Scottsdale is located in Arizona’s Sonoran desert. It is a suburb of Phoenix and is home to luxurious spa resorts, sparkling swimming pools, golf courses, shopping malls, and the works. If urban vacation is not your style, then the surrounding desert has many hikes and the impossibly tall Saguaro cacti for outdoor explorers. Cultural travelers also love Scottsdale, particularly the Historic Old Town, art galleries, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home of Taliesin West. Scottsdale is just 20 minutes away from the Phoenix Airport and so very easy to travel to for pregnant women.
This underrated city actually makes up for a great babymoon. While I wasn’t pregnant when I visited Scottsdale, I couldn’t help but wonder how awesome it was for a romantic getaway or a low key honeymoon. And then when we were planning our babymoon with S, I totally wanted to revisit Scottsdale. The only reason we didn’t was that we instead jumped on the opportunity to see Petra, Jordan instead. But anyways, now we are creating a series of babymoon destination guides in the USA and I’m jumping at the opportunity to add Scottsdale to the list. So here it is, the most comprehensive Scottsdale babymoon guide ever!
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WHAT IS A BABYMOON ANYWAY?
So first things first. Babymoon is a relatively new travel concept. As always it started with celebrities and the affluent and then petered down to regular Joe’s like you and me! The basic idea is to have one last relaxing vacation before the baby comes. And let me tell you it works! The whole taking time off for yourself and spending quality time with your partner actually makes you forget nausea, swollen feet, aching joints, and mood swings! All my babymoons (I have just 2 kids but went on several different babymoons – read the whole story here) have made me look forward to spending time with my babies and cherish the quality time spent with C.
Main Street, Scottsdale (Photo CC2.0 – Wikipedia/Visitor7)
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WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT SCOTTSDALE FOR YOUR BABYMOON?
Scottsdale is located in the Arizona desert and things can get unbearably hot here in summer. In general, we avoid traveling to Arizona in the summer and recommend the same, especially for pregnant women. Unless you already live in Arizona off course! The best time to travel to Scottsdale is from Fall to Spring. The Holiday season is the peak and you will need advanced reservations for most things.
Note: The best time to plan a babymoon is during your second trimester. However, you should definitely check with your doctor before booking your tickets.
ROMANTIC THINGS TO DO IN SCOTTSDALE
Scottsdale, Arizona is a great babymoon destination for a couple of reasons. As we already mentioned, the city offers something for all types of travelers. Here are some of the best Scottsdale attractions for pregnant couples:
Old Town Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale is filled with restaurants, art galleries, boutique shops, and an authentic Wild West feel. You can simply stroll around the area admiring the architecture and have a great time browsing in various jewelry, clothing, and other specialty shops. This area of Scottsdale also has lots of Native American Arts: dreamcatchers, turquoise jewelry, sand paintings, and other intricate handicrafts. We also love the many dining options in this area; you can have a variety of cuisines – perfect for pregnancy cravings! There is also a great history museum in the area. You can easily spend half a day here along with lunch or dinner. Old Town Scottsdale is not very large and can be easily seen on foot but if you are not up for walking there is also a free trolley available.
Historic Old Town, Scottsdale (Photo CC2.0 – Pixabay/DiannaHelm)
Scottsdale’s Museum Of The West
This Scottsdale museum is a must for anyone interested in the Wild West. The museum has many artifacts about arts and history of the states that compromised the Old American West. The museum is located in the downtown Arts District in an architecturally beautiful building and has a great collection of guns, holsters, boots, hats, and other clothing items, saddles, and other cowboy/cowgirl themed memorabilia.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
To spend some time in the Sonoran desert environment surrounding Scottsdale, we suggest a visit to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The preserve has great walking, jogging and hiking trails as well as mountain biking trails. There are many short, flat trails that allow visitors to enjoy the dramatic desert landscape; we recommend these hikes to pack in some must-needed pregnancy exercise. The paths go through Saguaro and other cacti and look especially beautiful in spring when the cacti flower. The preserve looks very beautiful and romantic at sunset.
Sonoran desert landscape
Scottsdale Spa Massage
Scottsdale has a large number of spas and many of these offer prenatal massages dedicated to pregnant women. The masseuses at these spas are knowledgeable about what to avoid during pregnancy and can provide very relaxing massages. They are a great way to get pampered, soothe all your aching muscles and get relief from leg/back pain associated with the pregnancy weight gain. Some of the great places in Scottsdale to try the prenatal massage include Amomi Pregnancy Wellness Spa, Agave Spa, etc.
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Being the largest shopping mall in Arizona, this is the place to shop in Scottsdale. The Fashion Square has all premium brands, dining, as well as entertainment options. We visited the mall for Black Friday during our Thanksgiving Scottsdale trip and it was completely crazy! This is the perfect place to do some babymoon shopping including maternity outfits and baby items including sassy onesies, tiny shoes and socks, and other cute stuff.
Taliesin West
Taliesin West was our original reason for visiting Scottsdale on our road trip to Las Vegas. We have been Frank Lloyd Wright’s admirers since we first saw his work in Oak Park, Chicago and I had wanted to see his winter home and studio of Taliesin West for many years. We took the 3 hrs behind the scenes tour and enjoyed the in-depth look at the beautiful structure. We also had plenty of opportunities to take photographs and hear about many FLW anecdotes. The gift shop is full of FLW designs as always. I still crave the Taliesin lamp (hint: that’s a perfect birthday gift for me!) with all my heart but the one grand price is still too much!! We did buy a beautiful FLW design stencil and I’m hoping to use it in our home soon.
Taliesin West – Winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright
Cosanti Foundation
This off-the-beaten-path, free attraction is perfect to indulge in on your babymoon. Cosanti is a dedicated Arizona Historic Site and was the work studio and residence of architect Paolo Soleri, who was initially an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. The building architecture is unique and beautiful. Visitors can also take guided tours of the studio and see how the famous bronze Soleri wind bells are poured in the foundry. You can also purchase a Soleri wind bell as a souvenir of your memorable Scottsdale babymoon. The ceramic Soleri wind bells, as well as pots and planters, are also incredibly designed and make perfect gifts for art lovers. If you love his work, you will also enjoy visiting Arcosanti (see below).
THINGS TO DO AROUND SCOTTSDALE ON YOUR BABYMOON
Arcosanti
Arcosanti, designed by architect Paolo Soleri, is an experimental city based on his concept of ‘Arcology’ or the unique blend of architecture and ecology. It is still under construction and Soleri’s work is now carried on by the Cosanti Foundation. You can take guided tours to understand the design philosophy behind Arcosanti and admire the unique architecture. Arcosanti is about an hour and a half away from Scottsdale and makes a perfect day trip.
Sedona
Sedona makes a great day trip from Scottsdale. The area is full of dramatic red rock landscape and the short Red Rock Scenic Byway makes an exciting road trip. Unique rock formations such as cathedral rock, courthouse butte etc looks spectacular at sunset. We suggest using your time in Sedona to take a DIY maternity photo shoot with the bump!
Grand Canyon
You can also fit in a visit to see the Grand Canyon during your babymoon in Scottsdale. The majestic Grand Canyon can be easily reached in a few hours, though we recommend spending a night within the National Park to see the Grand Canyon at sunset as well as sunrise. Drive the Grand Canyon Rim Road to look at the various viewpoints without tiring yourself.
Grand Canyon is just a few hours away from Scottsdale
Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park, located near Tucson, is about two hours away from Scottsdale and makes a great day trip. The park is famous for the towering cacti and has many easy trails that let you admire the Saguaro and the desert environment.
WHERE TO STAY IN SCOTTSDALE?
Four Seasons Scottsdale is our #1 place to stay for your babymoon. They even have a special babymoon package which includes a onesie for the little one! How cute and thoughtful is that? You will also find a maternity pillow waiting for you in the room if you let them know beforehand. They have couples massage available and can arrange day trips in the area.
Another great option is the Westin-Kierland Resort. Their babymoon package comes with skincare gift set and pregnancy massage as well as two pints of Haagen Daz ice cream for your pregnancy cravings!
You can also consider the Omni Scottsdale. We love most Omnis and this one is no exception. The property is very beautiful and the on-site pool is gorgeous. Perfect for a day of lounging and drinking mocktails. Their babymoon package includes a pedicure, discount on massage, and complimentary chocolate truffles, cider, and Spanish custards.
Wherever you chose to stay or do, we are sure that you will enjoy your babymoon in Scottsdale. The city is meant for relaxation and lounging as well as shopping. Also, don’t forget to visit Taliesin West, it is just spectacular and will be the highlight of your time in Scottsdale. Here’s a little tip for FLW fans: the area has many other FLW buildings including the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, which you can see for free. We hope you enjoyed our Scottsdale babymoon guide and have a wonderful time in the city.
Old Town, Scottsdale (Photo CC2.0 – Wikipedia Commons / Visitor7 )
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