Summer’s over, but that doesn’t mean you have to break out the parkas and snow shoes. As most of the country descends into an icy five months, Scottsdale hovers around the perfect line. With an average temperature of 83°F, there are so many reasons why forgetting the fall foliage and escaping to Scottsdale should be on the top of your list. Here are 16 of our top picks for fall:
The Scottsdale Community College Football team opened up its season tonight with a huge win on the road against #2 nationally ranked Arizona Western College Matadors 21-0.
Scottsdale’s perennially sunny skies mean the weather is almost always perfect for a walking tour of downtown. From monumental art installations and historic sites to fine chocolates and the inside scoop on locals’ favorite restaurants, these tours will show you some of the best downtown Scottsdale has to offer.
On the self-guided Public Art Walking Tour, you’ll discover 10 of the city’s most-celebrated public art works. Your tour starts at the “Soleri Bridge & Plaza,” designed by the late Italian architect Paolo Soleri. At Donald Lipski’s “The Doors,” you’ll discover what it’s like to stand inside a giant kaleidoscope. And at “Knight Rise,” a James Turrell skyspace, you’ll witness the changing light of the desert sky. You can complete this tour in 60 minutes at a comfortable pace, but with all the enticing boutiques, galleries and restaurants you’ll see along the way, we recommend adding in some time for browsing.
Get a glimpse into Scottsdale’s past with the Historic Old Town Walking Tour. Another self-guided adventure, this tour takes you to colorful stops like Cavalliere’s Blacksmith Shop, Rusty Spur Saloon, Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor and the Little Red Schoolhouse, home of the Scottsdale Historical Museum. Plan to spend about 60 minutes on this tour, depending on how many stops you make along the way.
For a tasty tour, join the experts from Arizona Food Tours for “A Taste of Old Town Scottsdale.” Choose between the mid-day or dinner tour options, then get ready for a three-hour gastronomic romp through downtown. You’ll sample specialty dishes from half a dozen or so restaurants, with additional stops along the way to learn about the area’s history and heritage. Our best advice for this tour? Come hungry – you won’t want to miss a bite!
Truffles, cupcakes and gelato – oh, my! If you have a sweet tooth, Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale is the one for you. This two and half hour stroll takes you to some of downtown’s most “chocolicious” shops. Along the way you’ll learn fun facts about chocolate and have the opportunity to sample it in its various forms, from candy and baked goods to ice cream and hot chocolate. It’s a chocoholic’s dream!
The Brazilian Day Festival is much more than an event – it is an open window to explore Brazil’s diverse, historic and colorful culture. The award-winning celebration has become the perfect place for all ages to see, hear, touch and taste their way through Brazil’s culture, both past and present. Taking place on September 19, this multi-sensory event is guaranteed to be an incredible experience of music, dance, art and culture infused with the infectious energy of Brazil.
LISTEN – You can’t celebrate Brazilian Independence Day without some of the most well-known styles of Brazilian music. Step outside the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and listen to the sounds of live bands performing Pagode, Samba, Funk, Forro and Samba-Reggae fill the air. With more than 50 musicians, dancers, and performers, this year’s music lineup will make you wish you were at the real Carnaval! Performances from Grupo Cupim do Samba, Delta Nove and DJ Seduce will have you on your feet and dancing to the beat in no time.
TOUCH – Attendees will be given the chance to play with some of Brazil’s most well-known percussive instruments. The hands-on experience allows you to truly immerse yourself in the big percussive sounds and beats that are heard around the world!
SMELL & TASTE – If you love food, imagine walking into the Brazilian Day Festival and discovering a new world of taste-tempting opportunities. Let your nostrils take in the enticing aroma of delicious Brazilian cuisine and other cultural dishes. Aromas so good, you have to taste. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy the authentic flavors from Brazil, Argentina and other countries that help make the Brazilian Day Festival a delicious place to be.
WATCH – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Capoeira are two forms of Brazilian martial arts that you simply have to stop and watch. Observe as instructors demonstrate the importance of self-defense through quick and complex moves using power, speed and leverage.
Brazilian Day Festival Arizona is the largest, most authentic Brazilian Independence Day Festival in Arizona, drawing more than 10,000 people since its inception. Make your way to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on September 19, 2015, and be one of the thousands of people to join together in celebrating the culture, history, and freedom that is Brazil.
With vast open skies offering plenty of stargazing opportunities, Scottsdale is known as a stellar site for celestial activities. Visitors can partake in a variety of experiences from one-on-one viewings with astronomers to guided night-vision Hummer tours in the desert. And it’s not just astronomers looking to the stars. Several Scottsdale spas feature on-site astrologers ready to align the planets and give guests insight into the future.
JEWELS IN THE DESERT
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North (http://ift.tt/1fWlXal), Boulders Resort & Spa (www.theboulders.com), Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia(http://ift.tt/1zfTS9Y), and JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa (www.camelbackinn.com) offer Sky Jewels™ (www.gemland.com), a local stargazing program that holds one- and four-hour long astronomy tours that change as often as the night sky. Depending on the time of year, guests can locate Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula, Mars and other stellar sights. Richard Allen hosts all sessions using state-of- the-art telescopes and star charts, and he tells awe-inspiring stories about the heavens above. The sessions are complimentary to resort guests. Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale also offers telescopes in the resort suites and constellation charts as a turn-down amenity.
ADVENTURES IN STARGAZING
What better way to experience Scottsdale’s starry nights than on a Hummer excursion through the Sonoran Desert? Offered by Stellar Adventures (http://ift.tt/1fWlW6f), this three- to four-hour tour departs at dusk. It takes guests on a memorable experience through desert landscapes on the way to a remote observation area, with an astronomer pointing out constellations and celestial wonders along the way.
During sunset, drive your own desert vehicle through the Sonoran Desert with Desert Wolf Tours (http://ift.tt/1bRTNfP). You’ll hop into a Tomcar, a vehicle originally developed for the Israeli Defense Forces, and with only the illumination of a roof-mounted LED light and the taillights of your guide, you’ll get a true experience of a pitch black desert as you navigate over washes, rocks and ridges. You’ll spot nocturnal creatures including scorpions, desert mice, coyotes and more.
DINING UNDER THE SONORAN DESERT SKY
The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale offers customizable Celestial Picnics, a deluxe basket packed by Executive Chef Mel Mecinas with all of the traditional accoutrements based on your tastes. The picnic includes a blanket and constellation chart and the meal can be paired with a bottle of champagne or wine. Other enhancements include a telescope for stargazing, a musician, a photographer, or a personal butler for the evening.
IT’S IN THE STARS
The Phoenician’s Centre for Well-Being (http://ift.tt/U3fte2) has an intuitive guide that helps you achieve serenity of the spirit through astrology readings. Gain insight into the past, present and future using a personalized chart calculated from your birth date, birth time and birthplace. Readings are 80 minutes long and provide powerful tools for self-understanding and personal development.
Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia offers a Wellness menu with spa services that include everything from Numerology to Astrology. You’ll uncover the secrets of the Earth’s cycle, such as how it affects your place in the world. You’ll become more in-tune with your spirit, as well as receive insight into your life path.
NIGHTTIME FUN
What’s more romantic than a relaxing massage beneath the stars? The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess’ Well & Being Spa (http://ift.tt/1disZIM) offers the Moonlit Romance Couple’s Massage. The couple’s spa suite connects to an outdoor patio. Listen to the sounds of the waterfalls in the spa courtyard as you relax side- by-side with your love during the 90-minute treatment.
Guided night bike rides at the Boulders Resort & Spa are the perfect way to explore and learn about the property’s desert surroundings. Wearing halogen light hats, you are given an intimate view of the Sonoran Desert at night. Your guide will point out the local wildlife and plant life, and you may spot some of the coyotes, javelina and jackrabbits known to roam the property in the evenings.
On the eve of the full moon each month, stretch out those weary muscles during Moonlight Yoga in the resort’s serene Organic Garden. The Boulders also offers a night walking excursion, where you’ll see the desert night as never before. Led by the resort’s expert guide, you’ll use hiking headlamps and night vision monoculars to see the unique surroundings while learning about the geology, history, and flora and fauna. The excursion also visits areas that might otherwise be missed, such as ancient sites used by the American Indians that walked the grounds centuries ago.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Laura McMurchie, VP of Communications
Phone: 480-429-2253
E-mail: lmcmurchie@scottsdalecvb.com
Megan Neighbor, Director of Communications
Phone: 480-889-2716
Email: mneighbor@scottsdalecvb.com
Stephanie Pressler, Communications Manager
Phone: 480-889-2719
E-mail: spressler@scottsdalecvb.com
http://ift.tt/1disXR3
Scottsdale’s spas are pampering guests with treatments based on Sonoran Desert elements like Arizona river rocks, natural woven fibers, Arizona honey, and desert herbs. Here, spa therapists have truly perfected the art of marrying age-old, time-tested American Indian remedies and healing techniques with modern-day indulgences.
THE SPA AT CAMELBACK INN (www.camelbackinn.com
Inspired by the ancient healing rituals of Arizona’s first inhabitants, the American Indians, the Adobe Clay Purification Treatment uses pure red adobe clay to relax the muscles and draw out impurities. The entire body is exfoliated with a cactus-fiber cloth and Southwestern-inspired aromatherapy soap to remove the clay before a body massage with warm juniper and sage oils.
The Desert Nectar Honey Wrap drenches skin with a creamy mixture of pure Arizona honey, buttermilk and oats. A fragrant conditioner is massaged into the scalp and hair to bring out a radiant shine. The body is rinsed and the skin is treated with a rich hydrating cream. The face is left baby soft after it’s cleansed by a hydrating facial of natural orange blossom water, sweet lavender oil, and a light cucumber mask.
THE SPA AT FOUR SEASONS RESORT SCOTTSDALE AT TROON NORTH (http://ift.tt/1fWlXal)
The invigorating Healing Hiker’s Massage utilizes mountain arnica and sage to ease inflammation and soreness after an adventurous day of hiking. This full body massage places special emphasis on the legs to help rejuvenate those tired muscles from hiking at nearby Pinnacle Peak Park.
The desert-inspired Jojoba and Prickly Pear Body Polish uncovers the skin’s natural glow and is rich in jojoba and plant antioxidants. Prickly pear sugar scrub is applied and then rinsed under a Vichy shower. The treatment continues with a loofah-applied prickly pear body wash and concludes with an essential omega-3 and omega-6 nourishing finish of prickly pear and jojoba body butter.
AGAVE, THE ARIZONA SPA AT THE WESTIN KIERLAND RESORT (http://ift.tt/1e0aFAo)
Skin can be parched by the hot desert sun, but the Agave Enchantment is a hydrating treatment that softens skin and increases blood circulation. A body mask, rich in desert plant extracts, is applied in order to stimulate and rejuvenate. The combination of agave extract and essential oils restores balance and brings a sense of well-being to the spirit. The experience finishes with a light application of the spa’s signature Agave oil.
THE SPA AT THE BOULDERS RESORT (www.theboulders.com)
With a new “intention-based” menu, the Spa at the Boulders taps into the surrounding Sonoran Desert and American Indian legacy. Spa-goers choose between Desert Zen Experiences, Global Shaman Experiences and Radiant Oasis Experiences. Each intention incorporates scents from the resort’s Organic Garden and the surrounding desert flora.
The resort’s signature treatment, the Turquoise Wrap, is one of the Global Shaman Experiences. It’s based on the American Indian belief that turquoise is a protective stone that creates a sense of peace and well- being. The treatment begins with a bath in the hydrotherapy tub using turquoise bath oils. A dry brush massage with blue cornmeal follows the bath and then a rinse in the Vichy shower and a wrap with ionized turquoise clay. The therapist performs a smudging ceremony, a traditional American Indian practice in which sage, sweet grass and cedar are burned to purify the body, space and spirit. The treatment finishes with a warm honey mask to rehydrate skin before an application of rosehip lotion.
WELL & BEING AT FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE PRINCESS (http://ift.tt/1disZIM)
The two-hour Havasupai Falls Rejuvenation is named after an American Indian tribe located in Northwestern Arizona. It begins with a body exfoliation of ultra-fine desert salts infused with indigenous essential oils and continues with a warm herbal bath. An application of rich jojoba body butter prepares the skin for a warm massage with smooth riverbed stones to wake up tired muscles. While the body is cocooned in a warm wrap, infused oil is streamed over the forehead, melting away stress. To finish the total-body experience, a soothing scalp massage is performed for the ultimate stress reliever.
THE SPA AT TALKING STICK (http://ift.tt/1disXAO
Talking Stick Resort’s 14th floor open-air spa uses traditional American Indian ingredients harvested from its Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community gardens. The Peaceful Healing massage— traditionally used to heal farmers, hunters and weary travelers— applies raw Pima cotton poultices filled with steaming desert herbs in a rhythmic pressure to renew vitality and balance.
The Sweet Mesquite & Honey body therapy begins with a gentle polish of mesquite, salts and grains designed to open pores. To protect and purify, a mask of jojoba butter and mesquite honey is applied. Then your body is wrapped in soft muslin to help absorb the botanicals. Relaxation continues with desert dew, a toning and lifting facial massage, followed by the spa’s signature sweet mesquite body lotion for vibrant and bright skin.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Laura McMurchie, VP of Communications
Phone: 480-429-2253
E-mail: lmcmurchie@scottsdalecvb.com
Megan Neighbor, Director of Communications
Phone: 480-889-2716
Email: mneighbor@scottsdalecvb.com
Stephanie Pressler, Communications Manager
Phone: 480-889-2719
E-mail: spressler@scottsdalecvb.com
http://ift.tt/1disXR3
The Scottsdale Community College Football team will begin their 2015 season this year against the #2 nationally ranked Arizona Western Matadors.
