Things to Do in Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale is the resort city of the Sonoran Desert — world-class golf, spa resorts, and a vibrant Old Town with over 100 galleries, restaurants, and wine tasting rooms. It sits just east of Phoenix with Camelback Mountain as its backdrop and 200+ days of sunshine a year. The city is built around outdoor living, and almost everything you do in Scottsdale somehow involves the desert.

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Quick Facts: Scottsdale sits in the Phoenix metro area in central Arizona, about 5 hours from LA and 5 from Vegas. Best time to visit: October–April for comfortable temperatures; summer regularly hits 100°F+ but the resorts run pool season hard.

Here’s everything worth doing in Scottsdale, whether you’re coming for golf, a spa weekend, or a desert adventure.

Old Town Scottsdale

Old Town — The walkable historic district at the heart of Scottsdale. Cowboy-meets-luxury vibe with galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and bars all within a few blocks. The Thursday night ArtWalk opens gallery doors with wine and live music — running since 1975, free, and one of the best ways to spend an evening in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) — Compact but well-curated modern art museum. Rotating exhibits and the permanent installation by James Turrell are highlights.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West — Cowboy art, Native American history, and Western Americana. One of the better Western museums in the country.

Scottsdale Fashion Square — One of the largest malls in the Southwest. High-end shopping (Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Apple, Tesla, all the luxury brands) plus 200+ stores in total.

Outdoor Adventure & Hiking

The desert is what defines Scottsdale, and the hiking access is exceptional.

Camelback Mountain — The signature Scottsdale hike. Two trails to the 2,704-foot summit: Echo Canyon is the more popular and harder; Cholla Trail is slightly more gradual. Both are steep, rocky scrambles with hand-over-hand sections. Bring water — even in winter. The 360-degree view of the Valley of the Sun from the top is extraordinary.

Pinnacle Peak Park — Easier than Camelback. A 3.5-mile out-and-back trail with great views and saguaro cactus scenery throughout. Best for sunset.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve — 30,500 acres of desert preserve with 225+ miles of trails. Tom’s Thumb and Gateway Loop are the popular routes.

Desert Botanical Garden — 140 acres of desert plants in Papago Park. The Chihuly glass art installations (when featured), seasonal flashlight tours, and the luminaria nights in December are standout events. $30 admission.

Hot Air Balloons — Several operators launch sunrise flights over the Sonoran Desert. Hot Air Expeditions and Rainbow Ryders are the most established. Around $200 per person.

Off-Road Tours — Stellar Adventures, Detours of Arizona, and Arrowhead Desert Tours run jeep, hummer, and ATV trips into the desert backcountry.

For deeper outdoor planning, see our Scottsdale hiking guide and adventure & outdoor page.

Championship Golf

Scottsdale has 200+ golf courses in the metro area — the highest concentration in America. A few of the standouts:

TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) — Hosts the WM Phoenix Open every February (the rowdiest tournament in golf — the par-3 16th hole is a stadium with 20,000 fans and rules like normal golf etiquette do not apply). Public play available outside tournament week.

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (Saguaro & Cholla) — Two top-100-ranked courses on Yavapai Nation land. No homes lining the fairways — just pure desert golf.

Troon North (Monument & Pinnacle) — Two of the most photographed desert courses in America.

Grayhawk Golf Club — Two courses, both Top 100, hosts the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships.

Boulders Resort — Sister courses (North & South) wrapped around 12-million-year-old boulder formations.

For full course breakdown: Scottsdale golf guide.

Spa Resorts & Wellness

Scottsdale is a destination spa city — most of the major resorts have signature spas and treatments built around the desert and Native American traditions.

Four Seasons Scottsdale (at Troon North) — The Spa at Four Seasons is consistently rated one of the best in the country.

The Phoenician — A massive resort with a 24,000 sq ft spa, Watsu pool, and a full menu of desert-inspired treatments.

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain — Boutique resort with the Sanctuary Spa, signature watsu pool, and one of the best mountain settings of any AZ resort.

Civana Wellness Resort & Spa — Pure wellness resort focused on hydrothermal therapies and mindfulness — a different vibe from the luxury-resort crowd.

JW Marriott Camelback Inn — One of the original Scottsdale resorts (1936) with the Spa at Camelback Inn, cactus garden setting, and championship golf.

More at: Scottsdale spa guide.

Restaurants Worth the Trip

Scottsdale’s food scene is one of the best in the Southwest, ranging from Mexican-influenced casual to high-end steakhouses.

Casual: Citizen Public House (gastropub in Old Town), The Mission (modern Latin), Snooze for breakfast (locals love it), Postino Wine Café (best happy hour in town).

Mexican: The Mission’s famous guacamole, Los Sombreros, La Hacienda by Richard Sandoval at Fairmont Princess. See best Mexican food in Scottsdale.

Steakhouses: Mastro’s City Hall, Don & Charlie’s (a Scottsdale classic), Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina at the Fairmont Princess.

Splurge: FnB (locally-driven, James Beard award winner), Quiessence at The Farm (farm-to-table on a working farm in Phoenix), Binkley’s (chef’s tasting menu in Cave Creek).

Breakfast: Snooze, The Henry, Hash Kitchen (over-the-top brunch with a build-your-own bloody mary bar). Full picks: best breakfast and brunch in Scottsdale.

Day Trips From Scottsdale

The Arizona scenery within day-trip distance of Scottsdale is some of the most varied in America.

Sedona — 2 hours north. Red rock formations, vortex sites, and the most photographed scenery in Arizona. Easy day trip.

Grand Canyon (South Rim) — 3.5 hours north. Long but doable as a day trip; better as an overnight.

Apache Trail Scenic Drive — A 40-mile loop through the Superstition Mountains east of Scottsdale. Lake views, a ghost town, and dramatic canyon scenery.

Tucson & Saguaro National Park — 2 hours south. Desert scenery, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (one of the best in the country), and Mission San Xavier del Bac.

Jerome — 2 hours northwest. Historic copper mining town built into the side of a mountain. Galleries, wine tasting rooms, and ghost stories.

Cave Creek & Carefree — 30 minutes north. Old west town adjacent to upscale Carefree — a nice contrast morning.

For more options: Scottsdale day trips and scenic drives.

Free Things to Do in Scottsdale

ArtWalk in Old Town (Thursday nights, free)
Hike Camelback Mountain (free)
Pinnacle Peak Park (free)
McDowell Sonoran Preserve (free)
Window shopping Old Town’s galleries
Scottsdale Civic Center waterfront park
Sunset photos along the Arizona Canal at the Soleri Bridge
Free trolley rides connecting Old Town, Fashion Square, and the waterfront

Full list: Scottsdale free things to do.

Scottsdale Resort Stays

Scottsdale is home to dozens of luxury resort and timeshare properties offering promotional stays at deeply discounted rates. These typically include 4-5 nights in a resort suite for the cost of a 90-120 minute vacation ownership presentation.

Available Resort Properties:

Hilton Vacation Club Scottsdale Links Resort — Resort with golf course access, multiple pools, and full kitchen suites
Marriott’s Canyon Villas — Desert Ridge area with spa, golf, and resort amenities
WorldMark Phoenix-South Mountain Preserve — Wyndham property with desert views and full resort facilities
Various luxury resort partners — Promotional packages also available at top Scottsdale brand resorts

View Scottsdale Timeshare Promotions →

Vacation Deals