I'm going to Arizona in February or March. What will the weather be like? What are the best places to visit?

I'm an Asian, not used to cold weather. What kind of clothes should I bring? My trip is work related, but I will have one weekend to my own. I love all the cowboy stuff, and plan to visit Tombstone. Is this a good place to go? How far is it from Chandler? I will probably be staying at the Holiday Inn. Can anyone suggest what are other good places to visit on a moderate budget during the weekend? I'll be given a car so driving wont be a problem.I'm going to Arizona in February or March. What will the weather be like? What are the best places to visit?
As others have noted, the Phoenix-Chandler area never gets much of a winter. A typical clear day will have a high in the 50s or 60s. We do get occasional winter storms that last a day or two where it might be cloudy and rainy with day time highs in the 40s and night time lows in the upper 30s. All you really need is a light jacket or sweater.



Keep in mind, the above temperatures apply only to the metro Phoenix area. Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, Prescott and the Grand Canyon) is at high elevation up in the mountains and they get a true winter with snow, ice and freezing temperatures. If you are planning on going up there, bring a full winter outfit (heavy coat and hat). Feburary and March are a good time to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (lower crowds and lower rates), but the North Rim is closed during winter until mid-May. From Chandler to the South Rim of the canyon is about a 4 hour drive.



As for Tombstone... Tombstone is about a 2.5 hour drive from Chandler. It can be pretty touristy with many cheesy attractions and unrealistic recreations and restorations (in fact, there is talk of removing its historic landmark status). None the less, there are plenty of good historic buildings and displays, if you look past the tourist hype and even the touristy stuff can be fun if you take it in a Disneyland sort of way. Be sure to check out the state museum in the old courthouse and the Birdcage Theater.



As for other cowboy stuff...

About an hour further south of Tombstone is Bisbee - a historic copper mining town with turn-of-the-century buildings built on steep mountain slopes like a little San Francisco. It has many interesting historic buildings and you can even take an underground tour of the Copper Queen Mine. Tombstone-Bisbee would make a great weekend getaway. Lodging options are better in Bisbee - try to stay at the hundred year old Copper Queen Hotel or the funky Shady Dell (where you can stay in restored 1950s travel trailers).



Other old west stuff in the Tombstone-Bisbee vicinity include:



Fort Huachucha (west of Tombstone) - Historic cavlary fort from the Apache wars with many historic buildings (still an active military fort).



Ghost Towns - There are a number of real ghost towns (completely or mostly abandoned townsites) around the Tombstone area that have ruins left and date to the cowboy period. These include Charleston, Fairbanks, Contention City, Gleeson, Pearce and Courtland. I can give you more info on these if you like, or see the links and books below.



Old Tucson Movie Studio - A movie studio and tourist attraction on the western edge of Tucson. Many famous western TV shows and movies were filmed here including portions of Little House on the Prarie, Young Riders, Three Amigos and numerous John Wayne films. The nearby Sonoran Desert Museum is excellent.



Closer to Phoenix, you may want to check out these places:



Rawhide - An old west themed steakhouse with a surrounding old west town that includes shops with cowboy stuff and people in costumes having gunfights. The steakhouse included fried rattlesnake. None of it is very authentic, but it is kinda fun (and also close to Chandler). It is at the White Horse Pass Resort just southwest of I-10 and Chandler Blvd.



Goldfield - This is another fake tourist old west town (it is built on the site of an actual historic mining camp, but none of the buildings are from that period). They too have old west themed displays and gunfights. Located at the start of the Apache Trail (AZ88) that runs from Apache Junction along the Salt River Lakes to Lake Roosevelt.



Prescott (2 hours from Chandler) - Originally a gold mining camp and once the territorial capital. The old courthouse square area still contains many historic buildings with an old west past - including the famous 'Whiskey Row' which still has a number of saloons (many of which are true old cowboy saloons). Prescott also has the excellent Sharlott Hall Museum which has many displays related to the old west.



These are just some suggestions with an emphasis on old west places. There are plenty more depending on one's time, inclination and willingness to drive. Have fun!
Your asian and you love cowboy stuff?! Identity confusion?! haha...Then stay away from Phoenix, you won't like it. Phoenix is more like southern California, but the rest of Arizona is "cowboy-like." Maybe you'll like Tucson better.I'm going to Arizona in February or March. What will the weather be like? What are the best places to visit?
I went to Arizona last March (Phoenix to be exact), and the weather was usually in the 70-80 degree range. Always sunny, of course. It was a little cooler in the evenings, so bring a jacket or sweater, but overall it was pleasant.



I can't recommend many good tourist places - we were at a condo and mostly just hung out by the pool at the complex. We did go to a lake east of Mesa called Canyon Lake, which was very pretty/southwestern feel, but it was quite a twisty-turny drive to get there. We also visited Sedona, which is gorgeous, although I'm not sure there's too much "cowboy stuff" - it was more hippie/gift shop stuff.
Check out the Grand Canyon (south rim) or the North rim. Bring a camera. Wear a coat, a beenie, and pair of gloves. It will still be cold in Feburary.I'm going to Arizona in February or March. What will the weather be like? What are the best places to visit?
Sedona fer sure





dress in layers, as its cool in Feb, but can warm up quickly in Mar



Light spring coat for Phx

North AZ like Sedona / Flag is alpine so winter jacket as it ges to freezzing and below



search AZ TOURIST sites



have fun
It will be in the mid 50's lower 60's. It is a 4 hour ride from Chandler.
Grand Canyon is an absolute must, and in February it could be very cold but there will be less crowds. For someone who likes the cowboy stuff you should then go up to Monument Valley where John Ford made so many Western movies. Or there is Meteor Crater near Winslow but you won鈥檛 be able to do all three in a weekend I think.
The weather will be very cool, it will get a little chilly at night!!!!!! but it is really nice!!!!
Weather in the Phx area is nice in February and March. 75 to 80. I used to live in Arizona for many years (Id like to live there again I think).