sgtpreston Loc: El Paso, Texas

louparker Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

If you like Butterflies, instead of Butterfly Wonderland, which is expensive, go to the Desert Botanical Garden (DBG), which has a free Butterfly Pavilion (included in admission to the DBG), and it's open until mid-May. Also the this time of year the DBG has a lot of cactus in bloom, which even if you don't like cactus, you should like the beautiful blossoms -- the DBG would be my 1st choice of places to visit in Scottsdale (it's actually in Phoenix, but just a half mile from the south Scottsdale city limits. I also 2nd the vote for Roaring Fork -- it's our favorite place for dinner and they have a great Happy Hour for inexpensive eats and drinks. 2nd choice for Happy Hour is Thirsty Lion at Scottsdale Fashion Square, which itself is a great place to visit, stroll around and shop, of course. In downtown Scottsdale, Old Town, the Mission, 5th Avenue shops and the Waterfront are great places to visit and take pictures without have to drive out of town -- the Waterfront also has some great restaurants with great patios for dining al fresco and Happy Hour, like Barrio Queen (great Mexico City style Mexican food--not like the usual Tex-Mex or California gringo Mexican Food), Tapas Papas Frita (no Happy Hour, but great Tapas for a variety of Spanish specialties), and Olive & Ivy. Actually, the very best place for dining al fresco with the very best patio is AZ 88, which is in the Scottsdale Civic Plaza park -- again no Happy Hour, but lots of great appetizers and rather eclectic dishes for reasonable prices, and if you are into Martinis, theirs are the best in Scottsdale with all kinds (just be aware that they're doubles, so go easy if you're driving), and their Burger au Poive II is burger to die for, along with the Big Ass Burger at Roaring Fork, which costs only $10 during Happy Hour and is definitely shareable it's so big and aptly named. If you do want to take a half-hour drive, run out to Carefree, which borders North Scottsdale's city limits and has several great restaurants. Another thing is that there are rental bikes all over Scottsdale (Lime and OFO), which you can rent for $1/hour with a credit card -- wherever you see one, you just climb on and go -- it's a great way to tool around Old Town and the Waterfront.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Eating: Chompies deli, corner of Shea and 92nd street, Same location Sushiko, a Japanese restaurant, great lunch specials. Drive out to Fountain Hills for extensive views.

louparker Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

For a couple if photo op places within a short drive from Scottsdale, there's the old mining town of Jerome on Hwy. 89A and Montezuma's Castle near Camp Verde, which is a well-preserved Indian Cliff Dwelling -- both well worth the drive.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

Stillman railroad park.

Libbypics

Very near Scottsdale, on the Phoenix border, are the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo. They are virtually next to each other. Great photo ops both places.

Georgeski

We have lived in Scottsdale and Phoenix for years--"Old Town" and the civic center in the heart of Scottsdale are fun to visit and you can pick up a map of the area --there are some moderate hiking activities in the area- like Camelback Mountain, etc. the tourist folks in old town can help you with those--just driving around Scottsdale is fun--also, heading up north on Scottsdale Road will take you up to Cave Creek, a picturesque "western town" --also worth seeing within easy driving distance --restaurants abound in the area, (we like Los Olivos near old town for good Mexican food) depending on your tastes and budget --hope this helps!!

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

Oak Creek canyon is west of Scottsdale on 89A. When we would visit relatives in Indiana and Ohio the family would take 89A instead of 66 (now 10) to avoid the low desert in Phoenix.

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

the McDowell mtn preserve right in Scottsdale (Thompson Peak Pkwy and Bell rd.. offers multiple hiking trails and photo ops..

hisoy

Great place and you have had a lot of very good suggestions. We go every year for a month. Sedona might be worth a day trip but plan on near 4 hours driving round trip. Grand Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are only possible with an overnight. One think you don't hear about Horseshoe Bend is that those photos were taken with an extreme wide angle and hanging over a cliff with a 1000 foot drop.

My favorites within the local area are
Desert Botanical Garden
Musical Instrument Museum ( pictures are ok)
McDowell Mountain Nature Area (NE Scottsdale and lots of trails - some with views of downtown)
Pinnacle Peak Park (Google it)
Fountain Hills has some great views of high end residential areas from height
View from South Mountain at sunset or sunrise
Tempe Camera

Enjoy

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

South Mountain park. The largest municipal park in the country or world I believe.

Kehamm

This my first time here but since we just came back from Apache Junction I thought I would put in my two cents. I would recommend the Apache Trail from Apache Junction to Roosevelt Lake. We also went to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. There is some good photo ops there. If you have time there are boat cruises on Canyon Lake and Saguaro Lake. We saw bighorn sheep on these.

Kuzano

Lots of Frank Lloyd Wright influence and development in the area. His Winter campus is in the desert near Scottsdale. Taliesin West.

http://franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west/

A photography tour just happened today.

chefdz Loc: Az

I have lived in the Phx area for 42 years. I now live in Prescott. With all the great ideas you may want to pick up and extra memory chip or two. The desert is just now starting to bloom. We had a VERY dry winter so may not be as grand as it could be. Sedona is a great place to shoot. I live about 1 hour from there and never go without my camera. Enjoy your trip and my great state.
Chefdz

Cooknguy

Musical instruments museum...indoors, air cond., great photo ops...is a must.
Enjoy