Around the Valley

Phoenix stories & local guides

Local guides, best-of lists, and the places that make Greater Phoenix worth bragging about. Looking for our business spotlights? They live in Features.

Buyer helpHome services

How to Choose a Pest Control Company in Phoenix (Start With the Scorpions)

Every pest control company in the Valley will quote you a monthly perimeter spray. The one worth hiring will talk to you about door sweeps and weep holes first. Here's the license to check, the scorpion question that separates the pros from the sprayers, and what a fair contract actually says.

September 16, 20266 min read

Things to doHiking

Hiking Piestewa Peak: The Local's Guide to Phoenix's Other Big Summit

Piestewa Peak is the summit Phoenix actually hikes on a weekday morning — steeper per step than it looks, easier to park at than Camelback, and open late enough for a night climb. Here's the Summit Trail, the Freedom Trail, the heat closures, and the dog rule that catches everyone.

August 27, 20267 min read

Buyer helpMoving to Phoenix

Moving to Phoenix: What to Know Before Your First Year (A Local's Honest Guide)

Most guides to moving to Phoenix are written by people selling you a house. This one is written by people who write about the businesses you'll actually end up calling — and it starts with the thing that reorganizes everything: the calendar here runs backwards.

August 23, 20268 min read

Things to doOutdoors

South Mountain Park: A Local's Guide to Dobbins Lookout, Fat Man's Pass, and the Best Trails

South Mountain Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the country and the only place in Phoenix where you can drive to a mountaintop skyline view. Here's which trails are worth your morning, where the petroglyphs are, and the heat rules that keep the outing fun.

August 21, 20266 min read

Things to doOutdoors

Papago Park: A Local's Guide to Phoenix's Red Buttes, Hole-in-the-Rock, and Hunt's Tomb

Papago Park is the easiest great outing in Phoenix — red sandstone buttes, a five-minute walk to the best free sunset seat in the city, a governor buried under a white pyramid, and the strangest WWII story in Arizona. Here's how a local plays it, and when to go.

August 17, 20266 min read

Buyer helpHome services

Phoenix Monsoon Season: What to Expect and How to Prep Your Home

A practical local's guide to Phoenix monsoon season — what actually happens between June 15 and September 30, how to drive through a dust storm, why the flash flooding kills people who never saw rain, and the short home-prep list that saves you a repair bill.

August 16, 20266 min read

Things to doNeighborhood guide

Things to Do in Phoenix This Summer (A Heat-Smart Local's Guide)

The heat-smart way to find things to do in Phoenix this summer — dawn hikes, air-conditioned museums for the brutal midday hours, cool water on the Salt River, and evenings when the desert finally lets you back outside. A local's playbook for July and August.

July 26, 20267 min read

Things to doNeighborhood guide

Visiting the Desert Botanical Garden: A Local's Guide (Phoenix)

A local's guide to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix — what the permanent desert trails actually hold, how to beat the heat, the spring wildflowers, seasonal butterfly exhibit, and the holiday luminaria evenings worth planning around, plus practical tips for your visit.

July 25, 20267 min read

Buyer helpHome services

How to Choose an HVAC Company in Phoenix (Before Your AC Dies in July)

How to choose an HVAC company in Phoenix without getting oversold — the license and refrigerant certification to confirm, why a real load calculation matters more than the price, how to tell a repair from a replacement, the maintenance that buys you years, and the red flags that should end the conversation.

July 24, 20267 min read

Things to doHiking

Hiking Camelback Mountain: A Local's Guide to Phoenix's Toughest Trail

Everything you need to know before hiking Camelback Mountain in Phoenix — Echo Canyon vs. Cholla, the real difficulty, the summer heat closures that can save your life, where to park, and when to go. The Valley's most iconic summit, done right.

July 22, 20267 min read

Buyer helpHome services

How to Vet a Home Service Pro in Arizona (Before You Sign Anything)

How to vet a home service pro in Arizona so you don't get burned — the free contractor-license lookup almost nobody uses, the insurance you must confirm, why our heat and monsoon season breed storm-chasers, the deposit rule that protects you, and the red flags that should end the conversation.

July 21, 20266 min read

Things to doMoving to PhoenixData

Phoenix's Fastest-Growing Cities in 2026 (Ranked, With the Real Numbers)

The fastest-growing cities in the Phoenix area, ranked by the latest U.S. Census Bureau data — Queen Creek, Buckeye, Maricopa, Goodyear, and Surprise, with exact population figures, growth rates, why the Valley is booming, and the one thing every buyer should check before moving to the edge of the desert.

July 21, 20269 min read

Buyer helpFitness

How to Choose a Personal Trainer in Phoenix (What to Look For)

How to choose a personal trainer in Phoenix without wasting money — the certifications that actually mean something, how to match a trainer to your real goal, why our heat changes how and when you train, the questions to ask, and the red flags that should end the conversation.

July 20, 20266 min read

Buyer helpHome services

Signs Your Garage Door Needs Service, Not Replacement (A Phoenix Guide)

How to tell when your garage door needs a repair versus a full replacement in Phoenix — the noises, sagging, and slow openers that signal a fix, the simple balance and safety tests you can do yourself, why our heat and dust wear a door out faster, and the safety line you should never cross.

July 15, 20266 min read

Buyer helpMed spa

The 60-Second License Check Before Any Phoenix Med Spa Touches Your Face

Arizona publishes the license of every person legally allowed to inject you, and the lookup is free. Almost nobody checks it. Here's the 60-second search, the questions that make a Phoenix med spa squirm, and the discount that should end the conversation.

July 14, 20266 min read

Things to doNeighborhood guide

A Local's Guide to Arcadia (Phoenix's Greenest Neighborhood)

A local's guide to Arcadia — the lush, citrus-grove neighborhood at the foot of Camelback Mountain, with its flood-irrigated lawns, the Arizona Canal path to Arizona Falls, the Camelback trailheads, and the 40th Street food scene, plus how to enjoy it around the heat.

July 13, 20266 min read

Things to doDate night

Date Night Ideas in Phoenix (A Local's Guide to a Great Evening)

The best date night ideas in Phoenix — a dinner-and-stroll evening in Old Town Scottsdale, a desert sunset for two, a garden walk at night, First Fridays on Roosevelt Row, and a lap around Tempe Town Lake, plus how to time it all around the heat.

July 12, 20267 min read

Things to doFree

Free Things to Do in Phoenix (That Are Actually Worth It)

The best free things to do in Phoenix — famous desert hikes, the First Fridays art walk on Roosevelt Row, canal-side walks and Arizona Falls, drive-up sunset overlooks, and pay-what-you-wish museum hours — plus how to enjoy them without melting.

July 11, 20266 min read

Things to doOutdoors

Where to Watch the Sunset in Phoenix (The Valley's Best Spots)

Where to watch the sunset in Phoenix — from Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park and Dobbins Lookout on South Mountain to Tempe Town Lake and the Desert Botanical Garden, plus how to time it and stay safe in the heat.

July 10, 20266 min read

Buyer helpHome services

How to Choose a Roofer in Phoenix (Questions to Ask First)

How to choose a roofer in Phoenix without getting burned — how to check an Arizona contractor's license, what our heat and monsoon season do to a roof, the tile-shingle-foam differences that matter here, and the questions to ask before you sign.

July 9, 20266 min read

Things to doDowntown Phoenix

Roosevelt Row & First Fridays: A Guide to Phoenix's Art Walk

A first-timer's guide to First Fridays on Roosevelt Row — what Phoenix's monthly art walk actually is, the murals and galleries of downtown's arts district, where to park, and how to time it so the heat doesn't win.

July 8, 20266 min read

Things to doScottsdale

A Perfect Day in Old Town Scottsdale (A Local's Itinerary)

How to spend a perfect day in Old Town Scottsdale — the walkable Arts District and galleries, the Museum of the West, the Waterfront and Soleri Bridge, a stop at the iconic Sugar Bowl, and where to land for dinner.

July 7, 20267 min read

Things to doDay trips

Best Day Trips from Phoenix (Escape the Heat in Under 2 Hours)

The best day trips from Phoenix — Sedona's red rocks, cool mountain towns like Prescott and Jerome, and the Salt River lakes — most under two hours away, plus when to go and what to know before you drive.

July 6, 20267 min read

Things to doHiking

Best Easy Hikes in Phoenix (with Shade & Timing Tips)

The best easy hikes in Phoenix for beginners, families, and hot mornings — short, well-marked desert trails from Papago Park to South Mountain, plus how to time them so the heat doesn't win.

July 5, 20266 min read

Things to doSummerCoffee

11 Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix When It's Too Hot Outside

When Phoenix hits triple digits, the Valley's best air-conditioned escapes — museums, aquariums, indoor entertainment, and great coffee. 11 indoor things to do to beat the heat, with a link to each.

June 21, 20266 min read