Let’s dive into our Arizona trip. We’ve been there multiple times and put together a detailed itinerary covering Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon.
Phoenix and Scottsdale have plenty of kosher options, shuls, and a strong Jewish community, while Sedona and the Grand Canyon are pretty sparse in that regard. Hopefully, this guide helps you plan a kosher-friendly trip, including Shabbos if needed!
We left Wednesday and returned Sunday, a 4-day trip, leaving us with enough time – barely – to explore Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Flying from the NY area, tickets are generally cheapest from JFK, but you can grab a good deal from Newark at times as well. We flew out from Newark and returned to JFK. Sounds crazy? We will explain why it really is not that bad.
Introducing Metziahs Travel! We are thrilled to unveil our new feature dedicated to showcasing cities that are perfect for Jewish families seeking kosher and practical travel options.
From vibrant neighborhoods to family-friendly activities, we’ll highlight destinations that cater to your needs while offering a rich cultural experience. Join us on this journey to discover the best places for your next family adventure!
An Uber for 6 (XL) from Toms River to Newark was $135. Our kids were excited to use the luggage we got from Metziahs Home during a Black Friday Sale
Wednesday Night:
We landed in Phoenix (PHX) at about 8 PM local time – 10 PM EST, hopped on a 10-minute shuttle ride to our rental car, and drove to the Grand Hyatt in Scottsdale. We’re totally obsessed with Scottsdale, Arizona—those massive hotels with stunning mountain views and epic pools and water parks are just unbeatable. So far all the times we have gone – all off-season – resulted in us having many pools to ourselves!
The Grand Hyatt hotel is another level; they’ve got this huge water slide, free bikes to cruise around, and their pools are massive and heated. Inside, the place is beautiful. There’s a man from an animal preservation center who comes by to educate about the local wildlife and does an extensive show on Fridays and there’s a jewelry-making boutique within the hotel, a spa, and designer Balmain guest amenities. They hooked the kids up with some adorable goodie bags at check-in, and our suite was enormous—two completely separate rooms, perfect for a family of 4-5. They’ve got this lounge for Hyatt members and people in suites, but we just missed the big opening by a week 🙂
Pro tip: When transferring chase points to Hyatt – it’s really not that steep!
Note: The nicest hotel we have ever stayed at was the Phoenician, in recent years they have become pretty expensive – but if money is just a number for you, you may wanna check it out.
Thursday:
When we checked in, the hotel staff gave us a $10 credit for their market and tossed in another because the kids couldn’t eat the snacks from the goodie bags—they weren’t kosher. The $20 total got us a big bag of pretzels, some Oreos, cereal, and a banana. And yeah, their bananas cost $1.50.
We requested a late checkout and they let us stay until 2 PM, giving us enough time to enjoy the pools, water slide, ‘sand beach’, and the rest of the grounds before heading out.
NOTE: The hotel is about 35-40 minutes from the Chabad of Scottsdale. We spoke with people who stay at the Grand Hyatt for Shabbos & make the trek, but in the summer it is unbearably hot and not a plausible option.
We stopped at the nearby JCC, home to Milk + Honey (#2 below), grabbed some food, and headed to Hole in the Rock at Papago Park in Phoenix.
It’s about 20 minutes off the direct route, but it’s a must-see—so it’s worth making part of the trip!
Papago Park is home to the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Garden, Hole in the Rock, and a scenic spot with water and palm trees—perfect for photos. ‘Hole in the Rock’ is a free, easy 15-minute trail that offers amazing views and great photo opportunities. It is an easy and fun climb.
Basic Geography:
Phoenix and Scottsdale are neighboring cities, like Boro Park & Flatbush, Jackson and Toms River, or Far Rockaway and Cedarhurst (with some traffic). Their downtowns are about 20 minutes apart. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is roughly a 15-minute drive from most hotels in Phoenix and about 20 minutes to most hotels in Scottsdale.
KOSHER IN ARIZONA: Both Phoenix and Scottsdale have a decent selection of kosher options. One of the biggest is Imperial Market, which offers fresh takeout.
PRO TIP: Imperial Kosher may only have takeout available closer to shabbos. We recommend calling in advance.
Here is a list of some Kosher options in Pheonix and Scottsdale:
Scottsdale:
- Kitchen 18
- Type: Meat and Sushi. American and Chinese
- Address: 10211 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85253
- Contact: Phone 480-284-6001 – Website thekitchen18.com
- Milk + Honey Espresso Bar & Eatery
- Type: Dairy, Sushi (Attn cholov Yosroel ppl: Don’t forget to request Chalav Yisrael)
- Address: 12 N. Scottsdale R, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 (inside the JCC as explained above)
- Contact: Phone: 480-56620 Website: milkandeyjcc.com
- Fata Morgana
- Type: Meat, Sushi
- Address: 7116 E.ercerne, Suite 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
- Contact: Phone: 480-687-2243 Website: fatamoanaaz.com
Phoenix:
- Imperial Market & Deli – ‘Largest supermarket in AZ’
- Type: Take-Out, supermarket, Bakery
- Address: 737 E. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020
- contact: Phone: 602-285-6999 Website: imperialkosher.com
2. LaBella pizza
- Type: Pizza, Sushi (Chalav Yisroel)
- Address: 6505 N7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85014
- Contact: Phone: 602-354-7002 – Website https://www.labellakosher.com/
3. My Spoteditenean Grill
- Type: Meat
- Address: 1601 Bell Rd., Suite A-11, Phoenix, AZ 85022
- Contact 6612-3955 Website myspotkosherkitchen.com
- Smash Grille
- Type: Meat
- Address: 6050 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016
- Contact: Phone: 602-503-0595 Website https://smashgrillaz.com/
The Grand Canyon was about a 4-hour drive, so we decided to break up the trip with a stop in Sedona, which was essentially on the way—adding only about 30 extra minutes. Since Sedona doesn’t have kosher food, we stopped at Imperial Kosher (#1 on our Phoenix list) to grab supper to enjoy once we arrived in Sedona.
The drive to Sedona was absolutely breathtaking—about 2 hours from Hole in the Rock. The red rock mountains were truly jaw-dropping, but since we arrived about an hour after sunset, we only got to ‘fully appreciate them’ the next morning! 😅
We highly recommend leaving for Sedona at least 2 hours before sunset so you can soak in the stunning views and catch the sunset upon arrival—it’s definitely worth it!
Protip: Shkiah in Arizona is about 45 minutes later than the East Coast.
We stayed at the Hyatt Vacation Club, which looked amazing online, and even ranked high on trip advisor but turned out to be an epic fail. The rooms were tiny, some outlets didn’t work, and we later found out that Hyatt Vacation Clubs are all fully owned timeshares, so the service was subpar.
There are plenty of amazing and affordable hotels in Sedona, but unfortunately, we just got unlucky with our choice! Thankfully, we were so exhausted from the day that we all crashed quickly. The kids were pretty excited to take on the Grand Canyon the next day!
Pro Tip: For longer stays, consider staying at an Airbnb in Sedona – with incredible views. You can view available homes here.
Friday:
In Sedona, there’s a hike called Soldier Pass, which is a relatively easy trail featuring sinkholes, the Seven Sacred Pools, and epic views as you climb a red rock mountain. It was only about 3 minutes from our hotel, but since we were short on time – it was a Friday – and focused on the Grand Canyon, we decided to come back on Sunday instead—read on!
We hit the road around 10 AM for the 2-hour drive to Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)—a bit later than planned. The drive was absolutely breathtaking, and we made a few stops along the way, adding about 30 minutes and tons of great photos and memories!
One of our stops was at a scenic overlook along the route, where some local Navajo artists were selling handmade goods.
We got to hear a Native American playing a beautiful flute and had to filter out the Avoda Zara stories. 😅
The Grand Canyon:
We arrived at the South Rim around 12:30 PM. To get there, you can enter “Grand Canyon South Rim – Grand Canyon National Park” or “Grand Canyon Visitor Center” in Google Maps or Waze.
After parking, we followed the signs to the South Rim, and within two minutes, we were taking in the breathtaking views! We spent about an hour walking along the rim, soaking it all in, then took a break at a picnic table to eat lunch—which we had packed from Imperial Kosher—and snapped more photos.
After a quick stop at the Visitor Center bathrooms, we started heading back around 2 PM, keeping in mind that candle lighting was at 5:30 PM. All in all, we spent about 1.5 hours at the Grand Canyon.
Pro Tip: Bring water, water, and more water. The elevation dries you out quickly!
We had hoped to visit Desert View, located about 30 minutes past the South Rim, where you can see the Colorado River winding through the canyon. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time. The watchtower at Desert View offers what is arguably one of the best panoramic views of the Grand Canyon!
Note: The best hotel we found really close to the canyon, was the ‘Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon’.
Got extra time? If you have an extra day, Horseshoe Bend is definitely worth a visit. It’s a horseshoe-shaped curve in the Colorado River, located just over two hours past the South Rim. The hike to the viewpoint is only about 1.5 miles round trip, making it a pretty easy walk.
Just a few miles past Horseshoe Bend is Antelope Canyon, a stunning slot canyon with two sections: Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. Unlike the vast Grand Canyon, it’s more intimate but incredibly beautiful. Since it’s on Navajo land, a guided tour is required. You can find more details here.
SHABBOS IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA:
We drove to Flagstaff, where we would be spending Shabbos. The drive was about an hour and a half, and we went to Walmart at Flagstaff to stock up on some Shabbos treats, Chabad offers meals and there are a number of hotels within a 15-minute walk.
The grounds are beautiful, with an indoor area with couches, books, a ping pong table, and a massive outdoor play area.
Pro Tip: Flagstaff sits at a higher elevation than the Grand Canyon, so you might find yourself getting winded more easily. That’s completely normal—just stay hydrated, hydrated, and… hydrated!
Some nearby hotels people liked:
- Springhill Suites By Marriott – Where we stayed
- Hyatt place
- La Quinta
- Aiden by Best Western
Chabad has a list of places as well – see HERE
For those with larger budgets, Chabad has suites in the shul building!
Chabad meals cost: Friday night and Shabbos day – Ages 13 & up $75 per meal, Child Ages 6-12 $50 per meal, and under 5 are free.
The Shabbos seudos were amazing! The food was incredible, the building was stunning, the Rabbi was awesome, the speeches and vibe were pretty Chabad-heavy, and the mix of Yidden from all over made it even more special. Many of the tips and insights we’re sharing came from locals who actually live near the Grand Canyon, whom we met there!
Chabad has a Shabbos minyan seasonally and also has a mikvah available.
Pro Tip: Davening is beautiful and the Rabbi explains a lot in English, so Shabbos shachris takes about two and a half hours and starts 10 AM. You may wanna consult your LOR about eating before davening…
NOTE: Reach out to ensure they have meals/minyan the week you are going.
Motzei Shabbos:
After Shabbos, the kids jumped into the hotel pool for a quick swim before we headed to the Lowell Observatory, about 10 minutes away, for some stargazing. The views of the stars and planets here are among the best in the U.S.. At over 7,000 feet in elevation, combined with strict ‘light pollution regulations’, this observatory is the perfect place for an awesome night sky experience.
The observatory has telescopes set up, giving us a cool view of Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and many other ‘space stuff’. Inside, there’s a large play area with educational exhibits and fun activities. Overall it was really cool.
Since we arrived an hour before closing, we asked for a discount—and they gave us nearly 50% off! Definitely worth asking 🙂
Pro Tip: The stargazing area is outdoors, so dress accordingly…
SUNDAY:
Sunday was our final day. With a 4 PM flight and a 2+ hour drive to the airport, we made sure to wake up early and get a head start.
We took a 45-minute detour through Sedona and stopped at Soldier Pass Trail—and it was absolutely incredible. The hike took us up a red rock mountain, placing us right in the middle – completely surrounded by breathtaking scenery. It’s a pretty easy trail, featuring sinkholes and the famous “Seven Sacred Pools.” We spent about two hours there before heading back.
Pro Tip: You got it – bring water!
A free shuttle runs every 45 minutes to an hour from the parking lot, but it can be a bit stressful since the lot is nearly two miles from the trail. With such infrequent shuttle service, timing your return can be super tricky. Fortunately, we met a kind woman who is really passionate about Sedona and generously offers free rides! We gave her $20 as a thank-you and called her when we were ready to be picked up!
The drive from Sedona back through the canyon was one of the most breathtaking drives of my life. The mountains, valleys, and cliffs were simply unreal!
From there, we drove two hours to Kitchen 18 to grab food for the flight. We also called ahead to La Bella Pizza, and by the time we arrived, our food was ready on the table. We ate quickly and were out the door within 10 minutes. The airport was only 15 minutes away.
We made it to the airport just in time—keep in mind that the car rental return is about 10 minutes from the terminal. Thankfully, TSA PreCheck saved us, and we made our flight just in time!
When we landed at JFK, an Uber XL home was nearly $400, so instead, we rented a large SUV from Avis for a one-way trip—only $88, including taxes and fees!
We just wrapped up an adventurous trip to Arizona, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on our recap! Comment below! What city should we explore next? Whether it’s a favorite destination or a hidden gem, your suggestions are invaluable to us! Please comment below! To reach our travel team, click HERE
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