This is my eighth post about our adventures traveling through Arizona and New Mexico. I recommend reading the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh posts before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received media passes, discounts, and other benefits for several of the places we visited throughout the trip. Some of the attractions we toured are free to everyone; we paid full price for the rest. What I paid or didn't pay has no bearing on my reviews. Everything that I share is something I recommend without hesitation.
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Travel Adventures from Phoenix to Sedona
In 2017, Steve, Trevor, and my Uncle Don visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona while Aunt Vickie and I were at the convention center for the Creativation trade show. For nine years, I've been wanting to visit the MIM because they raved about it so much. I finally made it there on Tuesday, April 14. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Steve and I spent 5.5 hours enjoying the exhibits at the Musical Instrument Museum. It was not nearly enough time. This is a full-day museum; music aficionados could easily fill two days.
When you arrive, you receive headphones and a device to wear around your neck. As you approach an exhibit, the audio plays. Step away and it stops. You don't have to scan anything or fiddle with the device. It's great. I loved being able to hear how the instruments sound.
After a brief peek downstairs, we headed to the 2nd level to see the Geographic Galleries. These huge spaces showcase the music of literally every country in the world. We started in Africa, then worked our way through each of the world regions. It was absolutely fascinating being able to see - and hear! - the similarities and differences between the instruments of neighboring countries.
If you read every sign and listened to every piece of audio, you could easily fill the entire day and only see a fraction of the MIM. I had to keep reminding myself to move along so that I wouldn't run out of time and miss entire galleries.
The museum is packed with interesting, unique, and beautiful instruments.
I really enjoyed this exhibit about the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura. The children in this orchestra are from Paraguay and they play instruments made from trash found in a landfill.
St. Vincent, I will always love you.
There is so much to see at the MIM. It has approximately 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and every exhibit is of the highest quality.
Alice Cooper is a Scottsdale native. It was fun to listen to his music and stories about growing up in the area.
The MIM features literally every type of instrument in the world.
I immediately noticed that this band organ was made by the Allan Herschell Co. of North Tonawanda, NY. We learned all about them last fall!
I especially enjoyed learning more about how different instruments are made.
They even have information about the science of music.
We got to see a demonstration of this Orchestrion from 1926. At 25 feet long, it's the largest instrument at MIM.
Don't miss the Experience Gallery, where you can try out many of the instruments yourself. So fun!
You can even watch instruments being restored.
We really enjoyed the Artist Gallery that highlights the instruments of musical legends and icons.
The Musical Instrument Museum is, in a word, magnificent. It is one of the best museums I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. I highly recommend a visit. I have one more photo to share from our time there. I don't make a habit of taking photos in public restrooms (this was an exception), but I couldn't resist.
We hated to have to leave the MIM, but we wanted to allow plenty of time to get to our next destination before it closed. Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a 5-story, 20-room structure, built into a limestone cliff by Ancestral Puebloans around 1050. Start at the Visitor Center for a helpful overview.
Then head out on the trail toward the cliff.
The trail itself is worth a visit. Check out the scenery to the right...
... and the left. Both pictures were taken from the same location along the trail. The landscape is simply beautiful.
Here's our first peek at Montezuma Castle. It's really impressive.
What it is not: a castle. And it pre-dates Montezuma.
As you continue along the path past Montezuma Castle, you come to Beaver Creek just a short distance away. It's easy to imagine the Ancient Puebloans coming to get water, food, and other supplies. It is much more difficult to imagine them hauling those supplies up the cliff to get them home.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Montezuma Castle National Monument. Next stop: the Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center near Sedona. We knew it would be closed by the time we got there, but we enjoyed the outdoor exhibits and the spectacular views. And the fabulous javelina artwork.
We checked into the Best Western Plus Arroyo Roble Hotel, where we'd be staying for the night. It ended up being a great choice. The location is fantastic, our room was clean and large, and we were delighted to discover that we had a spectacular view from the balcony. It's pricy compared to everywhere else we stayed in Arizona, but it's among the more affordable options in Sedona, where lodging in particular is very expensive.
This was our view. Sedona is beautiful.
We had about 45 minutes before sunset, so we headed out for a quick walk to get to know Sedona. Sedona is a really cute town, with lots of shops and restaurants, tons of public art, and spectacular views in every direction.
More javelina! It turns out they're from 2005, when Sedona commissioned 50 pairs of decorated javelina to display.
A couple approached us to take their picture, then offered to take ours. It's the only picture we have of the two of us together from the trip. It's definitely going on the scrapbook page!
As sunset approached, we were back on our balcony. What a treat!
When the sun had set completely, we went to Sedona Pizza and Pasta Company.
We sat on the patio and shared spaghetti carbonara and the house-made meatballs. The food was fantastic and a great way to end a wonderful day.
Tomorrow I'll tell you where we went next.
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