Spring Break '06

Hi everyone...this is my first post and of course I have a question. We will be traveling out west for the first time over Spring Break next year (April 16-22) and will be taking my then 6 yo grandson. We are looking to fly into Phoenix, stay there for about 2-2 1/2 days...maybe 3 days...then drive down to Tuscon. What I'd like to find out is what we should try to plan on seeing in the Phoenix area while we are there...we are definitely doing the Phoenix Zoo, but after that I'm lost...we've chosen not to visit the Grand Canyon this time and will plan a future trip there.

Can anyone give me some ideas of what is in the Phoenix area that will be good for the whole family? We like National Parks, zoos, historical areas, etc. We're not too big into museums...we'd like to concentrate on seeing the nature and history of the area...and maybe an indian reservation. Also, anything of interest that we should try to see between Phoenix and Tucson?

I don't want to squeeze so much into the trip that it turns into more stress than vacation, but some ideas of what the area offers would be great. I've looked on line and have ordered some travel books, but I'd really like some input from people who know the area well. We'll be visiting Tombstone while in Tucson, and Old Tucson so I have that part of the trip pretty well "put to bed"...it's the Phoenix area I'm having a hard time with.

Any help would be greatly appreciated...I have never traveled beyond the East Coast so I am a complete novice as far as the southwest goes and want to make sure I plan an enjoyable trip for my grandson.

Thanks so much.

Donna Curran
MA

I just came back from Phonix. we went to Sedona, Tuson and Grand Craynon.

Phoenix has a couple of museums that aren't your ordinary run-of-the-mill museums.

First, the Pioneer Living History Museum north of town along I-17 is a collection of 19th Century buildings moved to the site from around the state -- and museum staff live the parts of area pioneers, showing you a bit of what life was like in frontier Arizona.

Second, our Science Museum at the Civic Plaza downtown is designed FOR kids -- giving them hands-on displays and "experiments" they can explore for themselves. Kids love it. There's also a planetarium there also, if you want to see a "star" show. and an IMAX theatre.

We also have an Old West town ("Rawhide") where you can have a cowboy chuckwagon supper and a hayride. It is in the process of moving to a new location, and they should be open there by Christmas, just south of Phoenix.

Check out the desert and mountain hiking trails around town -- and Spring is a great time for that activity, although you have to watch out for snakes (they like Spring too). But no worry, they won't bother you if you don't bother them -- just be careful where you put your feet and hands.

Unfortunately, there's not much for kids along the road from Phoenix to Tucson -- we had an Ostrich farm until a few months ago, but it folded up. One often overlooked treasure is SE of Tucson near Benson: the Kartchner Caverns State Park. If you can fit in one more thing in that direction, I recommend it.

At the risk of overloading you, let me offer two stops that my own 5 year old grandson really loves. The first is in Phoenix and is the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park which has a good sized 'miniature' train (a working steam engine the last time we were there) as well as a carousel, model train layouts, and plenty of playground equipment and room to just run. The second is in Tucson, The Desert Museum. Don't let the 'museum' part scare you off, it's really more of a zoo, with plenty of docents spread about who love to talk to kids. We were there in June, and in the evening there was a program under the stars where a native American told their creation stories in both English and sign language, really very nice. I'll also second Bob's recommendation of Kartchner Caverns, although it can be a bit much for small children. They're fairly strict about not touching anything inside the caves.

AZBuck