scenic Byway

The Red Rock Scenic Byway begins in Sedona and is free to access 24/7. It is a 13 mile, paved, one-way scenic drive that passes throughthe desert and red rock canyons of northern Arizona. The drive takes as long as you'd like it to - you can do it quickly or take all the time you need to stop at various pull offs. And the views of the beautiful red rocks are absolutely majestic.

Our first stop was at one of the most famous places on the scenic byway - Chapel of the Holy Cross. Sitting high atop the red rocks in Sedona, Chapel of the Holy Cross is the #1 attraction in the area. 

The Chapel was commissioned in 1932 - inspired by the newly built Empire State Building - by a local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude as a memorial to her parents. The first attempt at building it was in Europe but was thwarted by WWII so Ms. Staude decided to have it built in her native country of the US . The building took 18 months at a cost of $300,000 and was completed in 1956.

The Chapel is open 9 to 5 seven days a week but the attached Gift Shop is closed on Easter and Christmas Eve. It welcomes several million tourists and pilgrims each year. 

After our visit to the Chapel, we next drove the byway seeing two other major sights,  Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. You can stop at many pull offs along the way - some require a fee - and take photos or take a hike. We were needing to get to Phoenix by dinner so we made the Chapel of the Holy Cross our only stop and just enjoyed the views on the way to our next stop of Cottonwood.

Cottonwood

The town of Cottonwood sits in the heart of Arizona's wine country. It's situated above the heat of the desert and below the cooler temps of the high country, and surrounded by Sedona's red rocks. After driving the Red Rock Scenic Byway, we headed to the Old Town of Cottonwood. Only and hour and a half from Phoenix, Cottonwood's Old Town has antique stores, cafes, restaurants, lodging, boutiques and 7 wine tasting rooms that are part of the Verde Valley Wine Trail. We decided to enjoy a few wine tasting rooms before our drive back to Phoenix to meet friends for dinner.

Our first stop was Tantrum Wines, a woman owned wine tasting room in Old Town. Tantrum's interior includes an indoor garden with pink flamingoes, a fireplace that glows year round, twinkling lights and a New York City Penthouse with a skyline view. It's a very unique tasting room but my favorite part of it was the wine. I've mentioned here before that I enjoy sweet wines and Tantrum had it's fair share. It was definitely my favorite wine stop of our trip.

Just down the block was one of Carlson Vineyard's Tasting Room - the other being in southern Arizona - and we settled in for a tasting at the 20 foot copper bar. A former art gallery, this vibe has continued with Carlson's rotating artwork including local artists (that's all for sale) They have 13 varietals to taste, along with meat and cheese boards to nibble on while you do so. It's a very pleasant atmosphere and we enjoyed our time here.

Winery 101 on Main Street was offering free tastings and live music that afternoon so we made it our last stop. Not an actual vineyard per se, but a place to taste some of Arizona's best wines. The music was good and so was the wine but it was time to start back to Phoenix and the end of our fun weekend. (Winery 101 is now permanently closed)

How about you? Have you been to Sedona? Or the Verde Valley?