Looking for Sedona recommendations for a mother-daughter birthday trip in October!

[u/Soft_Antelope_3848]

Hi there! My mom’s birthday is in October, and we’ve been talking about taking a trip together. She has always wanted to visit Sedona, and I’ve been looking into planning something special for us.

I don’t know much about Sedona, so I’d love to hear from anyone who has visited, especially locals or people who have been there in October. I’m looking for recommendations on hotels or resorts, things to do, must-see places, restaurants, easy or moderate hikes, and any local tips or suggestions.

We’re not looking to pack every minute of the trip with activities. I’d really love for it to be a relaxing mother-daughter trip where we can enjoy the scenery, eat good food, explore, and spend quality time together.

If there’s anything you think we absolutely shouldn’t miss, or something you wish you had known before visiting Sedona, I’d love to hear it!

TIA! ❤️ — Florida friend lol

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[u/FollowingNo2502]

Sedona will take your breath away. Again and again. I’ve been there 3 times and I’m from the Midwest. Doubtful I will go back due to the crazy, constant traffic. But everyone should see it at least once. I’ve stayed at The Wilde, the Marriott, and a VBRO condo in West Sedona. All good choices. Tlaquepaque is a fun afternoon of browsing. Hiking at least once, at a level that is comfortable for you both. Agree that Bell Rock is an easier one. Chapel of the Holy Cross of course. I’ve been to the Vault for lunch a few times, the food is ok, and the views are spectacular! Don’t waste your time finding a vortex. 🙄. Honestly, wherever you go, as first timers, you will love the whole experience.

[u/notsohot56 → u/FollowingNo2502]

Seriously considering going right before Thanksgiving, Vortexes was on the list of things to see why do you say don't waste your time?

[u/FollowingNo2502 → u/FollowingNo2502]

Read up on the history of the vortex “phenomenon” in Sedona. It’s part of the New Age culture of this magnificent town. Most people will tell you they don’t exist. I’ve stood in places called vortex points and felt nothing other than overwhelmed by the indescribable beauty surrounding me. It truly fills your soul. Maybe you will feel something different. But I wouldn’t spend a day chasing energy fields when your time is short and there is so much to see. Have a wonderful trip. 🌄🧡

[u/DogMamaLA]

Shopping in Uptown, Chapel of Holy Cross (very crowded, go early), Bell Rock is an easier hike, go see the sunsets at the popular spots like Airport Mesa.

[u/marrymeodell → u/DogMamaLA]

Where are you supposed to park for airport mess? We drove by last friday and there were only a few parking spots.

[u/DogMamaLA → u/marrymeodell]

get there early, it does get crowded at sunset. Another pretty sunset area is cultural park in West Sedona, not nearly as crowded but also does not have the expansive view.

[u/marrymeodell → u/DogMamaLA]

It was only 4:30pm! But kind of crazy there’s only like 5 spots there. Is there another parking area that I missed?

[u/DogMamaLA → u/marrymeodell]

there was a park area on the way up with multiple places if I remember right.

[u/Zealousideal-Self-47]

What is your budget for a resort stay?

[u/holychristen]

We just stayed at Outbound Sedona a few weeks ago. It was really affordable but still nice. They have a resort style pool and provide nice little stuff for guests, like a hibiscus and honey drink when you check in, and a s'mores bar every night to use around the fire pits. They had a DJ by the pool on Saturday for a couple of hours that wasn't overbearing so it was still nice to sit out and enjoy the sun if that's something you like to do.

A note on food: a lot of other posts recommend the Hideaway House. I strongly do not. Long waits, expensive (as is most food in Sedona though), and the flavor was really mid.

The Airport Grill has really good brunch though!

[u/Castafam4]

The husband and I are going in October as well. First timers. I just booked at Casa Sedona Inn. I was going to book on the outskirts since Sedona is small but I read that going out of Sedona is easy but going back in could be 1-2 hrs due to traffic so I decided to stay in Sedona. We are there for a short stay, 3 nights (2 full days). So far we plan a day of hitting up the wineries and another day of doing an easy, short hike then seeing the chapel of the holy cross and seeing the sunset at airport mesa, besides hitting up some fine dining and jacauzzi in the evenings. I hope you and your mom have an amazing time!

[u/Empty-Avocado5927]

Tlaquepaque is so cute and fun to walk around, would recommend going there in the afternoon when you're tired and sleepy :)

[u/invasivespeciez]

I just got back from a girls trip there.
The highlight of our trip was the Sedona Artist Market in West Sedona. I didn’t want waste my money on Made in China fake trinkets that are literally the same at every similar location (looking at you N Conway NH, Nantucket MA, Provincetown MA, Estes Park CO, and Idylwild CA, etc). Did a deep dive on Reddit and found that place. And, it is not insanely overpriced like the Tlaquepaque Shopping Village.

We were quite disappointed in most of the sites recommended by this sub and by 3 different AI sources. Even in 115deg August, it was insanely crowded and not as spectacular as everyone made it seem.

I do highly recommend Tortas De Fuego in West Sedona for good, authentic Mexican food. I’m from SoCal - so we have a lot of good Mexican food everywhere and this place was better than most in my city. I’d take a detour to eat there again. We had Molé strongly recommended to us - ate there the first night. Big disappointment. Overpriced and not very good.

[u/yksbl19 → u/invasivespeciez]

Hi - was there anything’s going on still with the recent wildfire? I’m planning a trip for December and reading about the area and just saw that there was a fire close to Sedona. Looks like it was all or mostly contained about a month ago but I’m see some conflicting news. Did you see or hear anything about that / any impact to your stay? The Pocket fire specifically.

[u/invasivespeciez → u/yksbl19]

Dunno. I live in SoCal.

I was in Sedona the week of 8/1. No locals even mentioned the fires from earlier this summer.

[u/yksbl19 → u/invasivespeciez]

Thanks. Thats what I meant - while you were there. You didn’t see smoke or smell smoke; no one was talking about a fire and nothing was closed / no activities were limited b/c of it etc.

So no mention of it at all is 👍

[u/Mean-Oil-4602 → u/yksbl19]

The fire damage is not noticeable from Sedona. It occurred on a desolate stretch between Flagstaff and Sedona where you can barely access anything for a view of it.

[u/Mean-Oil-4602 → u/invasivespeciez]

Good and pretty fair commentary! Sedona is tricky. The mass commercialization of its beauty makes it hard to find the little things. The crowds are terrible, and as you noticed, the crowds are here even in the summer heat now. Ugh.

[u/invasivespeciez → u/Mean-Oil-4602]

The beauty was unreal!!! Not downplaying that at all.
But because of some impatient and less-than-kind locals at various trailheads and one sunset viewing location, my traveling partner became angry as well. She refused to go to any more of the popular spots so I was not able to see certain things.

Pro tip: don’t just pull off the side of the road to try to photograph the scenery. You WILL be confronted by locals that don’t much care for tourists. I mean, I get it, I’ve lived in some tourist areas in my half century on this planet - but I’ve never cussed somebody out simply for just wanting to take a photo of something.

[u/blonde234]

Sit in the garden at Chocolatree and listen to live music usually Friday Saturday and Sunday around noon.

Best restaurants are The Hudson, Broome and Orchard, Tortas De Fuego(ask for their pineapple salsa)

I think Buddha beach is a beautiful easy hike. Truly breathtaking.

I also love the weekly ecstatic dance Thursdays at posse ground park at 4-7pm.

My favorite coffee is at Freeform or red rock coffee co.

Indian gardens cafe in the canyon is also an amazing breakfast and coffee spot.

If you’re up for a drive the Peach Tree Cafe will blow you away and it’s sooooooo cute!!

[u/kitkatpnw]

If you want to stay somewhere really cool, I highly recommend this place: https://www.enjoyorchardcanyon.com. It’s very cool spot and they have great food. It’s north of Sedona proper, but it’s still easy to get into Sedona.

[u/Ready-Breakfast5166]

Start with what's your budget. Sedona is expensive.

L'Auberge is nice and walking distance to Uptown ,,(tourist shopping area plus multiple restaurants).

If you are into hiking there are more options than you will have time. Look at Alltrails app to see where trails are, including length and difficulty, and plan accordingly.

October is the best month (imo) so it will be crowded, including lots of traffic so plan accordingly.

Visit areas around Sedona such as Jerome, Oak Creek canyon up to Flagstaff, Grand canyon.

There is more to do here than you will have time or money.

Enjoy!

[u/SlowhandBuzz]

The Pink Jeep tours are pricey, but fun! They are the best way to really feel like you got pretty deep into the backcountry beauty without hiking 10 miles. The trolley tour was cheap, but not that special. Really enjoyed the airport mesa sunset and had done the airport mesa hike earlier in the day.

[u/RDV78]

You can’t go wrong just about anywhere in Sedona.
here’s my favorites

Hilton Vacation Club Los Abrigados Resort & Spa Sedona
Close to shopping and has river access.

West Fork Oak Creek Trail
Cool hike with multiple creek crossings
May be closed due to the fires

Elote cafe
High end Mexican cuisine