Last week my family and I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Sedona. It’s less than two hours away, and yet we had never been! One of the resort hotels, Orchards Inn, invited us to spend a couple of nights while we explored the town and enjoyed a relaxing getaway. As the temps in Phoenix climbed higher and higher, we escaped north to Sedona!
Don’t head out on the road without reading about these awesome Road Trip Car Hacks!
Sedona Day One: Agave89 and Orchards Inn
We left a little later than expected on Monday, because the AC in our car was getting fixed, and we weren’t about to leave without that working! Finally we were on the road, and we arrived in Sedona right at 6pm. And that was good, because Orchards Inn had arranged for us to enjoy dinner at the adjacent Agave89.
After our drive, we were ready for some delicious food, and we were not disappointed! The kids chose their favorites from the kids’ menu, while Daniel and I started with a selection of guacamole.
The bacon, charred poblanos, and cotija cheese (in the middle) was my favorite!
For our meals, I got enchiladas, and Daniel got street tacos. Mine were delicious, and judging by the fact that he cleared his plate, I’d say the street tacos were pretty good too!
And we couldn’t skip dessert! We got both the chocolate cake (because I can never resist chocolate cake) and their caramel chocolate chimichanga.
After dinner we checked into our room. Every room at Orchards Inn has a gorgeous view of the red rocks.
I enjoyed reading a book and watching the stars come out on our private balcony while Daniel got the kids to sleep inside the room.
Our spacious room included two Queen beds and a sleeper sofa, a flat screen TV, fireplace, mini fridge, microwave, and tub in the bathroom. It was very roomy, even for the five of us, and when we first entered, the TV was set to a jazz station, and the fireplace was going. I imagine it would be a lovely place to enjoy winter as well!
But as much as we would have loved to have lounged in our room the whole time, we had lots to explore!
Sedona Day Two: Oak Creek Canyon, Soldier’s Pass, and Sunset Point
When we checked in at Orchards Inn, the friendly front desk staff provided us with some hiking maps and lots of information, so we were well prepared, thanks to them!
We started our day with a little adventure, as Carter had spotted some binoculars from our balcony. We walked down to them, and from there we found a path, and then a stage! Each spot led us to something else fun!
After that little adventure, we headed back over to Agave89, where breakfast is provided each day for guests staying at Orchards Inn. We had bagels, muffins, and juice, and then we got in the car to drive up Oak Creek Canyon, noted as one of the most picturesque drives in the US.
The kids had fun pretending they were on the Radiator Spring Racers ride, and the scenery definitely looked like it was right out of the Cars movie, but in beautiful, real-life, up-close glory! We loved the Midgely Bridge, so we had to pull over and explore a bit.
We drove the 12 mile stretch up and then back down into town, where we headed to our next adventure, hiking Soldier’s Pass!
We knew we wouldn’t be able to do any hardcore hiking, considering we had a 2-year-old and 7-months-pregnant me! But we ended up hiking about half a mile out on the trail and then back.
I think Harrison had the most fun! Really, I get to climb on rocks and walk without holding someone’s hand, and get dirty??
About 1/4 mile into the hike, we came across the Devil’s Sink Hole. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. That hole was deep!
We held Harry’s hand very tightly and made sure the other kids stayed safely away from the edge. The tree in the picture kind of just looks like a bush, but that’s just the top of a fully grown tall tree, rooted at the bottom of the sink hole!
Soon after that we stopped in some shade for a snack, and then another 1/4 mile along the trail, we found the Seven Sacred Pools!
They increase in size as they go down the hill, and they hold water in them from when it rains. We were glad we found them; we were almost ready to turn back, but then we realized they were just beyond our sight from where we stopped!
We headed back the way we came and were ready for some lunch! We got pizza at Picazzo’s and relaxed and cooled down after our warm hike!
After a rest that afternoon, we hit the hotel pool for a bit! We got all sunscreened up, and then realized the pool was nicely and completely in the shade! Oh well, better to be safe than sorry!
Soon it was time for dinner, and we decided to get some food from the supermarket and find a place for a picnic. We watched the beginning of the sunset while we enjoyed our food.
We finished before the sun had fully set, so we scampered up to Sunset Point, where a crowd had gathered to watch the sunset.
Then it was bedtime, after a long, fun day of adventures! Daniel put the kids to bed while I walked over to the Sedona Fudge Company for some late night goodies!
Sedona Day Three: Uptown Sedona, Chapel of the Holy Cross, and Rock Springs Cafe
Wednesday morning we woke up, knowing we had to say goodbye to Sedona and head on home. But there were a few more things we needed to see and do before leaving!
First, we enjoyed breakfast again at Agave89, and then we walked up and down the street, checking out the shops and restaurants. The Orchards Inn is located right in the heart of Uptown Sedona, just steps from lots of fun places. We found a geocache behind the store “Scorpion on the Porch,” and the kids took turns holding a snake!
We also found these musical instruments on the sidewalk, ready for anyone to play! Daddy (a music teacher) had to show us how it was really done!
Before checking out and leaving town, we enjoyed an ice cream treat at Canyon Breeze, on their back porch with amazing views of the red rocks!
Then, on our way out of town, we stopped to check out the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a little church built into the side of the rocks. It was some of the best views we enjoyed the whole trip, and Carter loved the tiny church!
Halfway home, we stopped in at Rock Springs Cafe for lunch. It was a perfect stopping point between Sedona and Phoenix, and the food was delicious! I loved my club sandwich.
And their specialty is pie! The boys tried the Tennessee Lemon, and the girls enjoyed the Apple Crumb! Yeah, no pictures of the pie though because, well, we ate it as soon as it arrived!
We had a wonderful staycation, and it was great to get out of the heat of Phoenix for a few days and explore the gorgeous city of Sedona.
I also just saw that Orchards Inn is currently offering a “stay two nights, get a third night free” promotion! That is an awesome deal, so if you’re thinking of going, now is the time!
We can’t wait to go back and visit Sedona again soon!
