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Personal Finance > Smart Spending > Travel
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Phoenix, Arizona
A rich concentration of history and natural beauty.
October 24, 2002: 12:07 PM EDT
By Paul Lukas, Money Magazine Contributing Writer

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Money Magazine) - When you think of Phoenix, you probably think of sprawl, lots of purple and turquoise, and phrases like, "Yes, but it's a dry heat." But there's more to the city than meets the eye: Within an hour's drive are natural and historic attractions that make Phoenix the perfect base for a winter vacation in the desert.

Tonto National Monument  
Tonto National Monument

If you're interested in Native American archaeology, this region has one of the country's best concentrations of sites. Start atCasa Grande Ruins National Monument (520-723-3172), about 30 miles to the southeast, which features the majestic Casa Grande -- the four-story "big house" that was the centerpiece of a prehistoric Native American village. Moving counterclockwise, about 45 miles east of Phoenix is Tonto National Monument (928-467-2241), where 700-year-old Salado Indian cliff dwellings are preserved. Agua Fria National Monument (623-580-5500), 40 miles north of the city, boasts hundreds of pueblos, rock artworks and other archaeological finds, as well as a magnificent landscape of hills, mesas and canyons. It all makes for great hiking, photography and wildlife viewing.

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For less history and more nature, head an hour east of the city to Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park (520-689-2723), with its garden trails full of gorgeous wildflowers, cacti and other desert vegetation, plus bighorn sheep, 250 bird species and various desert reptiles.

And don't miss the Hassayampa River Preserve (928-684-2772), some 50 miles northwest of Phoenix, where an underground river suddenly emerges topside to create its own little ecosystem, complete with mesquite forests, over 200 bird species (including rare desert waterfowl) and animals like bobcats and javelinas.

Back in Phoenix, we like the great Mexican food at Los Dos Molinos (602-243-9113) and the Tee Pee (602-956-0178), and the accommodations at the gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright-style Arizona Biltmore ($310 a night until Dec. 31; 800-950-0086). For more info, contact the Phoenix tourism bureau at 877-225-5749.  Top of page




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.