<p>I know, this is not a typical Christmas destination, but we will be there for the season.
I am seeking advice on what to see, where to go, what to avoid etc.
We will have a car so suggestions of excursions outside of the city are welcome.
This will be my first time there!</p>
<p>Kelowna, December is a great time to be in AZ! We went to Phoenix one Christmas, and I think it was one of the best trips ever! Saguaro cactus decked as a Christmas tree will surely put a smile on your face 
! We stayed in Tempe near ASU and not too far from the Arizona Mills shopping center; one day we drove all the way to the Great Canyon, and another day we went to Tucson. The good thing about December is that the weather is comfortable for us humans to enjoy the beauty of AZ nature, but it is relatively cold for the little nasties like scorpions and rattlers, so they stay put in their holes.
Saguaro National Park is a must see (great for hikes, too):
[Saguaro</a> National Park (U.S. National Park Service)](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm]Saguaro”>Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service))</p>
<p>Another wonderful place for hiking is the Picacho Peak State Park:
[Arizona</a> State Parks: Picacho Peak: Home](<a href=“Arizona State Parks & Trails”>Arizona State Parks & Trails)
Our D was in elementary school, but she had no problem hiking up to the “peak”.</p>
<p>I live in Arizona, so maybe I can help. If you’re into the outdoors, then you will have plenty to do, especially with the weather. There’s plenty of hiking, golfing, etc. The Phoenix Wildlife Zoo is pretty neat if you want to see animals. There’s hayrides in the foothills on December 12th and 19th, I believe. This site has some of the winter stuff to do: [url=<a href=“Home”>http://www.folaz.org/]folaz.org[/url</a>]. If you go to Tempe, check out Mill Ave. There’s some neat little stores and restaurants down there. There’s a lot of homeless people, though, I don’t know if that will bother you. Some people can’t stand it because of that.</p>
<p>Sorry if that wasn’t much help, to be honest, I have the hardest time finding stuff to do here. Tourists usually seem to love it, though, so I hope you have a great time :)</p>
<p>Oh, Tucson can be pretty cool for tourists, too. If you go to Old Tucson there’s plenty of Western-y stuff to see and do if you’re into that. I think there were a lot of classic Western movies filmed there.</p>
<p>Oh, and try to avoid Van Buren street and south Phoenix at night. If you can, I would recommend getting a hotel in Chandler, possibly by the Chandler Fashion shopping mall. There’s plenty of restaurants around there, movies theaters, etc. It’s overall a very nice place. The San Tan village shopping center in Gilbert is nice too, especially this time of year since it’s outside. I volunteer over there for the Salvation Army, and I don’t mind having to drive 45 there from Casa Grande.</p>
<p>Here are some more AZ suggestions:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/458887-what-see-do-scottsdale.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/458887-what-see-do-scottsdale.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks!
We will definitely go to Teliesin West and to Saguaro N.P.
I would love to visit some interesting shopping malls in the area - not looking for the stores though but more the ambiance of the place. What can you recommend?
We will be staying with friends, south east Phoenix area (forgot the name of town), apparently very close to a Trader’s Joe, which I am very excited to finally meet
And there is Dunkin Donuts there! I would kill for Tim Horton’s, but Dunkin is apparently second in the coffee/donut world :)</p>
<p>Heard Museum-Native American culture. Drive the Apache Trail east of PHX for great views of mountains and lakes. Hike in the Superstitions, also east of Phx. Peralta Canyon is a favorite.</p>
<p>“I would love to visit some interesting shopping malls in the area”</p>
<p>As I was told by our AZ friends, malls in AZ serve as air-conditioned oases for people to hang out in the summer. Arizona Mills Mall near Tempe is a huge indoor mall with an IMAX movie theater:
[Arizona</a> Mills Directory of Mall Stores | Tempe, AZ 85282](<a href=“http://www.simon.com/mall/malldirectory.aspx?id=1226]Arizona”>http://www.simon.com/mall/malldirectory.aspx?id=1226)</p>
<p>We’ve been to that mall several times; when my little one was little, she got stuck at a store that sold rocks, dried scorpions, rabbit pelts and other souvenirs, when she was a teen, she headed straight for the Bebe store. :)</p>
<p>Phoenix Zoo is nice. If you are into Westerns and such, you will like [Old</a> Tucson Studios](<a href=“http://www.oldtucson.com/]Old”>http://www.oldtucson.com/)</p>
<p>Go see the Phoenix Zoo Christmas Light Exhibit - Quite nice and different from any Christmas light show you will see - In contrast, drive to the Morman Temple light display in Mesa, Arizona, beautiful and elegant light display, literally millions or lights that takes several months to set up</p>
<p>I’d second the recommendations for Taliesin West and the Heard Museum. The other place I enjoyed was the Desert Botanical Garden [Desert</a> Botanical Garden Papago Park Desert Plants](<a href=“http://www.dbg.org/]Desert”>http://www.dbg.org/). We stayed at a resort outside of Phoenix that was very cool–adobe casitas surrounding a main building and golf course. There was also a small shopping area and a great spa. Resort was called The Boulders in Carefree, AZ. It’s not too far from Taliesin West.</p>
<p>Thank you all who responded!</p>
<p>Arizona was wonderful. 60 to 70 degrees every day!
We stayed in Chandler, close to San Tan Shopping Center. Total Wine is awesome!
Visited Taliesin West, Fountain Park (or whatever it is called), South Mountain at night, I shopped at some ethnic stores we do not have here as well as at Trader Joe’s - what a treat! We made the trip to the old western town and than drove the long, beautiful trail in the mountains. Also saw Avatar in 3D at IMAX.
Visted Saguaro N. P. as well as Biosphere 2 near Tuscon. I am totally in awe about that experiment.
It was a fabulous vacation and I feel energized! Back to work now…</p>