Grand Canyon
On average, it rains on Thanksgiving Day in Arizona every 10 years. Naturally, that once-a-decade storm would bring downpours, lightning and snow to northern Arizona as we shopped for freeze-dried food and compressed our sleeping bags…
Features
A Portrait of Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis has a name and a face that people can place. One of the greatest of the postwar movie stars, the New York-born Curtis was as famous for his thick black hair –– Elvis readily…
A Journey to the City in the Sky
About two years ago, on my way home from Santa Fe, N.M., I noticed the signs for the Acoma Pueblo along Interstate 40. Being a fan of Acoma pottery, I pulled off the highway only to…
Sedona Confidential
When we moved to Sedona many moons ago, we felt like we already knew the town like the back of our own hand – we had, after all, vacationed in Sedona for five years. But a…
Sedona Bed and Breakfasts
Earlier this year, TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community (more than 10 million registered members at www.tripadvisor.com) featuring online reviews of hotels and attractions, released its annual Travelers’ Choice Awards, which include the top 10 inns…
Sedona Fashion Gets Back in the Saddle!
A lot has changed in Sedona, including local fashion, since Zane Grey’s The Call of the Canyon was filmed in the area in 1923, but our red rock skylines aren’t really fazed by 86 years….
Green Sedona
In April 1970, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time. Society’s environmental awareness has come a long way in the last 39 years, and Sedona won’t be left behind. Red Rock Country is goin’ green,…
Our Sedona Table
The story behind The Sedona Table really begins with the November 2006 issue of Sedona Monthly. To say that issue was huge would be an understatement; foodies all across the United States sat up and took…
Sedona Film Festival 2009
As we have every year since 2004, Sedona Monthly brings you a preview of the Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop, taking place Feb. 24 – Mar. 1. We have exclusive interviews with filmmakers; actors; a…
Arizona is for Snowbirds
December is here, and if it hasn’t happened already, thousands of northern Arizona residents are watching the sky, holding their breath until the first delicate snowflake drifts down. While our friends in other locales – the…
Design of the Times
Trends in home décor come and go just as quickly as they do in fashion – not all that long ago the location of your home dictated the interior design. A Wyland print was a must…
11 Reasons Autumn in Sedona is So Cool!
Autumn’s arrival in northern Arizona heralds more than just shorter days and cooler nights – in fall, Sedona seems to awake from a sluggish summer slumber to show off all her splendor with vibrant changing leaves,…
Glittering Surprises!
Objets d’art are everywhere in fashion this season, from antique French lace and Italian crystal buttons to handpainted scarves and vintage velvet trim. Perhaps the easiest way to update your look and express yourself (not…
10 Places to Go to Beat the Arizona Heat
It’s a dry heat. Sedona has four mild seasons. Summers aren’t bad – we have monsoons. We’ve heard it all and, while we’ll admit our summers are a walk along the beach compared to our neighbors…
Artisan Decor
Artisan-made furniture feels right at home in northern Arizona. As people increasingly look at furniture not solely as functional, but as an expression of their personality, talented artisans creating unique, one-of-kind pieces are enjoying new appreciation….
Guys and Dolls
The word “kachina” comes up often in the Southwest, commonly understood to refer to small dolls created by Native American artists from cottonwood root. They make for popular gifts, but many visitors are unaware of their…
The Best Spa Therapists
We’ve come to a conclusion about spas: No matter how good the treatment, it’s the therapist who matters most. That’s why we’ve dedicated this year’s annual Sedona Monthly spa issue to introducing you to six spa…
Live Your Sedona Adventure!
Opportunities for adventure in Sedona are as endless as the brilliant blue sky or breathtaking red rock vistas. It’s a fact that hits home for me every day – my husband, Daniel Finch-McCaffrey, is Hilton Sedona…
Sedona Film Fest 2008
Fourteen years after its founding, the Sedona International Film Festival and Workshop has become a signature event for lovers of independent film in the Southwest. On the following pages, we’ll preview this year’s event (to be…
At Home for the Holidays
Yes, Virginia, there is more to the holiday season than frantic trips from mall to mall trying to get your hands on this year’s “It” item (Halo 3, perhaps?), scrubbing floors before the in-laws arrive, standing…
Wine! Inside 7 Verde Valley Vineyards
Speak to the owners and winemakers at the seven wineries in the Verde Valley and you’ll hear one thing again and again: Visitors just can’t get over the fact that vineyards are being grown and wine…
Get The Picture
Most of the millions of visitors who come to northern Arizona are connected to their cameras like it was a third eye. Wandering through galleries, seeing images of iconic locations such as Red Rock Crossing and…
Star Attractions!
For as long as humans have inhabited our corner of Arizona, their necks have been craned to the sky, gazing at the stars. Look at the pictographs of animals and hunters at the Palatki Heritage Site…
The Inner Light: Inside 3 Slot Canyons
Antelope Canyon is one of the most alluring spots in the Southwest, thanks largely to the talented nature photographers who’ve beautifully captured and shared its ethereal light beams, golden hues, and corkscrewing rock walls that seem…
Summer Casual
Sedona’s style is more about comfort than chasing trends – in Red Rock Country, women need clothes that look good and transition easily from lunch with the girls to working in the garden to happy…
Romancing the Stones
Alice Lister excitedly pulls out a plastic bag full of dusty stones from under her workbench, pulling out chunks of uncut turquoise, dark blue lapis, and purple sugilite like a kid showing off a prized baseball…
Sedona After Dark: 7 Days of Nightlife
From the first time I visited Sedona in 2000 I’ve always heard the same thing: The streets roll up at 5:30 p.m. In Sedona, it’s midnight at 9 p.m. There’s nothing for young people to do….
Sweet Treatments
Since our last look at the Sedona spa scene in December 2005, three new spas have opened up – at Amara Creekside Resort and L’Auberge de Sedona, as well as the Infusion Spa in the Village…
Sharpening the Independent Focus
Thirteen feels like it’s going to be a lucky number for the Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop. Now in its third year under executive director Patrick Schweiss, you get the feeling the annual celebration of…
All the Trimmings
Cactus Christmas trees and cowboy boots filled with poinsettias. Red silk flowers in a cow skull and ornaments hanging off the branches of a dried agave plant. Rope and bandanas, luminarias, and spurs, deer heads and…
Sedona Hotels Go For the Gourmet
Hotel dining is quietly experiencing a renaissance in Sedona. “The food aspect of resort restaurants has changed from a caterpillar to butterfly,” says Elizabeth McIntire, food and beverage director for Sedona Center in Uptown. “Resorts are…
What Your Real Estate $$ Buys Today
The real estate market in Sedona went through the roof in 2004. It has come a little bit back to earth over the past six months, much like the rest of the United States, creating new…
3 Days in Havasu Canyon
At the far west end of the Grand Canyon, a turquoise-blue creek cuts through 14 miles of sheer red rock cliffs, meandering along travertine dams and tall cottonwoods. Waterfalls crash down as much as 200 feet…
From the Ground Up
What does it take to build a custom home with as few bumps in the road as possible? Just ask Joe and Judy Ruthven, who purchased land in the Casa Contenta development in West Sedona in…
Gown Town
Even in a field as fickle as fashion, some things are timeless. For our fourth annual summer fashion special, Sedona Monthly celebrates the resurgence of glamour in 2006 styles. On the following pages, you’ll see…
Residential Arias – Opera House Sedona
For the seventh consecutive year, eight Sedona property owners are scheduled to open their stylish doors to the public as hosts of the annual Art and Architecture Tour, with proceeds benefiting the educational and performance programs…
Love on the (Red) Rocks
It was the Super Saturday of Sedona weddings. On May 21, 2005, more than 50 couples said “I do” in town – pledging their love in small groups along Oak Creek and in big bashes at…
Nature Calls!
Ask Sedona residents why they settled in Red Rock Country and you’ll hear some variation of this response again and again: It was just too pretty to leave. Visitors get the message too, flocking in huge…
What They See Is What We Get
When audiences file into the Harkins Sedona 6 for the official opening of the Sedona International Film Festival and Workshop on Feb. 23, it kicks off four days of happy discovery for fans of independent films….
A Visit to 7 Sedona Spas
One of the many things that made me excited about my recent decision to move to Sedona was the chance to be near the area spas. I love spa treatments – the way tension melts away…
Happy Holidays, Sedona Style!
How do you impress holiday guests with lusciously lumpless mashed potatoes? Want the secret to wrapping all of your gifts economically, yet so beautifully your loved ones may actually feel bad about ripping it to see…
Elegant Curves
Life throws all kinds of curves at you. Some curves take you out of your comfort zone – like a series of jolts that sent architect Aldo Andreoli packing from New York for a breath of…
All That Jazz!
Sedona’s Jazz on the Rocks festival, celebrating its 24th year with performances around town from Sept. 22-25, improvises around twin themes: Music and education. Proceeds from the weekend of music, revolving around the daylong outdoor festival…
The New Kids on the Block
So, what’s new? In Sedona this summer, the answer is: neighbors. “Open for Business” banners are unfurling all around us, and an eclectic group of newcomers are putting out Welcome mats and taking their places in…
Looking Good!
Romance. Sophistication. Soft, flowing fabrics. Light and airy clothes that add volume without bulk. Soothing shades, floral prints, and classic whites. These are some of the trends Sedona’s clothing and style experts predict will be…
Opera Houses
“I would argue that perhaps what’s going on in opera are some of the most real and deep experiences out there,” singer-songwriter of the moment Rufus Wainwright recently told the British rock-music magazine Mojo, “especially now,…
Wine! A Tour of Five Stylish Cellars
What makes a great Sedona wine cellar? We’ll raise a glass in praise of passion and personality – two traits common to the five very different rooms profiled here. Cellars (we’ll use the term even though…
Night of the Western Stars
Actors Clint Walker, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Robert Horton, and Morgan Woodward were the guests of honor on Feb. 3 when Los Abrigados Resort and Spa hosted the second of the four planned “Hands Through History” evenings…
Declaration of Independents
Last year, the Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop wasn’t just showcasing drama: It was participating in one. Right before Festival weekend, the organization experienced a sudden change in leadership. Remarkably, the festival went on without…
Luminarias: Making Spirits Bright
“Thirty-one years ago, Christmas in Sedona was not commercially a big deal,” recalls Geoffrey Roth, whose jewelry store and gallery was one of the first to occupy the then-fledgling Tlaquepaque in the early 1970s. “For the…
Northward Ho!
There’s an undeniable appeal to finding oases in the desert. About 170 miles to the north of Sedona sits Lake Powell, a fascinating area where you can find gorgeous rocks, the Colorado River, amazing sunsets, and…
To Life in The Small Corners
Carol Scribner, the author of To Life in the Small Corners is not a photographer by training, but one look at her eclectic resume lets you know she’s not shy about trying different things. She has…
Sedona Jazz on the Rocks 2004
Over its 23-year history, Sedona Jazz on the Rocks weekend has grown from a little improvisation by a small circle of inspired fans into a multifaceted suite that has a particularly sweet coda: A windfall for…
Sedona’s Televisionaries
Is Sedona ready for its close-up? Starting in May, a national TV network, the Wisdom Channel, began airing the first 30-minute episodes of Sedona Now, produced and hosted by Glenn Scarpelli and Jude Belanger. The series…
Wow! Summer Style!
Going swimming? When temperatures hit the 90s, Sedona seeks maximum cool by the water, whether it’s at Oak Creek, the community pool, or the local resorts. But by the looks of the women’s swimsuits being featured…
Partners in Mime
Don’t tell Robert Shields there’s no business like show business. After starring on a network TV show, headlining in Las Vegas, befriending legends – and making America confront its love/hate relationship with mimes – he built…
Take Me Into the Ballgame
It rained on the third day we were in Tucson to visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at their spring training facility, which also happened to be the day the team was to take the field for the…
How We See Us
It starts at sunrise. From the folks who make deliveries, to those getting ready for the day’s first customers, to those who just lean back and take it all in before revving their engines, a…
Coming Attractions
One year ago, the Sedona Film Festival & Workshop received 150 to 200 submissions of films for consideration, says new CEO/Artistic Director Douglas Tanton. For 2004, he and the local selection committee expect to review 600…
Time Travelers
A gas station is probably the last thing you think of when you look at El Portal Sedona, the remarkably detailed 1900-1930-era bed and breakfast inn that Steve and Connie Segner created near Oak Creek –…
Sedona Golf Courses
Mark Twain once quipped that “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” He obviously never walked a Sedona golf course, where the view is ideal, and the competition only enhances the joy of being outdoors. Sedona’s signature…
Johnny Guitar in Sedona
Fifty years ago this month, a production crew from Hollywood set up in Sedona to begin shooting Johnny Guitar; 44 days later, they carried away the raw footage of a cowboy movie that eventually would be…
Spas… Ah-h-h-h-h!
Stressed out in Sedona? Relief is at hand. So lie back. And let go. It’s “me time.” It’s your day at the spa. Our local spas attract visitors from all over the world, for massage and…
Into the Sunset
The Bradshaw Ranch is padlocked now. In May 2003, it became another parcel of federal land, soon to blend into the rest of the Forest Service holdings surrounding it. But while the future of the land…
You Wear It Well
Summer in Sedona has a style all its own. Whether you’re spending days by the pool, on the hiking trails, relaxing with friends or vacationing at a local resort, our fashion scene specializes in delivering a…
Taking Your Vows? Sedona Wows!
Sedona is the sixth most popular spot for weddings in the United States, and one look around tells you why. The views are beautiful, the weather’s great, and all the ingredients are here to make it…
Julie of Denial – The Child Ol’ Blue Eyes Never Knew
Have you ever fantasized that you’re secretly the long-lost son or daughter of a celebrity? That one day a stranger’s going to knock on your door and reveal that you’re really descended from royalty, pulling back…
Ssssh! It’s Secret Sedona!
We love Sedona! We love the climate! The people! The scenery! And we love it all the more whenever we stumble upon quirky tales from its past. As much as how the rocks were named or…
