Photo by Sean Pavone - Getty Images
Phoenix skyline - Arizona
Downtown Phoenix's skyline at dusk
Anyone who has ever visited Phoenix, Arizona, during the summer knows exactly why the city’s metro region is called the “Valley of the Sun.” Clocking in at a historical high of 122 degrees Fahrenheit in June 1990, Phoenix heat is often the kind that can melt the soles off your sneakers if you’re not careful.
However, fall and winter are another story, with temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to the low 50s in November and December. The sun is still shining—that’s the best part—but the dry heat limits itself to much more manageable temperatures, making it the perfect weather to visit and enjoy Phoenix, its sister city Scottsdale, and the surrounding desert landscape.
Fly direct from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) with daily flights on both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Sky Harbor is just three miles from downtown Phoenix, so once you land it’s an easy jaunt to the center of it all.
Photo by Jennifer Yakey-Ault - Getty Images
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
A cacti-lined trail in Saguaro National Park
For most travelers, Phoenix is the gateway to all things Arizona, from the magnificent Grand Canyon National Park and historic Indigenous ruins in the north to the Sonoran Desert and Saguaro National Park with its signature cacti in the south. But Phoenix/Scottsdale are together a major metropolitan center filled with activities, surprises and a vibe that is both cosmopolitan and laid back all at the same time.
City of Teams
Sports fans know the city for its teams, and the Green Bay Packers have already put the Arizona Cardinals in their place this year on Oct. 19 with a 27-23 win. If you happen to be in the city on March 21, you can cheer on the Milwaukee Bucks as they take on the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center arena. Undoubtedly, they will bring home a win as well.
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If you’re an art/architecture fan you already know that Scottsdale is home to Taliesin West, the late-career winter home of Wisconsin architect Frank Lloyd Wright. If you’ve toured the original Taliesin in Spring Green, you already know Wright drew his inspiration (and materials) from the surrounding land. For Taliesin West he did the same, making it similar, yet completely different from the architect’s original homestead. It’s definitely worth a stop.
Scottsdale, especially, is rife with resorts that blend the city’s western heritage with a tropical oasis motif. Despite the late season there will still be ample time for hearty Wisconsin folk to lounge poolside during the shank of the day. Or stop in at Butterfly Wonderland, the largest butterfly conservatory in the United States and designed to preserve and present some of nature’s most delicate creatures in their natural habitat.
Many Restaurants
As for restaurants, the metro area boasts more than 4,000 of them, all catering to local and visitor tastes. The best include Valentine, Blaise Farber’s New Southwestern spin that blends desert-foraged ingredients into gourmet favorites with rich and intriguing flavors; Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion, perched high in the hills above the city and slinging some intriguing French and international cuisine; and the vegetable-centric FnB that showcases some of the finest vegetarian presentations to be found anywhere. You can’t really go wrong with any of these, plus a whole lot more.
Couple all those urban amenities with miles of nearby desert trails suitable for hiking, off-roading, horseback riding, and even whitewater rafting and you have the perfect blend of man and nature in one of the world’s most amenable climates.
I can’t wait to get back. So, what are you waiting for?
