Cowboys, cocktails, and castles: 48 Hours in Phoenix

Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden is the best place to go to learn that this arid landscape is actually filled with life. With around 21,000 plants, including a huge variety of cacti and succulents that are both native to the Sonoran Desert and to other desert regions, it's an incredibly impressive sight to see. Various trails highlight different kinds of plants, from the herb garden to the desert wildflower garden, and everything is well-labeled.

Pro tip: You can visit at night and take a flashlight tour of the gardens, when its less hot out!

You'll find tons of golf courses across Phoenix, so head to the Continental Golf Course in Scottsdale to play a few holes or work on your swing at the driving range. It's known for being one of the less expensive, but still higher-end options in the area, so don't be afraid to reserve a tee time even if you don't know what your handicap is.

End your night out at the Coach House, a longtime Phoenix institution. Its been serving cold beer to patrons on the large patio since the 1950's, and its still got that old-school, no frills atmosphere. Luckily, the crowd is super friendly, and there are TVs inside if you're watching a game.

Pro tip: this place is famous for their over-the-top Christmas lights display around the holidays!

Phoenix was basically built on top of an ancient city... and you can see the proof at the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park. Here you can see the actual remains of a settlement from the Hohokam tribe 1,500 years ago. There's a 2/3 mile trail that lets you see the remains being excavated, and replicas of what the buildings likely once looked like, as well as a museum with galleries featuring items from the site, as well as exhibits on the Southwest and archaeology!

Head to the Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park for a look at Arizona's more recent history: from pioneers and the state's mining history to the post-war rise of desert cities and AZ in pop culture, this museum provides a hands-on, informative and entertaining look at the state's role in history. Bonus: it's located in Papago Park, which features majestic and rare saguaro cacti, interesting red rock formations, hiking trails, and several other museums and attractions to explore!

The story behind Phoenix's Mystery Castle definitely makes it worth visit. If you're feeling sentimental, grab tissues before reading on!

It all started when Mary Lou Gully was a child, living in Seattle with her father, Boyce Luther Gully. He would often take her to the beach and her favorite thing to do was build sandcastles with her dad. She was always sad when they would wash away, though-- she wanted a real castle. Then, one day, Boyce learned he had tuberculosis. The realization that he was dying, just when he thought he was in the prime of his life, became too much for Boyce to bear, so he left his family in Seattle and moved to Phoenix. He didn't see it as running away from his problems-- he saw it as using the end of his life to do some soul-searching and to create something meaningful. Something physical that would last for years to come.

And so he decided to build a castle-- one in the desert, where there were no waves to wash it away. He began construction on the Mystery Castle in the 1930's. He gave it 18 rooms, 13 fireplaces, parapets, a chapel, even a dungeon, just like any fairytale castle might gave. Boyce used mostly native stone to build it, but added in all kinds of found objects: adobe, concrete, car parts, old telephone poles, pieces of rail track and more can be found incorporated into the design. Sadly, even though Boyce mostly finished his Mystery Castle, he died before he could send for his wife and daughter.

He did manage to write a will before he died, though, and Mary Lou was informed by an attorney that she had inherited the Phoenix castle in 1945. She and her mother moved in shortly after, and began to offer tours of the Mystery Castle-- you can still visit it today. A Life magazine article called "Life Visits a Mystery Castle: A Young Girl Rules Over the Strange Secrets of a Fairy Tale Dream House in the Arizona Desert" is what coined the name "Mystery Castle", and the phrase stuck. Maybe it's because the folk art aesthetic of the castle gives off a mysterious vibe... or maybe it's because we'll never truly know what Boyce was thinking when he decided to build it.

If you decided not to fill up at Postino (or you just drank too much wine) head to Crudo for some light Italian fare that's just as fresh as it is delicious. Maybe you'll have had enough to drink that you're thinking that something from their raw seafood menu sounds tempting, or perhaps you just need a big bowl of pasta. Either way, you'll find it here! Bonus: their mixologist has a menu of outstanding drinks, so if you don't eat, at least stop for one of their adventurous and delicious cocktails!