Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, Uptown Sedona & Hillside Galleries

Ranked alongside Santa Fe and Scottsdale among the fine-art capitals of the American Southwest, Sedona has attracted painters, sculptors (including Max Ernst and cowboy sculptor Joe Beeler) and silversmiths since the 1940s. Strolling through its open-air gallery villages is one of the most atmospheric afternoon activities in town between morning and sunset hikes.

1. Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village (336 State Route 179, Free Admission)

Located on the banks of Oak Creek at the southern foot of Uptown Sedona (connected to Uptown by a 10-minute creekside walkway), Tlaquepaque (pronounced 'T-la-keh-pah-keh') is modelled after the artisan suburb of Guadalajara, Mexico:

• Built Around Giant Living Sycamore Trees: when Abe Miller built the village in the early 1970s, he forbade cutting down a single mature Arizona Sycamore tree, designing the stucco walls, arched wooden doors, Mexican tile staircases and four fountain plazas so the white tree trunks grow right through the balconies and courtyards.
• What to See in Tlaquepaque South & North: step inside the intimate Tlaquepaque Chapel, watch glassblowers and bronze sculptors at Mountain Trails Galleries and Rowe Fine Art Gallery, cross under the highway arch by the creek path to Tlaquepaque North, and dine under the trees at Oak Creek Brewery & Grill, El Rincon or Secret Garden Cafe.

2. Hillside Sedona, Uptown Sedona & The Sedona Heritage Museum

1. Hillside Sedona (671 State Route 179): a multi-level hillside plaza housing kinetic wind sculptures, jewellery studios, and two popular view restaurants (The Hudson and Javelina Cantina).
2. Uptown Sedona & The Sedona Heritage Museum: stroll the four blocks of Uptown Sedona for turquoise Native American jewellery, crystal shops and viewpoints facing Snoopy Rock. Five minutes up Jordan Road, visit the Sedona Heritage Museum (at the 1930s Jordan Farmstead) to see how pioneer orchardists lived and learn about the more than 90 classic Hollywood Western films (such as Angel and the Badman and Johnny Guitar) shot here.