Limitless adventures await the tourist in the Verde Valley. Nowhere else in Arizona will you experience the wide range of activities and experiences found here.

The Verde Valley is a magnificent place to visit if you love the wilderness and mountains. The Valley is a four-seasons playground for everyone - for history, geology, archaeology, art and sports buffs, and especially for curious, outdoor enthusiasts who love spectacular scenery. Take a deep breath to take it all in, all the relaxation! But wait,! The Verde Valley is more than relaxation, it's about the adventurous as well! Bird watch, visit shopping villages, see art museums, hike, golf, go to a wildlife park, eat native foods, and many more! The possibilities are endless at the most beautiful and mystical place in America.

Sedona’s Red Rock Country is situated in a unique geological area that has mesmerized tourists for decades. Indeed, this picturesque city is surrounded by beloved red-rock monoliths named Coffeepot, Cathedral and Bell, even Snoopy because their massive shapes resemble these distinctive objects. Also, the site of this memorable city marks the mouth of unbelievably beautiful Oak Creek Canyon, a breathtaking chasm that even today, is wildly wonderful.

Despite this land's myriad geological features, however, many tourists relate Sedona's exceptional charm to the fact that visitors conveniently can spend a day hiking, horseback riding, or bouncing in a Jeep on trails and dirt roads that crisscross this area, and then enjoy the comfort of deluxe hotels, country inns and prestigious resorts at night. Indeed, this is the paradox and enchantment of Sedona: luxurious resorts and bed and breakfasts, unique shops, impressive art galleries and fine restaurants nestled in an unusually rugged canyon surrounded by an expansive national forest.

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The Verde Canyon Railroad

The Verde Canyon Railroad is often referred to as the finest train ride in Arizona. Explore some of the remote wilderness of the Verde Canyon, located west of Sedona and below Jerome, is renowned for its towering red rock pinnacles and clean, green waters. The train rolls past Indian ruins, through a 680-foot man-made tunnel, over old-fashioned trestles and under clear azure skies. This picturesque setting is further enhanced by the variety of indigenous flora and fauna and the many migrating waterfowl. Over thirty bald and golden eagles winter in this riparian respite each year. Passengers enjoy this four-hour scenic train ride in first-class style aboard renovated passenger coaches and open-air viewing cars pulled by vintage locomotives. A ride on Verde Canyon Railroad's historic route from Clarkdale to the ghost ranch of Perkinsville and back into Arizona's other grand canyon is an unforgettable experience.

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Montezuma Castle

Nestled into a limestone recess high above the flood plain of Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley, stands one of the best preserved and most easily accessible cliff ruins in North America. This 5-story, 20-room cliff dwelling served as a "high-rise apartment building" for prehistoric Sinagua Indians more than 600 years ago. Early settlers to the area assumed that the imposing structure was connected to the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but this "castle" was abandoned almost a century before Montezuma was born.

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Tuzigoot National Monument

Crowning a desert hilltop in the Verde Valley is an ancient pueblo. Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturalists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. The people left the area around 1400. The site is currently comprised of 42 acres. The Visitor Center maintains what some consider to be one of the finest museums exhibiting Sinaguan artifacts in Arizona. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association runs a small bookstore in the Visitor Center.

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Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Take your family on the 45-minute Serengeti Safari, to experience the heart of Africa in the heart of the Verde Valley.  While riding in a safari vehicle, you and you'r family can expect a personal encounter with giraffe, zebra, ostrich and more. The friendly staff will  provide the treats so that you can feed the animals and maybe receive a gentle kiss from a giraffe. On nearby hills, prides of lions or other big cats overlook their domain, you, and the prey animals in the Serengeti. 

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