Disclosure: Our family was invited to stay at the beautiful and family-friendly hotel, Orchards Inn, in Uptown Sedona. I am so thankful for opportunities to explore and make memories with my family!

Last weekend, we drove up to Sedona for a fun family getaway. It’s about an hour and 1/2 drive for us. We love Sedona and we try to go up every summer. We love taking the scenic back way through Cottonwood. Sedona has the most incredible scenery. The red rocks are a shade of red I’ve never seen before. Everywhere you look is breathtaking. Over the years, we’ve watched Sedona grow, but it still has the feeling of a small town. Once you arrive, you can walk almost everywhere.

There are a few places we visit every time we go, and we always try to add something new to the list.

We pulled up to Orchards Inn and were amazed! It is right in the middle of uptown, tucked away, but on the main road. It sits beautifully on a ridge overlooking some of the most beautiful landscape this world offers. It is surprisingly secluded and quiet, and you are exactly where you would want to be to walk to everything. Staying at the hotel means you have a free, designated parking area, which is a definite luxury! Even when we did drive somewhere, we were able to park again right away.

Our room was on the first floor, which means we descended one flight of stairs to get to our room. The view was as if painted by a rough yet caring artist. Hot reds, cool beiges, and lush greens fill the eyes. The picture below is the view out of our door.

 89Agave Cantina, a Sonoran-style Mexican restaurant, is located on-site. It is just steps across the parking lot. We were treated to dinner on Saturday night. Now, you know I am very picky about my Mexican food. As a Texas girl, I have a certain preference on how it tastes. This restaurant was incredible! I’m still dreaming of the Grilled Sweet Corn, freshly grilled & topped with cilantro, chipotle aioli, cotija cheese & lime. Everyone at the table, including Mary Alice, couldn’t get enough!

The portions were generous and plated beautifully. It made me feel like we were out to a very fancy dinner, even though I was in a t-shirt, hiking shoes, and ponytail.

We don’t usually have dessert, so the kids were absolutely giddy when they brought these out:

I wished mom was with us, because she would have loved the Tres Leches cake!

Whether it’s your first time or 100th time, whether it is a one hour drive or a 16 hour flight,  89Agave Cantina is a must stop!

Orchards Inn made our trip to Sedona wonderfully relaxing. It was perfect for families with little ones. They had a pool and jacuzzi on site, free parking right in the middle of where everything is happening. At night, after we put the littles to sleep, we would sit outside our room with Julia and Nate and stargaze. Sedona, small and surrounded by red mountains, has a great dark sky. It was incredible. We all saw shooting stars as we enjoyed the peaceful silence of the red rocks. We didn’t have to pile the kids in the car when we wanted to go somewhere, we just stepped out of our rooms.

The rooms were very comfortable and made it easy to spread out, and there was a little Irish grocer right across the street so that we could keep Mary Alice in plenty of milk!

Sedona is so great as a final destination or a memorable stop. If you are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon or Flagstaff, you are so incredibly close to Sedona! You have to add it to your itinerary.

For a first time visitor, I’ve made a list of the things our family always loves to do!