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Artful October
If you are an art collector – or if you just appreciate beauty – October is your favorite month. First up is the Sedona Arts Festival on Oct. 13 and 14. The 28th annual event takes…
Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour
The best weekend to shop for art in Prescott is Oct. 5-7 during the 11th annual Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour. Whether you only have an hour and you’re limited to downtown Prescott, or you have…
Featured Pet of the Month: Chester
Chester is a 10-year-old gentle giant! This neutered male has been living at the Humane Society of Sedona since March 2018 when he was surrendered by his owner. He needs a fur-ever home that allows him…
Hideaway House
By the time we left Hideaway House, we had met the couple sitting next to us, and the couple behind us. It’s a place where old friends gather at a very lively bar and new friends…
Cockscomb Butte Trail
Have you ever wondered about the spindly spires of the Cockscomb formation west of Sedona and on the very edge of Red Rock Country? Then you need to spend an afternoon exploring Cockscomb Butte Trail. The…
Native American Heritage Park Trail
Learn about the people who called our area home 1,400 years ago along the new Native American Heritage Park Trail in Camp Verde. The half-mile loop boasts interpretive-exhibit signs that educate hikers on the people native…
Fall Festival Fever
RED ROCKS MUSIC FESTIVAL Classical music fans will want to attend all four performances of Red Rocks Music Festival at Sedona Creative Life Center. On Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m., enjoy A Dialogue Through Music. From…
Moonlight Madness
Despite recent whispers of Sedona losing its small-town charm, there are still plenty of opportunities to connect with neighbors and celebrate what we love best about Red Rock Country. The Collective Sedona’s Moonlight Madness Concert is…
Go Flagstaff: Flagstaff Community Market
MARKET FRESH Teeming with Arizona-grown produce, meat and dairy products, the bountiful market also includes vendors that provide ready-to-eat, healthy foods to enjoy on the spot. Shoppers snap up items to accent their homes for fall…
Grand Canyon Celebration Of Art
Artists have been inspired by their landscape since man first began scratching images on cave walls, which is why celebrating visual art at a place like Grand Canyon National Park is such a natural fit. This…
Featured Pets of the Month: Sarah & Sasha
Sarah and Sasha need a loving home! These pups are 8 years old and have lived together their entire lives. Sarah loves playing in the water and will jump into a kiddie pool whenever possible. Sasha…
Javelina Cantina
Picture this: It’s a balmy evening right after a monsoon storm has passed. The air is still redolent with wet sage and a subtle whiff of ozone. Where do you want to be? Outside on the…
Go Flagstaff: Flagstaff Museums
SEEING STARS View the sun and other stars through a special solar telescope by day, and at night explore the vastness of outer space in the Rotunda Museum at Lowell Observatory. You can also experience out-of-this-world…
Featured Pet of the Month: Baby
Baby is a spayed, female, domestic short-hair calico cat living at the Humane Society of Sedona. She is 14 years old and her favorite pastime is napping on someone’s lap – Baby loves people. She has…
Michael Kollwitz
For most people, the first time they witness Michael Kollwitz tap out classic rock and old standards on his instrument, the odd-looking Chapman Stick, they have one response: What is that instrument and are you really…
Sedona Family Foot Rodeo
Celebrate the history of Posse Grounds Park with the City of Sedona’s Parks and Recreation department during the Sedona Family Foot Rodeo. The event takes place at the lower softball field at Posse Grounds Park on…
Crescent Moon Creek Walk
When the days are hot, and you never know when a monsoon storm is going to pop up, we tend to stick to tried-and-true (read: short) hikes. Crescent Moon Creek Walk, more popularly known as Red…
Vroom, Vroom
Listen up car lovers! The 44th Annual Prescott Antique Auto Club Watson Lake Show happens Aug. 4-5 at Watson Lake Park in Prescott. The show takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is…
Sedona Summer Colony
With all of the distractions of day-to-day life, finding time to focus on an art project can be challenging. That’s why the Sedona Summer Colony has been so successful. For the third summer in a row,…
High Profile
One of the coolest (literally) spots to be this month is on top of 11,500-foot Mt. Agassiz near Flagstaff. How do you get there? Take Arizona Snowbowl’s Scenic Chairlift to the top. The chairlift takes you…
SWEEEEEET!
ELLIE’S CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE: $8 When Ellie Shugrue was a kid, her favorite movie was The Parent Trap. In the flick, the twin girls eat Oreo cookies dipped in peanut butter, so Ellie had to…
Independence Day
Happy 242nd birthday, America! Celebrate Independence Day with the 4th of July Wet Fest at the Sedona community pool from noon to 4 p.m. The free activity features a water slide, games, water toys, swimming, live…
Szechuan Restaurant
There’s just something about hot summer temperatures and sushi that seem to go hand in hand, isn’t there? When our appetites are light and we’re daydreaming about our next beach vacation, we head for Szechuan Restaurant,…
Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery
The Hotel Jerome, built in 1917, is one of the first buildings you see when you pull into the former mining town turned tourist destination. It’s located on the right side of AZ-89A just as the…
Rector Trail
Because you are holding a copy of Sedona Monthly in your hands – whether you live here or not – it’s safe to assume that you have a favorite Red Rock Country trail. (No, we won’t…
Changing Spaces
A CONTEMPORARY TAKE ON SOUTHWEST DESIGN What do you do when you want to retain your new home’s Southwest roots but also incorporate your own contemporary style? That was the dilemma presented to Stephanie Larsen, owner…
Let’s Go To The Movies
What happens when you combine great movies with balmy Sedona evenings? The City of Sedona Parks and Recreation Department’s new Sedona Summer Cinema Series, which begins June 6 and happens every Wednesday through the month. The…
Go Flagstaff: Festival Season
BOTTOMS UP Made in the Shade Beer Tasting Festival, one of the largest brew fests in Arizona, happens Saturday, June 9, and features more than 50 breweries and distilleries. Pepsi Amphitheater, situated in a green, forested…
Tilted Earth Festival
Fourteen years ago, Eric Glomski, owner and director of winegrowing at Page Springs Cellars and co-founder of Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, decided to marry two of his biggest passions, wine and music, with an annual harvest festival….
Saltrock Southwest Kitchen & Craft Margaritas
Most people would agree that dining in 2018 is equal parts ambience and cuisine. At SaltRock Southwest Kitchen and Craft Margaritas at Kimpton Amara Resort and Spa, the dining room has a modern-meets-Mid-Century-meets-Southwest feel, from the…
Red Mountain Trail
If you don’t mind the long drive, hiking into the amphitheater of Red Mountain, a 1-million-year-old cinder cone in the San Francisco Peaks Volcanic Field, is a must-have experience. The trail begins at the end of…
The Copper Ball – Tapas On The Rocks
If you’re reading this in northern Arizona, a medically progressive part of the world, it won’t surprise you to hear that research done by the Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona has indicated that cancer patients who…
Go Flagstaff: Date Night
TAKE IT TO THE EXTREME A thrill-seeking alternative to dinner and a movie is Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course where partners get in touch with their inner child on tree-to-tree rope courses and zip lines. The course…
Home Away From Home
For all of you domestic mavens, May is your month. First up is the 2018 Prescott Historic Home Tour, which takes place May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s tour focuses on the…
Sedona Today. Adulting Tomorrow.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE Remember when you were a kid and all you wanted to do was fly? The Hualapai Tribe, owners of Grand Canyon West, have made that possible – sort of. The destination debuted…
Kindness Blooms
Last summer, an 80-year-old, housebound man named James Bean passed away in Uptown, Sedona. He didn’t have any family, but before quietly passed away, he told his caretakers that his biggest concern was that his partner’s…
Sedona Gallery Association
Back in 2004, four art experts – Peggy Lanning, Isabelle Cozart, James Ratliff and Karen Ely – founded the Sedona Gallery Association as a way to promote Sedona’s fine art galleries. With the association came the…
Crema Craft Kitchen & Bar
Named after the base used to make gelato, Crema Craft Kitchen & Bar is where you want to be the morning after a long night (ahem). It’s where you bring your friends for Sunday brunch or…
Jail Trail River Walk
Looking for something to do with the kiddies during spring break? Family in town? Sometimes not everyone is up for – or capable of – a 6-mile hike in the red rocks. That’s when Cottonwood’s Jail…
Sedona Public Library – Sweet 60
In 1958, a group of Sedona residents came together to establish the town’s first library in a donated space. They brought with them three shelves of books and magazines, which were also donated. The library moved…
Sedona Wolf Week
It all started with four sold-out movie screenings in April 2016 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. The film was Medicine of the Wolf directed by Julia Huffman, and the organizers were Betsy Klein and Timon…
Go Flagstaff: Best Wine Spots
WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SORBET WITH YOUR SYRAH? Low lighting, brick walls and floor-to-ceiling wine racks make FLG Terroir Wine Bar & Bistro Flagstaff’s quintessential wine bar. Patrons of all ages enjoy wines from around the…
Rock On
Scott Newth pulls out several binders filled with photocopied documents from the 1800s, maps, diagrams, and pages and pages of research on rock art in the Verde Valley. You’d swear he’d been researching the…
Dry Creek Trail
In late winter and early spring, Dry Creek is anything but dry. Depending on how much rainfall we’ve received, it’s completely impassable in some locations. The key to hiking this trail is finding that ideal time…
Mountain Juniper Gallery
Spend even a short amount of time with woodworker, furniture maker and artist Dan Taylor, and there’s one thing you’ll understand immediately: Dan respects his materials above all else. His material of choice for the past…
The Hudson
Red rock views? Check. A casual yet upscale ambiance worthy of wearing something nice? Check. A consistent menu that’s creative while at the same time cohesive? Check and check. It’s no secret that The Hudson has…
8th Annual Old Town Blues Festival
In LosAngeles back in the late 1990s, Blues Dawg was a quartet playing blues standards and originals, and they were receiving plenty of buzz. The band performed at legendary LA venues including B.B. King’s Blues Club,…
All-Arizona Messiah Sing-In
You might be familiar with Handel’s Messiah, but we bet you’ve never heard it like this before. On March 17 at 7 p.m., the nonprofit Sedona Conservatory will present the second annual All-Arizona Messiah SingIn at…
Go Flagstaff: A Winter Wonderland
HIT THE SLOPES March is typically one of Flagstaff’s biggest snow months, and the mountain town’s local weather expert, Lee Born, assures us that there will be snow this month. Skiers and snowboarders can always count…
Space Cowboys
TODAY In the black cinder fields northeast of Flagstaff, the fierceness of the wind makes your eyes water and your nose run. Prickly brush grows from coal-colored sand, and gnarled pine trees stand sentinel. Occasionally, you…
Jane Alexander
You might say Jane Alexander’s acting career is the stuff that dreams are made of. She earned an Oscar nomination for her film debut in The Great White Hope (1970) but only after she starred in…
Petty Cache
Norman Petty is the most famous person you’ve probably never heard of. He was a music industry whirlwind: instrumentalist, songwriter, audio engineer, talent manager and, most important, an independent record producer. The 20 Top 40 hits…
The 13th Annual Sedona Marathon Event
Lace up those sneakers! The 13th Annual Sedona Marathon Event takes place Feb. 3 on Navoti Drive behind the Sedona Medical Center. The race begins at 9 a.m. and is expected to draw more than 3,000…
Reitz Ranch
Even though world-renowned ceramicist Don Reitz passed away in 2014 at the age of 84, his spirit can still be felt around the kilns and in the studio at his off-the-beaten-path ranch in Clarkdale. The ranch’s…
Munds Mountain Trail No. 77 in Sedona
The only remnant of any movie set ever built in Sedona is a tall rock chimney and fireplace shrouded in brush and trees on a rocky basalt road at the top of the Mogollon Rim. Reaching…
Casa Sedona Inn
Admittedly, we don’t get out for breakfast all that often, but when we do, we like to make an event of it. Think brunch à la Sex in the City. Casa Sedona Inn, a secluded, boutique…
Chamber Music Sedona
Now in the middle of its 35th season, Chamber Music Sedona has a winter lineup that will warm everyone’s ears. First up, the Fifth Sedona Winter Music Festival happens Jan. 10-14 and features clarinetist and festival…
Sedona Fox
The first six sound movies photographed on location in Sedona were produced by the Fox Film Corp. between 1930 and 1933. Last of the Duanes, El último de los Vargas (a Spanish-language version of Duanes simultaneously…
REDS Restaurant in Sedona
REDS Restaurant at Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa has a modern vibe that has made it a favorite locals’ hangout for years. If you live here, it’s practically a given that you’ll run into someone you…
Azadi Navajo Rugs in Sedona
It’s amazing how many stories – and generations – can fit inside a 375-square-foot space. You’ll discover that when you visit Azadi Navajo Rugs, tucked away in one of Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village’s more hidden…
Courthouse Butte Loop in Sedona
The verdict is in: Courthouse Butte Loop is one of the prettiest trails you’ll hike in the snow – and it’s easy. The 4.5-mile loop traverses the base of Courthouse Butte, one of Sedona’s largest monoliths,…
Sedona’s Sir Harrison Blues Band
When Harrison Begay takes the stage, he might play a Jimi Hendrix or Miles Davis song, but it’s not going to sound like Jimi Hendrix or Miles Davis. “We give those songs an R&B groove or…
Sedona Arts Center’s Loving Bowls
What’s better than shopping? Shopping for a cause! Sedona Arts Center’s Loving Bowls event returns Dec. 9 from noon to 3 p.m. More than 1,100 bowls created by area ceramicists will be sold for $10 each….
Christmas in the Southwest
35th Annual Christmas Boat Parade of Lights Put on a sweater and gather along the shores of Lake Havasu in the far western corner of our state for London Bridge Yacht Club’s 35th Annual Christmas Boat…
Garland’s Navajo Rugs in Sedona
When you think of Native American art in Sedona, some family names come to mind: Hoel, Wilcox and, of course, Garland. The Garland family moved to Sedona from Phoenix in 1970 (they had spent years vacationing…
Sedona’s Elote Cafe
Ever since Jeff Smedstad opened Elote Cafe in 2007, hungry devotees have been flocking to the restaurant. When the doors open at 5 p.m., there’s frequently a line outside (Elote doesn’t take reservations). What keeps the…
A New Take on an Old Classic
When it came time to make plans for November’s Native American Heritage Month, Ken Zoll, executive director of Verde Valley Archaeology Center, had an idea. Ken sits on the advisory board for Verde Valley Sinfonietta, and…
Boynton Canyon in Sedona
Scenic Boynton Canyon near Enchantment Resort is one of Sedona’s most popular trails and deservedly so. But because it’s in danger of being loved to death, we haven’t written about it in 12 years. Instead, we’ve…
Sedona Open Studios
Thinking about holiday gift giving? Forgo online shopping and spend a weekend browsing local artist studios during Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition’s Fall Open Studios Tour. The self-guided, free tour takes place Nov. 10-12 from 10 a.m….
Halloween in Sedona
It’s that time of the year when thoughts turn toward costumes and candy. There is no shortage of haunted happenings in the Verde Valley for the young and the young at heart, starting with the Pumpkin…
A.B. Young Trail in Oak Creek Canyon
The A.B. Young Trail is the only route (of which we know) that climbs the west wall of Oak Creek Canyon. From AZ-89A in the northern reaches of the canyon, you can spot the trail, which…
13th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival
It’s that magical week in fall when Sedona’s streets, trails and viewpoints are teeming with plein-air painters from around the country. We’re talking about Sedona Art Center’s invitational 13th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival, which returns…
Sedona Arts Festival
If you love to shop and you love the red rocks, there is no better festival than Sedona Arts Festival, now in its 27th year. On Oct. 7 and 8 on the sports field at Sedona…
Sedona Reflections
In Sedona, everything is better in October. Daytime temperatures slowly start to drop and the summer monsoon storms dissipate. It’s also an ideal time to explore Pumphouse Wash in Oak Creek Canyon. Five miles of…
Cress on Oak Creek
There is no shortage of remarkable experiences to be had in Sedona, and dining at Cress on Oak Creek at L’Auberge de Sedona has to be at the top of that list. First you have the…
Sedona’s El Dorado
When Claudio and Karla Herrera first met, they were part of a small population of Ecuadorian immigrants living in New York City. Karla was attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, intent on studying fashion design and…
Sedona Pet Lovers Gala
If what Gandhi said is true and the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated, then Sedona is already pretty great. In the first six months of 2017, 316…
Sedona Winefest 2017
Under a big-top tent on the field at Posse Grounds Park, wine lovers leisurely made their way from one winery to the next, sipping on glasses of red, white and rose. They nibbled on squares of…
Sedona’s Loy Canyon
Sometimes you just want to walk in the woods, Hansel-and-Gretel style. That’s when you need to explore Loy Canyon and Loy Canyon Trail. The trail meanders along the floor of the canyon for 4 relatively flat…
Fiesta del Tlaquepaque in Sedona
The 45th annual Fiesta del Tlaquepaque, a celebration of Mexican Independence Day, takes place Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village. Tlaquepaque’s longest-running tradition will feature mariachis, flamenco dancers, ballet…
Miley’s Cafe in Sedona
For a couple of years now, we’ve been receiving emails from readers touting the hidden gem that is Miley’s Cafe. We had been to Miley’s on several occasions for breakfast, which is served all day, but…
Pedal to the Medal in Sedona
Sedona Golf Resort’s 4th Annual Sedona Bike & Brew Festival returns Aug. 26 with mountain bikers racing a 6-mile course at the resort. The race takes bikers around all 18 holes and through 80 acres of…
“Hold Your Horses!” at the Phippen Museum
The horse, that quintessential symbol of the American West, will be celebrated at the Phippen Museum’s fourth annual Hold Your Horses! invitational exhibition and sale. The opening reception takes place at the Prescott museum on Aug….
Lakes within a four-hour drive of Sedona
Lake Havasu State Park If the name Lake Havasu conjures up images of girls gone wild on spring break, you’re not completely off the mark: It’s still a party hot spot for coeds in March and…
Sedona’s Baldwin Trail
We don’t hike much during this time of the year, however, if we’re going to spend time on a trail, Baldwin ticks all of the boxes for a summertime jaunt. It’s in close proximity to Oak…
Dellepiane in Sedona
Any foodie can attest to the fact that the humble burger has been elevated in recent years from fast-food status to gourmet fare. No matter what type of burger aficionado you consider yourself, Dellepiane, the new…
Independence Day in Northern Arizona
Apple pie? Check. Charcoal for the grill? Check. Patriotic playlist? Check. Happy 241st birthday, America! It seems like every community in the Verde Valley and northern Arizona has something lined up for the Fourth of July….
Sedona Summer Colony
Like many good stories, this one begins with a bottle of wine. It was October 2015, and Eric Holowacz and Paul Amadio had recently moved to Sedona; Eric relocated from Baton Rouge, and Paul had most…
Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room & Osteria
In Italy, an osteria is a restaurant with a short and simple food menu and an extensive and sophisticated wine list. That’s basically what you’ll find at the new Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room & Osteria, which…
R.C. Gorman Navajo Gallery in Sedona
To spend time in R.C. Gorman Navajo Gallery in Uptown’s Cedic Plaza is to receive an education on the lithograph printing process and R.C. Gorman, arguably the first Native American to be internationally recognized as a…
Sedona’s Thunder Mountain Trail
Thunder Mountain Trail is a gem of a hike that meanders along the base of its namesake, also known as Capitol Butte or Grey Mountain. Though there isn’t a ton of shade along the trail, it’s…
Tlaquepaque North Block Parties
What’s summer without a block party? How about four of them? Tlaquepaque North will be hosting block parties every Saturday in June from 4 to 8 p.m. Each free event will feature live entertainment along with…
Twin Peaks’ Everett McGill
Everett McGill stands at the back of Oak Creek Espresso wearing all black with a haircut that wouldn’t be out of place on a 20-year-old Dolce and Gabbana model. We both raise an eyebrow at what’s…
Tim Young in Sedona
Tim Young looks like a musician. His long blonde hair is worn loose under his trademark black fedora, and when he plays, he’s frequently in a black button-down shirt and blue jeans, his prized Martin acoustic…
Welcome to Twin Peaks
When you push open the glass door of Twede’s Cafe located on a busy corner in North Bend, Washington, you experience one of two sensations. If you’re a fan of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s early-90s…
Jerome Historic Home and Building Tour
Arizona’s mile-high town is the place to be May 20-21 when the Jerome Historic Home and Building Tour returns for its 52nd year. The guided tour takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (the last…
Verde Valley Wine Festival
Despite the threat of rain, last year’s inaugural Verde Valley Wine Festival was a sold-out event: 1,400 people spent the cool afternoon at Clarkdale Town Park, sipping wine, beer and spirits, noshing on tidbits from local…
Vultee Arch Trail in Sedona
Back in the day, accessing the Vultee Arch Trailhead wasn’t nearly as challenging as it is now. The only way to reach it today is with a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle (yes, you need both high…
Local Juicery in Sedona
If you’ve already perused this month’s cover story, you know that we ate a lot – A LOT – of burgers this spring. To balance it with something healthy, we stopped by Local Juicery for breakfast…
