The Best Weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale Itinerary (2024)
Want to have the best weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale? We’ve got you covered because this itinerary covers where to stay, what to see, and where to eat.
Spending a weekend in Phoenix and the neighboring town of Scottsdale offers so many entertainment, dining, and hotel options.
Everything in this itinerary is within about a 30 mile radius in order to stay as local as possible to see and do as much as possible.
Planning A Trip? Use Our Favorite Resources Below!
Accommodations
Tours/Experiences
Flights
Car Rentals
The Best Weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale Itinerary
There are so many activities between Phoenix and Scottsdale, that there is something for everybody.
Plenty of indoor and outdoor activities will keep you busy no matter what time of year you’re visiting.
1. Puzzle Effect Escape Room
Address: 4700 N Central Ave STE 102, Phoenix, Arizona, 85012
Who doesn’t love a good escape room?
Puzzle Effect has a set of escape rooms centrally located in Phoenix.
If you’re not familiar with escape rooms, each one is themed to a specific story line and you generally get 60 minutes to find all the clues that will ultimately allow you to “escape”.
We played the Grim Stacks escape room which had a very mystical, magical theme.
The premise was that the owner of a mystical bookshop had captured a mystical creature and wants to use it to get his revenge against the Arcane Library.
Our goal was to sneak into his shop, find the creature, and rescue it before the plan is carried out.
We’ve played a few escape rooms before, but only having 2 players is a bit of a disadvantage, but we were able to escape with only 2 1/2 minutes to spare!
This room’s difficulty level is a 6 out of 10 and is great for beginners or smaller groups.
Click Here To Book Your Puzzle Effect Escape Room In Phoenix Today!
2. Topgolf Scottsdale
Address: 9500 E Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, Arizona
There are actually multiple Topgolf locations throughout Phoenix and Scottsdale and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
We recommend Topgolf Scottsdale if you’re planning to go to Old Town Scottsdale before or after your visit.
Before you go, always check out their website for specials and deals.
We visited on a Tuesday for Half Price Tuesdays!
With this deal, it was $17.50 per hour of game play and we stayed for 2 hours.
We got there right when it opened at 10 am and had no wait at all.
We had only ever been to Topgolf one time before and it was in LA, which is cold in the evening.
One thing I didn’t plan for was my palms and the golf club getting sweaty after the first hour.
So bring a glove if you’re visiting in the summer!
One of my favorite things about Topgolf is how reasonably priced their menu is.
Most food items are only about $10.
Since it was well over 100 degrees during our visit, we opted for something cold and tried the Turkey Wrap with a Fruit Bowl.
Since we had 2 hours of game play, we had plenty of time to try out different “games” within Topgolf.
If you’ve never been, Topgolf has different scoring methods you can choose from to keep it fun.
For example, there’s one where you get points depending on how far you hit the golf ball each time.
There’s another game where you get points based off of how close you get to each target.
My favorite so far is one that’s like virtual Candy Crush with a golf ball.
You can’t go wrong with any of the games!
3. Old Town Scottsdale
Historic Old Town Scottsdale is a pretty well preserved Western style town.
There are plenty of gift shops, restaurants, wine tasting rooms, and art galleries all throughout this area.
Even better, there is a ton of free parking throughout, so you can start exploring Old Town from anywhere.
We started in the arts district just because that’s the area we happened on first.
There are dozens of art galleries and studios lining this area, so we did window shopping to start.
We also came across an escape room that was split between two different buildings.
The Old Town Scottsdale website has a ton of information to plan your visit by sharing the layout and hidden gems.
There is an old Mission in Old Town that also has a fine dining restaurant next door called “The Mission”.
You can download a self guided historic walking tour that takes you to all the sites like this on a 45 minute tour.
Beyond the “historic” section of Old Town Scottsdale is another set of newer shops and restaurants that are all connected as well.
It’s neat that all of this is all in one area and can be explored together.
4. Fashion Square Mall
Address: 7014 East Camelback, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
On the far end of the Old Town Scottsdale area is Fashion Square Mall.
This mall has a little bit of everything from the high end stores like Louis Vuitton and Gucci to the fast fashion of Forever 21 and Papaya.
The food court has quite a variety of options as well, but with so many well-known restaurants just outside in Old Town, I recommend checking out those instead.
There is also a ton of free parking here as well.
There are multiple parking garages and lots all around.
Old Town and the mall are all connected, so you can really park wherever and roam between the two as you please.
5. Wine Tasting
Old Town Scottsdale actually has its own wine trail that leads you to all of the tasting rooms throughout the area.
We were short on time, so we only did one wine tasting and we went with Aridus Wine Company.
Their wine tasting was $20 for 4 wines, but they were 2.5 oz pours, so well worth the money.
We tend to buy a bottle of whichever wine from our tastings was our favorite and this time we went with the 2018 Petite Sirah.
I noticed a few more wine tasting rooms over by Fashion Square Mall that we will definitely try on our next visit.
Many of these wine tasting rooms are part of vineyards in Southern Arizona, either in the Elgin and Sonoita region near Tucson or the Willcox wine region.
They are definitely up and coming wine regions that are so under rated, so it was nice to be able to try these wines outside of the region.
6. Wonderspaces
Address: Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall, 7014 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Wonderspaces is an immersive, interactive modern art museum located inside Fashion Square Mall.
In addition to the main gallery, there are rooms throughout the museum with different activities.
We played with lights and shadows, bean bag chair meditations, and VR headsets.
You’ll want to plan to spend about 90 minutes to see everything and take the time to really experience each exhibit.
I personally could’ve spent all afternoon on the bean bag chairs.
Some exhibits are social experiments, so they are fun to revisit throughout your time at the museum.
You can see our complete Wonderspaces experience in this video on our YouTube Channel.
Where To Stay in Phoenix and Scottsdale
There are really so many options for great resorts between Phoenix and Scottsdale.
From timeshares to golf clubs to your full service hotels, the options are almost unlimited.
Since Phoenix and Scottsdale are so close, you can really stay in either city and drive between both pretty quickly.
7. Legacy Golf Resort
Legacy Golf Resort is part of Shell Vacations Club and Club Wyndham, but anybody can pay cash to stay here by booking through your preferred 3rd party booking system.
We used a 2 year Club Wyndham timeshare sampler to book this stay and it was about 18,000 Club Wyndham points for 3 weeknights.
That is the equivalent of about $53 a night.
We stayed in a studio room, which is much larger than most timeshare studios we’ve ever stayed in.
It also had a partial kitchen with a stove top, microwave, sink, dishwasher, and plenty of dishware and utensils.
Our patio had a nice view of the golf course and was in the shade all throughout the day.
The pool here is quite large and also has a bar.
Nightly movies are shown on at the pool too, making it the perfect place to stay during your weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
You can see the full walk-through of our studio at Legacy Golf Resort in this video on our YouTube Channel.
Click Here To Book Your Legacy Golf Resort Vacation Today!
Where To Eat In Phoenix and Scottsdale
It’s not a weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale without finding all the best food spots. Between both cities you can find most cuisines, so there’s something for every craving.
8. The Fry Bread House
Address: 4545 N. 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85014
This Native American restaurant serves all things fry bread.
In some areas you might’ve heard of these dishes referred to as “Indian Tacos”.
Fry Bread House even has fry bread desserts with honey and powdered sugar.
In addition to fry bread, they offer some traditional Mexican dishes like tostadas and tamales.
9. Barrio Queen
Address: 7114 E Stetson Drive, Unit 105, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Barrio Queen has 3 locations throughout the area – Gilbert, Phoenix, and Scottsdale.
The Scottsdale location is in the area of Old Town, so it’s very centrally located to tons of other shops and restaurants.
The must-try dish here is the Pollo En Mole Poblano.
It is made with a traditional mole sauce that is not spicy.
Barrio Queen has a few other menu highlights that are house specials, award winning dishes, and nationally renowned dishes.
10. Sugar Bowl
Address: 4005 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Sugar Bowl is a diner and ice cream shop that has been in Old Town Scottsdale since 1958.
It’s in the Historic part of Old Town right on the main road – you can’t miss it.
We stopped in to share some ice cream in the afternoon when it was about 115 degrees outside.
The decor is all bubble gum pink and looks very retro.
It has been virtually unchanged since it opened and is even on Scottsdale’s Historic Preservation Register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we see about weekend getaways to Phoenix and Scottsdale.
✔️ Is Phoenix or Scottsdale better to visit?
This depends on what you’re looking for.
Both cities are right next to each other and everything you could want to do is within a 30 minute drive through town, so you really don’t have to choose between one or the other.
✔️ What is the best month to visit Phoenix and Scottsdale?
This also depends on what you’re looking for.
Many people refuse to visit in the Summer because the temperature is 115+ degrees during the day and stays above 90 degrees at night.
We personally love visiting in the Summer and doing indoor activities, drinking plenty of water, and re-applying sunscreen throughout the day.
If you’re looking for more moderate weather, visiting from late September through November or visiting March through early May will be more ideal.
It’s warm enough for the pool, but not as hot as May through August.
The winter months are still a great time to visit too. It virtually never snows in Phoenix or Scottsdale.
The average high is 68 degrees and the average low is 45 degrees.
✔️ What festivals are in Phoenix and Scottsdale?
Here are the most popular festivals each month of the year.
January
Arizona National Boat Show, Barrett-Jackson Antique Auto Auction, FBR Phoenix Open, Fiesta Bowl, Indian Artists of America, PF Chang’s Rock n’ Roll Arizona, World of Wheels
February
Arabian Horse Show, Arizona Renaissance Festival, Arizona Travel Show, Fountain Hills Great Fair, Lost Dutchman’s Days, Scottsdale Fine Art & Chocolate Festival, Sportsmen’s Vacation & RV Show, World’s Championship Hoop Dance Contest
March
Arizona Aloha Festival, Cactus League Baseball, Carefree Fine Arts & Wine Festival, Festival of the West, Ostrich Festival, Parada del Sol Parade & Rodeo, Safeway LPGA Tournament, Tempe Music Festival, West of Western Culinary Festival
April
Arizona Asian Festival, Country Thunder Music Festival, Desert Caballeros Horse Ride, Gay Pride Parade & Festival, McDowell Mountain Music Festival, NASCAR 500, Phoenix Home Improvement Show, Scottsdale Culinary Festival
May
Arizona Special Olympics Summer Games, Queen Creek Peach Festival
June
Grand Canyon State Games
July
Downtown Phoenix 4th of July Celebration, Lori Piestewa Native American Games, Mighty Mud Mania
August
Arizona Home & Building Expo, Fiesta Glendale Hispanic Heritage, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
September
Fiesta De La Familia
October
Arizona State Fair, Mesa Storytelling Festival, Rainbows Festival, Tour de Scottsdale Bike Ride
November
Arizona International Auto Show, Fantasy of Lights
December
Nautical Parade of Lights at Canyon Lake, Fiesta Bowl Parade, Insight Bowl, Arizona National Livestock Show, Chandler Parade of Lights, Las Noches de las Luminarias, Fiesta Bowl Block Party, Santa’s-A Christmas Theme Park, Tempe Town Lake Boat Parade, ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo
✔️ How far is Phoenix from Scottsdale?
The city center of Phoenix is about 12 miles from the city center of Scottsdale, which is about a 30 minute drive.
More Fun Things To Do in Arizona
Below are more of our favorite things to do throughout Arizona.
✅ Petrified Forest National Park One Day Itinerary
Petrified Forest National Park is in eastern Arizona along Route 66.
You can visit in just a few hours by driving the scenic loop and going out on a few hiking trals.
✅ Grand Canyon National Park Sunrise Itinerary
Seeing the Grand Canyon at sunrise is a really great experience if you’ve never done it.
If you do it in Winter like we did, be prepared for snow and freezing cold temperatures.
✅ Tombstone One Day Itinerary
Tombstone is the famous historic western town you’ve seen in the movie.
It’s in southern Arizona about an hour outside of Tucson and is a must-visit.
✅ Elgin and Sonoita Wine Tasting Guide
Elgin and Sonoita is a budding wine region outside of Tucson that is so under-rated.
You have to try the chile infused wine at Flying Leap Vineyards!
✅ Best Hidden Gems Tucson Restaurants for Foodies
Tucson is a UNESCO certified city of gastronomy, so you know their food is good.
We visited as many UNESCO certified restaurants as we could find and compiled a list of our favorites.
✅ The Best Affordable Attractions Near Tucson
Tucson has a ton of historic attractions, outdoor activities, and even some underground places to explore.
Conclusion: The Best Weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale Itinerary
As you can see, there is plenty to do when you spend a weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
There are things to do all throughout the year and it’s never a bad time to visit.
Phoenix and Scottsdale both have something to offer everybody!
Pin This For Later!
