36 Hours in Sedona

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
Kick-start your day in classic Sedona fashion with breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant, which serves 101 “famous” omelets.

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
If you’re in the market for chimes and gypsy-chic dresses, head for the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, a Spanish- colonial-style shopping arcade with fountains and muscular sycamores. Glass sculptures at Kuivato Gallery


Jeff Topping for The New York Times
A prickly pear margarita — made from a local cactus — is the must-drink cocktail in Sedona, and one of the best spots to try it is the terrace at Tii Gavo at Enchantment Resort.

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
Weather permitting, dine creekside at L’Auberge de Sedona, a contemporary American restaurant “with French roots,” with a stone patio perched at the water’s edge. Try the seafood

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
Enjoy the views of Boynton Canyon and American Indian pottery at Yavapai Dining Room, a spot that is no stranger to celebrities like Sharon Stone and Robert DeNiro

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
Sedona is cradled in a fragrant riparian valley through which Oak Creek gently runs. Tread lightly at Red Rock Crossing.


Jeff Topping for The New York Times
You can’t get far in Sedona without hearing about the vortexes, like Mystic Vista, places where the earth supposedly radiates psychic energy. They‘re the perfect place to meditate.

Jeff Topping for The New York Times
Take a peek inside the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a modernist icon that looks like a concrete spaceship jutting out of the craggy boulders. If you‘re lucky, you‘ll see it after a rare snowstorm.
February 11, 2007
36 Hours
Sedona, Ariz.
By KERIDWEN CORNELIUS
ASK five people to sum upSedona, and you‘ll probably get five wildly different responses. Art lovers exclaim over the galleries specializing in Southwestern tableaus. Shopaholics rave about boutiques selling Western duds and American Indian jewelry. Pessimists rue the rash of T-shirt shops, while enlightenment-seekers wax spiritual about its “vortexes.” And outdoor enthusiasts rhapsodize about hiking among red rock spires and ancient Indian ruins. All of this is great news for visitors, who can sample it all — even a U.F.O.-viewing site — in a quirky city that some call the most beautiful place in theUnited States.
Friday
5 p.m.
1) RED ROCK ROVER
Sedona‘s cinematic red rocks have been zipping across your windshield like scenes from a Hollywood western. Now it‘s your turn to ride off into the sunset. Turn up Airport Road to Airport Saddleback — you want the tiny parking lot on the left, not the chockablock Airport Vista farther up the road. Slip on hiking boots and hit the Airport Loop trail for close encounters with the towering crimson sandstones: Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Coffee Pot Rock and the Cockscombe. It‘s a 90-minute ramble, but if your energy flags, just turn back and scramble up Overlook Point to watch the paprika-red sunset.
7 p.m.
2) ARIZONA SPICE
Good Southwestern food can be hard to find in Sedona, which is why the upscaleEl Portal inn is a godsend (95 Portal Lane, 800-313-0017;www.elportalsedona.com). On Friday and Saturday evenings, the inn opens its doors to nonguests, who can dine on creative Arizona-accented cuisine under a courtyard bower or by a flickering fireplace made of large river rocks, depending on the season. With an emphasis on local produce, the chef, Eden Messner, turns out dishes like butternut squash and poblano chili soup with cinnamon lime cream ($9) and cumin-encrusted marlin topped with a tower of tomatillo avocado salsa ($28). Reservations are highly recommended.
9:30 p.m.
3) WINE GALLERY
Sedona isn‘t known for its night life. Most bars, in fact, shut down at 10 p.m. For a little art to go with your nightcap, swing by the Gallery on Oak Creek inside theAmara Resort and Spa (310 North Highway 89A, 928-340-8900;www.amararesort.com). Sample a boutique shiraz from a 200-strong wine list or a green tea and vodka cocktail called an Enlightened Nirvana, as you peruse a collection of paintings and sculptures culled from local galleries. The outdoor fire pit is just as picturesque.
Saturday
8 a.m.
4) BREAK AN EGG
Kick-start your day in classic Sedona fashion with breakfast at theCoffee Pot Restaurant (2050 West Highway 89A, 928-282-6626), which serves 101 “famous” omelets. Locals and tourists pack the kitschy, eclectic joint, so you may have to peruse the gift shop for jewelry and coffee mugs while waiting for a table. But once you‘re seated, the friendly waitresses are swift and might even leave the coffeepot on your table for convenient refills. Overwhelmed by the choices? Try the hearty huevos rancheros, smothered in green chili ($6.50). If you have kids, dare them to order the peanut butter, jelly and banana omelet ($5.95).
9:30 a.m.
5) CRYSTAL PERSUASION
If you‘re in the market for chimes and gypsy-chic dresses, head for the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village (336 Highway 179, 928-282-4838;www.tlaq.com), a Spanish- colonial-style shopping arcade with fountains and muscular sycamores. Environmental Realists (928-282-4945) sells everyday objects with clever twists, like a compass-embedded walking stick ($24 to $100).El Prado by the Creek (928-282-7390;www.elpradogalleries.com) carries a forest of copper-and-stainless-steel wind sculptures and rustic furniture made from river rocks. And across the street isCrystal Castle (313 Highway 179, 928-282-5910), the place for rhodochrosite, chrysoprase and other crystals that are said to promote metaphysical healing, whether it‘s mental clarity or finding the love within. Apparently, the right crystal for you is the one you can‘t put down.
11 a.m.
6) SUNSETS, POTTERY AND FRAMES
Galleries dot the city. The biggest of them isExposures International (561 Highway 179, 928-282-1125;www.exposuresfineart.com), a sprawling space overflowing with paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more. Check out Bill Worrell‘s prehistoric-art-inspired sculptures (from $975) and photographs by the owner, Marty Herman, like “Monsoon Sunset” (from $229, depending on size). Other interesting galleries can be found at Hozho Center, includingLanning Gallery (431 Highway 179, 928-282-6865;www.lanninggallery.com), which specializes in contemporary art. To learn more about the local art scene, visit theSedona Arts Center (15 Art Barn Road, 928-282-3865;www.sedonaartscenter.com), a nonprofit gallery that holds exhibits and poetry readings
1 p.m.
7) A CREEK RUNS THROUGH IT
Sedona is cradled in a fragrant riparian valley through which Oak Creek gently runs. Weather permitting, dine creekside atL‘Auberge de Sedona (301 L‘Auberge Lane, 928-282-1667;www.lauberge.com), a contemporary American restaurant “with French roots,” with a stone patio perched at the water‘s edge. Indulge in a Kobe beef burger ($22), or the “Red Rock plateau” with various kinds of seafood and a half ounce of caviar ($65) or go light with a shrimp gazpacho with avocado cream ($12). Cottonwoods rustle, the creek burbles and ducks waddle between the linen-draped tables.
2:30 p.m.
8) SPIRITED AWAY
You can‘t get far in Sedona without hearing about the vortexes, places where the earth supposedly radiates psychic energy. Believers claim that they induce everything from heightened energy to tear-inducing spiritual enlightenment. Whether you‘re a skeptic or believer, a guided tour of the vortexes byEarth Wisdom Jeep Tours (293 North Highway 89A, 928-282-4714;www.earthwisdomjeeptours.com) is definitely scenic (two and a half hours for $68 a person). If vortexes aren‘t your thing, the tour also explores the area‘s history, geology and American Indian culture, and there are several other tours. They‘ll explain how the rocks became rust-colored: add a dash of iron, let it oxidize for several million years and voilà!
6 p.m.
9) CACTUS ON THE ROCKS
A prickly pear margarita — made from a local cactus — is the must-drink cocktail in Sedona, and one of the best spots to try it is the terrace atTii Gavo atEnchantment Resort (525 Boynton Canyon Road, 928-204-6366;www.enchantmentresort.com). Tii Gavo means gathering place in the Havasupai Indian language, and it is a restaurant where well-heeled spa-lovers rub elbows with hikers fresh off the trail. Afterward, move inside to theYavapai Dining Room (928-204-6000; reservations required for nonguests). The restaurant, with its American Indian pottery and views of Boynton Canyon, is no stranger to celebrities like Sharon Stone and Robert DeNiro. Favorites include a smoked and grilled buffalo tenderloin ($40) or sea bass with watercress risotto ($40). The wine list is extensive and far-ranging, but consider one of the local Echo Canyon reds.
9:30 p.m.
10) A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
Thanks to strict ordinances on light pollution, the dark skies over Sedona are ideal for stargazing (or U.F.O. spotting). Take a cosmic journey withEvening Sky Tours (866-701-0398;www.eveningskytours.com; $60, $20 ages 6 to 15), which offers professional astronomers who can point out those elusive constellations, as well as an eyeful of spiral galaxies and the rings of Saturn. They‘ll meet you at a dark spot or even take a telescope to your hotel.
Sunday
6 a.m.
11) ROCK YOUR WORLD
Soar over Sedona valley in a hot air balloon at sunrise for jaw-dropping views of rose-tinted buttes.Northern Light Balloon Expeditions (800-230-6222;www.northernlightballoon.com) offers three- to four-hour trips for $190 a person that include a Champagne breakfast picnic in a remote spot. If you prefer to stay earthbound, pack your own picnic and set out on the 3.6-mileBroken Arrow Trail ($5 for Red Rock Day Pass, which allows entry to a number of natural areas, available at most hotels and convenience stores). Hike along red rocks stained with desert varnish, weave through cypress forests and climb up a doughlike outcropping for commanding views of Casner Canyon.
10 a.m.
12) MORNING SPIRITUAL
Take a peek inside theChapel of the Holy Cross (780 Chapel Road, 928-282-4069;www.chapeloftheholycross.com), a modernist icon that looks like a concrete spaceship jutting out of the craggy boulders. Designed in 1932 by Marguerite Brunswig Staude (but not built until 1956), the chapel is sandwiched between soaring concrete walls that bookend a gigantic glass window with a 90-foot-tall cross. Prayer services are held on Monday evenings, so don‘t worry about interrupting. The chapel affords spectacular photo ops and another chance to have a psychic moment. The chapel sits on — you guessed it — a vortex.
The Basics
American flies intoPhoenix from Kennedy Airport, and Continental and America West fly from Newark. A Web search found early-March fares from $218.Sedona is a two-hour drive to the north.
The Enchantment Resort and Mii Amo Spa (525 Boynton Canyon Road, 800-826-4180;www.enchantmentresort.com) has dozens of adobe casitas strewn along Boynton Canyon. The 220-room resort offers nature walks, an American Indian cultural program and star gazing. Casita bedrooms start at $295.
Tucked into Oak Creek Canyon,L‘Auberge de Sedona (301 L‘Auberge Lane, 800-272-6777;www.lauberge.com) blends log cabin-styling with a touch ofFrance. Lodge room rates start at $175. Cottages with fireplaces start at $275.
Ed and Kris Varjean will make you feel at home atLantern Light Inn (3085 West Highway 89A, 877-275-4973;www.lanternlightinn.com), a French-style bed-and-breakfast that sleeps 10, with two intimate fireplaces, five fountains and four patios. Rooms start at $105.