100 FUN & GAMES SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 e e e B E S T WA Y T O S E E P H O E N I X F R O M T H E G R O U N D VALLEY METRO RAIL VALLEYMETRO.ORG Do us a favor: Grab $4 and head to your nearest stop on the Valley Metro Rail. Sure, you’ve probably taken the train to work, concerts or sporting events by now, but just hop on the dang train for a couple hours. What you’ll inevitably notice on your journey is that you’re experiencing huge swaths of Phoenix. You can watch central Phoenix become Tempe. Or you can check out the newer tendrils of the system in south and west Phoenix. Heck, you could even just enjoy the hum of the train and engage in a little people-watching. Either way, you’ll get a unique snapshot of this city’s robust history as a living cultural artifact. For those of us who spend most of our transportation time behind the wheel of a car, there’s something relaxing about getting to look at what we usually just drive by. Lots of cities have light rails, but the one connecting Phoenix is a particularly charming way to see the town. e e e B E S T WA Y T O S E E P H O E N I X F R O M T H E A I R RAINBOW RYDERS 7934 N. GLEN HARBOR BLVD., GLENDALE 480-299-0154 RAINBOWRYDERS.COM/LOCATIONS/PHOENIX There are lots of ways to explore and appre- ciate the desert, but if you really want to take your experience from cool to awe-inspiring, Rainbow Ryders offers pristine views in the basket of a hot air balloon. The company has heaps of awards and certificates for safety, and that’s the sort of thing you want to know when you’re in a wicker box a few hundred feet in the air. The cityscape and desert plains unfurl in front of you, blurring them in a way that captures what makes Phoenix such a compelling place to live. A little eleva- tion can alter your perspective and make even the longest-tenured desert rat view the city anew. Admittedly, 100-degree temps in a hot air balloon are intense, but you’ll forget about the perspiration when you take in Phoenix with a newfound sense of wonder. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O L E A R N T O F L Y CAE PHOENIX 1950 E. BUCKEYE ROAD 602-601-3183 CAE.COM The Phoenix area hosts 40-something avia- tion schools. It’s a number that makes sense. Our number of annual sunny days is tailor- made for regular flights and flight training. While all of the schools will keep you up in the air, CAE Phoenix deserves a special nod. Originally a subsidiary of Sabena (founded in the ’50s by the Belgian government to train pilots), CAE has been churning out pilots since the early ’90s. Their simulator-based training programs mean that you can pilot such planes as Boeing 737NG and the Embraer E170/175, gaining real-world expe- rience (and at a decidedly lower risk of crashing a multi-million-dollar aircraft). It’s not just about an industry-leading reputation for safety and a sustained penchant for inno- vation, but a love for how flying alters your perceptions and life prospects. Plus, you can now fly friends and family to Vegas on the weekends. e e e B E S T A I R P L A N E M U S E U M ARIZONA COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE MUSEUM 2017 N. GREENFIELD ROAD, MESA 480-924-1940 AZCAF.ORG Thanks to Luke Air Force Base, the Valley has become something of a military hub. There are solid reasons for that — the value of all that wide open space, perhaps — but the point is that we maintain access to the military culture. That includes the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa. You can come for the likes of the C-47 and SNJ/AT-6 aircraft and stay for educational content spanning 100 years of aviation and its role in shaping huge chunks of the Valley. And if you really want to feel the history, you can pay for a ride on several planes, including the B-17G Flying Fortress. That’s not just material for your next #humblebrag post, but an effective way to drive home why the military calls the Valley home. Seriously, you can hop into something that’s run actual combat missions, so isn’t an extra $600 worth the trip? e e e B E S T H E L I C O P T E R R I D E S WESTERN SKY HELICOPTERS 7305 E. GREENWAY ROAD, SCOTTSDALE 480-416-6415 WESTERNSKYHELICOPTERS.COM We think the Valley is beautiful all the time, but for a particularly gorgeous view of our home, we recommend seeing it by helicopter. Western Sky Helicopters will show you the world from the cabin of a Robinson R66 aircraft. The family-owned and -operated business runs tours and specialty flights mostly around metro Phoenix and the surrounding desert. You can opt for a sunrise or sunset tour, or jaunts to Sedona or the Superstition Mountains and surrounding lakes. We admit, we were a little nervous the first time we went up in a helicopter, but Western Sky pilots are experienced, profes- sional and friendly, and all our worries disap- peared the moment after liftoff. In addition to Western Sky’s standard flights, the team runs Castle Hot Springs guests up to the resort and offers mountaintop picnic flights for an ultra-romantic experience. e e e B E S T R O O F T O P P O O L SKYSILL AT THE WESTIN TEMPE 11 E. SEVENTH ST., TEMPE 480-968-8885 SKYSILLROOFTOP.COM High atop The Westin in Tempe, Skysill offers some of the best views in town. It’s the highest public rooftop in the Valley, and nestled next to the bar and lounge areas, a rectangular pool sparkles in the sunshine. The pool is open to hotel guests as well as locals who book a day pass. Loungers and cabanas line the edge, overlooking vistas in every direction. The Westin’s placement just off Mill Avenue, means the immediate views are of the sparkling Tempe Town Lake, Tempe Butte and Sky Harbor International Airport. Grab a cocktail and relax in the cool water as you watch planes take off and land among orange sunset skies. e e e B E S T B O U T I Q U E H O T E L RISE UPTOWN HOTEL 400 W. CAMELBACK ROAD 480-536-8900 RISEUPTOWNHOTEL.COM Had you driven past the two main buildings of this hip, retro-leaning property in the 1960s, you would’ve seen a parking lot full of tailfins and three stories of office rentals. Today, the rooms still take you back to that era: polished concrete floors, record players, mod vibes with light wood furniture and bright midcentury wallpaper. But do get out of your room, please. Waiting atop the west building is Don Woods’ Say When, a chill rooftop gathering spot and bar with small plates, reasonably priced beers and a solid cocktail menu; in the lap of the east building is the Lylo Swim Club, a jungly space that feels at once approachable and sexy-sceney. You’re very much in town here — walking distance to the on-property coffee shop Cartel and to the adjacent Toasted Owl Cafe, Changing Hands Bookstore and Tesota, a world-fusion concept by chef Doug Robson. Small touches (fire pits by poolside rooms, free boozy ice pops at check-in) give it all a sense of purpose and place. You’ll know for sure you’re visiting Phoenix. You just might get confused, pleasantly, as to exactly which decade you’re in. e e e B E S T H O T E L R O O M S W I T H E N S U I T E H O T T U B S SCOTTSDALE PARKVIEW RESORT 7707 E. MCDOWELL ROAD, SCOTTSDALE 480-941-1202 SCOTTSDALEPARKVIEW.COM Sharing a hotel hot tub with strangers is like making small talk in a sauna — sweaty and a little too intimate. And what is that rash on that dude’s back? Skip the (contagious?!) dermatological mysteries and awkward conversations and have a hot tub all to your-
