My husband lived a good part of his childhood and adult life in the Phoenix area and we've visited a number of times, but unfortunately not recently.

Our recommendations would be to drive up to Flagstaff (start early in the morning) and drive down to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon... breathtakingly beautiful drive. Sedona itself is VERY touristy, but it is beautiful. From Sedona it is easy to head to Jerome which is a ghost town now inhabited by hippies. You'll probably see a few tourists, but mostly the residents.

This may be more driving than you want to do, but well worth the trip.

Chris in Pearland, TX