The Road Trip of a Lifetime
Hey guys!
I kicked off the month of July with the most killer road trip so far of my life! My family and I flew into Phoenix, rented a car and drove to Sedona and Flagstaff in AZ, St. George, UT, and Las Vegas. And…during all of that, we were able to see the entire South Rim of the Grand Canyon! The trip was amazing for many reasons, but one of the main things that I loved about it was the chance to see so many different types of scenery all in one trip. With the red rocks in Sedona, the absolute jaw-dropping depths of the Grand Canyon, and the cityscapes in Las Vegas, there were constantly new things to see. I wanted to share with you today some of my very favorite aspects of the trip.
Phoenix, Arizona.
After flying into Phoenix from St. Louis, we spent a few days here and stayed in an a rad airbnb. Click HERE to get my gift of $30 travel credit towards your first Airbnb stay! We explored the Scottsdale and Phoenix area, and I personally was obsessed with everything about the city. Scottsdale impressed me so much because I had no idea how poppin’ it is! From cool restaurants to endless shopping opportunities, the options for fun are endless. My friend Sophie gave us some pretty amazing restaurant ideas. One of the first places on the list we hit up was {my new favorite place ever} Diego Pops for tacos and nachos. The next few days consisted of a little bit of outdoor adventures but a whole lot of pool time and air conditioned adventures…considering it was 115 degrees out.
Sedona, Arizona.
After Phoenix, the real road trip began as we made our way to Sedona, where we stayed at the beautiful Sunset Chateau for a few days. I loved our time spent in Sedona because everywhere we went was just incredibly beautiful. The red rocks that surround the town just set the perfect backdrop for everywhere you go. While we were in Sedona, we hiked Red Rocks State Park, took the ever popular Pink Jeep tour of the Red Rocks, and visited Montezuma’s Castle Ruins. Sedona also has such a quaint downtown area that is filled with souvenir shops and cute restaurants. One of my favorite experiences of the whole trip was simply going out to eat in Sedona because if you ate out on a patio, you were surrounded by the rocks the whole time, which fascinated me so much.
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Downtown Flagstaff was so fun! It honestly is so eclectic and has such a great vibe. There are plenty of boutiques, restaurants, stores, and coffee shops to keep you busy for hours. I found tons of cute souvenirs in Flagstaff for myself, family, and friends. We also visited Walnut Canyon National Monument, which was incredible. These were a series of hiking trails through cliff dwellings of Indians from centuries ago. This was absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see that I would recommend to anyone. The dwellings were still kept up so well and you could actually go inside all the little rooms and imagine just what life must have been like for the different Hopi tribes who had inhabited these areas.
St. George, Utah.
From Flagstaff to St. George is the route we took to ensure we saw as much of the Grand Canyon as we could during the trip. Since we saw the whole South Rim, I took so many pictures that I wasn’t sure my memory card that holds 3,000 pictures would have enough room…embarrassing haha. We didn’t do too much in the actual town of St. George, however, Zion National Park is located nearby, so we stayed overnight in St. George. I absolutely loved exploring Zion, as well as the little town that Zion is located in. It’s so cute! But honestly, Zion is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that I’ve been to ever, and it was just crazy to take in. That’s kind of the theme for the entire trip that I felt…it was all just so overwhelmingly beautiful to take in. It was one of those times where (yes I know it’s cliche, but…) I felt like I needed to pinch myself to ensure that it was real life.
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since we were only in Las Vegas for a little under 24 hours, I don’t have a ton of recommendations, however what I can say is that visiting the Seven Magic Mountains art installation is a must. The bright colors of the mountains stand out so strongly in contrast with the brownness of the desert surrounding it. This honestly was my top recommendation for your to-do list while in Las Vegas. Don’t get me wrong, the Strip is definitely intoxicating with all the flashing lights and bright colors, but this really topped the charts for me. I’d love to return to Las Vegas again soon, because even though I was there for such a short time, I saw what a cool city it is and I’d love to have some more time to explore there!
And of course, as promised, here is my playlist for your summer roadtrip adventures. It seriously makes me so happy listening to this whether I’m on a short drive or in the car for a long haul! The time spent in the car definitely is much more enjoyable when you’re able to jam out to some of your favorite tunes along the way. And when it comes to the car you’re going to rent for the next road trip you’ll be taking, you should absolutely check out Turo, a website that allows you to rent cars from other people at an economical price. Since I already mentioned my affinity for Airbnb above, I thought I would now share the place to go for the Airbnb of car renting! With Turo, you have the opportunity to rent someone else’s car for any period of time you’d like…making it the perfect option for a road trip. You can click HERE to book a car, or learn more about Turo HERE. Happy road tripping, friends!