Events

• Click on green links or question mark for more information on each event.

  PGA - Golf

  

  Waste Management Phoenix Open

  One of the first PGA tournaments of the year comes to Scottsdale, Arizona each winter.
  
  The Waste Management Phoenix Open (formerly known as the FBR Open) has been dubbed the "Greatest Game on Grass" and is the best attended golf tournament in the world.
  
  February 2 - 5, 2012.

  Spring Training Baseball in Arizona

  

  Cactus League Spring Baseball

  Each spring the teams of the Cactus League play about a month of Spring Training Baseball. This is where the managers take a look at the players and determine the final roster based on their performance. The great thing about Spring Training games is that you'll get to see many of your favorite's teams players during one game.
  
  There are now 15 teams playing Spring Training baseball in the Phoenix area (Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds).
  
  For the fans Spring Training means great games, great players, jumbo hot dogs, cheap tickets, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with the athletes. Why, I've even heard that some adults sneak out of work on a few of those glorious, warm March days to soak in the sun and hear the crack of the bat. Say it isn't so! (Yup, it is!) There are plenty of Cactus League games, but some tickets, especially for those Cubbies, can be difficult to get.
  
  The 2012 Spring Training exhibition schedule begins in late February and continues through March.

  NFL - Arizona Cardinals

  

  Arizona Cardinals Football Team

  The Arizona Cardinals are a professional football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.
  
  They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Cardinals were founded in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional American football club in the United States.

  MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks

  

  Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Team

  The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark).
  
  Also known as the D-backs, Arizona has one World Series title, in 2001, becoming the fastest expansion team in the majors to win a championship, doing it in only the fourth season since their expansion in 1998.

  NBA - Phoenix Suns

  

  Phoenix Suns Basketball Team

  The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the only team in their division not to be based in California.
  
  Their home arena since 1992 has been the US Airways Center, which was formerly known as America West Arena, in downtown Phoenix. The Arena is often referred to as the "Purple Palace" due to its purple seats.

  NHL - Phoenix Coyotes

  

  Phoenix Coyotes Hockey Team

  The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team currently based in Glendale, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena.
  
  The Coyotes were founded in 1972 as the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA), joining the NHL in 1979 and moving to Phoenix in 1996. Their home ice was at the US Airways Center (then known as America West Arena) for seven years until 2003, when Jobing.com Arena opened.

  Golf in the Phoenix, Scottsdale area

  

  Golfing

  Welcome to Scottsdale - the world's finest golf destination. It's a bold claim, but we've got the numbers to back it up. Start with nearly 200 Scottsdale-area golf courses, add 330 plus days of sunshine annually, and it's easy to see why Scottsdale sits atop the golf destination leaderboard.
  
  Need more proof? Perhaps you could ask first-rate international players like Paul Casey, Tim Clark and Aaron Baddeley why they call Scottsdale home. Or maybe Brandel Chamblee, Tom Lehman or Gary McCord could explain why they choose to tee it up in Scottsdale. Top off these ringing endorsements with an enviable collection of golf lifestyle pursuits inherent to the game, and Scottsdale's virtues are as clear as the sky on a typical day.

  Attractions & Activities

  

  Attractions in Scottsdale, ArizonaSubtitle

  When it comes to unique experiences, Scottsdale has you covered with boredom-busting options that run the gamut from world-class museums and a renowned botanical garden to guided city tours, architectural wonders and the nation's largest wilderness preserve.
  
  You'll also find culinary attractions like a working olive mill and a winery where you can create your own special blend. Amusement parks, an award-winning zoo and a railroad museum appeal to kids of all ages. And for those hankering for a taste of Scottsdale's frontier roots, the state's largest remake of an 1880s Western town is just minutes away.

  Arts & Culture

  

  Arts & Culture

  In 2005, the city's annual Scottsdale Arts Festival was ranked the number-one such event in United States by American Style Magazine.
  
  The highest concentrations of galleries, studios and museums that are open to the public can be found in Downtown Scottsdale. Its Scottsdale Arts District can be segmented into three distinct districts. The largest is the Main Street Arts District, home to the largest and most diverse collection of styles and genres, the more contemporary Marshall Way Arts District, and the more touristy and western-themed Old Town district, which has the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The very popular Scottsdale Artwalk is held weekly, every Thursday evening.

  Dining & Nightlife

  

  Dining & Nightlife in Scottsdale

  Start with acclaimed chefs creating bold flavors that flirt with your taste buds. Mix in more than 600 restaurants serving up regional and global specialties. Then top it off with fabulous al fresco dining, and Scottsdale’s got the perfect recipe for a foodie’s paradise. No matter what type of cuisine you're craving, you'll find plenty of flavors to savor in Scottsdale.
  
  When the sun goes down, discover a city that sizzles with late-night diversions, including more than 80 wine bars, lounges and clubs in downtown Scottsdale, as well as the latest in music, dance and comedy at our performing arts centers and world-class resorts.

  Shopping

  

  Shopping in Scottsdale, AZ

  If shopping was a sport, making it to Scottsdale would be like earning a spot at the Olympics. Only in this game of couture, everyone's a winner with sun-drenched outdoor promenades and upscale fashion parks offering a mix of notable national retailers and exclusive treasures available only in Arizona.
  
  Uncover the latest trends at Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Southwest's largest shopping destination. Next, head to downtown for a shop-till-you-drop selection of art galleries, quaint boutiques and luxury jewelers. Continue your retail therapy in north Scottsdale with open-air settings that elevate the sport of browsing and buying to haute new heights. Don't forget to bring an extra bag to carry home your gold medal ... or ring, or shoes or belt.

  Spa & Wellness

  

  Scottsdale Apas & Wellness

  When you're ready to pamper yourself from head to toe and psyche to soul, look no further than Scottsdale's renowned spas and wellness practitioners.
  
  Here you'll find innovative resort and day spas that draw their inspiration from the bounty of the Sonoran Desert and the area's Native American traditions, as well as from cultures around the world. Treatments run the gamut from traditional massages and rejuvenating facials to exotic offerings like a warm turquoise clay wrap or a Sonoran honey and citrus sugar scrub. You'll also find a host of workout options at our spas and yoga centers that will help you meet your fitness goals while you travel.

  Downtown Scottsdale

  

  Scottsdale Downtown

  Downtown Scottsdale offers some of the finest galleries, specialty retail, cultural attractions and dining in the Valley of the Sun. Downtown Scottsdale is at the heart of the city's art scene, with Contemporary and Western Art, Theatre 4301 and a wide variety of outdoor sculptures set amid the lush green lawns and sparkling fountains of Civic Center Mall.
  
  Scottsdale's Arts District is home to a high concentration of galleries showcasing some of the best Western and Southwestern art in the country. Throughout "Old Town", shopkeepers sell quality Native American crafts, offering everything from hand-woven Navajo rugs to Zuni silver jewelry.

  Old Town Scottsdale

  

  Redone Old Town Scottsdale

  Old Town Scottsdale is a special place and it is being revived to be the "hip" place to be in Scottsdale. The Fifth Avenue Shops have been the heart and soul of Scottsdale shopping for 50 years. Specialty stores of every description include clothing, shoes, Native American Galleries that offer art and jewelry. Discover cafes to sit and rest up from it all and have a bite of lunch to prepare yourself for more shopping. Fifth Avenue is adjacent to Marshall Way and here you'll find many of the fine art galleries that Scottsdale is famous for, and of course parade right over to Main Street and indulge your sense even more. Old Town Scottsdale has it all in a convenient package and you can stay within walking distance to it all.

  Indian Gaming

  

  Casinos and gambling in Scottsdale

  Southeast Scottsdale borders the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. For several years, the Scottsdale Pavilions, a major outdoor shopping center, marked the only commercial property operating on tribal lands. In 1998, the tribe opened the first permanent casino in the Scottsdale area, Casino Arizona, at Loop 101 and McKellips Road. The success of Casino Arizona led to the construction of a second location, Casino Arizona at Indian Bend, in a temporary facility less than 8 miles (13 km) north.
  
  The passage of Proposition 202 in November 2002 redefined casino gaming in Arizona, permitting "Vegas-style" blackjack and poker, expanded number of slot machines and wider food and beverage service options. Both casinos underwent significant expansions following the passage of Proposition 202, with Casino Arizona at Indian Bend more than doubling in size.
  
  In 2010, the temporary tent facilities hosting the 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) Casino Arizona at Indian Bend were deconstructed following the opening of Casino Arizona at Talking Stick. The 240,000-square-foot (22,000 m2) casino is adjoined to the newly constructed 15-story Talking Stick Resort & Spa, which features the Talking Stick golf course, a 36-hole golf course designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. Today, the two casinos collectively have over 2,000 slot machines and 100 table games.

  Barrett-Jackson Auto Show

  

  Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction

  Russ Jackson and Tom Barrett organized the original auction at Scottsdale, Arizona. Jackson met Barrett through an interest in Barrett's 1933 Cadillac V-16 Town Car. In 1967, Barrett and Jackson presented a car show called "Fiesta del Auto Elegance", a fund-raiser for local charities, including the Scottsdale Library. Then, in 1971, the two jointly presented a classic car auction. Barrett's Mercedes 770 Phaeton sold for $153,000 at this event. The first auction in Scottsdale, Arizona was in January 1973 and was put on by Kruse. Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson consigned about 40 cars to this annual car auction and was a Kruse auction until 1980, when they broke ties with the Kruse company and started their own annual Scottsdale auction.
  
  Russ Jackson died in 1993, and Tom Barrett died in April, 2004. Craig Jackson, who had worked actively on a daily basis throughout the year and on-site at the event, took over. Internet live bidding was introduced that year.
  
  Starting at the 3rd annual Palm Beach auction in 2005, the show was renamed from "Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction" to "Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction", followed by the name change in the Scottsdale, Arizona auction in 2006.

• Scottsdale / Phoenix areas

  The city is the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants, who practice at Scottsdale Stadium in Downtown Scottsdale.[53] Scottsdale Stadium also hosts the Scottsdale Scorpions, a minor league baseball team in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Though none play specifically in the city of Scottsdale, all of the "Big Four" major league sports organizations have franchises and play within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area - NBA's Phoenix Suns, NFL's Arizona Cardinals, and NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks as well as a WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury.
  
  Golf
  The city is widely known as a premier destination in the United States for golf. In all, the city is home to more than 200 area courses offering layouts that range from the rolling green fairways of traditional courses, to desert golf designs. In 2006, the Robb Report cited Scottsdale as, "America's Best Place to Live for Golf."[54] The Boulders Resort & Golden Spa and Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North were selected in 2005 as the second and fourth best golf resorts in the nation by Travel + Leisure Golf magazine.[55] Other notable golf courses in the area include Desert Mountain, Grayhawk, The Phoenician, and Silverleaf.
  
  Since 2010, the historic WM Waste Management Phoenix Open Golf Tournament - formerly the FBR Open and Phoenix Open, which originally began in 1932 - is now held annually each January at the Tournament Players Club (or "TPC") in North Scottsdale. The TPC is adjacent to the large Fairmont Scottsdale Resort. It is the largest-attended stop of the annual PGA Tour, attracting well over 500,000 people to the 4-day event alone.
  
  Hiking, rock climbing and other similar outdoor activities are enormously popular throughout the Phoenix-area, in large part to the immediate accessibility of mountain areas within or very near the city limits. Citizens flock ritually to local favorite Camelback Mountain, located in the central section of the city, as well as the McDowell Mountains in the more recently developed McDowell-Sonoran Preserve, at the city's northeastern fringes.