August Family Vacation to Arizona

amother

↑ Taupe

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 9:57 pm

amother OP wrote:

Besides Colorado, where can one go with a family to a vacation place, with minyan and kosher food, without terrible pritzus?

East Coast. NY, PA, Boston.
Chicago could work. Atlanta would be better than AZ.

amother

Razzmatazz

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 10:01 pm

My family from Arizona came to NY for the summer. Heat there is unbearable. They calculate how many steps to the car every time the need to leave.

Even with a pool, it's too hot for anyone to be outside the pool watching the kids swim. They need to be in the water or indoors.

ETA. This is about Phoenix/ Scottsdale. Flagstaff should be nice.

amother

Vanilla

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 10:02 pm

Everyone is responding about Phoenix, but OP mentioned Flagstaff too. The weather in Flagstaff actually seems quite beautiful when I look it up. Looks similar to the Catskills this time of year.

And Chabad of Flagstaff is gearing up for this season, so seems like OP is far from alone in going during this time. https://www.thekoshercanyon.com/

amother

↑ Blueberry

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 10:55 pm

amother OP wrote:

Besides Colorado, where can one go with a family to a vacation place, with minyan and kosher food, without terrible pritzus?

LA
San Diego
Chicago
Boston
Philly
St Louis
West Hartford
Stamford
Baltimore

I can go on and on

amother

Clear

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 10:56 pm

amother OP wrote:

I'm trying to figure out, what do people do when they go with their (large) families to the grand canyon? What is there to do, besides for stare at the canyon.

DH and I visited Arizona in February when the weather was mild. We drove to the Grand Canyon from Sedona and made a couple of scenic stops along the way. At the Grand Canyon we stopped at all the overlooks, but honestly it does get rather boring. It's nicest at sunset. Most people who spend significant time at the Canyon hike down into it, which I can't imagine doing in the summer.

member123 ↓

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:09 pm

We are planning to go to Arizona in 2 weeks. We are planning to stay in Flagstaff because of the weather. It's in the low 90s. We plan to spend one in Sedona, one day at the Grand Canyon and one day in Page at Horseshoe Bend and Antalope Canyon. The other days are traveling days where we will do smaller things (Hole in the Rock in Phoenix, near the airport etc).

amother

Pink ↓

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:17 pm

amother OP wrote:

Is it to hot to go boating at Lake Canyon (in AZ) on a 9am boat ride?

It’s the only time I ever got a real sunburn. I wore sunscreen and reapplied, had some what cover from a roof and im pretty dark.

Is there a reason you have to do this 😬?

amother

↑ Pink ↓

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:20 pm

amother OP wrote:

Besides Colorado, where can one go with a family to a vacation place, with minyan and kosher food, without terrible pritzus?

You realize everyone in Arizona will be as close to naked as possible right? Especially if they are boating in 100 degrees…

How old are your little kids? This can be actually dangerous you really have to be prepared.

People who live in this kind of climate have rout that keep their children, cool enough special things to put in their car seat so they don’t boil up etc .

DrMom

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:21 pm

amother OP wrote:

I'm trying to figure out, what do people do when they go with their (large) families to the grand canyon? What is there to do, besides for stare at the canyon.

You could.... You could also hike down into the canyon, learn about the geology of the canyon, ride a donkey along some of the trails, go rafting on the Colorado River, etc.

Depends on the season of course.

amother

NeonPurple

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:43 pm

OP, sorry that you're getting a lot of negativity. True Phoenix and Scottsdale are not desirable in the summer, but its not unbearable. I think you should make Flagstaff your base. Its an absolutely gorgeous place with gorgeous weather. I would not recommend boating in this weather, not in Tempe and not in Canyon Lake, although the drive to Canyon Lake is a worthy trip even if you don't go boating. If you want to spend a couple of days in Scottsdale, take a house with a pool, and that in itself is a nice vacation-to have your own pool. If you go swimming late afternoon, the sun is not strong and you'll be completely safe (this is not medical advice). Grand Canyon is absolutely doable in the summer, with a ton of tourists. Lake Powell, Horseshow Bend, Antelope Canyon, Page are popular stops. Many roads are actually closed in the winter due to snow.
Regarding how people dress, they generally dress more covered than in NY, since they need to protect from the strong sun.

Enjoy!

amother

Pistachio

Tue, Aug 06 2024, 11:50 pm

I was there a couple of summers back. It took 3 days to acclimate to the strong sun and heat in Scottsdale (I got headaches from it). I spent those days at the mall, the aquarium, and maybe top golf? I did go boating on canyon lake. We took a speedboat that was covered and it was really fine. We spent a beautiful day in Sedona and did the pink jeep tour. We got to the grand canyon before sunset. We did a few of the stops and then did the bus. I personally thought Sedona was more beautiful..... we had to wear sweaters at the grand canyon by sunset.

amother

RosePink ↓

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 12:06 am

I went with the family to Arizona/Grand Canyon a few years ago.

We stayed for the weekend in Scottsdale, and went to Sedona on Sunday.

In Scottsdale we stayed mostly indoors. We did hole in the rock but that was also too much. There is kosher food so we went out to eat, the house we stayed in had a pool where we spent a lot of time, and we went to an indoor water park.

We didn’t get to it, but Dolly’s Steamboat could also be nice.

On Sunday we went to Sedona, where we did some hikes, pink jeep tour which was awesome, and some mountain coaster in the area.

We also went to see the Grand Canyon one day. There are some easy hikes / walks at the Canyon. You can do the junior ranger program and get medals for the kids.

There are also some interesting zoos in the area that you can check out.

If the only reason you’re going is to get away from pritzus, you can’t guarantee success. But if you’re looking to spend some time focusing on your family and spending time together, it doesn’t really matter where you go as long as you keep your focus.

It is crazy hot if you live there. But if you visit for a few days it’s really not the same.

amother

↑ RosePink

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 12:38 am

amother Pink wrote:

Are the ppl downplaying this considering that she may have really young kids?

Op how young are we talking?

Just to clarify, I don’t know if you meant my post, but I was trying to help her enjoy it while staying mostly indoors. Not ch”v downplaying the issue with the heat.

essie14

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 1:01 am

amother OP wrote:

Besides Colorado, where can one go with a family to a vacation place, with minyan and kosher food, without terrible pritzus?

Why do you think AZ magically is pritzus-free?
Off the top of my head, Atlanta and Chicago have tons of attractions and kosher food and minyan and you can even be outside.
Any city with a frum presence has kosher food and minyan. Stay away from beaches if you want to avoid bikinis. But all non Jewish places anywhere you go in the world will have women in tank tops and shorts.
The mall in Arizona won't be any different than every other mall in the USA.
You can rent an airbnb with a pool anywhere you want and just stay there every day.

amother

Chestnut

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 1:08 am

amother Vanilla wrote:

How come they don't offer it in winter? What's the weather like there then?

↑ member123

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 1:37 pm

amother RosePink wrote:

What is the junior ranger program? Sounds like something my kids would enjoy.

PrairieFairy ↓

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 4:44 pm

member123 wrote:

What is the junior ranger program? Sounds like something my kids would enjoy.

You can do the Junior Ranger program at any national park. It's an educational program and the kids get a booklet with tasks to do around the park (whether spotting something or whatever).

You don't need to go to Arizona for that. Find your closest national park and check out their junior ranger or any ranger led programs when you're there. They are typically free.