Scottsdale · 3-day itinerary
3 Days in Scottsdale: A Grown-Up Itinerary
Three days is the right length for Scottsdale: one in Old Town, one around Camelback Mountain and one up north with Frank Lloyd Wright, with a good dinner and a proper drink every evening.
- Day 1
- Old Town: Western Spirit, the Rusty Spur, FnB
- Day 2
- Camelback: sunrise hike, Joya Spa, elements at sunset
- Day 3
- North: Taliesin West, MIM, jazz at The Nash
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Day 1: Old Town on foot
Arrive, park the car and stay on foot. Everything today is within a few blocks.
Afternoon
Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West
3830 N Marshall Way, Old Town
An hour or two of Western art in the arts district.
A handsome museum of Western art and history in the Old Town arts district, with a free underground garage next door. Open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
Late afternoon
Rusty Spur Saloon
7245 E Main St, Old Town
A cold beer and the afternoon band, before the evening crowd arrives.
Scottsdale's first saloon, open since 1951 in a 1921 building, with live country, blues and rockabilly every afternoon and evening, seven days a week, and never a cover charge. It turned 75 in September 2026.
Sunset
Aridus Wine Company tasting room
Main Street Arts District, Old Town
A flight of Arizona wine among the galleries.
A chandeliered tasting room among the Main Street galleries, pouring flights from Aridus's own vineyard and winery in southeast Arizona (Pearce and Willcox). One stop on Old Town's wine trail, along with Carlson Creek, Merkin and others.
Dinner
FnB
Craftsman Court, Old Town
Arizona produce and Arizona wine in a small room. Book.
A small, vegetable-forward restaurant opened in 2009 by chef Charleen Badman (James Beard Best Chef Southwest, 2019) and Pavle Milic, with a menu that follows Arizona's farms and a list that champions Arizona wine. A Michelin Guide pick.
Day 2: Camelback Mountain
An early hike, a long spa afternoon and the best sunset dinner in the valley.
Sunrise
Camelback Mountain (Echo Canyon Trail)
Echo Canyon trailhead, Phoenix / Paradise Valley
Start at first light, carry plenty of water, and turn back if it gets hot. Skip it in summer.
The city's signature climb: 1.14 miles each way, steep and strenuous, open sunrise to sunset. Allow 1.5 to 3 hours; skip it in summer heat and go October to May, early.
Afternoon
Joya Spa at Omni Montelucia
Omni Scottsdale Resort at Montelucia, Paradise Valley
Hammam, rooftop pool and a treatment; it's five minutes from the trailhead.
A 31,000 sq ft Andalusian and Moroccan-inspired spa with a hammam ritual, 20 treatment rooms and a private rooftop pool looking at Camelback Mountain.
Sunset dinner
elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
Sanctuary resort, Paradise Valley
Book the table for sunset time.
Chef Beau MacMillan's seasonal restaurant on the slope of Camelback Mountain, with a wall of windows and a deck over Paradise Valley. It is at its best at sunset.
Day 3: North Scottsdale and a jazz night
Frank Lloyd Wright in the morning, music in the afternoon and a real jazz club after dark.
Morning
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West
12621 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd
Book the first tour of the day; check which days it's open that season.
Wright's winter home and studio in the McDowell foothills, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 60 to 75-minute tour covers indoor and outdoor spaces; tickets are limited.
Afternoon
Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)
4725 E Mayo Blvd, north Phoenix
Leave three hours; weekday afternoons are quietest.
A vast collection of instruments from around the world, with a headset that plays the music as you walk up to each display. Open daily 9 to 5; quietest on weekday afternoons.
Dinner
LON's at The Hermosa Inn
5532 N Palo Cristi Rd, Paradise Valley
Wood-grilled dinner on a patio with five fireplaces.
Wood-grilled Arizona cooking in cowboy artist Lon Megargee's former home and studio, with a 7,000-bottle wine list and a patio with five fireplaces under old mesquite trees.
Late
The Nash
110 E Roosevelt St, Downtown Phoenix
Check the calendar and buy tickets for the late set.
A nonprofit jazz club named for Phoenix-born drummer Lewis Nash, with more than 300 performances a year, from touring artists to weekly jam sessions. The best jazz room in the valley.
Swaps
- Rather gamble than hike? Swap the Camelback morning for a night at Talking Stick Resort, smoke-free and 15 minutes from Old Town.
- Special occasion? Trade LON's for the four-course prix fixe at Cafe Monarch.
- Fourth day? Spend it in Sedona (see our day trips).
Talking Stick Resort
9800 E Talking Stick Way (Salt River)
A AAA Four Diamond tribal casino resort with smoke-free gaming, a 24-hour casino floor, a big poker room, a 14th-floor spa and a rooftop restaurant with valley views. About 15 minutes from Old Town.
Cafe Monarch
6939 E 1st Ave, Old Town
A family-run, four-course prix-fixe dining room with a candlelit courtyard, named to OpenTable's 2026 Top 100 Romantic Restaurants. Special-occasion territory.
Tip: Closed Mondays; there is a $25 fee for cancellations inside 24 hours.
Sedona red rocks (Pink Jeep Tours)
Sedona, about 2 hours north
A long day out to Sedona's red rock country. Pink Jeep Tours has run off-road trips since 1960, from the gentle Red Rock Range to the thrilling Broken Arrow route; tours leave from Uptown Sedona.
Tip: Pink Jeep's cancellation window is 48 hours. Coach tours from Scottsdale save you the drive.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Opening days, seasons and heat closures change, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
Is 3 days enough in Scottsdale?
Yes. Three days covers Old Town, Camelback Mountain and a spa, Taliesin West and the Musical Instrument Museum, with a great dinner each night. Add a fourth for Sedona.
Do you need a car in Scottsdale?
For this itinerary, yes, or budget for rideshares. Old Town is walkable, but Camelback, north Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix are 10 to 30 minutes' drive.
Can you hike Camelback Mountain in summer?
Only very early, and even then it's risky. The trail is steep and strenuous, and the city can close trails in the middle of the day on excessive-heat days. October to May is the season.