Some days I think I should pack up my life and move to Sedona. Sell the house, find a new career and live a life amongst the red rocks hiking, learning yoga and practicing all things zen.  I’d learn all that new age stuff. I’d take up some kind of creative hobby.  And I’d meditate daily at one of vortexes.  The beauty and peace of Sedona would be at my fingertips each day. The reality is though, I hate yoga.  So I’m not sure I’d fit in.  I may have to settle for just visiting.

I knew hardly anything about Sedona before we went and I relied heavily on Pinterest research.  I was looking for a spring break trip and I was game for something new. And now, it’s probably my favorite place I’ve ever been to in this country (and there are some pretty amazing places out there).  In my mind, it beats every mountain view and ocean I’ve ever seen.

Sedona captured me in a way I didn’t know was possible.  The red rocks are truly captivating, mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.  At times, I could have stayed in one spot for the entire day just gazing at the view.  You feel as though you are one with nature and you gain a sense of perspective that you don’t get in the midst of normal every day life.  I can definitely see how it would be easy to live a life of mindfulness in Sedona.

When we visited Sedona our daughter had just turned three and I was 8 weeks pregnant with our second. So our visit was a bit more mellow and we didn’t get to do everything I would have wanted.  Though we still got a full experience of Sedona.  Even though it can be tough traveling with a preschooler while also growing a tiny human, it was so incredibly worth it.  Now we have a good excuse to return when the kids are older and experience more of Sedona.

So if you’re looking to experience Sedona for yourself with little tikes, here’s what we did.

Where to stay

I lucked out with our lodging given that I didn’t do much research. The most research I did was look on the map to see how far it was from Sedona’s city center.  I didn’t want to be more than a 10 minute drive from it all.  I also needed it to be friendly on the wallet, which everything right in Sedona didn’t seem so wallet-friendly 😉  I also preferred a condo with a kitchen so that we’d have the flexibility of cooking and not eating out for every meal.

I searched all the major travel booking companies and ended up finding the best deal through Orbitz.  It was an airfare/hotel combo at the Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort in the Village of Oak Creek, just about 10 miles from the city center.  The price was right and the resort was surrounded by a beautiful golf course with views of the red rocks.  Oak Creek actually had a lot to explore in itself as it was closer to Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock, two of the most popular Sedona hikes.

This resort had studios, 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom condos.  The studio was all we needed for the three of us with a queen, a pullout couch, a huge bathroom, and a full kitchen. Also on my list was a pool for Jade and a hot tub.  I have to say I’d stay here again just for the hot tubs.  Being 8 weeks pregnant, I unfortunately couldn’t enjoy it.  But I put my feet in and was able to enjoy the incredible views of the rocks.

The Village of Oak Creek had all of the conveniences that you needed: a grocery store, dining options and even some Outlet stores.  As I mentioned above it was actually closer to two great hiking areas, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock.  But you can read about those below.

If you opt to stay in Oak Creek, note that Highway 179 between Oak Creek and Sedona gets backed up with everyday traffic and tourists.  We luckily didn’t experience it as we were up early every morning and in Sedona by 10 or so.  Every afternoon when we drove back, there was a line of traffic. We were there in March, so I can’t even imagine what it’s like during the peaks of summer.   It may be wise to get into Sedona earlier on your days, rather than later 🙂

What to Do

Oh my goodness, the amount of options for you to explore in Sedona is amazing.  Between hiking, shopping, scenic drives, dining out, jeep tours, etc., you won’t be bored. Just spending time on the main drag each day is fun checking out all of the shops, eating out or people watching.

The main drag in Sedona is of course pretty touristy. But what places worth going aren’t these days?  Between the gift shops, dining options and scenic views, take a couple of days to just explore downtown for a few hours.  Jade loved playing the big xylophone!

 

There’s also a ton of options for adventure if you’re able to swing that.  As we mentioned, we were not.

Here’s how our week shook out.

Hiking

There’s more than enough hikes out there to give you something different each day. We needed some easy ones. So we did Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock.

Bell Rock had a few different paths you could take and two different starting points.  We started at the one farther north on Highway 179 as it got you to the rock more quickly.  Jade had a blast climbing and you don’t even need to go all the way to the top to get the full experience.  This hike was my favorite part of the trip.  I could have stayed there forever and just gazed at the view.  I remember being halfway up the hike just staring into the distance and not wanting to ever move.  My pictures don’t even do justice of the true beauty of this hike.

Cathedral Rock is also one of the most iconic Sedona hikes.  It truly is best if visited at sunset as the sun brings beautiful shadows to the rocks.  This was a very easy hike with no climbing involved. There may be have been paths that you could climb, but we didn’t explore that. We just wanted to see those cathedral peaks to see what all the fuss was about.  Well, the fuss is legit – it’s beautiful.

 

 

Visit the Vortexes

I wasn’t too familiar with vortexes prior to our trip. If you’re not sure about them, vortexes are basically spots where it is believed that energy is either entering into the earth or projecting out of the earth’s plane.  People say it can transform your spiritual development and you’ll find they’re a popular place to practice meditation or yoga. Whether you buy into or not, I will say I’ve never felt more at peace than when I have in Sedona.

They say Sedona in itself is a vortex, but there are a few spots where the energy is more intense.  If you research Sedona vortexes you can learn all about them. Both Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock are considered vortexes above. We also checked out the views at Airport Mesa, which is another one.

 

I will say that someday I’ll take a trip back to Sedona and I can’t picture anything better than taking a hike by myself to one of the vortexes and just “being.”  If you’re traveling with your family or friends, I’d suggest trying to even take an hour or two to go off by yourself and take it all in.

Golf

I’m not much of a golfer, but my husband is and the resort we stayed at had an great course on-site. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a spin on the course.  So while my husband enjoyed a quick round of 9, my daughter and I enjoyed driving around in the cart and soaking up the incredible views.

Jeep Adventures

We didn’t do this, but we sure thought about it!  Even at three, we could have taken our daughter on one.  But for the expense of it, we weren’t sure how she’d do on it. So someday, we will go back and do a jeep tour through the red rocks.  There are plenty of tour companies that you can book through.  A trip to Sedona probably isn’t complete without one, but we still had a great trip.

Trolley Ride

Instead of the jeep, we did a trolley ride throughout the sites of Sedona.  With a three year old who loves Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, we thought this was a safer bet than the jeep 🙂  It took us out to Boynton Canyon and shared the history of Sedona throughout. It wasn’t a mind-blowing experience and it was actually pretty difficult to hear the tour guides. But it was a family-friendly activity and got us out exploring more.  And what three year old doesn’t love a red trolley?

Slide Rock State Park

This is another place I could have stayed all day. It’s a nice little drive not far from Sedona.  We always love exploring different parks so it made it to our “must do” list.  Just as the name suggests, it has a natural slide in the Oak Creek where those feeling adventurous can hop in the water and slide down the rocks of the creek.  In the summer, I’m sure it’s packed.  In March, we weren’t going to hop in with our swimsuits, but we did see a few brave souls. We just enjoyed walking along the creek with the sun shining down on us.

 

After a stop at Slide Rock State Park, I suggest taking a drive along the Oak Creek Canyon.  It’s about a 14 mile scenic drive along Hwy 89 between Sedona and Flagstaff.  Our daughter got a good nap in, and we had time to chat and enjoy the scenery.  Well, I enjoyed the scenery more than my husband. The drive requires that you pay good attention to the winding road 🙂  The views are breathtaking and it’s the perfect afternoon drive while your tikes nap.

 

The Grand Canyon

While Sedona is beauty in itself for the whole week, you can’t not go the Grand Canyon when you’re that close.  Especially if you’re a Wisconsinite like me…..Arizona isn’t exactly a hop, skip and jump away.  It was about 2 1/2 hours away from Sedona and easy enough to make it a day trip.

Words can’t describe the Grand Canyon.  It’s something one must experience for themselves to fully understand the jaw-dropping views.  While we didn’t explore all that we could have, we did hit the basics.  And when traveling with a three-year-old to the Grand Canyon, well that’s all you can hope for;)

 

Where to Eat

Ok, so I’m definitely no expert on dining in Sedona. We ate out for a few good meals, but with our condo we ate breakfast there every day.  And the way my pregnancy was going I got nauseous every day right around dinner time.  We we did a lot of meals in the condo and relaxed after a day of exploring.  There are a few restaurants, coffee shops and smoothie joints right on the main drag that have amazing views of the red rocks.  Your trip is not complete if you don’t take time to grab your favorite beverage and find a spot to just soak in all the views.

The two places I can recommend are 89 Agave and Coffee Pot Restaurant.

89 Agave

There are plenty of restaurants right on the main tourist drag of Sedona and this is one of them.  It’s the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. We still talk about that restaurant to this day.  Eat out on the patio under one of their yellow umbrellas. You’ll not only enjoy the food, but the views that come with it and people watching of course.  I’d fly back today just to eat there if I could.

Coffee Pot Restaurant

Treat yourself to breakfast one morning and head on over here on the west side of Sedona.  They are home to their famous 101 different kinds of omelettes. They also have a cute little gift shop within the restaurant.  I’m sure the locals don’t frequent here much, but it’s worth a stop.  You are a tourist and it’s okay to be a tourist 🙂

So, that’s our trip in a nutshell, a very small nutshell.  I hope that it inspires you get out and experience the breathtaking beauty of Sedona.  Without a doubt, we will take our kids again when they are older. And who knows….maybe someday I’ll take up yoga and decide to live that life amongst the red rocks.

Happy travels to you!