Things to do in  Arizona

Arizona—also known as the Grand Canyon State, thanks to its best-known natural wonder: Grand Canyon National Park—combines a desert- and mountain-dotted landscape with increasingly cosmopolitan cities to form one of the United States' best places for exploring the outdoors mere minutes from bustling downtowns. In Phoenix, Arizona's modern capital, enjoy baseball's sping training in March; hot air balloon rides over the city; tours of the city's burgeoning craft cocktail and farm-to-table dining scene; and helicopter flights. Meanwhile, nearby Scottsdale entices with its 200 golf courses and major tournaments. To the north, Sedona's red rocks are best enjoyed on Jeep tours of the open desert, while the Montezuma Castle National Monument offers an impressive display of Pre-Columbian cliff dwellings. To the south, Tucson serves as a melting pot of European, Mexican, and Native American cultures, all of which inform its architecture and gastronomy. If you really want to travel back into Arizonan history, take a custom tour of the original Apache Trail. And, of course, it's impossible to overlook the importance of the Grand Canyon National Park, home to some of the most awe-inspiring views in the world which can be marveled over on a helicopter tour from most Arizona cities.