Scottsdale. More than Golf.

This time of year, Scottsdale is a favorite winter time destination for families that want to escape the snow and enjoy the mild, desert weather. The town of Scottsdale is located 30 minutes away from Phoenix airport and is mostly known for the championship golf courses that outline the area. This past month, Traveling Dad took a 3-day weekend assignment out to Scottsdale to find other activities that you can enjoy in Scottsdale.

Hyatt Regency, Gainey Ranch

The Hyatt at Gainey Ranch is both a family friendly and pet friendly resort.  The two main pools have family areas and separate, ‘adult only’ areas which accommodates the needs all hotel guests. For the animal lover, there are special, ground floor rooms that allow guests to bring their pets during their entire stay. In addition, the resort offers a variety of restaurants, activities including a world class spa, golf course and an adventure center. 

Mom and Dad time…

The main restaurant, SWB at the Hyatt offers a personal dining experience called, Wine Me Dine Me… It offers a special four course meal, comprised of locally flavored recipes with unique parings of wines produced from local wineries. Throughout the dinner, our Su Chef was attentive and happy to share the secrets to his flavorful recipes. The portions were perfect and the entire experience was exceptional. This kind of dining experience can make you forget that you brought children on your trip… or at least you can try!

Family Time- MIM Museum

The MIM, (Musical Instrument Museum) is one of the newest family attractions in North Scottsdale. This museum is huge and can easily keep your family busy for many hours, so book your time accordingly and enjoy the experience. Your entrance fee includes a headset that will activate as you approach each display.  One of the areas that I liked the most was the ‘kid friendly’, interactive room where you can take instruments off display and play with them. I had a great time banging away on the drums!
Additional corridors upstairs offer worldwide music history displays and separate them by continents and regions. Each display has an interactive screen and gives the viewer a brief understanding on the musical history and a variety of unique artifacts. For more info: www.TheMIM.org.

Spa Time, Golf Time for Dads


The Hyatt Gainey Ranch has a world class spa and fitness center. I was treated to a luxurious massage and felt pampered as king. On the final day of my three day trip, I played Grayhawk Golf Club in north Scottsdale. Beware; this is not a resort style golf course that the whole family would enjoy. I would recommend playing this golf course within your ability, (translation:  play the course shorter). Make sure to bring plenty of extra golf balls on this desert course because it is common to lose a few due to the challenging layout. Grayhawk has two separate, 18-hole courses (Raptor, Talon) and both courses are as beautiful as they are difficult. When you are done with your round, make sure to stop into the clubhouse restaurant called ‘Phil’s Grill’ and order the famous Margarita. This handmade beverage is just the cure to forget about the past 18-holes and relax viewing the desert vistas and other golfers coming in from a round. For more info on golf: www.GrayhawkGolf.com.

Whether it’s the weather, museums, spa or golf, Scottsdale has what your family is looking for this winter season. For more information, go to the official Scottsdale Visitor website,  or join the Scottsdale Facebook Page.

 

RJ writes as a TravelingSingleDad as well as SingleDad, CookLikeADad, and DadProductReviews…. You can also find him on Twitter - he’s @rjsingledad.