CITY GUIDE: SEDONA

Travel

Jan 21

Sedona is one of those places that truly has something for everyone, which is why its popularity is off the charts. You’d be hard-pressed to speak to anyone in the Valley, visiting or local, who isn’t planning to head up there soon, has been there recently, or wants to go. Since the pandemic, it has exploded in popularity. As someone who is pretty spiritual and into all the “woo woo” things life has to offer, Sedona is one of those places I love to visit. Every visit leaves me feeling calmer, recharged, and excited to return before I’ve even left. For others, there are plenty of other activities to take part in, like hiking.

This guide is a mix of my personal favorites and spots I’m looking to check out on my next adventures. These are the places to stay, eat, and explore that capture Sedona’s magic, red-rock beauty, and slightly mystical energy. Whether you’re visiting for wellness, adventure, food, or just a rest, Sedona has a way of meeting you exactly where you are.

Get to Know Sedona

Sedona sits in northern Arizona about two hours outside of Phoenix, and is surrounded by iconic red rock formations. Long before it became a spiritual and wellness destination, the land was home to Indigenous peoples, including the Sinagua, who left behind cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and a cultural legacy that is very visible to this day. The modern town of Sedona is named after Sedona Schnebly, one of the area’s early settlers, and over time it has evolved into a destination for art, nature, and is most famous for its energy vortexes. Today, Sedona manages to blend ancient history, New Age spirituality, and desert luxury in a way that is uniquely its own.

Why Sedona?

Sedona is more than just a pretty place. People come for the hiking, the vortexes, and the sunsets that stop you mid-thought. Others tend to come for wellness retreats, spa days, and spiritual curiosity. In addition to the experiences, there is an incredible food scene, thoughtful design-driven hotels, and a slower pace that feels like a reset button. It’s the kind of destination where you can do a lot or absolutely nothing and be completely satisfied.

Where to Stay

Mii Amo

Often considered one of the best wellness resorts in the country, Mii Amo is the ultimate splurge. Surrounded by red mountains and rock formations, it’s the ultimate destination for inner transformation and self-care. Tucked into Boynton Canyon within the Boynton Canyon Vortex, known for spiritual and healing energy, guests can enjoy a true sense of escape from the outside world. There is an age requirement of 16, a two-story movement and fitness studio, swimming pool and deck, sunken living room space, juice bar, and culinary garden.

Enchantment Resort

Set right in Boynton Canyon and surrounded by red rocks, serene wildlife, and incredible views, Enchantment Resort is classic Sedona luxury. It’s expansive but still intimate with access to trails and a balance of nature and relaxation. It’s located on the ancestral land of the Yavapai Tribe, and the Boynton Canyon Vortex draws plenty of visitors looking for energy and healing. Enchantment is especially great if you want a resort experience that is rooted in its surroundings to recharge, reflect, and relax.

Ambiente

Ambiente is an adults-only property and the country’s first landscape hotel. Each room is a standalone antrium with floor-to-ceiling glass with private 180-degree views of nature, making the red rocks feel like part of your stay. The atriums are built in unobtrusive ways that preserve the environment around them. There is upscale food and beverages, spa offerings, biking, and biking trails. It’s sleek, quiet, and ideal if you love design-forward hotels that still feel connected to nature.

Amara Resort & Spa

Amara is a little more laid-back, centrally located, and traditionally Sedona. It’s perfect if you want easy access to shops, galleries, and restaurants. The on-site spa is a standout with treatments like deep-tissue massages and aromatherapy for full-body restoration. With a creekside setting, outdoor pool, and other amenities, Amara makes it easy to linger on the property without feeling limited.

Where to Eat & Drink

Tii Gavo

Tii Gavo is Enchantment Resort’s signature restaurant and is an experience in itself. A Southwestern-inspired menu is refined without being intimidating. Dining at Tim Gavo feels intentional, especially after a day spent hiking or at the spa. The perfect way to slow down and savor the moment.

Butterfly Burger

Butterfly Burger is a casual, relaxed joint that serves exactly what you want after a long day of exploring. The burgers are satisfying without trying too hard, and honestly, the menu is so expansive that it can please just about everyone. It’s the kind of place where you can show up as you are and feel at home. Sometimes Sedona calls for a healthy meal, and other times you just want a really good burger.

SaltRock

Located at Amara Resort, SaltRock highlights Southwestern flavors with a modern twist. The menu feels seasonal and well-curated, making it a great introduction to the region’s cuisine. It’s an easy choice for a relaxed yet elevated dinner without leaving the resort. Bonus points for the creekside setting, which adds to the overall calm.

Elote Café

Elote Café is one of the places people recommend immediately when you mention Sedona. The menu is bold and flavorful. It’s award-winning and inspired by the markets of Mexico. It incorporates sustainable, local, healthy, and organic products into the restaurant, which allows the food to shine and highlights the chef’s stance on responsible cooking. Their namesake elote is a must-order and lives rent-free in so many people’s memories. It’s casual, lively, and absolutely worth the wait.

Mariposa

Mariposa is one of the Sedona restaurants that truly lives up to the hype, and the view is stunning. The floor-to-ceiling windows frame the red rocks perfectly, making sunset reservations especially worth it. The menu leans Latin-inspired with bold flavors that feel celebratory. Whether you’re looking for a special occasion dinner or just want to enjoy a meal with a memorable view, Mariposa is a solid choice.

Cowboy Club

The Cowboy Club is a Sedona classic that embraces the town’s Western roots. Most well known for its game meats, it offers a dining experience that feels particularly regional. The interior has an old-school, rustic charm that adds to the appeal without being kitschy. It’s a great spot if you want a meal that feels connected to Sedona’s history, celebrating something special, or just hanging out with friends.

The Hudson

The Hudson brings a modern, approachable energy to Sedona’s dining scene. Its industrial-chic interior strikes a balance between stylish and comfortable, and it is centered around a lively bar and lounge. The menu offers a fresh take on American cuisine with options for families and date night. Add in the panoramic red rock views, and it’s no surprise this spot is so popular.

Sedona Hideaway House

The Sedona Hideaway House feels cozy and unfussy. True to the name, it feels tucked away but welcoming. It’s been described as the place you stumble into and never want to leave. They have multiple open-air patios among the trees with beautiful red rock views. The vibe is cozy with a full bar, romantic dining rooms, and music that keeps things lively without being overbearing. It’s genuinely a spot for everyone.

Things to Do

Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park

This is one of my favorite spots in Sedona. Set among the trees beneath Chimney Rock and Thunder Mountain, the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park is one of Sedona’s most spiritually significant sites. Visitors can walk the grounds, spin the prayer wheel, and follow the trails to smaller stupas, including the 6-foot white Tara Stupa honoring the female deity. Along the pathway, there is a mahogany statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and a stone medicine wheel representing the circle of life. The site is believed to connect Tibetan Buddhist prophecy with Hopi traditions and was created by Kunzang Palyul Choling, a Buddhist organization with roots in Tibet, for everyone to enjoy.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Completed in 1956, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is built into the red rock at 1,000 feet above Sedona. Its 90-foot concrete cross is visible from State Route 179, making it one of the area’s most recognizable landmarks. It’s genuinely one of the coolest sights I’ve ever seen and well worth the hike up the steep driveway to the top. The modernist design is intentionally simple with no typical ornate embellishments or towering spires. Instead, the architecture allows the surrounding landscape to take center stage, but still makes a statement. This is a popular spot to visit, so even getting inside the Chapel can be a challenge, but it is well worth the wait or struggle (however it happens to be that day).

Sip Local Wines

You may not think of wine when you think of Arizona, but Sedona sits in the Central Verde Valley, nearly a mile in elevation. It’s a surprisingly well-suited location for winemaking. There are downtown tasting rooms like The Art of Wine that offer easy introductions to Arizona varietals from Bordeaux-style blends to the Arizona favorite, Malvasia Bianca. Winery 1912 highlights Spanish and Iberian grapes grown in Wilcox’s Dragoon Mountains, and that is just the beginning. In fact, winemaking in Arizona dates back to Jesuit priests in the 1690s, and today Sedona proudly embraces its agricultural wine roots with its place on the Verde Valley Wine Trail.

The Turquoise McDonalds

Golden Arches? Not in Sedona. Sedona’s only McDonald’s features teal-colored arches designed to blend into the environment and landscape surrounding it. It’s the only location in the world that is allowed to and has this color scheme. Why? Sedona has a development code that outlines clear standards for preserving the character, which includes the color of signs. Even fast food here is expected to respect the natural environment, and it draws hundreds of visitors every day.

The Vortexes

Sedona’s vortexes are said to be places where energy radiates from the earth, drawing visitors seeking spiritual connection or personal reflection. There are four main vortexes - Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Airport Mesa. They are popular spots for meditation, yoga, and hiking. Chapel Rock is sometimes considered a fifth, though believed to be less powerful. The Vortexes get busier around sundown as people gather to watch the sunsets - especially at the Airport Mesa, so it’s wise to get there early to fully enjoy the experience. There is a free shuttle system that makes visiting these areas more sustainable and far less stressful than driving and parking. Plus, you can even take a vortex tour to visit all of the sites.

Stargazing

Sedona is an International Dark Sky Community, meaning light pollution is kept intentionally low to protect the night sky. On clear evenings, you can see everything from Orion’s Belt to various planets and Mercury rising. Honestly, you’ll never see a more gorgeous view at night. In the summer, the city even hosts outdoor movie nights under the stars, adding a community feel to the experience of stargazing. Between astronomy tourism and Sedona’s reputation for UFO sightings (there are energy fields here after all), stargazing feels a little magical and slightly mysterious.

Learn About Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous peoples first settled in the Verde Valley as early as 650 BCE, beginning with the Sinagua, followed by the Hopi, Yavapai, and Apache tribes. Their histories can still be explored through living archeological sites managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Places like Palate, Honanki, and the Crane Petroglyph site offer guided tours of cave dwellings carved into the sand cliffs. Growing up in Arizona, we learn about these cultures beginning in elementary school, but these experiences provide important context and a deeper understanding of not only Sedona’s cultural roots but Arizona’s as a whole.

Aura Photos

You can’t visit Sedona and not take part in one of their most uniquely local experiences: Aura photos. It’s one of my favorite activities, and there is truly no shortage of places that offer them. They are as popular as crystals. Using biofeedback technology, the photos capture your energy field in vivid color. Once the image is developed, you are walked through or provided information about the colors and breakdown of your aura. Whether you believe in the science or not, it’s a fun and very Sedona way to lean into the town’s spiritual reputation. Either way, you leave with a cool photo and a story.

Sedona is the kind of place that stays with you. It’s grounding, energizing, simple, slightly indulgent, mystical, and practical all at once. Whether you’re checking into a luxury resort, hiking at sunrise, or lingering over a long dinner with red rocks in the background, Sedona has a way of slowing down time and sharpening your perspective. It’s not just a destination. It’s a feeling, a vibe, and one that’s always worth revisiting.