A Sedona Weekend: 20 of our Favorite Things
Sedona, Arizona makes a fantastic destination for families with all of the exciting outdoor activities, delicious restaurants, and beautiful scenery. Our family has visited Sedona several times and I’m here to share 20 of our favorite things to see, do, and eat while visiting. Let me help you organize a list of all of the things you can do on a visit to gorgeous Sedona, AZ.
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“Sedona has something for everyone.”
Why Visit Sedona?
There are many outdoor activities, beautiful scenery, great hikes, museums, shops, restaurants, and more in a charming town. Sedona is located two hours north of Phoenix, one hour south of Flagstaff, and two hours from the Grand Canyon. Although it would make a great destination all on its own, Sedona is also a wonderful destination to add on to a trip to Phoenix or the Grand Canyon.
The weather is pleasant most of the year with highs in the 60’s from November to March. The average high in July is 100 degrees so it does get hot but not as hot as Phoenix.
I recommend having a car when visiting Sedona as things are a bit spread out. It is not a big town, but not walkable if you are wanting to head to to some trailhead and try out different restaurants that are spread around town.
If you are looking for a place with something for the whole family, I recommend adding Sedona to your bucket list. Below are twenty things that our family loves to see, do and eat in Sedona.
Things to Do in Sedona
Enjoy the views. Everywhere you look you will see stunning red-rock mountain views. If you are driving in from Phoenix, I recommend pulling over at the trailhead parking lots for Bell Rock or Cathedral Rock and just take in the views on your way in to town.
Go hiking! Getting out in nature isa wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of Sedona. Two hikes that we recently enjoyed were Devil’s Bridge and Little Horse. If you do the Little Horse hike, be sure to climb up Chicken Point at the end of the hike for some stunning views.
Take a jeep tour. There are several jeep tour companies in Sedona and I recommend checking out a couple of them to see which prices and tours best fit your group. We’ve done a two hour tour with Pink Jeep Tours and thought it was excellent. I recommend checking on Groupon to see if you can find discounted tickets as it will be pricey. Currently prices range from $79 - $169 depending on which tour you select. Prices are slightly less expensive for kids. If you know this is something that you will want to do, make a reservation since they do sell out during busier times.
Rent an off road vehicle and self-drive. If you want to get in a 4 wheel drive vehicle and drive yourself around, there’s an option for that too. You can rent Razors and take them out on the trails. It costs around $300 for a four hour rental. Sedona Off-Road Center and Sedona ATV are a couple of options for rental places that you may want to check out.
Go shopping. There are some fun shops in uptown and also in the Tlaquepaque shopping area. There is a variety of shops with art galleries, typical souvenir shops, gem & mineral shops, fudge shops, and restaurants.
Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This is a unique Roman Catholic chapel that is built into the rock. It’s open to the public. There is a deck area surrounding the church entrance where you will have amazing views of the surrounding red rocks.
Go to the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout. Drive up the butte for more beautiful red rock views. Sunset is an especially busy time but worth it for the views. The parking is $3.
Pamper yourself with a massage. We love Sedona’s New Day Spa. They offer snacks, use of the hot tub before or after a service, a locker room and a bathroom with a shower. Plus, they massages were wonderful.
My Bucket List for a Future Sedona Getaway
Do more hiking. I want to check out the Thunder Mountain hike since it inspired my favorite Disneyland ride.
Go stargazing
Visit the Sedona Heritage Museum
Nearby Cities To Visit
Sedona is only two hours north of Phoenix. If you are looking for things to do in Phoenix, check out our Best Things to Do in Phoenix with Kids podcast episode.
Flagstaff is only one hour away from Sedona. Consider combining a getaway by visiting these two cities in the same trip. We love visiting Flagstaff! If you want more Flagstaff inspiration, check out our Favorite Things to Do in Flagstaff podcast episode.
If you are driving from Phoenix to Sedona, be sure to stop at Montezuma Castle on the drive. It’s about 40 minutes south of Sedona. You will see Native American dwellings that were built 1100 AD - 1425 AD. There are five stories and 45 - 60 rooms built into a cliff.
Go to Oak Creek Canyon. It’s only 20 minutes from Sedona and it’s home to Slide Rock State Park. If you can go in the summer, wear swimming suits and ride down the natural waterslide right in Oak Creek Canyon.
places to Eat
Creekside Sedona. We love sitting outdoors on the patio, enjoying the creekside views plus delicious food. They are open from breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their menu changes seasonally and offers locally sourced options.
The Hudson. We love their pretzel bite appetizer! Plus they have great salads and sandwiches. Next time we go, I want to try the quesadilla because someone at the table next to us ordered it and it looked amazing. Try to sit out on the patio if the weather is nice so you can enjoy beautiful views along with your meal. They are open for lunch and dinner.
Mariposa Sedona. We highly recommend visiting this Latin inspired restaurant because of the great food and amazing views. Be sure to make reservations and ask to sit on the patio. They are open for dinner only and are closed on Tuesdays.
Sedonuts. How could we resist visiting a place with such a clever name? Get there early for the best selection of doughnuts since they told us they are usually completely sold out by noon. We enjoyed a cinnamon roll and they heated it up for us.
Pussycat Gelato. Great treat in the shops in uptown. I like that they added two Nilla Wafers to the top of the gelato to make it look like cat ears to go with the theme of the restaurant. We loved the Mexican Chocolate gelato with cinnamon and chill pepper.
L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek. They have tables with fire pits all along the creek that are open seating. You can enjoy a drink, appetizers, and the beautiful views. They are currently only open to hotel guests but that should change once the pandemic hopefully resolves.
Thai Spices Natural Kitchen. Just what you’d expect from a Thai food place. We love the dumplings, yellow curry, and pad Thai. Their green salad comes with the most amazing peanut sauce/dressing, so don’t miss out on that!
Elote Cafe. Be sure to make a reservation well ahead of your trip. This has been highly recommended to us but we haven’t been able to go yet. It’s definitely on our list for our next visit.
Outlaw Grille. This is another place that has been recommended to us. We hear the sweet potato fries are amazing so we are going to have to try that on a future visit.
As you can see, Sedona has a lot to offer. This is a great destination for families or couples looking to have a little getaway together. I hope you get to plan a trip to Sedona sometime soon!
A COVID note: We visited at the beginning of 2021 and masks were required in all indoor locations (shops + restaurants.) On the hikes, a few people did wear masks but the majority of people did not.