Arizona Comes Alive as Fall Cools Down

Arizona is truly an inspirational locale to medicate with its almost ethereal skies, mountains, valleys, canyons and waterways and is most especially enjoyed when the heat has subsided in late fall. A medical cannabis state since 2010, Arizona is coming into its own with now hundreds of cannabis dispensaries focused on the more populated cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Tucson.

One of the best things about a getaway to Arizona is ease of transport. The Phoenix airport (one of the busiest in the nation) is located smack dab in the middle of the state and has some of the most affordable flights anywhere. Snow birds hit their rental car right after getting off the plane because all of Arizona can be yours with your own wheels.

In November, Arizona’s top towns burst with foodie autumn harvest energy from farmer’s markets to farm festivals to farm stands to food truck frenzies. The state also celebrates the cool fall season with hiking in the early mornings to hitting lots of outdoor music and arts events such as the Mesa Music Festival (November 12-15). While there, visit the famed Mesa Art Center for no less than five art exhibits of actor, comedian and cannabis activist Cheech Marin’s vast Chicano art collection (free through December 10).

Although Arizona is not yet a recreational state, this scenic state is fast on its way to legalization and is certainly a pleasurable place to visit while medicating during the Southwest’s temperate fall season.

Fun-Filled Facts

-Arizona has the most ghost towns of any state (about 275!). Ghost towns are typically free to visit and are mostly concentrated in the central northwest and southeast regions of the state.

-Starting November 27, visitors can enjoy “Silent Night” or Las Noches de las Luminarias at Scottdale’s pretty Desert Botanical Garden. With the Sonoran Desert as a backdrop, the gardens are set aglow with no less than 8,000 hand-lit luminaria bags for viewing a pop-up outdoor art gallery into the warm serene night.

-Surprisingly, Arizona is also a haven for electric vehicles (EVs). The state’s official tourism bureau, Travel Arizona, even provides EV road trip guides with places and tips for charging from L.A. and San Diego as well as points within Arizona.

If You Go

Arizona is fast becoming a mecca for medical cannabis patients with legalization on the lips of every cannabusiness out there. The sheer number of dispensaries is quite astounding, given the ultra conservative politics of this dry state. Although Arizona went medical in 2010, it took a couple of years for the new pro-cannabis law to form into a California-like system of medical cannabis doctor recs along with viable and reliable dispensaries to pop up. Now, thankfully, Arizona’s medical cannabis program has taken shape and has blossomed into a rather safe haven for those seeking healing (and legal) relief in the form of just about every cannabis product imaginable from flower buds to edibles to CBD oils. Arizona’s current medical cannabis law also includes a cool grow provision: Residents living more than 25 miles away from a legal dispensary can tend (in a locked, enclosed space) up to 12 plants.

Time to Go: Fall, Winter, or Spring

Weather: Warm in Fall and Winter with occasional rain in Spring

Budget: $$$$$