Scottsdale - Scottsdale Fashion Square, or old town Scottsdale. Check out The Phoenician resort as well (I work there) it's got very beautiful landscapes.

If you have time, drive up to Sedona, it's worth it! It's only about an hour plus drive.

Lynn,

As a gardener you would enjoy the Desert Botanical Gardens in Papago Park (Phoenix/Tempe). It has plants from around the world and there should be an exellent display of desert wildflowers in bloom this time of the year.

The Phoenix Zoo is a very nice zoo and is also located in Papago Park just south of the Gardens. In addition to the animals, they have some interesting and beautiful landscaping -some areas are natural AZ desert, one area has a bamboo jungle, there are tropical plants and even a small rose garden area.

Mill Avenue in Downtown Tempe and the Tempe Town lake are popular areas to visit.

Finally if you have the time and haven't been there yet, a trip to the Grand Canyon would be worthwhile.

Enjoy your visit.

dlg

The MIM. Musical Instrument Museum. One of the absolute biggest collections of musical instruments from every country in the world. It's in Scottsdale.

I second the MIM and mill Ave :-)

Thanks guys!
Also I should have asked about places to buy some indoor plants that I could take back to MN. Perhaps an unusual succulent or a different christmas cactus or whatever...??
Any thoughts?
Lynn

The two best nurseries in AZ are actually in Scottsdale.

Berridge and Baker's Nursery

You should definitely check both out.

Baker's has a good selection of houseplants as well.

Just a little correction to Raimeiken's post...

Bakers is actually in Phoenix (40th St and Osborn). Definitely worth checking out!

Have a fun visit! Berridge Nursery and Baker Nursery are both very much worth visiting (both are in Phoenix, just do a quick search on google for their websites).

The Phoenician Resort is definitely worth a tour if you're a gardener (there is a guard at the entrance but you can just truthfully say you're there to see the cactus garden, or to grab lunch etc).

I LOVE the landscaping at the Gainey Hyatt resort in Scottsdale--the landscaping is out of control beautiful and the lobby is one of those great indoor/outdoor spaces with a view over one of their many pools, their golf course, and a great view of Pinnacle Peak Mountain. Parking is super easy and there's a bar and a couple of restaurants there too. Nice for a quick stop.

I also love to tour the plantings (and grab a bite or a coffee) at the Biltmore Resort (very old Hollywood and tons of neat lush landscaping) and the charming boutique and mostly tropical old world Royal Palms resort--both in Phoenix.

For shoppinng there's no nicer mall in the US than Scottsdale Fashion Square (maybe Alamoana Mall in Honolulu comes close), and again, if you're a plant lover, Kierland Commons is a WONDERFUL place to stroll and shop--it's a nicely planted indoor/outdoor shopping district on the Scottsdale/Phoenix border. Huge date palms, a lawn area, fountains, and excellent large planters and a ton of great retailers and restaurants. I go there at least once a week.

Definitely visit the Desert Botanical Garden too. It's a wonderful place to see some really nice specimens of desert plants from around the world.

If you like sort of tacky but sort of fun things, Dolly the Steam Boat tour of Canyon Lake is fun and a nice drive (again just search on google). There are also a ton of Jeep tours and horse tours you can do too.

Let us know what you do, and how you like the activities. We all get a lot of winter and spring visitors so some feedback would be great.

Have a lovely visit!
Safe travels,
Grant

Next weekend? As in last of March or first of April! The first rose show of the season is April 2, 1pm-4pm, at Sahuaro Ranch Park, 59th Ave & Olive, Glendale. That is also the location of a public rose garden. While the public gardens will be in early stages of bloom, there will still be hundreds or thousands to see! Try the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, Southern just east of Dobson, Mesa, which has nearly 10000 bushes; the VGC Rose Garden at Encanto Park, 15th Ave between McDowell & Thomas, Phoenix; the Scottsdale Artists School, 2nd Street and Marshall Way, southwest of Indian School and Scottsdale Roads. These are all free events and a great way to spend several hours!

There are Heritage Rose Gardens at the County Extension Office, 43rd Place and Broadway, just west of Tempe city line in Phoenix, and the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum out by Superior, east of Mesa. The Master Gardeners are located out of the Extension Office and they have some lovely gardens and knowledgeable folks to talk to. Limited availability on weekends, though.

You can buy plants at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Thanks to all of you.
We had a lovey time!
Bought a bunch os succulents to take back on the plane saw, The Phoenician gardens, botanical gardens, Sedona, and much more.
Both the nurseries were fabulous! Thanks so much!
Lynn

Sounds like you had a great time here!

Great to hear you had a nice visit. Thanks for letting us know what you saw and enjoyed. :) Come back some time.

Take care,
Grant