Introduction
Phoenix is the gateway city to the Grand Canyon and as America's fifth largest city you're sure to find plenty to keep you amused. Stretching across the Salt River Valley, Phoenix started out as a farming town in the 1860s and today has many historic attractions as well as being filled with live music venues and rooftop lounges. Roosevelt Row is the home of the creative and is filled with galleries and studios, while in its outskirts there's luxury spa resorts and golf courses as well as natural splendours such as iconic Camelback Mountain and the Desert Botanical Garden.
Nearby Scottsdale was absorbed into Phoenix as it continued to grow and is famous for its designer stores, hotels, cafes and world-class golf courses. The quiet, tree-lined streets and desert setting attracted the visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright to establish his winter studio, Taliesen West, here in 1937. Scottsdale's Sonoran desert setting offers visitors an indulgent getaway and has grown into one of the world's leading desert retreats, home to everything from boutique hideaways to world-leading golf and spa resorts. The walkable old town serves up shops, restaurants, galleries and museums, while the eastern border is perfect for hiking and biking along the red rock butts of Papago Park or among the winding trails though 16,000 acres of the Sonoran Desert.