With 22 national parks and monuments to its name, Arizona boasts some of the most astonishing landscapes in the country, from the Grand Canyon to the towering buttes of Monument Valley and the undulating rock formations of the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.
Travel + Leisure recently compiled a list of the 20 most beautiful places to visit in Arizona, a list that includes national parks, technological wonders and one very unusual restaurant. It’s 210 feet below ground — and it’s closed, at least temporarily.
The Crystal Restaurant is part of Grand Canyon Caverns on Historic Route 66 near Seligman. According to Travel + Leisure, you can tour the caverns, then have lunch in the largest chamber of the ancient cave system. (TripAdvisor reviews say, well, not right now, so don’t rush.)
You’ll find many familiar — and spectacular — sights on the list, from Havasu Falls to Horseshoe Bend. But also the University of Arizona’s environmental research project, Biosphere 2, and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s mixed-media mirror room at the Phoenix Art Museum called “You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies.”
Here’s a peek at 10 of the destinations on the Travel+Leisure list. Find the full story, including details and photos, at www.travelandleisure.com.
10 Beautiful Places to Visit in Arizona
1 Grand Canyon National Park
2 Petrified Forest National Park
3 Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
4 Chapel of the Holy Cross, Coconino National Forest
5 Yayoi Kusama’s Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room, Phoenix Art Museum
6 The Wave or Coyote Buttes North, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
7 Havasu Falls
8 Wupatki National Monument
9 Grand Canyon Caverns and Grotto
10 Biosphere 2