For the past few days I have been examining the options Super Bowl fans have in Phoenix as they prepare for the NFL’s biggest game of the season. In previous blog I covered everything from dining options to party places and everything in between. There is no doubt that in a few days Phoenix will be (at least temporarily) the hippest, hottest place in the nation. The super big Super Bowl crowds will likely displace the many snowbirds that flock to Arizona each winter, but I’m sure city and state leaders could careless.
In the place of the repeat visitors that travel to Arizona for the dry weather and 200-plus manicured golf courses each winter an influx of big spending Northeasterners will be converging on the state over the next 10 days. And those big spenders will have to dig deep if they want to survive the countdown to the Super Bowl. According to local newspapers, in less than a week the prices for airline tickets from Boston and New York to the Phoenix area have quadrupled. In the meantime rental car prices in the area have more than tripled. And some suburban Phoenix hotels are now charging as much as six times a typical weeknight rate. One local hotel that normally charges $69 per night has raised its rates for the same rooms to $599 per night during Super Bowl week.
If you are dropping that kind of dough for your trip you might as well take advantage of all the area has to offer. Arizona is vehicle friendly and it doesn’t take long to drive to nightclubs in Scottsdale or Arizona State University hangouts in Tempe. Visitors are also being encouraged to sample some the regional enclaves that spotlight the history of the Old West and American Indian culture.
If you are into the art scene don’t miss the chance to stroll through the high-end galleries in metro Phoenix. And if you are in the Scottsdale area the day before the big game consider heading over to the Scottsdale Super ArtWalk, which takes place on February 2nd and features a host of exhibits, swanky displays and live entertainment by local musicians.
Closer to the stadium is the Phoenix Art Museum, which is home to more than 60 paintings, sculptures, etchings and watercolors in a new exhibit on 19th century French artists dubbed, “Masterpiece Replayed: Monet, Matisse and More.”
And sports fans take note–football won’t be the only sport sweeping the Sonoran desert next week. The FBR Open, touted by some as one of the most popular PGA Tour events, will take place from January 31st-February 3rd in Scottsdale. Admission prices start at $25. F.Y.I. The tournament winner is scheduled to be crowned by 4 p.m., 20 minutes before Super Bowl kickoff.
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