Stunning Sites in Sedona, Arizona

Sedona is known for it’s charming uptown area, red rock vistas, and even vortexes (spiritual healing areas). It also has a number of trails for hiking along with outdoor adventures. During our time in Sedona, we wandered along the streets of uptown, passing by shops, restaurants, and sculptures. We enjoyed ice cream at Black Cow Cafe, and found a neat courtyard area. Visitors can even catch a trolley tour to see top landmarks and sites in Sedona.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

While visiting Sedona, we drove to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Surrounded by natural beauty and incredible views, the chapel is high atop Sedona’s red rocks. Being one of the 7 man made wonders of Arizona, the chapel is a fascinating piece of architecture. We learned that it was completed in 1956 and is still an active chapel today.

Slide Rock State Park

Located in Oak Creek Canyon is a beautiful swimming hole surrounded by red rocks and desert scenery. Slide Rock State Park has a natural rock water slide and is near several hiking trails, including several Coconino Natural Forest hiking trails. The park can be very crowded during peak times and was bustling with visitors in late July.

Verde Valley Wine Trail

The Verde Valley Wine Trail is in Northern Arizona and features a number vineyards and tasting rooms through several towns. Our first stop on the wine trail was to Caduceus Cellars in Jerome, Arizona. What sits perched on a hillside, with incredible views of Verde Valley below, is the town of Jerome. Many visitors come to town to stroll through the winding main streets where they can find shops, restaurants, art galleries, and tasting rooms. Over a century ago, Jerome was a copper mining community. The rich history of the town as well as it’s artistic culture bring in tourists from all over. The owner and winemaker of Caduceus Cellars, MJ Keenan, lives in Jerome. (Fun fact: Many know him as the lead singer in Tool.)

Our wine tasting experience at Caduceus was phenomenal. The ladies on staff really knew each of the wines and were so helpful with our tasting experience!

After spending time in Jerome, we made a stop through the town of Cottonwood to experience wine tasting at Burning Tree Cellars. Old Town Cottonwood is known for it’s Main Street where there are a handful of wine tasting rooms from the Verde Valley Wine Trail. The main street also has businesses such as unique shops along with a variety of restaurants. Burning Tree Cellars is right on the main street, and has both indoor and outdoor seating options. It specializes in boutique wines, which we found quite good. We tried their 2 different red flights, and purchased a bottle of red wine to take home.

On a separate day, we were traveling from Flagstaff to Phoenix and wanted to have a pit stop to get out with our pups. We landed in Cornville, Arizona at Javelina Leap Vineyards. Their dog-friendly outdoor lawn and picnic area under shaded trees was just perfect! I purchased a glass of white wine for my husband and a glass of Sangria for myself. Both were excellent, and I even purchased a bottle of their sangria mix to take back home!

Next door to Javelina Leap is Oak Creek Vineyards, which is also dog-friendly. And just down the street is Page Springs Cellars. We not only hope to return to Javelina Leap, but we also hope to visit the other wineries if we are back in Cornville!

Although we had a vacation rental in Flagstaff, there are several hotels and many VRBO’s in Sedona.

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