Along with party and event listings, it’s a helpful guide to get situated. My first and only time at the bar and I ran into someone who knew me-BS West is clearly the place to be!įor a more comprehensive guide to Phoenix’s gay nightlife, check out the LGBT map at the back of each edition of local print magazine Echo Mag. Just next door is BS West for late-night dancing (and regular weekday happy hours) with two dance floors, go-go boys and flat-screen TVs blasting all your favorite pop tunes. Start a healthy evening at FnB farm-to-table restaurant run by Chef Charleen Badman-a James Beard semifinalist-with truly innovative vegetarian and organic dishes. In downtown Scottsdale, you’ll find a lot of great bars, wineries and restaurants-as well as one of the region’s best gay bars: BS West.
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Taste the 20 different taps at Mother Brunch (as well as their legendary mac & cheese dishes-omg lush) and then visit the outdoor garden at O.H.S.O (as well as their beers and craft distilled liquors) for the perfect way to end a casual evening.
Arizona Brewery Toursoffers customized to many of the locally-owned breweries. First off, Phoenix is home to a burgeoning craft beer scene (like many other American cities). When the weather is a bit cooler, the city comes alive with an energy unmatched by other Southwestern cities.
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While many of the local Phoenicians spend their early mornings outdoors, hiking the trails or exploring the Botanical Gardens, that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to have late nights. The complex was built in the 1930s and still operates as an architecture school today. You can visit on a 90-minute guided tour through select rooms and buildings of Talesin West. Inside Talesin Westįor fans of architecture (hi!), Phoenix is most important as being the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright at his home and studio at Talesin West. It’s an excellent way to stay indoors and get some culture.
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The museum also features important exhibitions on the many cultures and art of the southwestern Native American tribes, plus contemporary Native American art. The Heard Museum regularly hosts traveling art exhibitions. It’s recommended to visit the outdoors in early morning hikes (bring plenty of water!) and then spend your afternoons exploring some of the other highlights. While Phoenix has a lot of great outdoor activities, sometimes it’s just too hot (especially in the summer). A collection of artworks by legendary glass artist Dale Chihuly stand at the entrance to the botanical gardens, near a cute café and gift shop where you can buy your own desert plants (the newest trend in souvenirs: plants). The Sonoran Desert, which cuts into Phoenix, is one of just four deserts in the United States and is home to the Desert Botanical Garden – one of the world’s largest collection of arid-land plants. If hiking isn’t your thing, Hot Air Expeditions run hot air balloon tours through the Sonoran Desert (in both morning and afternoon, depending upon the time of the year)-the perfect kind of romantic desert activity! Hot air ballooning in Arizona over the desert Look out for species native to the region such as the Saguaro cacti (a symbol of Arizona), roadrunners and even wild horses. Arizona Outback Adventures (AOA) run day tours of hiking, mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding and kayaking in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. Set in the desert, Phoenix and its surrounding cities offer a number of different outdoor activities (especially great in the winter, though available year-round).
The Weekend Guide to Phoenix Things to Do Lots of boys, art, late-night romps and wild adventures: Phoenix - it wasn’t what I was expecting! My super gay weekend in the city was just like a stereotypical gay weekend out in other more traditionally gay cities. Sure, it’s also a bit conservative (hey, Arizona), but the state capital is surprisingly hip and the gay scene is increasingly ranked among America’s best.
It’s one of the fastest growing regions in the United States, and thanks to a young population, a longstanding art scene, and a unique setting in the desert, the greater Phoenix area is increasingly recognized for its cool and unusual things to do. Famous for over 300 days of sunshine, Phoenix is tucked in a desert valley with a sprawling population across several cities making up the metropolitan area. It was a stifling 37✬ and that desert heat would persist for the entirety of my weekend. When I first stepped out of the airport in Phoenix, Arizona, the heat hit me right away.