Attractions

Mac Donald's Ranch

Occupying 1,300 acres saguaro-studded Sonoran desert, Mac Donald's Ranch provides horseback rides and cookouts.  Mac Donald's is a major sponsor of our annual fund raiser for the Scenic Drive.  To learn more click here.  To learn about the history of MacDonald's Ranch visit MacDonald's Farm by Don Schoenau.

The Bouldersboulders.jpg

The Boulders has been ranked as the premiere resort in the nation by readers of Andrew Harper's Hideway Report ... "a connoisseur's guide to peaceful and unspoiled places." Also a repeated winner of Golf Magazine's Gold Award as one of the nations top golf resorts.

The Boulders features two 18-hole championship golf courses built right into the desert. Other attractions at the private country club are the tennis garden and the Sonoran Spa ... which offers signature body treatments, a cardiovascular and weight room, aerobics classes and a variety of nature hikes. Just a short stroll from the resort is el Pedregal.

The Heard Museum Northheardbro.jpg

For more than 65 years, visitors from around the world have made it a point to visit the Heard Museum in Phoenix to view its world-class collection of Native American art. The Heard Museum is one of the best places to experience the fascinating cultures and art of Native Americans and the Southwest. The Heard's seven exhibit galleries feature outstanding traditional and contemporary Native American art. Click here to visit the Heard Museum's Web site.

The recently opened Heard Museum North is located at el Pedregal Festival Market place on Scottsdale Road and Carefree Highway and has one exhibit gallery and a museum shop. The gallery features changing exhibitions by Native American artists. Like the shop at the Heard Museum's main facility, the Museum Shop at Heard Museum North includes an exceptional selection of authentic fine and craft art, purchased directly from Native American artists.

Carefree/Cave Creek

These desert communities are located at the northern end of the drive immediately south of the Tonto National Forest.

cavecr.jpgCarefree, a planned community, was founded in 1956. It is one of Arizona's earliest planned communities. Today, it offers a mixture of residential, resort and recreational development. Visitors usually remember Carefree's unique street names such as Ho and Hum Roads and Easy Street. The first bank in town was built on Wampum Way. Carefree's K.T. Palmer Sundial is the largest sundial in the Western Hemisphere.

Cave Creek dates back to 1873 when it when prospectors first flooded into the area. Cave Creek maintains a strong western flavor. It's not difficult to visualize the days when the Butterfield Stage passed through.