Lauren Topor Reichert

Wondering where and what to drink when you’re not drinking? We’ve got you!

Scottsdale’s dining and nightlife scene has a lot to offer: award-winning cuisines and restaurants headed by celebrity chefs to unrivaled patio dining in dreamy desert locales and even yard games and live music at the city’s hottest restaurants and entertainment venues. And now there’s something else to add to Scottsdale’s dining and nightlife offerings, mocktails.

Pickleball is America’s fastest-growing sport. And pickleball’s popularity in Scottsdale is growing, too. From resort courts and public parks to indoor facilities and pro shops, here’s where you can really rally while visiting Scottsdale.

Scottsdale is going blue. That’s thanks to a new community-led well-being initiative called the Blue Zones Project. From restaurants and grocery stores to schools and workplaces, the Blue Zones Project aims to make positive change by transforming the environments where people live, work and play. Since 2009, the Blue Zones Project initiative has been applied to more than 75 communities across the country in an effort to increase happiness, vitality, and longevity.

Scottsdale is one of Arizona’s most dog-friendly cities. We’re home to countless pet-friendly green spaces like parks and trail systems, and many of our restaurants and public places welcome pets, too. And, in true Scottsdale fashion, some of our top resorts and hotels provide your four-legged friends with five-star treatment, including onsite amenities and treats, of course.

In Scottsdale, you will find dozens of art galleries and nearly 100 public artworks that decorate the city’s corners and bustling community spaces. Scottsdale has two art museums and is home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But what many people don’t know is that Scottsdale also is home to Cattle Track Arts Compound, an artist colony set on 13-acres in the center of a residential community located just off of McDonald Drive.

Ah, Scottsdale—Arizona’s cactus-dotted desert escape and bachelorette party capital of the West. Maybe you have this idea that eating here is limited to overpriced tacos catering to group trips and wealthy retirees. But similar to next-door Phoenix, don’t underestimate Scottsdale’s food. Restaurants here are more than just quick stops for a bite before a pickleball match or pedal-powered pub crawl.

To the uninitiated, Phoenix may seem like a sun-drenched desert pit-stop between Austin and Los Angeles that’s full of resorts, golf courses, and retirement communities. But we're here to enlighten you: Phoenix is just as cool (and diverse!) as our neighbors, and nothing proves that more than its restaurants.

About 120 miles east of Tucson, Arizona lies a sea of monolithic wonders forged in volcanic fury. Here, thousands of rocky hoodoos twist skyward under a vivid blanket of stars. The Martian-like landscape is crawling with rare creatures and abstract natural phenomena unlike any you’ve ever seen. And soon, Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument could take its rightful place in the spotlight.

Not a ton of people can say they’ve seen the Grand Canyon from the bottom. Even fewer can say they’ve seen the majestic natural wonder while cruising down the Colorado River, floating on the water that cuts its way through the canyon walls and carved out the national park in the first place.

The influences that Phoenix’s Latino American culture have on the city are both innumerable and invaluable. And the impact is especially apparent throughout Phoenix’s diverse and thriving culinary spaces. While we may not have a City of Gastronomy designation like our neighbors to the south, yet, these Valley restaurants sure deserve some love.