While we most prefer to spend an evening cooking our own fun meal and making delicious cocktails, here are a few places we enjoy when we go out on the town!

Six Byrd Cider - the hippest taproom around

The Henry - our first dinner date spot! We highly recommend the brussel sprouts as an appetizer.

Blanco - Great Mexican food! We recommend the pork chile verde enchiladas and heading to the downtown location.

Carolina's Mexican Food - que bueno!!! casual and authentic spot for casual grab and go Mexican food

Hula's Tiki Bar - A unique Hawaiian experience

The Perfect Pear Bistro - A modern South West hip and trendy Bistro with a fun distillery next door called AZ Distilling

The Parlor - delicious pizza

Churn - the best ice cream spot around

AJ's Fine Foods - Head to their patisserie counter and choose a fun iced tea flavor! We have their fancy tumblrs and love filling them up for $1 after Sunday mass as a fun treat.

Our hotel recommendation is located right next to our favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's; it would be a great stop for fun snacks and treats.

Eric and I love to explore the mountains near Phoenix - here are a few of our favorite trails.

Sunrise Peak

Young Man Trail

Fat Man's Pass via Mormon Trail

If you are up for a challenge - Flat Iron is Erin's favorite!

Other places - the trails around Piestewa Peak are great to traipse around, and we recommend any hike in the McDowell mountains or in South mountain!

It will potentially be hot, so be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat! It's also best to hit the trails early in the day to beat the heat.

Seedhouse - conveniently located by St. Thomas, we love coming here for coffee before mass on Sundays! (Also - the best first date coffee spot in town!)

Berdena's in Old Town Scottsdale- a delicious coffee shop in a fun and hip area

Common Grounds - If you take a day trip to Payson, this is our favorite place to stop for caffeine!

We love exploring AZ on day trips - packing a lunch, going on a hike, and maybe stopping at a winery or for dinner in a small town. Here are some great places to go!

Horton Springs near Payson, AZ - One of the first hikes we did together! There is a beautiful waterfall at the end with potable water!

Flagstaff, AZ - a cute college town to walk around with tons of wonderful hiking options nearby! We most recently hiked around Mars Hill during a day trip.

If you are looking for a trip to a vineyard, we recommend Deep Sky in Sonoita, AZ or Page Springs outside of Sedona, AZ.