It’s no secret that Arizona is home to some beautiful and unique landscapes. When you think about it, each of those mountains, canyons, rivers, and other features have hundreds of years of stories connected to them. These range from everything from creation stories and time immemorial to some crazy events that might have happened just last week. Some have gone as far as serving as the settings for movies, or as inspiration for stories. Here are our picks for some of the best fairy tale places in Arizona that you can visit:
- Copenhaver Castle
AndreaIsAndrea/Flickr
It’s difficult finding a usable photo of this place, which is why we included this clip from “This Old House.” But despite the potato-quality look of the video, it does show that both the exterior and interior of this large castle have a luxurious, medieval feel that shows even Phoenix could be the setting for a fairy tale, especially since it sits right along Camelback Mountain.
- Japanese Friendship Garden
Ben Cane/Flickr
Ben Cane/Flickr Lush and peaceful, this place could be a great location for any fairy tale that requires such a setting.
Address: 1125 North 3rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, 85003
- The Painted Desert
Tony Hisgett/Flickr Colorful, wild, and barren to the untrained eye, the Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park would make an incredible setting for any fantasy novel or movie since it looks like it could easily be from another world.
- Tovrea Castle
Aaron Fellmeth Photography/Flickr A picturesque castle sitting on top of a hill in the middle of a city. What else could you ask for in a fairy tale?
Address: 5025 East Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 85008
- The San Francisco Peaks
Michael Wilson/Flickr
Michael Wilson/Flickr Tell us this doesn’t look like a place where you would find a Disney princess singing with some birds. Really, any area around the Peaks is stunning and has a certain romantic look to it.
- Fossil Creek
Jason Corneveaux/Flickr
Kevin Muncie/Flickr Whoa, is this even Arizona? Yes, it is, and these photos just show a smidgeon of how beautiful and naturally lush our state can be. What kind of storybook tale can you see taking place here?
- Oak Creek Canyon
Alan English CPA/Flickr
Alan English CPA/Flickr Another Arizona location that has a classic fairy tale setting, Oak Creek Canyon has the perfect water, greenery, and overall beautiful atmosphere to be the perfect setting for any story.
- Monument Valley
Scott Taylor/Flickr Everyone recognizes this image as the iconic setting for many, many westerns and plenty of other movies. However, it’s a large area, and plenty of other spots throughout look just as stunning for a fantasy world.
- Chiricahua National Monument
Alan English CPA/Flickr
Jasperdo/Flickr The collection of hoodoos (tall rock columns) here are enough to look like the start of an adventure in some faraway land, but it’s right here in the Copper State.
- Or, how about anywhere in the state during spring?
Ozan Hatipoglu/Flickr
tomas carrillo/Flickr The wildflowers are in bloom, the animals are out, and Arizona looks alive weeks (sometimes even months) before plenty of other areas in the U.S. What better location for a fantasy tale than a place that is alive and warm while other areas are still frozen?
Are you craving more incredible Arizona places to feast your eyes upon? Check this article out for 12 amazing places you need to add to your bucket list ASAP.
AndreaIsAndrea/Flickr
It’s difficult finding a usable photo of this place, which is why we included this clip from “This Old House.” But despite the potato-quality look of the video, it does show that both the exterior and interior of this large castle have a luxurious, medieval feel that shows even Phoenix could be the setting for a fairy tale, especially since it sits right along Camelback Mountain.
Ben Cane/Flickr
Lush and peaceful, this place could be a great location for any fairy tale that requires such a setting.
Address: 1125 North 3rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, 85003
Tony Hisgett/Flickr
Colorful, wild, and barren to the untrained eye, the Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park would make an incredible setting for any fantasy novel or movie since it looks like it could easily be from another world.
Aaron Fellmeth Photography/Flickr
A picturesque castle sitting on top of a hill in the middle of a city. What else could you ask for in a fairy tale?
Address: 5025 East Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 85008
Michael Wilson/Flickr
Tell us this doesn’t look like a place where you would find a Disney princess singing with some birds. Really, any area around the Peaks is stunning and has a certain romantic look to it.
Jason Corneveaux/Flickr
Kevin Muncie/Flickr
Whoa, is this even Arizona? Yes, it is, and these photos just show a smidgeon of how beautiful and naturally lush our state can be. What kind of storybook tale can you see taking place here?
Alan English CPA/Flickr
Another Arizona location that has a classic fairy tale setting, Oak Creek Canyon has the perfect water, greenery, and overall beautiful atmosphere to be the perfect setting for any story.
Scott Taylor/Flickr
Everyone recognizes this image as the iconic setting for many, many westerns and plenty of other movies. However, it’s a large area, and plenty of other spots throughout look just as stunning for a fantasy world.
Jasperdo/Flickr
The collection of hoodoos (tall rock columns) here are enough to look like the start of an adventure in some faraway land, but it’s right here in the Copper State.
Ozan Hatipoglu/Flickr
tomas carrillo/Flickr
The wildflowers are in bloom, the animals are out, and Arizona looks alive weeks (sometimes even months) before plenty of other areas in the U.S. What better location for a fantasy tale than a place that is alive and warm while other areas are still frozen?
What other spots in Arizona do you think resemble a fantasy landscape? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, 1125 N 3rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003, USAAddress: Painted Desert, Arizona 86031, USAAddress: Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights, 5025 E Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85008, USAAddress: San Francisco Peaks, Arizona 86001, USAAddress: Fossil Creek, Arizona, USAAddress: Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona 86336, USAAddress: Oljato-Monument Valley, AZ 84536, USAAddress: Chiricahua National Monument, 12856 East Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Fairy Tale Places in Arizona March 28, 2021 Tori Jane Are there any Arizona castles? Believe it or not, despite being located in the heart of the North American southwest, there are a few different structures throughout Arizona that could be considered “castles”. Some even have it in their name! Take Mystery Castle, for example; built on South Mountain in the 1930s by an eccentric man as a gift to his daughter, this intriguing Arizona castle seems to create more questions the longer you look at it. It’s crafted from mortar, cement, and a little bit of… goat’s milk. Yeah, it’s a little odd, but it’s just so Arizona. For something a little different, there’s always Montezuma Castle, an incredible Pueblo dwelling built right into the side of a cliff near Camp Verde. The history of the area is fascinating, and the way the Pueblo people built the castle is ultra-amazing. For some more Arizona castles that you should definitely check out, check out this list! What are some of the most beautiful parks in Arizona? Arizona might just be the state with the most insanely beautiful parks, outside of, maybe, Alaska. It’s hard to list every single one of them; every state park in Arizona is a state park for a reason, and they’re all amazing for their own reasons. Of course, the most obvious park to put on this list would be Grand Canyon National Park, but there are so many more than just that one to explore. For example, Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, is easily one of the most beautiful state parks in the county. The highway that winds past it, the AZ-89A, has been called one of the top ten most beautiful drives in America, and we’re inclined to agree. Another incredible park worth mentioning in Saguaro National Park, in southern Arizona, where you’ll see more might Saguaro cacti than you’ve ever seen in your life. Are there any public gardens in Arizona? Gardens are another thing that might sound kind of ridiculous when applied to the desert, but guess what? We’ve got those, too, and they’re awesome! Arizona gardens that belong on everyone’s bucket list (other than the amazing Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, of course) include such gems as the Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, and the 9/11 Remembrance Garden in Winslow. There are tons more, of course, but those ones tend to stick out as some of the more remarkable.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Fairy Tale Places in Arizona
March 28, 2021
Tori Jane
Are there any Arizona castles? Believe it or not, despite being located in the heart of the North American southwest, there are a few different structures throughout Arizona that could be considered “castles”. Some even have it in their name! Take Mystery Castle, for example; built on South Mountain in the 1930s by an eccentric man as a gift to his daughter, this intriguing Arizona castle seems to create more questions the longer you look at it. It’s crafted from mortar, cement, and a little bit of… goat’s milk. Yeah, it’s a little odd, but it’s just so Arizona. For something a little different, there’s always Montezuma Castle, an incredible Pueblo dwelling built right into the side of a cliff near Camp Verde. The history of the area is fascinating, and the way the Pueblo people built the castle is ultra-amazing. For some more Arizona castles that you should definitely check out, check out this list! What are some of the most beautiful parks in Arizona? Arizona might just be the state with the most insanely beautiful parks, outside of, maybe, Alaska. It’s hard to list every single one of them; every state park in Arizona is a state park for a reason, and they’re all amazing for their own reasons. Of course, the most obvious park to put on this list would be Grand Canyon National Park, but there are so many more than just that one to explore. For example, Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, is easily one of the most beautiful state parks in the county. The highway that winds past it, the AZ-89A, has been called one of the top ten most beautiful drives in America, and we’re inclined to agree. Another incredible park worth mentioning in Saguaro National Park, in southern Arizona, where you’ll see more might Saguaro cacti than you’ve ever seen in your life. Are there any public gardens in Arizona? Gardens are another thing that might sound kind of ridiculous when applied to the desert, but guess what? We’ve got those, too, and they’re awesome! Arizona gardens that belong on everyone’s bucket list (other than the amazing Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, of course) include such gems as the Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, and the 9/11 Remembrance Garden in Winslow. There are tons more, of course, but those ones tend to stick out as some of the more remarkable.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Believe it or not, despite being located in the heart of the North American southwest, there are a few different structures throughout Arizona that could be considered “castles”. Some even have it in their name! Take Mystery Castle, for example; built on South Mountain in the 1930s by an eccentric man as a gift to his daughter, this intriguing Arizona castle seems to create more questions the longer you look at it. It’s crafted from mortar, cement, and a little bit of… goat’s milk. Yeah, it’s a little odd, but it’s just so Arizona. For something a little different, there’s always Montezuma Castle, an incredible Pueblo dwelling built right into the side of a cliff near Camp Verde. The history of the area is fascinating, and the way the Pueblo people built the castle is ultra-amazing. For some more Arizona castles that you should definitely check out, check out this list!
What are some of the most beautiful parks in Arizona?
Arizona might just be the state with the most insanely beautiful parks, outside of, maybe, Alaska. It’s hard to list every single one of them; every state park in Arizona is a state park for a reason, and they’re all amazing for their own reasons. Of course, the most obvious park to put on this list would be Grand Canyon National Park, but there are so many more than just that one to explore. For example, Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, is easily one of the most beautiful state parks in the county. The highway that winds past it, the AZ-89A, has been called one of the top ten most beautiful drives in America, and we’re inclined to agree. Another incredible park worth mentioning in Saguaro National Park, in southern Arizona, where you’ll see more might Saguaro cacti than you’ve ever seen in your life.
Are there any public gardens in Arizona?
Gardens are another thing that might sound kind of ridiculous when applied to the desert, but guess what? We’ve got those, too, and they’re awesome! Arizona gardens that belong on everyone’s bucket list (other than the amazing Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, of course) include such gems as the Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, and the 9/11 Remembrance Garden in Winslow. There are tons more, of course, but those ones tend to stick out as some of the more remarkable.
