I'm going to Arizona in April

[TZ]

Scottsdale, to see my Mayo Clinic doctor specifically. But I've never been to that part of the country before (the only place West of the Mississippi I've been is Colorado).
Since I've never been there before, I'm taking some time for sightseeing...I'm a big nature/wildlife lover specifically so any nearby places to go birding or just to enjoy the view the desert would be appreciated...
But any advice on what I should see/do/where to eat would be appreciated....TIA :)

[Kali]

1. first of all we are totally car culture out here

there is improving public trans in the Phx metro area but I would highly recommend a vehicle rental. Mayo is in north Scottsdale if I recall, are you staying nearby? That is generally a rich folks town but there are middle class enclaves and the nearby cities of Mesa, Tempe, and the majority of Phoenix itself are a little more reasonable.

I would recommend posting in the AZ forum (and there are a couple of posts already covering some of this) and as well check out a travel forum like the Lonely Planet Thorntree http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=26 .

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum east of the area is good - vultures return in April - ha!, in town there are lots of parks and trails. Papago park is an old fave and both the phoenix zoo and the botanical gardens are right in the neighborhood How long are you around and how far are you willing to travel?

Tempe Town lake has kayak and canoe rentals, probably bikes too.

Check out the online version of the alt weekly, The New Times http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/

April is one of the absolute best times of year for the area!

[TZ]

3. Oh definitely renting a car!

Want to drive around a bit and see stuff...
I'm probably going to be there from Sunday April 4th to Thursday Morning. As for driving around, I'm not keen on going too far out of town....
Edit: I've found some reasonably priced air/hotel/car packages so I'm eyeing a nice resort hotel in Scottsdale to stay at. I wanna catch some rays after this harsh winter....:)

[GoCubsGo]

9. I second Papago Park

The zoo is fun, but the Desert Botanical Garden is even better.

Lake Pleasant is fairly close to where you will be, and it's beautiful: http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/lake_pleasant/ .

If you are into archaeology at all, you might enjoy the Deer Valley Rock Art Center's petroglyphs: http://dvrac.asu.edu/

Pueblo Grande is also interesting: http://www.phoenix.gov/parks/pueblo.html
You will might pass right by it, as it's between the airport and Scottsdale.

I love the Heard Museum. There is a branch of it over in North Scottsdale. http://www.heard.org/

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. If you can stand a 3-4 hour drive, check out the Grand Canyon.

It's well worth it.

[TZ]

4. Not sure I really want to do that by myself though

I have to see my doc once a year so maybe next visit...

[Kali]

5. still pretty cold up there in April, though

and that is 4 hours one way

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. Yeah, I was there in March....

...and there was snow on the ground in places. Actually, it was the weirdest thing....my friend (who worked in the park) was driving me to the park and about 5 miles to the gate it starts to snow like crazy. Then I kid you not, the moment we reach the gate, it stopped automatically--it didn't taper off, but it just stopped. Like a light switch. Damndest thing.

[cloudbase]

6. Visit Taliesin West.

It's the Frank Lloyd Wright compound in Scottsdale. A lovely spot and some really neat stuff to see.

[hunter]

7. It's about a hundred miles to Tucson

You could stop at the Arizona-Sonora desert museum and lots of other places along the way.

http://www.desertmuseum.org

Honestly though, I can wander around in the Southwestern deserts anywhere and have a wonderful time. Anyplace without people is going to have some fascinating biology and geology. I think the freedom to walk in the desert is one of the things that attracts me to it. I grew up in the California chaparral which is pretty much impenetrable without a path except when there's been a big fire.

[Initech]

10. I'm heading to Arizona next week.

I have a relative who lives in Cave Creek - if you want nature / desert scenes that's a great area to check out.

[azmouse]

11. Check out the Superstition Mountains.

:) You can search for the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine while you're there!

It's scenery like this that makes me glad to live in AZ.