Phoenix in July (yes, we are that stupid ;) ) Update in post 10

[lalasmama]

DH, DD, and I are heading to Arizona this July. We missed getting to actually spend time with my family when they were here for our wedding, so we thought we would head down to see them. Unfortunately, the only good time to do this is during summer, and the only time I could get away at work was the end of July. Just to add to the fun a little bit, I have MS, and my heat intolerance is impressive--I now carry around cool packs with me when the temp reaches 70º. But it is what it is, and Arizona is where my extended family settled, so it's where we're headed this summer.

We're flying in on a Saturday, and leaving the following Saturday. We're going to spend one day going to the Grand Canyon. Google maps says that's 4 hours each way, so that should take up a full day. We'll have a family meet-and-greet (hard to say reunion, since DH and DD haven't met most of these people!) one day. We're going to head to Besh Ba Gawah one day. http://www.globeaz.gov/visitors/besh-ba-gowah . I remember going here as a kid, and I think DH will find it fascinating; DD, I'm not so sure

So, there's 5 days planned out of 8.

Thoughts or ideas for the other 3 days? I thought DD might like to go to a water park or amusement park of some sort--even some cool minigolf or arcade would be something "just for her." I know she's not going to appreciate the Grand Canyon and Besh Ba Gawah like DH and I. It's been years since I have been there (actually, 20 years), so I have no idea what's around there for the kids.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

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See update in post 10.

[mom2binsd]

You might need rethink the day trip to the grand canyon....is there anyway to turn it into a two day trip?

Plan lots of relaxing time poolside assuming the family has a pool so dd can have fun and inside for you, it's brutal there in the summer.
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[ArizonaGirl]

I live here and have lots of suggestions, but unfortunately anything outside will not be kind to you.

As for waterparks there are three major ones here... Sunsplash, Big Surf and Wet and Wild. I prefer Sunsplash but that what I grew up doing. Let me know and I will try and scope out discounted tickets for you.

I don't know if you are interested in baseball or not, but, Chase Field is nice so you could catch a game there.

It is just so hot here that we just don't go out much...

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[lalasmama]

You might need rethink the day trip to the grand canyon....is there anyway to turn it into a two day trip?

Plan lots of relaxing time poolside assuming the family has a pool so dd can have fun and inside for you, it's brutal there in the summer.
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We will have some definite pool time. We may be able to make the Grand Canyon 2 days; hadn't really thought about doing that.

[BDKmom]

We will have some definite pool time. We may be able to make the Grand Canyon 2 days; hadn't really thought about doing that.

I don't know much about the rest, but I would definitely suggest making at least 2 days out of the Grand Canyon. How about driving to Sedona and spend the night, then drive the rest of the way to GC the next morning? The Pink Jeep Tour is something we enjoyed in Sedona last summer.

[ArizonaGirl]

Apparently I misread your post and didn't see the part about the GC in one day.

That is a narly drive and I think it would be wise to make that a 2 day trip as well.

HTH

[lizzywednesday]

We are partial to the Arizona Mills and Chandler Fashion Square malls for the air conditioning.

I think the Phoenix Zoo super early hours in the summer and if you are a member of a partner zoo or aquarium, or have AAA, you can get discounted admission: http://phoenixzoo.org

We are also partial to the Desert Botanical Garden: http://www.dbg.org (I think they also have student and AAA discounts.)

If you're interested, I recommend that you head to Liberty Market in downtown Gilbert for breakfast or lunch: http://libertymarket.com

Or you may find that Joe's Farm Grill is more your style: http://joesfarmgrill.com (Get there Early. I like their Fontina Burger, but have never had a bad meal there. It's kind of pricey as most things are a la carte, but I think it's worth it.)

We also like the Gilbert Farmer's Market: http://gilbertmarket.com - lots of interesting vendors and a rotating cast of food trucks. Just get there Early for the best browsing & cooler temps. (Even in December it was warm to us!)

[barkley1]

I have vacationed there in July, too. Very, very hot....yes. Extremely oppressive and absolutely unbearable? No. I second the Sedona suggestion, and definitely taking two days for GC. We also did some desert jeep tour that was neat....got to see the big saguaro cacti.

[Zansu]

We've done GC in one day from Tucson before, so it's doable from Phoenix. It's just a lot of driving.

We just went again this weekend (took our summer visitors), and stayed overnight in Flagstaff.

[lalasmama]

Well, our trip to AZ is now half over.... GREAT call about doing the Grand Canyon in 2 days instead of 1! Day 1, we drove up through Sedona to Williams, AZ, on Route 66. We stayed at Motel 6, which was lame, but it worked. Left for the GC the next morning, which was about an hour away. We had no idea what to expect at the GC; the park itself was much more expansive than either DH or I expected! For those thinking about heading there, there are multiple shuttle/tour busses that will take you to multiple spots along the South Rim, and these will take several hours to do... and that's not counting the times when you get off the bus to take pictures, visit the gift shops, have a snack/meal, etc. It took us about 4 hours, and we only did 2 of the 3 bus routes, only got off about half of the stops, and only went to 1 gift shop! But, it was completely amazing to see it! (DH says, "It looked fake. How is that possible that a natural wonder is too beautiful to look real?") The drive back today--we're staying just SE of Phoenix--took flippin' f.o.r.e.v.e.r.... There was no way we could have done it in a day!

We've had 1 pool day already at my aunt's HOA, and have another one scheduled at Copper Sky later in the week!