My spring training trip down to the Phoenix area last year wasn’t just about baseball. Ok… so it was pretty much all about baseball. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t find some other fun things to get up to over a week of dashing between ballparks in Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix.

Immediately after arriving in the city and with a few hours to spare before I could check into the apartment I rented for the week, I popped into Walter Station Brewery and lucky for me there was some live music on their patio. After arriving from cold Saskatoon it was a treat to feel a warm breeze while listening to some country music.

Accompanying the music was a solid tasting flight – the first of what would be many of this trip. The hazy IPA on the far left and the British bitter second from the right were the best of these five.

Still on my arrival day and after picking up some groceries and stashing my bags at my apartment, I headed out to “Hole in the Wall” in Tempe for a short and easy hike to stretch out my legs. The scenery was beautiful.

You can see from this angle why this rock formation has the name “Hole in the Wall”…

Keeping on the hiking theme, the next morning woke early to walk up Tempe Butte before the heat of the day arrived. Right in the middle of downtown Tempe, the hike this morning was peaceful as there were only a couple of very early risers doing the same along with me. From up here you get a beautiful view over Tempe and downtown Phoenix in the distance.

It was my good luck that the takeoff pattern from the Phoenix airport that morning took planes right over the top of the butte so I had a great view for some early morning plane spotting.

On another day after taking in an afternoon Cubs game in Mesa, I stopped by the highly rated Chupacabra Taproom for an outdoor pint. This was a great neighbourhood joint with food trucks parked outside, an outstanding lineup of local beers on tap, and lots of dogs with their people out enjoying a warm late afternoon.

In the same area of the taproom, downtown Mesa has a very interesting art walk that includes a series of public art installations and murals along West Main Street. Between the taproom and the art, I enjoyed a couple of leisurely hours soaking in the artsy vibe.

With some time before a Rockies-Padres baseball game out in Scottsdale, I found this picturesque walk around Marguerite Lake by accident when I went hunting for a free parking spot for the baseball game….

… which also served as a backdrop to some pre-game beers at PHX Beer Co. Morning beers with a view of a lake and the promise of baseball to come was a great start to this day!

While it is very easy to fit in while visiting Phoenix, I was alone on the patio of Greenwood Brewing due to the “frigid” 16C temperatures. A little bit of unseasonably cool weather wasn’t going to stop me from getting in some early spring patio time. I guess this outed me as a Canadian as I was perfectly happy to enjoy another tasting flight outside, even if the sun wasn’t out.