Phoenix, Arizona is a great place for taking your vacation; it is a city that is full of culture and history making a popular spot for tourists to visit. There are however many activities you can take part in that are what you call ‘Off the beaten track’, and some of these activities are missed by the every-day tourist because they simply do not know they exist.There is a beautiful place in Arizona, Cottonwood and here you can see a Tuzigoot Stone Monument; it really takes you back in time and you will be amazed at this extraordinary stone structure that sits on the hill. This ruin was left by the locals who mysteriously vanished in the Fifteenth century; no-one is quite sure why they did but it’s one of the intriguing things about this monument. There’s a mile long trail leading up to the monument that is in itself over forty acres long as is a testament to the incredible Sinaguan people. Back down the trail there’s a lovely museum here that doesn’t cost much to get in to and it’s dedicated to the ancient Sinaguan people who lived in this area and gives you a great idea about how they lived.If you are looking for something more energetic, then why not get your climbing boots on and head to Lookout Mountain; this is not one of the ‘Official’ trails and is used mainly by the locals, those on vacation here tend to head to Camelback Mountain and Squaw Peak, but they tend to get very busy and there can be huge queues for the parking lots. Head to the top of Lookout Mountain, it only takes about an hour to climb and although it is quite a challenging journey you’ll be pleased you made the effort when you get to the top and see the beautiful panoramic views of the area.Would you like to try something completely different when you’re away? There’s something pretty exciting to be done that could also make you some money; I’m talking about panning for Gold. Arizona is known for its Gold and you have the opportunity to see how people search for it by watching the professionals do it and even having a go at it yourself! Even if you aren’t lucky enough to find any gold, panning for it is still a lot of fun and you can learn a great deal about the traditions and the history of this practice as well as the members club that meets every now and then; do something different on your vacation and you may even get paid for it!Before you make your fortunes panning for gold why not have a look at some flights to Phoenix AZ and see which ones are convenient to you as well as being great for your budget?