Arizona Tours

Scottsdale Gallery Association Invites You to “Walk the Line”

Visitors to downtown Scottsdale can now “Walk the Line” to experience Scottsdale ArtWalk, a tradition that has taken place in Scottsdale for more than 30 years. Scottsdale’s Walk the Line campaign features a new ArtWalk route that helps guide art lovers to the hidden gems of downtown Scottsdale’s renowned cultural scene.

The unique stencil, designed by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and Ostrovsky Fine Art, is a permanent embellishment that invites visitors to “Walk the Line” as they explore the fascinating and diverse downtown galleries. “America’s Original ArtWalk” takes place every Thursday evening from 7-9 p.m. primarily along Main Street and Marshall Way in downtown Scottsdale. Visitors can proceed at their own pace, following the Walk the Line in and out of galleries, admire the public art, and enjoy a casual stroll through downtown Scottsdale. A free trolley service for the area is available.

For general information, visit www.scottsdalegalleries.com. For media information only, contact Michelle Streeter at mstreeter@scottsdalecvb.com or 480-429-2254.

Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Shoppers in Scottsdale

Calling all shoppers! Westcor and Spree! The Art of Shopping recently introduced two new luxury shopping packages: The Trendsetter Tour and The European Chic Tour, incorporating the best of the best in shopping from one-of-a-kind boutiques to high-style European stores at Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Biltmore Fashion Park and The Borgata.

The shopping packages offer chauffer-driven limousine transportation, an expert shopping guide, meet and greet at the shopping centers, personal service, and refreshments in-store as well as a special gift to remember the experience. The shopping packages are available in morning and afternoon sessions of approximately four hours. The itinerary can be tailored to the shopper’s own interest and style preferences.

For more information, visit www.azshoppingspree.com or call (480) 661-1080. For media information only, contact Kate Cavaliere at kate.cavaliere@westcor.com or (480) 994-8048.

Tucson & Southern Arizona

Hiking Arizona with Goats

Featured in Arizona Highways as a one-of-a-kind outfitting company, Purple Mountain Pack Goats plans and guides day hikes and camping trips on the trails and sky islands of southeastern Arizona. Enjoy excellent food, a knowledgeable guide, and friendly goats carry the load.

Purple Mountain is one of only two groups in the country that operate under Special Use Permit with the national forests. Join tour owner, operator and guide, Tom DiMaggio and experience breathtakingcountry, fine outdoor dining and a pack of four-legged, eco-friendly hiking partners!

For more information, call 520-403-4056 or visit http://members.aol.com/azpackgoat.

Historic Turquoise Trail

Trace the footsteps of Tucson’s earliest residents along the new Presidio Trail, a self-guided urban walking tour featuring stories of Tucson’s rich, multicultural heritage. The scenic two-mile loop, marked by a turquoise stripe painted on the sidewalk, connects 23 historic sites and includes several restaurants.

Walkers will visit an archaeological dig for remnants of the original adobe-walled city that was the Spanish Presidio of Tucson in the late 1700s, an outdoor shrine for lost lovers and at a café in the 1920-era hotel where Tucson police captured the infamous John Dillinger gang.

For more information, call 520-624-1817 or visit www.VisitTucson.org. For media information only, contact Kimberly Schmitz at kschmitz@visittucson.org.

North Central Arizona

Healing From The Heart, New and Exciting Tours and Offerings

Healing From The Heart, a metaphysical/spiritual business in Sedona, has added a new tour, “Ceremony in The Land of The Ancestors.” This four-hour tour takes individuals and small groups to land once traveled by The Ancestors. Spectacular red rocks surround tour participants as they reconnect with Divine inner peace at a site, known only to a few people.

Cynthia Tierra, a Universal Shaman, conducts a traditional ceremony calling on the four directions and using the power of the elements (earth, air, fire and water.) After the ceremony, comes a visit to a cliff dwelling and an area with petroglyphs (symbolic rock carvings).

For information, go to www.HealingOne.net, or call (928) 821-0989. For media information only, contact Jennifer Wesselhoff at jwess@sedonachamber.com.

A New Tour for Sedona

Canyon Dave Tours, already established as experts at the Grand Canyon, began operating in Sedona in March 2007. Dave and Dora Thayer specialize in small group tours to key viewpoints, where a university educated guide presents information, activities, and hands-on materials from colorful info-sheets to rock collections. Now Dave and Dora and their guides are starting tours of Sedona, Oak Creek, Jerome, and the nearby Verde Valley.

There will be a choice of half day or full day tour. The morning half of the new tour will visit Oak Creek Canyon, where guests will visit and learn about this world renowned streamside Shangri-la. The morning concludes at a breathtaking view of Sedona’s red rock formations, where tour guests will have a presentation of local geology while passing around local rock specimens and matching them to the photos on their Info-sheets.

Guests continuing on the full day tour will journey to the former ghost-town of Jerome, where they will explore the winding streets and a mining museum. Next they will visit a secret place where each person can collect mineral specimens. Final stops include Montezuma Lake and an ancient petroglyph site.

For general information, visit www.canyondave.com or call 877-845-3283. For media information only, contact Jennifer Wesselhoff at jwess@sedonachamber.com.

Sedona’s Pink Jeep Tours opens up “The Grand Canyon in Grand Style”

Pink Jeep Tours, Sedona’s oldest jeep tour company, has launched its newest and most luxurious tour, “The Grand Canyon in Grand Style” tour. Guests are transported in custom-made vehicles that seat 14 passengers and are equipped with plush leather reclining captain’s chairs, oversized viewing windows and a flat-screen DVD player.

The tour begins in Sedona and takes passengers up through Oak Creek Canyon, one of Arizona’s Scenic Roads, then through the Ponderosa pine forests of Flagstaff, past the San Francisco Peaks and on to the Grand Canyon. The tour includes lunch and a spectacular drive along the south rim for incredible views and great photo opportunities. On your way back to Sedona, you’ll view the majestic Colorado River and stop at the famous Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

For general information, visit www.pinkjeep.com or call 800-873-3662. For media information only, contact Mike Hermen at mike@pinkjeep.com or 928-282-8807.

Northern Arizona

Take a tour with the ghosts in Williams

Dr,"Suz" is your tour guide to the underworld of Williams, Ariz. She has the "Gift" to hear the real ghosts of “Saloon Row Ghost Tour” nightly as she guides you in and out of a three-block radius, sharing the actual history of Williams, The Living Ghost Town. Guests will travel down the east end of town hearing tales of the 27 Brothels and Saloons and see the still standing ”Most Haunted Building” in the State Of Arizona.

Dr Suz has more than 20 years of paranormal investigation experience, and she has lived in the Grand Canyon area for equally as long. This spine-tingling, spooky walking tour into the darker side of Williams raises more questions than it answers. The "Saloon Row Ghost Tour" also includes an entertaining audio presentation that tells strange tales of ghostly apparitions and supernatural occurrences, strange phenomena, unexplainable and unusual happenings and the tour culminates in a visit to a certified haunted hotel. The tour runs March through October, on Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m.

For additional information on the tour, visit www.saloonrowghosttour.com or call 928-600-3024.

Westwind Air Service Expands Service to Grand Canyon West

For the adventurous at heart, a Westwind Air Service trip from Phoenix to the Hualapai Reservation on the West Rim of the Grand Canyon will provide the thrill of a lifetime. Your adventure will include a scenic, narrated, aerial tour over fabulous Arizona landscapes; ground tour to Eagle Point with an Indian Village including authentic native homes, scheduled Native American Cultural performances and the future Glass Skywalk; and Guano Point for lunch on the rim, a little hiking and spectacular views of the Canyon and the Colorado River a mile below.

In addition, guests can choose one of these exciting options: Perspectives Option – a 10 minute helicopter experience down to the floor of the Canyon, a brief walk to the river’s edge, a 15 minute smooth water pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River, with towering cliffs above you, then 10 minute ride back to the top and reconnect with your pilot for the 1.5 hr. ground tour above, before your return flight to Phoenix. Cowboys & Indians Option – take the open-air tram out to the Hualapai Ranch for a ‘wild west’ experience. Enjoy cowboy demonstrations and a Wagon Wheel ride or ½ hr. horseback ride on the rim of the canyon.

For general information, visit www.westwindairservice.com. For media information only, contact Gayle Lurenz at 480-991-5557 or glurenz@westwindairservice.com.