Superbowl advice

My husband and I would like to attend the Superbowl. We went to the one in Houston 3 years ago, and bought a package deal that was pretty expensive. I can get flights right now that aren%26#39;t bad at all, but I%26#39;m afraid I know NOTHING about Arizona. Could someone suggest the best town to stay in that would be no more than 30 minutes from the stadium? We have found a room in Tempe, how far is that? We don%26#39;t know if we%26#39;ll be renting a car, or using public transportation. Closest to the stadium would be ideal, but I know that%26#39;s not likely. We know most rooms are already booked by the big Travel co.%26#39;s and the NFL subsidies, but I still need to know where to begin to look. If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank-you!!

PS--how far is the Grand Canyon from Phoenix driving? ( I meant it when I said I know nothing about AZ :)~

Superbowl advice

Grand Canyon is about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix.

If you want to be within 30 minutes of the football stadium, you won%26#39;t be happy in Tempe. Tempe is more like an hour or so away. Possibly more. You probably want to look more in the northwest part of Phoenix, or in the areas very close to the Loop 101 freeway to the north, west and southwest of Phoenix (e.g., North Phoenix, Peoria, Glendale, Sun Cities, Surprise, Litchfield Park, Goodyear, Avondale). You will find a variety of hotels/motels and resorts in those areas, but availability is likely to be pretty limited for Superbowl Weekend.

And you should rent a car here. You will be sorry if you try to rely on public transportation.

Superbowl advice

I disagree with RickyAZ...Tempe is NOT an hour away from the stadium...maybe 30-35 minutes on a normal day.

I, too, would highly recommend renting a car...we do have public transportation here, but it is not all that great. If taking the bus, it could very easily take you 4-5 times longer than just driving it on your own anyways.

As for where to find a room...good luck! A LOT of hotels/motels/resorts in the area are already Fully Committed. And you can expect to pay a LOT more $$$$ than you would normally for any available hotel room you can find!

My advice to you is to BOOK NOW! At the very least, book the hotel and car rental now, before nothing is available. Just be sure you are clear about their cancellation policies in case your plans change.

Thank-you for the info!

Well, I have found 3 places--a Conference Center Inn room in Glendale for $200 a night, a resort hotel room in Tempe for $300 a night, and a casita in Sedona for $175 a night. I realize the one in Sedona is 2 hours away, but it is cheaper, beautiful, and closer to the GC, and might be a good idea. BUT--half the fun of the Superbowl in Houston was downtown Houston the days before, it was like a Mardi Gras. Don%26#39; t think I%26#39;d want to drive 2 hours back to my Casita in Sedona from a night in Phoenix. BUT-- how often do you get the opportunity to see the GC, and Red Rocks, etc, when you live on the East Coast?? I don%26#39;t have a lot of time, only 5 nights, the 2 closer hotels have a 4 night minimum (those bums), so I think I have to decide whether to ';experience'; the SuperBowl, or ';experience'; the AZ outdoors.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions....

For what it%26#39;s worth, I would suggest staying in Sedona if you want a full-on Arizona experience.

The Super Bowl will be played at Univ of Phoenix stadium, which is a fabulous venue, but there is not much around it. It was built in the middle of a field. There are some restaurants and other amenities opening there, but it will be nothing like the vibe you would get in a downtown.

If you stay in Sedona, which is a gorgeous area, you will have to drive about two hours or so to get to the stadium, but if you make a day of it (and why not?) you can go to the game and be back in Sedona by midnight or 1 AM if you so desire. The drive is almost all on interstate, except for the 10 miles or so you take from I-17 into / out of Sedona, so it%26#39;s a simple drive.

Sedona has the added advantage of being about 2.5 hours from the Grand Canyon South Rim, so it makes a great base from which to see a lot of the best of Arizona.

By the way, if you do choose to stay in Tempe, you could do a lot worse in terms of the drive to the stadium. It%26#39;s all freeway, and I bet people are finding rooms a lot farther away than that anyway.

Thank-you DougAZ, I think that%26#39;s exactly what we%26#39;re going to do. I have a friend that has been really hyping up Sedona, and this casita I found is so beautiful. Sounds like a plan!

If you want the Superbowl experience, you should stay in Tempe.

Lots of bars, college town, most people will probably be partying on this side of town, the east side.

You%26#39;re also adjacent to Scottsdale from Tempe.

Seriously, you%26#39;re gonna drive 2 hours back and forth from Sedona, probably after drinking?

That%26#39;s a very bad idea in AZ.

I like the idea of staying in Sedona. There%26#39;s much more to see and do. The Superbowl is basically a one day thing that you can drive to. With traffic at the stadium, you%26#39;ll be looking at a few hours commuting no matter where you stay.

Designate a non drinking driver and drive safely.

The Superbowl is not a one day thing, it%26#39;s a week long event with activities and parties every day of the week leading up to the game on Sunday.

The Superbowl is not a one day thing, it%26#39;s a week long event with activities and parties every day of the week leading up to the game on Sunday.

Perhpas i should have phrased my response differently. The superbowl game is a one day thing. The rest of the week is a lot of hype and parties and special events mostly hosted by corporate sponsors for their clients and guests.

I get the feeling that the OP wants to combine their superbowl game experience with an AZ vacation. If they%26#39;re coming for all the corporate hoopla, then Scottsdale would be an ideal place to stay and plan to be in the valley all week long. But if seeing some of the beauty that AZ has to offer outside of PHX is a priority, then Sedona makes a great base for scenery, attractions, the GCNP and also the game.

If you%26#39;ll remember, I ended my 2nd post w/ ';decisions, decisions...';

The ideal situation? Be wealthy enough to spend a week enjoying Superbowl experiences, another week enjoying the area. I%26#39;m not that wealthy (at this time.) I%26#39;ve decided that a few days of bars I probably won%26#39;t clearly remember filled with people I probabIy won%26#39;t clearly remember just won%26#39;t compare with an entire beautiful area that will probably be unforgettable. (I must be getting old.) I%26#39;m going for Sedona. With everything else I want to see and do in my life, I may not be back to this section of the world. Remember on this wonderful site, it%26#39;s just another personal opinion and choice. But it was decided on by reading others! Thank you to all that responded!! I will write a review of the trip!