Since I live in LA, an Arizona weekend trip is perfect. To Scottsdale, it’s about a 5.5-hour road trip one way so not too bad. But if you don’t live nearby, Arizona weekend road trip may not be a good idea. Instead, you can fly into Arizona for a long weekend which gives you enough time to explore this beautiful place.
Scottsdale is a city in Arizona and it’s packed with modern, new, and fun activities. If you haven’t been to Scottsdale or it’s your first time in Arizona, I highly suggest coming here.
Whether you’re doing an Arizona long weekend trip or a quick Arizona getaway – this packed 3 day Arizona weekend trip itinerary will be useful for you to plan your Arizona weekend getaway!
Keep reading on or pin to save for later!
Day 1 of 3 Day Arizona Weekend Trip
Walk around Downtown Tempe
The first stop of the Arizona weekend trip is Downtown Tempe. It’s a very modern and lively place with many restaurants, bars, dessert shops, and local small businesses. There are perpendicular streets extending many blocks. Take a slow walk in the streets of Downtown Tempe to experience the chill and relaxed atmosphere.
Late Lunch at Snakes & Lattes
The second stop of this weekend trip to Arizona is Snakes & Lattes, a cafe restaurant located in the center of Downtown Tempe. The space inside is huge and one unique aspect of the place is they have a huge variety of board games (over 900!) for customers to play. They do charge $6/person ($3/person for kids under 12) to use their board games and limit play time to only 2.5 hours.
I got their cold brew flight and Prosciutto Pizza. The cold brew flight consisted of vanilla caramel, s’mores, classic black, and dirty chai. My personal favorite was vanilla caramel. The pizza was a bit dry but the taste was good.
Visit Old Town Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale is a must-visit when you’re here on an Arizona weekend trip. There are a ton of small boutique shops that sell clothing, jewelry, collectibles, and other random stuff. There are also many upscale to mid-range restaurants from cuisines like Japanese, Mexican, American, Italian, Mediterranean, and more.
Stroll Around Arts District
Right next to Old Town Scottsdale is Arts District. It’s essentially a large area filled with art galleries and art museums. You can expect to see large oil paintings, ceramics, and other unique art pieces. I went during night time so most of the shops are closed.
Dinner at Citizen Public House
If there’s one restaurant you should try, it has to be Citizen Public House. It’s a New American cuisine restaurant and the food is incredibly delicious.
Since we ate a late lunch, we only ordered three starters. My favorite of the three is the chopped salad ($16). It was crunchy, a bit sweet, and tasted amazing. Another starter we got was the special of the day – hibachi sashimi with kiwi sauce ($22). This was a bit smaller than expected but tasted really fresh and paired well with the sauce. The last starter was a Burrata over a Calabrian Chile Romesco sauce ($17). This combination was so good and we felt so satisfied after this meal. Will definitely be coming back on our next Scottsdale weekend trip.
Day 2 of 3 Day Arizona Weekend Trip
Breakfast at Schmooze
If you’re into a nice atmosphere with an abundance of nature and vibrant outdoor seating, then you’ll love Schmooze.
Once you walk in, you’ll immediately be greeted with a garden-like space with small fountains and a very peaceful vibe. You can either sit down immediately and scan a QR code to order or go up to the counter and order. We ordered an arugula avocado toast, the Breaking Bad breakfast burrito (yep, very interesting name, but really was just a typical breakfast burrito), and a hot chai latte. Everything we ate was delicious and would definitely come back.
Walk around Scottsdale Quarter
Scottsdale Quarter is around a 15-minute drive away from Old Town. It’s an outdoor mall with lots of greenery and just overall a really calming place. There are popular retail shops and also a handful of restaurants.
I would definitely put this on your top must-visit shopping centers during your weekend trip to Arizona.
Catch the Sunset at Desert Botanical Garden
When I think of Arizona, I immediately think of cacti. This Desert Botanical Garden has many different types of cacti and there are walkways throughout the entire garden. During the time we went, they had a Halloween theme so multi-colored lights were placed around the place and they had a few booths relating to the Halloween theme. I recommend going when the sky is just about to turn dark so you get a beautiful sunset view.
This experience was definitely one of the highlights of our Arizona weekend getaway because it’s so symbolic of Arizona.
Dinner
That day, we were craving some homey Vietnamese food so we went to a nearby local Vietnamese restaurant and got some delicious Pho, vermicelli noodles, and Vietnamese sandwiches.
Grab Dessert at Buzzed Bull Creamery
If you like ice cream and a bit of alcohol, give Buzzed Bull Creamery a try. We got the strawberry shortcake which comes with strawberry ice cream, a shot of cherry vodka, some pieces of shortcake, and whipped cream on top. It was delicious and not too sweet.
Day 3 of 3 Day Arizona Weekend Trip
Breakfast at Berdena’s
All the locals know about Berdena’s. It’s a small little coffee shop with modern decor and lots of plants. They have two unique lattes – honey lavender and cardamom rose. Since I love spices, I got the cardamom rose latte and it was really deep in flavor and tasted great. It wasn’t very sweet as well which I prefer.
The cafe also has a small range of breakfast items including avocado toast, breakfast burritos, and pastries. I got their almond croissant ($6) and it was a huge pastry. It was a tad bit sweeter than what I would like but overall it was a decent pastry. It’s very small inside and has only a few tables so most people get their items to go. There’s also always a long line so definitely prepare to wait a bit before ordering.
Visit Costani Originals
After breakfast, we headed over to an outdoor art gallery called Costani Originals. It’s actually in Paradise Valley which is right next to Scottsdale. This is an absolute hidden gem and the most unique place we went to on our weekend trip to Arizona.
The architecture of this place is so incredible. There is a dome-like structure and underneath showcases handcrafted windbells. When the wind blows, you can hear subtle sounds coming from the windbells.
Visit Fashion Square Mall
Fashion Square Mall is located next to Old Town Scottsdale. Add this to your Arizona weekend itinerary because this is incredibly big and has a mix of common retail shops, tons of luxury designer brands, and brands I’ve never seen before.
It’s very big inside so plan to take a good amount of time to walk all around the mall.
Lunch at Cala
We ended our Arizona weekend trip with lunch at Cala. It’s a New American cuisine restaurant with a beautifully designed interior. The interior design is a mix of bohemian and modern design with a bunch of greenery. We got their Margarita Pizza and also their Turkish Eggs. Both tasted great but I especially loved the Turkish Eggs. There were a lot of flavors and it’s over pita bread which I love.
Read more: Now that you know what to do on your Arizona weekend trip, check out what to wear in Scottsdale and the complete Scottsdale packing list to be prepared!
FAQ: Scottsdale Weekend Trip
How many days do you need in Scottsdale?
3 days in Scottsdale is enough to visit all the main attractions. If you want to visit other areas in Arizona, you’ll need more than 3 days.
What to do on a weekend trip to Scottsdale?
If it’s a long weekend, arrive Friday and check out Old Town and the Arts District. The next day, get coffee and breakfast at coffee shops in Old Town, go to Scottsdale Quarter, and visit the Desert Botanical Garden. On the last day, get breakfast and then head to Costani Originals, Fashion Square Mall, and get lunch.
