Mountain Splash is Prescott valley’s outdoor aquatic center. It’s located in Mountain Valley Park and features a “zero-depth” entry pool with a mushroom fountain kiddie area that cascades water from above.

Within the recreation area is a 75-foot spiral slide, a corporate picnic area, multiple shade structures, a concession stand and up to six lanes for lap swimming.

Visitors of the aquatic center can also enjoy the Splash Pad. The Splash Pad is an exciting combination of ground sprayers, water cannons, dump buckets and soakers.

Photo Courtesy of Town of Fountain Hills

The Fountain Hills Fountain helps bring people together. Given that it is shoots as high as 330 feet (560 feet at its highest), the white plume of the fountain is visible far beyond Fountain Hills.

The Fountain operates each hour on the hour for 15 minutes from 9 am – 9 pm.

When the Fountain operates at night, lights illuminate the plume from top to bottom. There are lights installed on the concrete fountain head that not only light the structure itself but also shine up on the rapidly ascending stream of water.

The Fountain helps remind people the connection between them, even when far away. When you look at the Fountain, you can be comforted by the knowledge that someone else has their gaze fixed on it, too.

Photo courtesy of granitecreekvineyards.com

Take a break from your daily duties by taking a peaceful vacation to the Granite Creek Vineyards in Chino Valley, a family owned & operated vineyard and winery.

The vineyards are surrounded by rugged granite peaks and high elevation rolling prairie. The vines surrounding the area truly bring everything together. The Chino Valley Vineyards is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery.

The vines bask in the intense sunshine, with hot days and cool nights that last late into the fall. This provides the perfect ripening conditions. Organically farmed granite soil and pure well water help develop the truly delicious fruit.

This vineyard is the first farm in Arizona to be Certified Organic. Granite Creek Vineyards is one of only a handful of wineries in the United States that makes Certified Organic Wines without any added sulfates.

See this and more at the Granite Creek Vineyards website by clicking here.

Photo Courtesy: Florence Visitor Center

In the summer of 1995 six monks arrived in the southern Arizona desert to establish St. Anthony’s Monastery. They carried with them the sacred, millennial heritage of the Holy Mountain, Athos. The monastery is dedicated to St. Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism, the renowned 3^rd century anchorite

Visitors of the Monastery will gain insight into the monastery lifestyle. St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery follows the coenobitic rule of monastic life: a brotherhood of monks and novices holding all things in common follow a daily schedule of prayer and work under obedience to the abbot, their spiritual father. The monks’ daily program begins at midnight with personal prayer time and spiritual reading, followed by the cycle of morning prayers and the Divine Liturgy. After a light breakfast and a rest period, the monks begin their work day, attending to prayer and their tasks till evening. Tasks include, among others, construction, grounds keeping, vine dressing, gardening, woodworking, publishing, food preparation, and offering hospitality. The day ends with evening Vespers followed by dinner and Compline.

Photo Courtesy: Cronkite News Online

Just south of Eloy, Picacho Peak has been used as a navigational landmark for hundreds of years, and was the site of Arizona’s only Civil War battle. The 3-mile round trip stretch has been rated as “moderate” by most hikers due to its well-maintained trail and easy walking with trail elevation in most areas with only one steep section aided with steel handrails and cables. While on the trail you can expect to see an abundance of wildlife, enjoy the natural surroundings away from all the bustle of the city, as well as possibly a glimpse of petroglyphs from the historic Hohokam tribe.

With the ease of the trail, one can take the time to appreciate the view, mixed with a little bit of history, and a 360-degree breathtaking view of the surrounding Sonoran desert, what’s not to love?

The park re-opens to the public on September 13. Catch some practice hikes in the valley and then hit the trail just as summer starts to turn to early Arizona fall.

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/PIPE/ 

Photo Courtesy of the City of El Mirage

El Mirage is the perfect place to enjoy a day full of sunshine at Gateway Park.

Located directly off El Mirage road, the 13-acre park has something for every member of the family. Multi-use fields serve as the hub for team sports, and a ½-mile path awaits runners, parents jogging with strollers and owners walking dogs on leashes.

Families can enjoy a picnic lunch in one of the park’s ramadas and then spend the afternoon playing with their young children under the covered playground or in the area’s splash park. Older children can bring their skateboards to spend time in the 15,000 square foot plaza-style park, full of obstacles for skating enthusiasts to enjoy. Dog owners can join the fun, too, as they bring Fido on a trip to the dog park.

http://www.cityofelmirage.org/index.aspx?nid=1415

Photo courtesy of nytimes.com

Every city and town has a unique feeling and energy to it. Step into some and you feel right at home, others may not feel like the place for you. Sedona’s energy might be the most unique of any city or town out there, though. The energy, which is largely the product of its vortexes, truly empowers you.

There are four main energy vortexes in Sedona: The Airport vortex, Red rock Crossing/ Cathedral Rock Vortex, Boynton Canyon Vortex and Bell rock Vortex. Each vortex strengthens a unique part of those who traverse its grounds.

Stand at one of Sedona’s four main vortexes and the energy will flow into and through you. You may find that you feel more confident, more empathetic, or more at peace depending on the vortex you step into. Each vortex helps with a specific energy.

Travel Tip: Don’t be closed off to the workings of the vortex, the more sensitive you are during your vortex excursion, the better the experience.

Photo Courtesy of AZ Central

Located in Cave Creek is the World’s Tallest Kachina sits proudly in the open desert. Just north of Phoenix on Cave Creek Road, and on through Carefree, continue east for about five miles on Cave Creek Road, located at the entrance to the Tonto Creek subdivision sits the 39-foot statue.

Kachina Dolls (or Katsina) are a unique Hopi invention. Kachinas are made by Hopi craftsmen who’ve honed their skills over several years. The masked religious icons are carved from cottonwood root, and they were used to teach children of the tribe about the spirit world.

Photo Courtesy of Arizona Preservation Foundation

When we can’t understand our past in its entirety, a sense of wonder takes the place of facts. Casa Grande Ruins is one such place that offers such feelings of mystery. While the ruins may have appeared around 130 C.E., its purpose remains a mystery.

Every year, we learn a little more, though. Archeologists have discovered evidence that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and extensive trade connections which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E. It is believed that the Casa Grande functioned partly as an astronomical observatory since the four walls face the points of the compass. There are various smaller ruins in the complex and remains of a Hohokam farming village.

Visitors of the ruins will see the curious appearance of the structure. Visitors are not allowed into the building, due to it being very delicate, but much can be seen from the outside. Visitors will be able to see details of the construction with wooden beams supporting the clay walls and various internal features such as stairways and windows. The interior contains items such as re-enforcing beams, metal ladders and measuring devices on the walls.

Photo Courtesy of the Arizona Republic

The city of Chandler is a growing community, home to a large population, a bustling downtown and the state’s biggest technology businesses.

Peeking through the busy-ness of the city is an 113-acre oasis that boasts lush wetland and desert wildlife. The Veterans Oasis Park is known as the city’s “non-traditional” facility, which features habitat suitable for diverse plants and wildlife and offers plentiful recreation opportunities at the site. The park includes park land, lake, wetlands and recharge basins, which infiltrate high-quality reclaimed water to the subsurface as part of the city’s comprehensive reclaimed water management plan.

Visitors to the park can experience recreational opportunities galore. There are more than four miles of trails and wildlife viewing areas. Families can also enjoy a daytime picnic in the ramadas and picnic areas and introduce children to wildlife in the butterfly and hummingbird habitat. Children can also roam around and enjoy the outdoor ampitheatre and a unique learning-oriented playground. There is also a 5-acre community fishing lake, equestrian trails and a Solar System Walk.

Take a day trek away from the hustle and bustle of the burgeoning east valley communities and enjoy all the amenities this park has to offer.

http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=682