If there is a downside to garnering a global reputation for a few key features, it’s that the rest of the story often remains hidden in the background. Arizona—home to the Grand Canyon and stunning desert landscapes—is just as loved by those in the know for its many other qualities, such as a fascinating blend of Hispanic and Native American cultures, a thriving arts scene, cutting-edge dining, limitless outdoor recreation and some of the best spas in the world.
Each corner of the state is distinct, from Scottsdale’s urban chic to Tucson’s Old West ambience to Sedona’s tranquil beauty, and a planner armed with the knowledge of its many hidden jewels can infuse any meeting here with inimitable experiences. In many ways, Arizona is still undiscovered country.
The Old West
Arguably, no pocket of American history draws more universal appeal than the Old West, and Arizona sits comfortable at its epicenter. Even before your plane touches down, the iconic scenery of red-rock escarpments and saguaro cacti brings to mind sunset horseback rides, roving posses and noon showdowns. Today, the state is well equipped to provide visiting groups with a taste of its rugged history, from pancake-breakfast horseback rides to gunfight reenactments.
Old Tucson Studios, the set of numerous Western movies and TV shows, is almost tailor-made for group fun. In addition to regular gunfights, target shooting and comedy routines, the venue handles a huge range of group functions, from chuckwagon barbeques to private rodeos.
“Guests are able to take home memories that last a lifetime—the real feel of the Old West,” says Jesus Arvizu, owner of Cocoraque Ranch & Pavilion, a working cattle ranch just outside Tucson that regularly hosts groups for horseback rides and cattle drives.
Located on 16,000 acres, the ranch also offers groups quick-draw contests and mechanical bull-riding and calf-roping. Naturally, there is a saloon on hand to soothe saddle sores and provide a backdrop for bragging.
A favorite destination for those seeking Old West ambience as well as group activities like outdoor barbeques and horseback rides, Tanque Verde Guest Ranch features a remote setting just outside Tucson, with numerous horse and hiking trails leading up into the hills. Although Tucson is a natural choice for groups seeking the Old West experience, dude ranches and similar venues are found throughout the state.
Three hours northeast of Phoenix, the four-season retreat of Torreon at the gateway to the White Mountains can set the stage for Old West gatherings, with its equestrian center and group outings complete with customized options such as cowboy poets and storytellers to entertain attendees around the campfire.
Great Outdoors
While the most memorable features of Arizona’s geography are the mile-deep gash in the Earth to the north and the desert flatlands featured in Western films to the south, the state is actually quite diverse. Depending on which region they are in, groups can look forward to such activities as rock climbing, fishing, boating, white-water rafting, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking and championship golf on some of the world’s most renowned courses.
As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon is always a good choice for visiting groups. From basic sightseeing to thrilling hiking and river rafting, the 2,000-square-mile national park is brimming with outdoor recreation. There are near-limitless options for group outfitters, such as Grand Canyon Tour Company, which runs everything from airplane excursions to rafting the Colorado to guided hikes.
Though fishing may not seem synonymous with Arizona, Lake Havasu, on the border of California, offers some of the best angling in the country. And while water sports is the name of the game here, there are also beautiful inland hiking trails, as well as several premium resorts and meeting venues.
Flagstaff, in northern Arizona, has become a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, as the city’s high elevation and forested mountains provide ample terrain for climbing, mountain biking, skiing and camping. Its close proximity to the Grand Canyon also makes it an ideal jumping-off point.
CenterFocus Experiences, based in nearby Sedona, customizes hiking, rock climbing and canyoneering tours, while Open Road Tours offers Colorado River float trips and tours of Monument Valley and the Petrified Forest.
Both Tucson and Greater Phoenix sit adjacent to protected sections of the beautiful Sonoran Desert, which offers a chance to view unique desert wildlife as well as engage in hiking and mountain biking.
Desert Zen
Though many of Arizona’s abundant world-class spas and health retreats have been established just in the last decade, the state has a long history of drawing wellness-seekers from afar, who recognized the sunny weather, dry air and relaxing environs as essential to both recuperation and well-being.
“People with respiratory problems were sent to Arizona,” says Graeme Hughes, director of convention sales of the Metropolitan Tucson CVB. “There is so much open space that you take that wellness element and put it into an environment that is soothing and refreshing. It tends to enhance whatever program they are trying to do.”
Today, Arizona’s destination resort spas are well known, and many are ideal for small groups that want to combine meetings with relaxing spa treatments and wellness programs, or simply as pure incentive.
Miraval Tucson Resort & Spa, regularly ranked the top destination spa in the country, offers an astounding menu of health and wellness classes and treatments, from healthy cooking instruction to meditation classes to desert-inspired spa treatments. Miraval, like many destination spas in Arizona, excels at small group programs.
“The destination spas really appeal to organizations that want the professionals to help them customize their itinerary,” Hughes says. “If you are willing to submit yourself to their programs, it is a great fit.”
Similar options to Miraval are Tucson’s Canyon Ranch Resort & Hotel, the Red Door Spa at Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson, the Centre for Well-Being at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale and Mii Amo, located at Enchantment Resort in Sedona.
Native American Roots
Home to an impressive 22 federally recognized tribes, Arizona culture is understandably well infused with Native American heritage. From Navajo to Hopi to the White Mountain Apache, these distinct tribes play an essential role in Arizona’s identity—both historical and modern—and the numerous ways to experience it can be a treat for visiting groups.
If your meeting is in Phoenix, the internationally acclaimed Heard Museum showcases an impressive range of traditional and modern Native American art. The museum also excels at hosting group functions and receptions with its numerous venues, which can include traditional Native American performances.
The Havasupai tribe, the only permanent residents of the Grand Canyon (for the last 800 years), receives plenty of attention from visiting groups—for the breathtaking canyon scenery and hiking as much as their cultural appeal. Airwest Helicopters provides a quick and exhilarating way for groups to take in the Havasupai reservation and surrounding sights.
In many cases, your group need not even leave the hotel to be treated to Native American culture. Located in the Gila River Indian Community, the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa near Phoenix is one of the many Arizona hotels that are steeped in tribal elements, from culturally themed guest rooms to a spa that features Native American treatments.
An Artist Sanctuary
As a state, Arizona boasts one of the largest art scenes in the country, influenced particularly by the inspiring natural desert landscape, as well as Native American and Hispanic cultures.
In Phoenix, the First Fridays Art Walk lures more than 10,000 art enthusiasts to the 80 participating galleries, while Scottsdale hosts a similar event every Thursday. An excellent venue for a group outing, the Phoenix Art Museum includes more than 17,000 pieces of modern and traditional art from all over the world, while the Heard Museum focuses on native Arizonan artwork.
Ultimate Art & Culture Tours excels at creating group itineraries and excursions in Scottsdale and Phoenix, from gallery tours to Native American art tours to hands-on team-building programs.
Farther north, Sedona is recognized just as much for its thriving art scene as the stunning red sandstone formations that serve as inspiration. Here, groups will discover an almost ceaseless lineup of music festivals, film festivals and art functions. The Sedona Arts Center, packed with galleries and regularly offering art workshops and hands-on events, is an ideal destination for smaller groups feeling inspired by the creative buzz all around them.
Jewels in the Desert
As Arizona’s reputation tends to lean to the stunning outdoors/rustic Old West side of the scale, many first-time visitors are surprised to find world-class shopping, dining and accommodations. Much of the state, from idyllic Sedona to tranquil Lake Havasu, draws visitors from all over the world, and correspondingly provides ample modern dining and resorts to placate the many discerning travelers. Phoenix and, particularly, neighboring Scottsdale, have developed a cadre of modern shopping and dining venues to compete with the best of Rodeo Drive and Fifth Avenue.
“We have that cache of being like a big city, with the high-end resorts and shopping,” says Renee Angeles, director of sales and services at the Scottsdale CVB. “But when you are walking around downtown, you are completely surrounded by the Sonoran Desert; you can see mountains while eating in upscale restaurants.”
Scottsdale’s flashy Waterfront, Fashion Square and Entertainment districts are all excellent places to bring a group for an upscale dinner and show, or set them free into the waiting arms of Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton.
Spring Fever!
Ask any baseball fan where they would most like to spend spring, and the answer will invariably be Arizona or Florida—and not because of the weather.
Every spring, beginning in March, half the country’s Major League Baseball teams head to Arizona for spring training, creating a concentrated batch of nonstop baseball games. The teams are scattered around playing fields and training centers mainly in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe and Tucson, and a group outing to one or more of the many exhibition games can make for an exciting experience.
Spring Training Tours is an established company that can assist planners with buying group tickets, transportation and even custom merchandising for take-home souvenirs.
For More Info
Arizona Office of Tourism 602.364.3700 www.arizonaguide.com
Flagstaff CVB 928.774.9541 www.flagstaffarizona.org
Glendale Chamber of Commerce 623.937.4754 www.glendaleazchamber.org
Greater Phoenix CVB 602.254.6500 www.visitphoenix.com
Lake Havasu City CVB 928.453.3444 www.golakehavasu.com
Mesa CVB 480.827.4700 www.visitmesa.com
Metropolitan Tucson CVB 520.624.1817 www.visittucson.org
Scottsdale CVB 480.421.1004 www.scottsdalecvb.com
Sedona COC 928.204.1123 www.visitsedona.com
Tempe CVB 480.894.8158 www.tempecvb.com
Yuma CVB 928.376.0100 www.visityuma.com
