One would think that if you lived in a state that has one a few of the most highly visited tourist places that tons of people come to each year, you’d visit it quite a bit too?
Yep I thought so too, but unfortunately, we don’t go as often as I’d like.
In fact, we actually visited Sedona because we had a gift certificate from a friend to visit and take a little ‘baby moon’ before our baby was born….. 3 years ago.
And we had to use the certificate before it expired, 3 years later!
So we decided that after all the Thanksgiving madness, we would take a quick weekend trip as the girls were out of school and Steve’s office was closed for the weekend.
So we left on a Friday about 10 am and drove the 1.5 hours to get there (lame that we live so close and Steve’s never been, right?) and let me just tell you, we weren’t prepared for the temperature drop!
It was in the high 70s when we left Scottsdale and by the time we arrived in Sedona it had dropped to a cool and rainy 45-50 degrees.
Brr..
The GPS was set to take us straight to our lodging, which was this cute little boutique hotel, called Adobe Village Inn but it was too early to check in, so we went to Subway to grab some lunch and let the girls stretch their legs.
After lunch, we went to check into our room, which we stayed in the Coconino 2 bedroom suite. It had a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a great view of the red mountains that Sedona is so commonly known for.
That night, we decided that maybe we’d go out and explore some things, and Steve found a casino close enough to where we were staying that also had a children’s play area for the girls to get out some of their energy. So, we drove about 20 miles south to Camp Verde and the Cliff Castle Casino where we had dinner at an OG Johnny Rockets before letting the girls go play in the play area.
And the decor inside this beauty was just as I remember going to back in the day. So awesome!
Side Note: I fully believe that if more Casinos had kids areas, they would get more business! Not just for their tables and slot machines, but for their restaurants and accomodations! It was neat that we could take them and they could play on slides, climbing things and they even have a separate bowling alley for adults and kids to play together.
Steve and I then found a seat at a Blackjack table – his favorite game and I pretend to know what I’m doing, with him mostly telling me what to do.
The only thing I don’t like about casinos is they allow smoking, and as a non smoker, it’s a bit overwhelming and I really don’t like to visit them for too long becaue the smell penetrates your entire being.
I will say, if someone isn’t smoking right beside me, I get lost in the game, and don’t notice it that much.
And this particular night, I was giving the dealer more chips than I was bringing in. Steve on the other hand was playing like a wild man – 2 hands at a time, doubling the bet and then splitting and winning (mostly). So I didn’t feel so bad that my stack was getting pretty small because his was 3 or 4 times mine.
Little tip if you never gamble or have been thinking about gambling – I NEVER put all my chips on the table at first. I bet the minimum until I start to win, and then I take my starting money out and put it in my bag so I never go home down. I only play with my winnings at that point, and if Steve (because he always does) asks for chips as he’s spent all of his, it’s out of winnings. This is the ONLY way I will play!
After about an hour and a half to two hours of play, and actually coming out $300 up, we decided that it was time to go. By the time we would get back to town, stop by the store for a few needs, and to the room it would be bedtime. Plus, they played non stop like little monkeys for that time, so they were tired.
If you know me at all, you know that I’m one for a schedule and routine when it comes to morning and nights, and being on vacation is no different. We go to bed at the same time and wake up around the same time, no matter where we are. Because the girls are little, the structure is invaluable and needed to help them in life.
Saturday morning, Steve always sleeps in and never has breakfast. So the girls and I had a short little walk to the main building to get a wonderful, homemade and delicious 3 course breakfast complete with coffee, juice and homemade muffins.
When you make your reservation, they ask if you have any dietary restrictions, and I requested gluten free and dairy free. So each morning we stayed, they had a special muffin marked just for me, and were very careful with their food preparations to ensure my food wasn’t compromised with anything I couldn’t eat. <– SO AWESOME! and such great hospitality for their guests!
If you are traveling with kiddos, the portions they make are for adults, so I just let them know the morning of that they could split the meals for the girls because I didn’t want them to waste their food.
After breakfast and getting ready for the day, we traveled into the main tourist area of Sedona to check out some shops and we stumbled upon this olive oil and vinegar shop that Steve was super into! He wanted to try ALL the oils and even tried a few of the honeys they had available.
He tried to get the girls to try the oils too, but they’ve been ‘victim’ to one too many of his funny tricks and don’t really like to try what he says is ‘good’ anymore! And Leila can read a lot now, so she knows what the labels say and if it’s spicy or something she would try. But they did have a fun time trying the honey together.
Finally, he settled on a bottle of the Garlic Olive Oil, Rosemary Honey, and Some Maple Syrup from Vermont.
We then wandered down the street and found a Mexican place (our favorite food group) where we could watch some football, each some great guacamole, and enjoy some tacos. And also a quick warm up as we were freezing already!
After filling our bellies, the girls wanted to take a picture with the painting on the wall that looked similar to Miguel from “Coco”.
Even in November, there were so many tourists from other countries visiting Sedona. It was a bit difficult to walk down the sidewalk with the girls and make sure they were safe from all the traffic happening.
We did manage to find a Pink Pig that Finlee thought was the funniest thing ever! And we tried to test out a new 360 camera that I eventually decided isn’t for me (after another trip) with a family photo looking at the Red Rocks.
On our way back to the car, about half frozen from the brisk wind and cooler than we are used to temps, we stopped by The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and grabbed a few truffles and sweets for the room.
And the girls spotted a crystal store and convinced Steve to go take a look. He of course was in awe of the pricing they were charging (and getting!) for these ‘rocks’.
Side Note – if you are in the market for some crystals and go to Sedona to get them, they will be higher priced than buying from someone online or even a store somewhere else. It’s because they have to pay a premium for the retail space, and they will always have the energy of Sedona around them, but so many people touch them on a daily basis it’s important to cleanse them WELL.
We headed back to our ‘home’ for the weekend to warm up, and plan what we were going to do for the game that night. Steve is a diehard Ohio State fan, which of course doesn’t bode well with my “Purdue FOR LIFE” attitude, but it was the big Michigan vs. Ohio State game, so that won out.
As we started researching, we realized that there aren’t a lot of places for us to go watch the game because they were all for the 21 and over crowd. Then we remembered that we got a $40 gift card for booking more than 1 night with Adobe Village Inn to one of those restaurants and they delivered. So we ordered with them, and settled in to watch the exciting game that had me on the edge of my seat even as a non fan!
Sunday morning comes and the girls and I are treated to another 3 course breakfast that was equally as delicious as the previous.
We then packed our things, and started our long, 1.5 hour journey south to Scottsdale.
I am confident we will be spending more time in Sedona and the surrounding areas as we know what to expect with kids and as a family. Next visit, I plan to hike and visit a few of the outdoor attractions, of course when it’s warmer and the are up for it!
If you are planning a visit to Sedona either by yourself or with friends/family, I hope our visit was enough to get some ideas going for you. She’s beautiful and a must see!
When I first moved to Arizona, I wouldn’t have ever thought one of our favorite places to go would be an aquarium. Except I didn’t know how hot it would be in the summers, and how quickly dark would fall at night.
Now that we’ve been through a few summers and winters, I do.
Even still, if I let these yahoos stay out all day and night in the summer, they’d most likely do it, but the second dark falls, they are inside. So fall and winter are a bit tricky because we don’t leave the house much after dark.
But, when I said we have to go see the ‘Monster Fish’ in partnership with National Geographic at Odysea Aquarium at 5:30 on Friday, what do you think happened?
Of course they didn’t care that it was going to be almost dark when we went and pitch black when we got out, oh no! They were so excited to get to go to one of the attractions that we’d already been to twice this year already and Leila went to for her school field trip in the spring.
They couldn’t wait to go!
Finlee asked me every day leading up to going if today was the day… I couldn’t wait to tell her that “YES, today’s the day!”
I have to tell you, the excitement of them walking up to the location and going inside to see the fish in the tanks was enough to make my heart so happy. Then, them racing up the escalator, barely pausing enough to let it work, with zero time for a photo, with my husband clutching their little hands, was pretty precious.
It was nice to be able to go and not have to rush or worry about the time, or somewhere we had to go. We got to enjoy the exhibit and also our time together.
There were little (actually big) fish along the way with fun, interactive games for families to play, and of course the usual suspects made their appearances sprinkled in with some new fish and sea life.
If you desire to go into the tank with the fish, they have a sea experience, which you get to put on a suit and get into the tank like you were diving in the open ocean with them. And let me tell you, as someone who’s done that, (see this video on Youtube), this seems MUCH safer and controlled. And these fancy helmets make it seem super safe.
The sting rays are always a sight to see, and in the open tanks, you can put your hands in and ‘pet’ them(supervised by a staff member of course).
Of all the times we’ve visited, we’ve never seen a penguin outside of their habitat, and for a second, we got to see one! We happened upon it when they were getting ready to put her back up, and she did NOT want to go!
She wanted to come back and play with the kiddos, which was so cute and awesome to see.
We ended down on the lower level and finished the tour saying ‘Hi’ to ALL of the Nemos and learning about the different types of Clown Fish.
Finlee, to this day, still doesn’t understand that the Dory’s are in a different tank, and that we did see them. Alas, she still said bye to both Nemo and Dory when we left this area.
To be that innocent again…. I can’t even imagine. But I also don’t know how to break that in her? I’m open to all suggestions!
Then on to the Jelly Fish tank, which I thought maybe I was the only one fascinated by them, but it appears my entire crew shares the same sort of fascination as I do. I mean, look at them, you can see right through them – their organs, everything. Yet they have the power to potentially kill you. Anyone else think that is just amazing? And they are so graceful on top of it!
Last but not least, I got to see my favorite fish of all time – the Angel Fish. They only live in Salt water otherwise I might have started a fish tank full of them at my house.
I’ve always been amazed by these amazing fish. I can’t explain it, maybe it’s like Finlee’s obsession with the Clown Fish (Nemo). They are so graceful and most often, they don’t break that trailing thing on top of them, which I maybe envy a bit. If I were a fish, I’d love to be one of these Angel Fish.
And we couldn’t escape without someone asking for a toy and trying to get a good picture 🙂
Finlee didn’t take a nap and it was a lot of walking for her, close to bedtime, so this was as good as it got! And telling her we weren’t getting any toys after the photo didn’t work in our favor either…. oh well! We got memories of going and spending the time together as a family.
Monster Fish was such a fun exhibit, we can’t wait to go back and see the big fish again and their friends!
Check their hours and grab your tickets ahead of time HERE to avoid the line and get right in the door. I recommend getting a yearly pass as it is MUCH cheaper if you plan to visit more than once (wish I would have done this the first visit 🙁 )
Yep, the travel bug has bit and is full on happening right now for me.
the fun stuff:: Thank you so much for your support of my blog! I have some affiliate links in here to help me continue on my journey. If you click on them, I could receive a small commission. My family and I thank you so much for being here with us!
It literally comes as no surprise that after my husband and I started talking about traveling somewhere last month, I’ve finally edited the videos we took on our Go Pro… Almost 3 years ago to French Polynesia, specifically Moorea and Bora Bora.
And in sharing those videos, which you can watch HERE (link is our Parasailing trip, which my hubby was TERRIFIED to do 🙂 ), I’ve received collaborations from companies around the world to help promote their travel brands. I found this really great website that allows you to book a stay at several AMAZING places around the world, at a fraction of the cost you’d normally pay! Check out all the amazing places to visit and see for yourself the prices are much lower at BookVIP than anywhere else! Check it out HERE! Many of the stays offer multiple days, making it a NO BRAINER to spend the entire week there! Here’s a quick snapshot of their weekly deals right on their website:
Weekly deals on BookVIP.com (Click the photo to visit the site!
BookVIP is for those who want to visit a country and stay in a hotel or villa, which is what I’ve always done when traveling before.
If you are looking for a service that’s a one stop shop for travel (think room/accomodations, car or transportation, cruises, and any activities) you need to check out Tripnado. They are constantly improving and making their membership services better to accommodate your travel. I am excited to book a whole trip with them soon.
However, I’ve been made aware of brands and companies who offer Home Swapping all around the world (literally thought this was just in the movies!) which you can visit and join their free Facebook group HERE. I love that you can connect and swap with ‘neighbors’ from another country and travel when ever and where ever you want!
Imagine waking up to your own private pool and house in Australia!
Or being able to walk to see this view each morning in Italy !
I know I will be looking into this when its time to plan Bali!
When we purchased our new home, my intention from the beginning was to rent it out. I wanted to allow others to enjoy the amazing experiences the greater Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona has to offer. I thought maybe just a Airbnb would be the best I could do. However, how cool would it be to be able to explore another part of the country or the world. At the same time, someone could do the same where I live?
Or what about taking my work completely online and pulling our kids out of school and traveling to create those memories while they are still young to other cultures and lands?
So these all sound great, but how do I get to them, Amy?
Pretty glad you asked, because I found a site that looks for that for you too! It’s called Scott’s Cheap Flights –> Great play on words, I thought so too! What this site offers is a free version with ways to get your flights, what airlines are offering, and how to book them. If you want the paid version, for about $40 a year, (totes worth it!) you get multiple alerts of locations and pick your home airport each day. And you get your flight at WAY less than the normal cost. Take a look for yourself HERE. Why pay more for flights and hotels when the whole reason you are visiting a location is to explore? And to explore, and do the things take money!? Smarter travel is available, lets do it!
These things are real possibilities that could happen now because I simply stated and put the effort and energy behind wanting to travel more.
I’m not special, you can do the exact same thing too!
Like with anything, if you want it bad enough, you will figure out a way to make it happen. Since senior year of high school (2005 folks hollar!) I knew I was meant to do and see more than the little Indiana town I grew up in. I never questioned the when, the how, or why but kept believing I was supposed to see and do more.
Fast forward to now. We went to an amazing place on our honeymoon; went to Cancun for a trip with a direct sales business; right now we live in Arizona, which is a paradise in itself; and have traveled many great places with our girls. I know it’s not over and I have been following more and more digital nomads and people who travel full time. I know I’m drawn to them because I know its for me.
I’m a Sagittarius for goodness sakes! I’m a wanderer at heart, and love a good adventure if you are along for the ride. It feels like now is the time to fly. And I know that because I have put this out there, it will happen.
I’m drawn to the water, because it feels like home. It’s calming to me. I also can appreciate pretty architecture and buildings, something I passed along to my oldest <3. So I know that where ever we go and end up, it is part of my journey and I will do everything in my power to keep it coming.
Are you wanting to travel too but don’t know how to do it? Start looking for the signs. Start paying attention to what you are drawn to, and bring more of that around.
py. Then, them racing up the escalator, barely pausing enough to let it work, with zero time for a photo, with my husband clutching their little hands, was pretty precious.
their appearances sprinkled in with some new fish and sea life.
it when they were getting ready to put her back up, and she did NOT want to go!
We ended down on the lower level and finished the tour saying ‘Hi’ to ALL of the Nemos and learning about the different types of Clown Fish.
Last but not least, I got to see my favorite fish of all time – the Angel Fish. They only live in Salt water otherwise I might have started a fish tank full of them at my house.
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