Thursday Night: Sedona

Ah, Thursday night — the only truly social night of the week. It’s the night when babysitters are booked, friends convene, and drinks are imbibed. There are no family obligations to fulfill, no amateurish weekend crowds to elbow through — and the possibilities are endless. The night starts after work and ends whenever you want. In any city. All over the world. This week, we’re presenting the perfect Thursday night in Sedona, Arizona.

red rocks Sedona
red rocks Sedona

The red rocks of Sedona (Photo: bboserup/iStock/Thinkstock)

They say God created the Grand Canyon, but he vacations in Sedona. And can you blame him? Sedona, Ariz., is among the most beautiful places on earth, and for lovers of the desert, it’s a red-rock oasis just 120 miles north of urban Phoenix, and about the same distance south from the pine-forest college town of Flagstaff. It’s an escape, a honeymoon, and an archaeological marvel, framed by sandstone canyons and lined with charming boutiques.

sedona drive
sedona drive

Sedona has many scenic drives. (Photo: Hanxiang Huang/Moment Open/Getty Images)

From Phoenix, it’s a two-hour drive through Verde Valley, a barren desert landscape of burnt grass and shed snakeskins along the highway. And then, like the Land of Oz, it appears before you, the sun-warped canyons and the paprika-colored cylinders of limestone, which evolved over 330 million years to become one of the world’s most picturesque natural scenes.

Related: The Sonoran Desert: The Perfect End-of-Summer Destination

Enchantment Resort
Enchantment Resort

The beautiful Enchantment Resort nestled in the mountains. (Photo: Enchantment Resort)

Pace yourself; the scene outside your windshield is just the beginning. If you have the bucks, we recommend you see Sedona through the lens of luxury. When we can, we stay at the Enchantment Resort, a blissful adobe-style resort nestled in the mountains. It offers the most stunning views of Arizona’s sweeping canyons, be it in the warmer months, when the sunburst sky hums behind reddened cliff edges, or in the winter, when snow-capped mountains glisten against a deep purple sky. The resort offers horseback tours and romantic balloon rides, perfect for two, to float over this desert paradise.

L’Auberge de Sedona
L’Auberge de Sedona

A table for two at L’Auberge de Sedona (Photo: L’Auberge de Sedona/Flickr)

Nearby you’ll find L’Auberge de Sedona, which is the place for romance. At L’Auberge de Sedona, guests dine creekside and enjoy amazing food in perfect weather while water cascades over the rocks of Oak Creek. We prefer the Enchantment for lodging and L’Auberge de Sedona for dinner, though you can’t go wrong staying and dining at either.

Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona
Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona (Photo: frederic prochasson/iStock/Thinkstock)

3 p.m.

Lace up your hiking boots, and take a drive up Airport Road, a steep, winding road that will land you atop the entire city. This is where your Instagram photo will materialize — arms up, mouth open, feigning terror! From there, take a 10-minute drive to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a most spiritual place carved into the side of a moment, where you can toss pennies into a wishing well and light a candle for the departed.

Related: Napa, Shmapa! Jerome, Arizona is the New Wine Country

Cathedral Rock sedona
Cathedral Rock sedona

The statuesque Cathedral Rock (Photo: m-kojot/iStock/Thinkstock)

3 p.m.

Enough sightseeing. It’s time to experience Cathedral Rock, the hiker’s paradise that exists beyond the main roads, where you can jaunt through rivers and red-rock buttes to experience some of America’s best hiking. It’s a short but strenuous trail, just shy of a mile. Wait for the late afternoon, because you’ll be hiking the east side of the mountain and will be able to count on some shade. The arduous vertical trail is the most challenging segment, but the reward is a nonpareil view of the city when you reach the top.

If you’re not much of a hiker, check out Pink Jeep Tours, which will take you on an informative and entertaining joyride through the scenic rim of the canyons.

Tlaquepaque sedona
Tlaquepaque sedona

Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village (Photo: Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village)

6 p.m.

Come sundown, you’ve showered and changed clothes, and you’re ready for some art and culture. Take a tour of Tlaquepaque Village, a plaza of galleries and knickknack shops, strewn with lights and alive with the sounds of flamenco guitar.

Elote Cafe
Elote Cafe

Elote Cafe (Photo: Yu+Mi/Flickr)

7 p.m.

Inside Tlaquepaque Village you’ll find Rene, a low-key, candle-lit restaurant serving an haute take on southwestern cuisine. There’s a live piano, hanging ivy, and an extensive local wine collection from nearby Verde Valley. Visitors looking for authentic Mexican food should stop in at the ever-popular Elote Cafe for creative cuisine in a casual setting.

Milky Way
Milky Way

The Milky Way over Cathedral Rock in Sedona (Photo: Cedward Brice/Flickr)

There’s no real nightlife here, but with its beautiful starlit skies, do you really need any? After dinner, stroll the quiet streets, stare up into the midnight-black sky, and relax under the stars.

WATCH: Sedona, the movie

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