Trips & Tours

1/19 Thursday: Sandhill Cranes and Amerind Foundation Tour
This tour is a great way to see the birds that make their way to the marshlands at Whitewater Draw Wildlife area. We begin our day with a journey to the Whitewater Draw which is a favorite feeding and loafing area for waterfowl. We are on the lookout for the Sandhill Cranes that make their way to the Sulphur Springs Valley each winter. Learn about these interesting, giant birds as they fly across the sky in massive formations. We will enjoy a box lunch at this location. Then we travel to the Amerind Foundation Museum located in scenic Texas Canyon. The Amerind houses one of the finest private collections of Native American art and artifacts in the country. Come along and explore with us! (Bring your binoculars and don't forget your walking shoes.) Fee for GVR members is $88 and bring a guest for $93. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, box lunch, admission to Amerind, bus refreshments and driver trip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 7:30am and returns at 4pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 1/12, no refunds after 1/12.
CR# 25088

1/25 Wednesday: Frank Lloyd Wright at the Phoenix Art Museum Tour
Today we travel to downtown Phoenix to take in a special exhibit celebrating the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Taliesin West, Wright’s winter home, studio and architectural campus located in Scottsdale. Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century is the first exhibition to explore Wright and his relevance today through a survey of more than 40 projects, including his vision for the decentralized city, presented through rarely seen drawings, scale models, furniture, films and photographs. We will be joined by a museum docent who will tour us through this exhibit presented in the Steel Gallery of the art museum. We journey to Mill Avenue located in Tempe, Arizona to give you a chance to explore the many restaurants in this location for a no-host lunch stop. Afternoon finds us joining a docent who gives us a special look at Gammage Auditorium. This historic hall, located on the campus of ASU, was designed by Mr Wright but he did not live to see it built. Enjoy the unique architecture of the auditorium before we travel back to Southern Arizona. Fee for GVR members is $72 and bring a guest for $77. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, docent tour of Wright exhibit at Phoenix Art Museum, bus refreshments and driver tip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 8:30am and returns at 6pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 1/18, no refunds after 1/18.
CR# 25089

2/7 Tuesday: Canyon Lake Boat Tour on the Apache Trail
Today we will board our deluxe motorcoach and travel to Canyon Lake, which is located north of Apache Junction. We'll take a break in Florence. For lunch, we travel to the Mining Camp Restaurant. This eatery is full of western atmosphere and the platters of food served to our group will make your eyes pop. We then travel along the paved portion of the Apache Trail. Tucked in to the base of the Superstition Mountains is a beautiful man-made lake called Canyon Lake. We board Dolly's Steamboat and cruise Canyon Lake as the captain narrates on the scenery, geology and history of the area. Steep canyon walls ascend out of a crystal blue body of water. This makes for a very enjoyable 1½ hour cruise. We travel home today full of great memories of this wondrous part of the state. Fee for GVR members is $99 and bring a guest for $104. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, lunch (tax and tip), boat fare, bus refreshments and driver tip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 8am and returns at 6:15pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 1/31, no refunds after 1/31.
CR# 25090

2/23 Thursday: Tucson Rodeo and Parade Trip
See over 200 entries in the world's largest non-motorized parade. Enjoy the view from grandstand seating. Lunch will be the buffet at Desert Diamond Casino on Old Nogales Highway then we take our reserved seats at the rodeo. The rodeo, which will celebrate its 87th year, features bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. Current and former world champions compete in this nationally televised event. ''The Fiesta de los Vaqueros'' ranks among the top 15 professional rodeos in North America and is honored in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Fee for GVR members is $94 and bring a guest for $99. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, parade bleacher seating and reserved rodeo seating, buffet lunch, bus refreshments and driver tip. Passengers are welcome to bring cushions or stadium seats to use at both the parade and the rodeo. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 7:15am and returns at 5:30pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 2/10, no refunds after 2/10.
CR# 25091

3/6 Tuesday: Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training Baseball Game
Today we are heading to the new Spring training home for the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Salt River Fields. This 11,000 seat capacity ballpark is the 1st major league baseball spring training facility to be built on Indian land in the nation. Enjoy the game and the spectacular landscape of Camelback Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks, the Superstition Mountains and Red Mountain. We will be making a stop at the Tempe Marketplace for you to choose a spot among the many restaurants to enjoy a no-host lunch before we head to the 1:10pm start of the game. It should be an exciting game as the National League West Champs take on the Texas Rangers who lost the 2011 World Series in 7 games! Sign up soon – we’ll have a lot of interest in this outing! Fee for GVR members is $80 and bring a guest for $85. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, ballgame ticket, bus refreshments and driver tip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 8:30am and returns at 6:15pm. Return time is approximate. Deadline to purchase tickets 2/1, no refunds after 2/1.
CR# 25093

3/24 Saturday: Queen Creek Olive Ranch and Renaissance Festival Tour
We have combined two Apache Junction area attractions to make one great day trip. We begin our day with a visit to the Queen Creek Olive Ranch. This is Arizona's only working olive farm and mill and they produce boutique, handcrafted extra virgin olive oils. We'll enjoy a short tour of the facilities and enjoy a delicious picnic lunch. Next we travel to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. The best way to describe this festival is to tell you that it is a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, and arts and crafts fair all rolled into one big place filled with costumed villagers! This festival is fun and you will have the afternoon to check it out! Fee for GVR members is $96 and bring a guest for $101. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, admission to the festival, picnic lunch, bus refreshments and driver tip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 8am and returns at 6:30pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 3/16, no refunds after 3/16.
CR# 25094

4/4 Wednesday: A Better Bisbee Tour
The charming, historic city of Bisbee, AZ is more than just the “main street” along Tombstone Canyon. Explore this town founded in 1880 by Judge DeWitt Bisbee, a financial backer of the Copper Queen Mine. Upon arrival in Bisbee we board jeeps and their guides will take you on a comprehensive tour exploring this town that once boasted a population of 25,000 in the early 1900's and was the largest city between St Louis and San Francisco at the time. Jeeps are perfect vehicles to explore the narrow, steep streets that connect the various levels filled with architectural treasures. After the jeep tour we enjoy a delightful lunch at Cafe Roca located on Main Street. After lunch spend free time at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum which has preserved the town's legacy although the mines closed in the 70's. Fee for GVR members is $118 and bring a guest for $123. Fee includes transportation, services of a tour director, jeep tour, lunch (tax & tip), museum admission, bus refreshments and driver tip. Bus departs from Desert Hills upper parking lot at 8:15am and returns at 5:30pm. Deadline to purchase tickets 3/28, no refunds after 3/28.
CR# 25095

BE SURE TO PICK UP A WINTER COURSE CATALOG AND CHECK OUT ALL OF THE TOURS!

GVR TRAVELS

All trips are open to GVR Members and their guests. You may register at any GVR Major Center. Please note the last date for cancellation of a trip. Because of contractual commitments, refunds can not be made after the cancellation date.

Tours are escorted by Pleasurebent Tours.

You may register at any GVR Major Center.