Here are the best places to take a date in Scottsdale. These options will have your sweetest swooning.
1. 360 Immersive Art Experience
Lighthouse Artspace has been transformed into an unforgettable art experience where the art of Vincent van Gogh comes to life around you. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is a dazzling new 360-degree exhibit featuring more than 2,000 larger-than-life digital projections of the 19th century artist’s works set to an exquisite score by Italian multimedia composer Luca Longobardi. An astounding 60,600 frames of videos, set in more than 500,000 cubic feet of projections, will allow viewers to experience “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers” and the artist’s myriad self-portraits like never before. 4301 N. Scottsdale Road, vangoghphx.com
2. Scottsdale’s Art Walk
Take a stroll at the Scottsdale’s Art Walk, held every Thursday from 7 to 9pm. The tour will lead you at your own pace through the downtown Scottsdale Art District for festive viewings of its galleries to the sounds of live music. East Main Street, scottsdalegalleries.com
3. Butterfly Wonderland
This breathtaking butterfly conservatory—the largest in the country —featuring butterflies from around the world. The rainforest conservatory allows guests to interact with the butterflies, and watch the life of a butterfly develop in front of you in the Butterfly emergence gallery. 9500 E. Via de Ventura, 480.800.3000, butterflywonderland.com
4. Jade Bar and Elements Restaurant
Located at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort, the patio at Jade Bar and Elements Restaurant boasts stunning views of Paradise Valley that can’t be beat. Food Network star chef Beau MacMillan has created a bold and whimsical menu of American cuisine with Asian elements. His culinary delights—paired with watching the sunset—add up to one stellar outdoor dining experience. 5700 E. McDonald Drive, 855.421.3522, sanctuaryoncamelback.com
5. LON’S at The Hermosa Inn
Spend the morning basking in a garden of lush, brightly colored florals and voluminous bougainvillea amid the sounds of trickling fountains as you enjoy the seasonal fare at LON’S at The Hermosa Inn. Brunch lovers return time and time again for lobster quiche, huevos rancheros, fresh-baked monkey bread, vanilla French toast and more. 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley, 602.955.8614, hermosainn.com/dining/lons
6. Crumbl Cookies
Seeing is believing at Crumbl Cookies where the cookie crew bakes and prepares their creations in an open-kitchen environment in front of customers. While their famed “world’s best chocolate chip cookies'' and chilled sugar cookies are always on the menu, Crumbl features four other weekly rotating specialty flavors. 7300 N. Vía Paseo Del Sur, Ste. 106, crumblcookies.com
7. Sugar Bowl
Feel the local pride at this bubblegum pink restaurant and ice cream parlor that first opened on New Year’s Eve in 1958. Considering how much has changed in Old Town Scottsdale over the years, the Sugar Bowl hasn’t. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time with heart-shaped tables, pink booths and an original soda fountain. Enjoy a yummy banana split or a scoop of one of its classic favorites like creamy vanilla, butter pecan or rocky road. 4005 N. Scottsdale Road, 480.946.0051, sugarbowlscottsdale.com
Photography by: BY MICHAEL BROSILOW
