A racecation is a trip or vacation in which the destination is chosen based on running a race. I love to explore new cities and the world one half marathon or marathon at a time. I recently had the chance to run the Sedona Half Marathon – a must-do racecation for any runner who loves a stunning course and isn’t afraid to tackle some hills. With two to three days to enjoy this breathtaking city during race weekend, what should you do to hit all the highlights but also stay off your feet before the race and accommodate potential sore muscles after the race? I’ve got you covered with this racecation weekend itinerary to enjoy all the best things to do in Sedona while you’re there.

Find more tips on how to plan a racecation here.

Getting to Sedona

if you are flying to Arizona from another state, fly into the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. While there is an airport in Sedona, it is small and more expensive to fly into than Phoenix. You will need to rent a car (I used Priceline to rent a car for less than $25 per day) and make the two-hour drive to Sedona. It is a straight shot on the interstate and you’ll love the beautiful drive.

Where to Stay in Sedona

There are numerous hotels in Sedona ranging from high-end to financially mindful. Everything is close and easy to get to by car, so you won’t be too out of the way anywhere you stay. For a good deal (we paid $139/night) on a great room with lots of amenities for runners, I would highly recommend the Sedona Real Inn & Suites. We stayed here for three nights and it was the perfect spot.

• They offer a great free breakfast and hot coffee and tea all day. Since you’ll likely be eating out for lunch and dinner, this can save you a little on meal costs. On race morning, they had plenty of options for all the runners.
• The rooms include a refrigerator and microwave which are perfect for keeping race day food you need for your individual nutrition strategy. The rooms appear to be newly renovated and were plenty spacious for sharing with a friend. Each room also has a DVD player and includes free Internet.
• The hotel is a quick 0.6-mile walk or jog to the Sedona Marathon and Half Marathon start/finish line and is actually on the course itself. There are sidewalks around the hotel for warm-up runs and shake-out runs as needed before the race. There are also a number of restaurants, coffee shops and other places within walking distance.
• The hotel rents DVDs (every rental comes with popcorn) for just $2 for you to watch in your room. This comes in handy when you’re trying to stay off your feet before the race or for recovering the night after the race.
• The hotel has a pet park if you have a dog you need to bring with you.
• They offer you a lifetime discount of 15% if and when you return to the hotel in the future. Hello more racecations in the red rocks!

I have absolutely no relationship with this hotel, I just thought it was fabulous, convenient and super helpful for a running weekend getaway.

Racecation Itinerary: Best Things to do in Sedona

Thursday: Travel Day

• Fly or drive to Sedona. If flying, fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Rent a car, and make the two-hour drive to Sedona. Check into the Sedona Real late afternoon/early evening and get settled in.
• After a full day of planes, trains and automobiles, have a low-key, casual dinner at Picaszzo’s. This organic Italian kitchen serves organic, local, non-GMO food and caters to individuals with a variety of food issues, including gluten-free and dairy-free options. Their motto is “take healthy with you,” which couldn’t be better for the health-minded fitness enthusiast on the road. We ordered pizzas with a side of roasted veggies. My friend Elizabeth has a gluten intolerance and ordered the gluten-free crust while I had a Margherita pizza with the organic whole-grain crust. The service was great, menu is awesome and it was an all-around super experience. We were also able to take our leftovers back to our hotel since the Sedona Real has a refrigerator and eat the rest during the weekend.
• Get ready for a fun weekend ahead!

Friday: Day before the Race

• Wake up and do a short pre-race shakeout run along the main road 89A by your hotel. We did a 20-minute run along the road where you can still see plenty of mountains but have a mostly flat route.

• Free breakfast at Sedona Real (or other hotel)
• Go for an easy hike to take in the gorgeous scenery without taxing your body too much before the race. The trails around Boynton Canyon have some great options with breathtaking views. The drive to the trail head alone is enough to make your day feel complete. I’d highly recommend Deadman’s Pass, which is just shy of a 2-mile round trip that is mostly flat and not very technical. Depending on how much you stop to take pictures, it will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. There are some longer and more strenuous trails that start from the same trail head that you can do after the race as well. It is part of the Coconino National Forest and is just a short drive from the hotel. To get there, you also have to drive along part of the Sedona Marathon and Half Marathon race course, so it is a great way to do some recon before the race.

• Have lunch at the nearby Enchantment Resort which is hidden away along the creek very close to the Boynton Canyon trail head. Both Che-ah-Chi and Tii Gavo offer popular spots to dine and relax. Or, venture further out to a fantastic “order at the counter” local spot called Indian Gardens Cafe & Market which is superb. You’ll have to drive about 15 minutes to get there, but it is worth the extra trip. There is a delectable list of sandwiches that will make your mouth water, along with sweet treats and a small market to purchase goodies to stock your room. We ate at the counter and loved every bite of our meal. Two thumbs up for Indian Gardens Cafe! On the way back, there is great shopping you can hit up (see below).
• If you go to Indian Gardens Cafe & Market for lunch, stop by the shops on 89A on your way back to the hotel and race expo that you will see along both sides of the street. You can park at The Shops at Piñon Pointe and make your way down to other street shops from there. There are lots of fun treasures and storefronts to explore. As someone who collects Christmas ornaments from every place I travel, I was thrilled to see so many Christmas shops and ornaments in Sedona. Be sure to check out Merry Christmas Sedona while you’re there. I got a painted glass ornament that has a scene from the Sedona Marathon Event on it with runners running with the red rocks in the background.

• If you forgot to pack throw-away clothes for the morning or the weather is colder than expected, you can pick up extra race morning clothes on the cheap at the Goodwill off of 89A (166B Coffee Pot Dr, Sedona, AZ 86336) on the way back to the Sedona Real Inn & Suites. I was able to score a jacket for less than $4 for race morning.

• As you head back to the hotel, hit the race expo. It is less than a mile from the Sedona Real Inn & Suites and is small. You won’t be there for more than about 15 minutes.

•  Rest and relax at your hotel for a few hours. Take a nap, rent a movie at the front desk and kick your feet up for a bit. This is also a great time to lay out your race day outfit and gear.
• Take a sunset Pink Jeep Tour off-road adventure through the canyons before dinner. This is a great way to stay off your feet while exploring Sedona’s beauty. It is by far one of the best things to do in Sedona and comes recommended by all visitors far and wide. Most tours are between 1.5 and 2 hours and range in price from $50 to $100 per person. Eight people per jeep is the maximum capacity, but we were lucky enough to have a private tour because we were the only individuals who chose our adventure at the time we selected. We picked a tour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. so we would be back in time for an early pre-dinner. They have blankets on all the jeeps to keep you warm if it is chilly. Our driver parked on a ridge so we could watch the sunset before heading home.

• Have dinner at Nick’s Westside Restaurant. Before a race I’m always looking for the same thing: Plain grilled chicken with rice and a baked potato that I can eat with a lot of salt. We wanted something simple but good and needed a variety of options to satisfy our different pre-race dinner rituals. Some local Sedona residents recommended this spot to us. You can tell it is a local spot and not heavily visited by tourists (or so it seemed). Our dinner hit the spot and was exactly what we needed. The menu has options for everyone. It was inexpensive, quick and did the trick.
• Settle in at your hotel for the night and get ready for race morning.

It seems like that is a lot to pack into a day before a race, but it was a leisurely afternoon and was the perfect range of relaxing and exploring without being on our feet too much.

Saturday: Race Day

• Wake up + breakfast + pre-race rituals. One cool thing about the Sedona Marathon events is that none of the races start until 9 a.m. When you stay within walking distance and don’t have to worry about transportation or other logistics, that gives you tons of time to sleep in, eat several hours in advance and get to the start stress free.
• Race!!! (There are 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon options for the Sedona Marathon Event.)

• After showering and recovering from race morning, have a post-race celebration lunch at Oak Creek Brewery & Grill in Tlaquepaque (pronounced T-locky-pockey). This is an art and shopping destination in Sedona that was constructed like a picturesque suburb in Guadalajara, Mexico. The brewery and restaurant is AH-mazing. It was warm enough to sit outside on the back patio. Order the burger with fries. You won’t be disappointed! Their beers are delicious as well.

• After lunch, stroll through Tlaquepaque and visit the shops, art galleries and boutiques. I bought a beautiful bracelet at Bella Fine Goods and we googled at art at Carre D’Artistes.

• Next, make the 10-minute drive from Tlaquepaque to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This is a must-see landmark that you don’t want to miss on your first visit to Sedona. It is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the buttes of Sedona within the Coconino National Forest. It’s a church in the red rocks. You make a short, yet steep helix-like walk up to the chapel where you can go inside and visit the gift shop. The views from outside the chapel are stunning. This is a special place.

• To cap off an amazing day, have an early dinner at the incredible L’Auberge de Sedona. Be prepared to put a dent in your wallet, but know that every bite will be worth it. And after all, you just ran a tough race and it’s time to celebrate. The picturesque setting is right on Oak Creek. Be sure to make reservations for the chef’s menu, a three-course menu for $70 per person plus dessert, which you have to add. The meal was exceptional. The drinks were delicious. And dessert was divine. This is a must. If you have some time to kill before your reservation, go across the street to The Shops at Piñon Pointe and have a wine tasting flight at the Art of Wine. I brought home a delicious red blend from their tasting room.

Sunday: Farewell and Travel Day

• After one last free breakfast at the hotel and a longing look at the mountains, make the two-hour drive back to the airport to catch a mid-morning/early afternoon flight. The weekend might be over, but the memories will never leave you.

What to Skip on Your Sedona Trip

• Sedona Running Company: This shop was a big disappointment. Not only was it small with very little selection, but there was nothing there we would want to buy as a memento from the trip. The few shirts they had that said Sedona Running Company on them looked generic. Bummer.
• Visiting a vortex. It is said that Sedona is a spiritual power center because it has several vortexes that produce energy. The vortexes in Sedona are supposed to be centers of subtle swirliing energy coming out from the surface of the earth. A quick google search will innundate you with all you need to know about them. We visited the vortex near the airport and ran into a local who said you are supposed to take your shoes off and put your hands and feet on the rocks where the vortex is. Suffice it to say, we felt absolutely nothing and simply got a nice view. Don’t waste your time running around to vortexes when there is so much to do in this beautiful city if you’re crunched for time.

And there you have it. A three-day racecation itinerary that includes all the best things to do in Sedona, including running a fantastic race. Happy running and exploring, friends.

Have you ever been to Sedona? What else would you add to my list of the best things to do in Sedona? Where is your next racecation?