Must-do Activities for a Week in Phoenix with your Family!

We had the best time visiting my parents in Phoenix! They are renting a house there for 4 months this winter, so we decided to escape the winter and take a family trip. The weather wasn't super warm for us, but obviously way warmer than Winnipeg, and there was lots to do! Their house is in Estrella, which is a beautiful spot, but pretty far from everything we wanted to do. If you are going, I would recommend staying somewhere more central near Scottsdale. We crammed in a lot, but also spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool and hot tub at the house. Oh and we saw the coolest rocket launch out of California. It lit up the night sky like crazy. If you're going to Phoenix check the SpaceX launches out of California, and go outside to try and catch it! I'll share what we did below!

Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Jason went here growing up and wanted to go back with the girls. It was a lot of fun! It's a wildlife park, not a zoo, so the animals have a ton of room to roam and live. You get driven through the enclosures and you can feed giraffes and get up close and personal with the animals. We also saw the trainer feed the tigers, lions, hyena and mountain lion! The best part of the day was the Tiger Splash Show. It was a bit of a drive from Phoenix, but I think it was worth it! You can check it out here.

Slick City Slide Park

On one of the cooler days we wanted to do an indoor activity. We found Slick City in Peoria, which the girls loved. It's basically filled with big slides that you go down on mats. They are pretty crazy, so if your kids are younger they may be slightly afraid. We did 90 minutes and that was more than enough time!

Family Photos with Flytographer

I love getting family photos on vacation, and we always use Flytographer. They match you with a trusted photographer and help you find the best location. We went to Papago Park and it was stunning! We got the red rock and a lake with palm trees. Definitely a good place to visit even if you aren't getting photos, you can even climb up one of the big red rocks! If you have a trip coming up you can use code STACEYK50 to save $50 off your shoot!

Food

You know I love donuts, so I always have to find a local spot to try! We went to Creampuff donuts and it was SO good. They were like croissant donuts and so fresh, even at the end of the day. We also tried Crumbl cookies, which honestly weren't my favorite. They were SO sweet. Jason and I tried Toca Madera for dinner and it was beautiful. The aesthetic was 10/10, but the vibe was more for a bachelorette party, not for date. It was really loud and hard to hear each other (wow I sound old). The food was amazing, but also very expensive. Haha I never checked the prices, just the vibes. We also grabbed In & Out one night, which has the best burgers ever, but ditch the fries, they are no good. We also went to Handel's Icecream which was so good. The rest of the time we just stayed in and cooked at home!

Victory Stairs Hike & Mormon Trail Hike

This Victory Stairs hike was so much fun! It wasn't super hard, but it was steep coming down. The way down was a lot slower, but the girls were able to do it in runners! It took about an hour and 45 minutes with the girls. The view from the top is so good too. Next we tried the Mormon Trail hike to Fat Man's Pass. We didn't know how long this hike was, if I did we probably wouldn't have done it with the girls. It was 7.5km and the beginning is a pretty steep climb. It is stunning though. If your kids are a bit older I would definitely do it! They honestly wanted to stop before we even made it halfway, but I promised them all $10 to spend at Target and that put a pep in their step. Nothing like a good bribe to get your kids into hiking. We went in to Fat Man's Pass and turned back, but if you have older kids or are on your own I would complete the whole loop. Apparently its beautiful. To get to Fat Man's pass, start on the Mormon Trail hike, and then there are signs as you go to direct you.

Rancher Hat Bar

I am going to Stagecoach this year and I don't own a cowboy hat. My SIL told me about Rancher Hat Bar, so I knew I had to get a hat made! It was such a fun experience. If you want a cowboy hat or a trucker hat, you can customize one here and it's super cute! It's also in a great area near a ton of cute restaurants.

Playing Pickleball

My parents play a lot of pickleball out there, so we went and played a few times with the girls. They're obviously not great, but they loved trying and actually got better over the week! My parents have a lot of paddles, and we brought a few of our own. There are a lot of courts around you can use for free. We often just played on Tennis courts too because the girls were just learning technique.

We had such a great relaxing week as a family! If you have any questions about our trip send me a message on Instagram!