Domestic travel Guide: 4/10/24 Arizona Edition

After returning home from a lovely week long trip to Arizona we’re back in the garden state. I’ve had more of an itch for international travel recently but when you get free airfare, anywhere will do. I wanted to take the time to really reflect on the trip and give my opinions on where we stayed and traveled to. Let me just preface this with, Arizona is such a beautiful state and I definitely recommend finding some time to visit there especially if you are an east-coaster like myself.

Does central AZ exist?

The funny thing is, “northern Arizona'' actually isn't north on the map, it’s right smack in the middle. I came to the assumption that locals call it northern AZ because north of them, there's not much human activity going on. I stayed in the town of Cottonwood since it seemed kike a good middleground for being able to do day trips to other surrounding areas. And it was. Sedona being 30 mins away, and Jerome being 20mins.

Sedona

Taking paint the town red to a whole new level. Of course it goes without having to say that being in a town surrounded by gorgeous red rocked mountains is breathtaking. We started our day in Sedona with a hike at Brin Mesa, and heads up, hiking is not for the weak. But if you’re into something like that there are so many trials in the Sedona area to explore ranging from different experience levels. I used AllTrails to do some research beforehand on where to go https://www.alltrails.com/us/arizona/sedona (it provides very helpful info such as reviews, parking, photos, and elevation gain).

Jerome

The old mining town. Some people might not find walking through a junkyard fun, but I think it’s an interesting way to immerse yourself in history. Now the whole town is not junk, it's actually a pretty big tourist destination with unique shops and restaurants. But, if you go a little further there is a ghost town you can tour that puts you right into what being in a mining town from 100 years ago was like.

Wine country

One aspect of northern AZ I was delighted to learn and explore about was the fact that there are many wineries and tasting rooms. I tried one of my favorite rosès I’ve ever had at a small tasting room in Cottonwood called DA Vines Vineyard Wines and Bistro. The rosè in particular that I had was made 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes and since they kept the skin contact a little longer on the grapes during fermentation the wine was this beautiful bright ruby red color.

All of this only scrapes the surface of our trip. But I’ll give Scottsdale its own post. If you would like to see more photos from the trip feel free to check out my instagram

@nicoleamatucci !