Scottsdale With Kids: Desert and Baseball

I recently visited Scottsdale, Arizona while attending a conference at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa  located near Scottsdale, is a city in suburban Phoenix.  Scottsdale has been ranked as the best city to retire in America and is also an international art and resort center in the Sonoran Desert with so much to offer visiting families with kids.

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort – A Wonderful Scottsdale Family Resort

The JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa opened in November 2002 as Marriott’s 2,500th hotel worldwide and as Arizona’s largest resort with over 950 rooms.  The guest room was well-appointed and very comfortable, and the bathroom featured elegant stone work and a standing shower.

My favorite feature of my room was the view of the McDowell Mountains from the patio – palm trees and mountains are a pretty amazing way to start the day.

The Desert Ridge Resort includes over 3.5 acres of pools, 36 holes of championship golf, eight tennis courts and Revive Spa.  Four of the Resort’s five pools are always heated at 82 degrees.  Even though we enjoyed the heated geothermal pools in Iceland, it felt too chilly during the February cold snap to try out the pools.  The Lazy River would have been an amazing place to spend an afternoon floating in one of the brightly colored inner tubes – if it was only 10 degrees warmer.  I can only imagine how wonderful the aquatic center must be during the super hot summer months.

The Resort also offers several great dining options. Stonegrill serves American fare with a Southwestern twist in a casual atmosphere with comfortable seating.  Roy’s Pacific Rim is an Asian-Fusion restaurant with Hawaiian and Asian-inspired cuisine.  During our stay, we watched Olympic coverage at the hotel bar Twenty6.

The Resort really capitalizes on the gorgeous surrounding views with lots of windows and comfy chairs in the common areas.  It was not so surprising that neither windows nor comfy chairs were featured in the Resort’s conference center.  With tax and securities on the agenda, it would definitely be nearly impossible to hold the attention of attendees if competing with the beautiful view.

While the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa was a fantastic resort, it would be a shame to travel 2,000 miles and not get the chance to explore beyond the resort.  Luckily, I also had a chance to visit the Phoenix Art Museum on my way from the airport and Old Town Scottsdale before my departing flight.

There are many more accommodations options for visitors to Scottsdale with kids.  Families who want to stay close to Old Town should check out my cousin’s guest house, Casita Saguaro.  It is a lovely, newly constructed two bedroom private guesthouse available at an amazing nightly rate.

Old Town Scottsdale With Kids

After my conference concluded, my cousin picked me up, and we headed to Old Town Scottsdale.  There was a lot of excitement in Old Town because it was the first day of MLB Spring Training, and Scottsdale’s Spring training home team, the San Francisco Giants, were playing the Milwaukee Brewers in the Scottsdale Stadium.  Although baseball was not on our agenda, it was fun to hear the crowds cheering as we made our way to our first stop at The Mission for lunch.

The Mission features modern delicious Latin cuisine.  The tacos were divine, but the real highlight was the made to order tableside guacamole, which we shared.

After lunch, we walked around Old Town Scottsdale to explore its floral displays and Native American arts shops.  Of course, I couldn’t resist visiting the Scottsdale Historical Museum, a free museum with seasonal hours (closed June – August when it is really hot).  This charming brick structure was built in 1909 and originally used as the town’s school city hall, courthouse and library.  The Scottsdale Historical Museum offers exhibits related to the historical and cultural heritage of Scottsdale and the Southwest.

My favorite was the One Room Schoolhouse depicting a typical 19th century classroom that appeared to be right out of Little House and the Prairie, and the 1872 rules for teachers w

I was thrilled to unexpectedly find one of Robert Indiana’s pop art Love sculptures in front of the Scottsdale Civic Center as we walked around Old Town.  Indiana’s Love sculptures are now located all over the world and my favorite example of public art.

The gardens in Old Town were absolutely beautiful.

I wished that there was enough time to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.  Frank Lloyd Wright invested his earnings from Fallingwater to purchase property in Scottsdale where he built Talliesin West was his own winter home.  Like Fallingwater, this tour is not intended for children under age six.  If my architecture loving middle child was with me, Talliesin West would have definitely been a can’t miss activity.

Why We Love Scottsdale With Kids

Scottsdale’s mild winters makes it an ideal location for a winter trip, especially for baseball fans during Spring Training.  We loved the art and architecture and look forward to a chance to explore Scottsdale with kids more!

When planning a trip to Scottsdale with kids, make sure to check out our other favorite Arizona and Nevada destinations.