City destinations within the US and other developed countries have seemingly morphed into one predictable look but every now and then you come to a place that is decidedly different. When I first stepped out of the Phoenix airport, I immediately knew that this desert city was going to be a Southwestern treat. The sky was blue and the temperature in March was perfection. Phoenix – the Valley of the Sun – has more than 300 days of sunshine a year with the Sonoran Desert serving as the perfect landscape for the Saguaro cactus. Its blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona.
About 9 miles from downtown Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden is worth a visit. It’s a wonderful place to learn about desert plants and reconnect with nature. In December, the garden is made magical with twinkling lights and nighttime luminarias. If you find yourself in Phoenix, the Garden is featuring “Electric Desert” – a nighttime display of desert, light, and sound – which will run until May of 2019. A Klip Collective installation, the first was at our very own Longwood Gardens.
More Notes:
Best time to go: November to April
Things to see and do: Camelback Mountain, Resorts, Shopping, Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum, Taliesin West, and Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park
