It can be easy to default to the old standby of dinner-and-drinks when it comes to planning a girls’ night out – but there’s much more in the Valley to explore with your ladies. Whether you want to reconnect, find inspiration, try new local flavors, or dance the night away, these 10 ideas will help create your best girls’ night out.
RECHARGE AND CONNECT
Channel your inner Martha Stewarts at Pinspiration with crafts ranging from candle-making and custom doormats to wood pallet signs (Wood and Wine Wednesdays, ladies?) Or make a reservation at the splatter room (tip: get the “glow” upgrade) and make memories getting messy – with it all documented on a canvas.
Embrace your inner artist and get the creative juices flowing at the The Brush Bar. Purchase wine on-site while a professional artist sets you up with a canvas, paint and brushes, and step-by-step instructions to create your masterpieces and experience each other’s perceptions of art.
Book a Kendra Scott Color Bar™ party at the Scottsdale Quarter Kendra Scott boutique. Cozy up to the gorgeously lit “bar;” peruse dozens of metal settings, shapes, and vibrant stones; and create customized bracelets, necklaces, earrings or even picture frames – all while sipping champagne. Or, since the boutique is open until 9 p.m., visit on a whim during a girls’ dinner or shopping excursion at Scottsdale Quarter.
Make something that looks and tastes amazing at one of the many weekly Sur La Table cooking classes (which include themes like girls’ night out – how convenient!). Attendees get hands-on instructions for creating the recipes, plenty of food (you can even bring your own wine), and a crash course in everything from French croissants, soup dumplings, artisan chocolate, sushi-making, or Korean barbecue– just to name a few.
TASTING THE TOWN
Check out a local wine bar and challenge yourselves to taste outside your comfort zones. At Desert Rock Winery, you might just run into some of the biggest names in country and rock music while sampling locally made whiskey, wines and olive oil, many of which benefit local causes. Or pop into Sorso Wine Room and choose your samples from more than 150 wines. You’ll also enjoy a rotating selection of wine dispensers, bruschetta menus and weekly trivia games.
Try a new twist on Arizona cuisine. The Mission offers mezcal flights and guac underneath sparkling chandeliers. Sumomaya’s gorgeous décor complements tapas that combine bold flavors of Mexico and Asia – think kimchee fried rice and 10 styles of ceviche. And at Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar, there are plates by Richard Sandoval “The Father of Modern Mexican cuisine” and, for dessert, La Bomba – servers layer plastic mats on the table, suspend a chocolate sphere filled with ice cream, berries, cheesecake bites, and more, and shatter it on your table.
NOT SO TAME
Kick up your heels – you’re in the West, after all! Cave Creek’s Buffalo Chip Saloon has won more than 20 awards as a Western live entertainment venue, with live bull riding Wednesday and Friday, and live music and free dance lessons throughout the week. Order s’mores to cook over an outdoor fire and soak up the ambiance. And in Old Town Scottsdale, the Rusty Spur, Scottsdale’s oldest cowboy bar, is a cozy saloon that celebrates Arizona vibes and offers free live music daily from midday to midnight, with the added bonus of free line-dancing lessons a few times a week.
Looking for a DJ and bottle service? Visit the W Hotel’s upscale Cottontail Lounge to sip champagne at the ultimate see-and-be-seen spot. At El Hefe, dance on confetti-covered tables and partake in shots from whistle-blowing bartenders. Soak up the retro vibe, upbeat DJ music, and craft cocktails and at Hotel Valley Ho’s ZuZu. Or indulge in a carefree island mentality at Club House at Maya, where famous DJs perform in a backyard-style setting.
BE ENTERTAINED
Laugh yourselves silly at a club like Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, which has a reputation for featuring big-name acts, albeit a little under the radar. Shows are offered four to six nights per week, and feature dinner, drinks and entertainment all under one roof.
Into live music? Find it at Old Town Tavern, a.k.a. the “biggest little stage in Old Town Scottsdale,” offering live music seven nights a week; the Omni Scottsdale’s candlelit Mbar, known for jazz and indie rock, on weekend evenings; and the Hyatt’s Center Stage Bar, for small plates, sushi, and Americana and R&B every night.
Lauren is a freelance writer and editor who loves to dine and discover Arizona wine, and never tires of live music or mountain views.
