Phoenix: Relax and Enjoy the Good Life in the City

Golf, tennis, pickleball, major league sports franchises, museums, and more. Phoenix has a wealth of recreational and entertainment opportunities to keep you occupied. Residents also have countless ethnic and gourmet restaurants, each one better than the next. Consider these recreational and dining opportunities.

Resort and Native Landscape Golf

Courses in the northern part of the Valley may be more famous, but the City of Phoenix has several great ones in its own right. Try these resort and public courses.

Arizona Biltmore

Various VIPS, including U.S. Presidents, have played the fairways here. Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. built the courses. Choose between the Adobe course, built in 1928, or the shorter Links course.

Wildfire

Nick Faldo and Arnold Palmer each designed a course ap8ece at this JW Marriott club. The Faldo course has long fairways and numerous bunkers, while the Palmer curse is longer and more challenging.

Lookout Mountain

Located at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, this Troon Golf Experience offers gorgeous views. Twelve holes play through preserve land, giving golfers uninterrupted views of Piestewa Peak and Lookout Mountain.

Papago Golf Club

Set in the heart of Papago Park, this picturesque park is a golfing gem located less than two miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. Created by the architect of Torrey Pines in California, the course has iconic views of Papago Buttes, Camelback Mountain, and downtown Phoenix.

The Raven Golf Club at South Mountain

Lined with pine trees, this course has some of the best greens in Phoenix. The Raven is well maintained, has an expansive practice area, and is known for its good pace of play.

Tennis and Pickleball

Tennis has long reigned in second place behind golf as Phoenix’s go-to recreational sport, and now pickleball joins it, sharing many of the same courts. Dozens of city parks have first-come-first-served tennis, pickleball, and multi-use courts. You’ll find some of the best facilities at the following locations.

Phoenix Tennis Center

This full-service facility offers 25 post-tension courts, leagues, tournaments, reservations, leagues, professional instruction, a junior players program, and a pro shop.

Encanto Sports Complex

This multi-sports facility has eight lighted tennis courts and three lighted pickleball courts, along with instruction and leagues.

Other Court Facilities

Athletes will also find tennis and pickleball courts at Mountain View Community Center and the Rose Mofford Sports Complex.

Thanks to the recent rise of pickleball, these sites offer pickleball-only courts:

Pecos Community Center
Sunnyslope Community Center
Washington Activity Center
Deem Hills Park
G.R. Herberger Park
Pecos Park

Exceptional Dining Experiences

If you have to select just one cuisine to focus on in Phoenix, it would be Mexican and its close relative Southwestern cuisine. Among the restaurant to try are:

Bancorp PHX
Testal Mexican Kitchen
Tru Taco (pop-up at Jewel’s Bakery & Café)
Barrio Café

Don’t forget the upscale restaurants. You’ll find exquisite fare at places like Kai in the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, but you’ll also want to try these stand-alone offerings: