Phoenix Beyond the Meeting
Desert, Dining, and Downtown Adventures
With exceptional food, vibrant arts, iconic desert landscapes, and year-round sunshine, Phoenix rewards visitors who venture beyond the meeting venue, as Sarah Morgan discovers.
November in Phoenix is perfect. Warm days give way to cool evenings, with comfortable temperatures making it easy to fit in a morning hike or enjoy dinner with friends al fresco.
Rosario Guzman Rivera, senior event manager at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown (USA), says: “Many restaurants and bars offer outdoor seating, making it the perfect time to enjoy the city’s famous sunshine and mild weather while connecting with colleagues outside of conference sessions.”
She adds: “Phoenix combines stunning desert scenery with a dynamic food, arts, and culture scene, all wrapped in nearly year-round sunshine.” So, if you’re looking to make the most of your time in Phoenix, read on.
"Phoenix combines stunning desert scenery with a dynamic food, arts, and culture scene."
- Rosario Guzman Rivera | Sheraton Phoenix Downtown (USA)
A Taste of the Sonoran Desert
Phoenix is situated within the Sonoran Desert, a large desert region in North America, renowned for its biodiversity and the iconic saguaro cactus, the tall, branching cactus often associated with the American Southwest and a familiar sight in old Hollywood Westerns.
Sarah Doyle is director of communications at Visit Phoenix (USA), the city’s official tourism organization. She says: “Phoenix’s thriving culinary scene is deeply rooted in the Sonoran Desert, where chefs and restaurateurs draw inspiration from the region’s distinctive landscape, ingredients, and culture.”
This includes Native American cuisine and chefs who use foods and spirits sourced from the Sonoran Desert.
For a taste of Sonoran cuisine, seek out dishes cooked over mesquite wood, as well as chiltepin peppers, tepary beans, nopales (cactus paddles), heirloom wheat and corn, and prickly pear.
Bacanora, a restaurant which offers wood-fired Sonoran dishes, comes highly recommended. Its chef, René Andrade, holds the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest. The awards are among the most prestigious honors in the American food and hospitality industry.
For contemporary American cuisine, Ms. Guzman Rivera highlights The Arrogant Butcher and Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails. Just a couple of blocks from the Convention Center sits Pizzeria Bianco. Opened in 1988, it’s frequently recognized as one of the best pizzerias in the United States.
But don’t just stop there. For a post-dinner (or pre-dinner) drink, check out the booming libations scene.
Jennifer A. Van Kirk, partner at Womble Bond Dickinson and Leadership Meeting co-chair (USA), says: “Phoenix has a terrific craft cocktail and brewery culture—Bitter & Twisted is a nationally recognized cocktail bar downtown, and Roosevelt Row has a growing craft beer scene worth exploring.”
Ms. Doyle adds: “The city even has its own official cocktail, The Phoenix, made by local mixologist Nicole Long, which features local ingredients like chiltepin mesquite honey syrup, prickly pear, and lemon juice.”
"It’s a creative city, and that shows up everywhere from the galleries to the food."
- Jennifer A. Van Kirk | Womble Bond Dickinson (USA)
Arts and Culture
Once you’ve had your fill of food and libations, it’s time to explore the cultural offerings in downtown Phoenix.
Ms. Van Kirk says: “Downtown is more walkable than people expect, and if you’ve never tried a driverless car, this is a great place to hail a Waymo self-driving car.”
The Heard Museum is world-renowned for its collection of Native American art, while Heritage Square and the Rosson House Museum offer visitors a glimpse into Phoenix’s historic roots.
“The Musical Instrument Museum is genuinely unlike anything else—instruments and music traditions from nearly every country in the world, organized by region, with videos of musicians performing in their own cultural context. It’s a favorite of mine,” says Ms. Van Kirk.
She adds: “The broader arts community here, from Roosevelt Row to our theaters, has real energy. It’s a creative city, and that shows up everywhere from the galleries to the food.”
For those with a keen eye for architecture, Ms. Guzman Rivera notes that renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence can be seen throughout the Valley, including in the design of places such as the Arizona Biltmore hotel.
"Few destinations offer such seamless access to outdoor exploration and exciting city experiences."
- Sarah Doyle | Visit Phoenix (USA)
Outdoor Adventure
Leave the city and you’ll find yourself in the desert that gave rise to Phoenix.
“In less than 30 minutes, you can trade the energy of a bustling city center for the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert,” says Ms. Doyle. “Few destinations offer such seamless access to outdoor exploration and exciting city experiences, giving individuals a sense of place that feels distinctly different.”
A visit to Phoenix is not complete without trekking one of the iconic trails, she adds, noting that Papago Park offers an easy-paced hike to Hole in the Rock, “one of the most scenic photo opportunities in the city, with perfect views of the downtown skyline.”
The Desert Botanical Garden, home to more than 50,000 desert plants, can also be found within Papago Park, alongside fishing lagoons and a golf course.
It’s one of Ms. Van Kirk’s favorite destinations in Phoenix, “with thousands of desert plant species along beautifully designed trails and it’s especially lovely early in the morning or in the evening.”
For the adventure seekers among you, Ms. Guzman Rivera recommends Camelback Mountain, a favorite destination for visitors seeking scenic desert views. Just 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix, the mountain offers hikers a choice of two difficult trails that climb 1,420 feet to a summit resembling the hump of a camel’s back.
Wherever you go, make sure to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water and layers. Adventure awaits!
Check out Visit Phoenix for more ideas and inspiration and learn more about the Leadership Meeting Business Development Excursions for other opportunities to get out and enjoy Pheonix.
