The quest for cheap vacations travels to the Southwest of the country this week and to the state of Arizona. Arizona is often mislabeled as an arid and barren landscape, but nothing could be further from the truth as closer exploration reveals a variety of different scenery and terrains from snow covered mountains to cool pine forests. Whatever type of activity you are looking for the chances are you will find it on a cheap vacation to the Copper State.
The Grand Canyon
Arizona is home to one of the definitive natural wonders of the world in the Grand Canyon and no trip to the state is complete without a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park. Everyone has seen the Grand Canyon on TV, but to get a true perspective of how epic the ravine is it needs to be seen up close. Attractions in the vicinity include mule rides, flyovers by helicopter, canyon hiking trips, and even a Wild West train ride. To make this a truly cheap vacation, consider camping at the park and making a weekend of the trip. You certainly will not run out of things to do!
The Ghost Towns of Central Arizona
With abundant resources of copper, gold, and silver, miners flocked to Arizona in their thousands creating the state as we know it. These days many of those boom towns are no more than shells of their former glory with maybe a handful of people still living there at most. Taking a day or two to explore some of these ghost towns can be a great stop on a Southwestern vacation. Towns such as Copper Creek, Fort Misery, and The Vulture Mine invoke mental images of every Western you have ever seen, and some even have saloons open for business and the opportunity to pan for gold during your trip.
Baseball Spring Training
To many people the first sign that summer is on its way is the crack of a bat during spring training. Arizona is home to the Cactus League and the state serves as the spring base for fifteen MLB franchises. State of the art stadiums and facilities have been set up to cater for the needs of the players, and this means that the fans have the chance to see major league standard games at a much cheaper cost. In addition the players are much more relaxed than during the regular season so there is a much greater chance to interact with the stars. For many an annual trip to spring training is something of a pilgrimage, and for the cost it is easy to see why.
The Real Route 66
Route 66 is probably the most iconic road on the planet. Depicted in everything from music to movies the road was one of the first transcontinental highways, winding through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. The modern interstate system has made much of the route redundant, but if you want to step back to a simpler era Arizona contains a 42 mile stretch of the Route that is as well preserved as any in the country. Drive it on a Harley for a true Easy Rider flashback moment.
Photo via Al_HikesAZ
