Unique Things to Do in Sedona for the Curious Traveler
Sedona is celebrated for its vortex energy and iconic red-rock landscapes, yet its most enchanting experiences often unfold beyond the well-known trails. We’ve created a countdown of seven unique things to do in Sedona. Each one is distinctive, immersive, and deeply memorable. With Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel as your luxurious home base, you can explore Sedona’s lesser-known side and elevate each adventure with a paired experience within the serenity and exclusivity of Ambiente’s adults-only retreat.
7. Explore Sedona’s Hidden Corners on a Guided E-Bike Tour
Mountain biking isn’t for everyone, but an e-bike transforms Sedona into an easygoing playground. Think effortless climbs, gliding descents, and wide-open access to places most travelers never see. Guided routes meander along quiet, red-dirt forest roads, creekside paths, and scenic overlooks with views of Coffee Pot Rock, Thunder Mountain, and Doe Mesa. You’ll ride through juniper and piñon stands, watching the light shift as you change elevations.
Back at Ambiente, your guest Atrium becomes a restorative sanctuary—floor-to-ceiling glass framing the landscape, a private rooftop deck for quiet reflection, and the rare luxury of complete silence. Refresh under the rainfall shower, sample complimentary chef-selected treats, and settle into the plush chaise or soft linens as Sedona unfurls before you like a living mural. In-room dining is just a call away, arriving swiftly and beautifully plated. It’s the perfect setting to savor an indulgent, stay-in evening wrapped in comfortably elegant surroundings.
Photo courtesy of Visit Sedona
6. Meditate at Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park at the Base of Thunder Mountain
When Buddhist leader Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo visited Sedona in 1997, she envisioned a stupa at the foot of Thunder Mountain, intending it to be a place to cultivate peace during turbulent times. Built by volunteers, the 36-foot Amitabha Stupa is considered a “wish-fulfilling jewel” in the Buddhist tradition, radiating blessings to all who visit.
This outdoor sanctuary is open to everyone, no matter what faith, from dawn to dusk. The stupa rises from crimson earth, surrounded by juniper and alligator-bark pine, while prayer flags flutter overhead. Visitors walk clockwise around it, set intentions, or settle on meditation benches, catching the scent of sage in the gentle breeze. The park is one of Sedona’s most powerful spiritual spaces.
Continue your meditative calm on your private rooftop deck at Ambiente. Stretch into gentle yoga, then warm your hands by the firepit as a 360-degree panorama of red rock formations glows all around you.
5. Be a Birdwatcher in Sedona’s Wetlands
Sedona’s mix of desert, riparian forest, and seasonal wetlands creates a surprisingly rich birding ecosystem. At the Sedona Wetlands Preserve, a string of serene lagoons attracts migratory ducks, great blue herons, snowy egrets, red-winged blackbirds, and the occasional osprey riding the thermals. Over 268 species have been recorded here. Trails encircle six ponds, offering viewing decks and quiet corners perfect for spotting spring and fall migrants, or wintering waterfowl gathering in the cooler months.
Bring your binoculars and a bird guide. At Ambiente, you can continue the experience right from your private deck. Quail families scuttle through the desert brush below the Atriums, and you might hear the bright, flute-like call of western bluebirds drifting through the junipers.
For a different kind of songbird, book a sound journey at Velvet Spa. Choose a Harmonic Alignment for a full-body vibrational healing session with hand-hammered singing bowls placed on or near your body for deep, resonant relaxation.
Photo via Envato
4. Shape Fire and Color in a Hands-On Glassblowing Class
One of the many unusual things to do in Sedona is to blow glass. Step inside a Sedona glass studio and you’ll feel the warmth immediately from the soft roar of a furnace glowing at more than 2,000 degrees. Under the guidance of master artisans, you’ll gather molten glass onto a pipe, roll it across a steel table, add gemstone-like colors, and shape it using wooden molds. You can even learn to blow your own glass. No experience is needed; each step is guided with care, making the process approachable, mesmerizing, and deeply creative.
Whether you craft a bowl, ornament, paperweight, or delicate glass flower, every piece reflects Sedona’s energy in swirling, luminous hues.
Bring your finished work back to Ambiente and watch how natural light transforms it throughout the day into a radiant keepsake of your stay. Celebrate your artistic moment at Ambiente’s Restaurant Forty1, where each dish arrives as its own artful composition, designed to delight both the eye and the palate.
3. Discover Oak Creek on a Guided Fly-Fishing Adventure
Oak Creek, fishable year-round, is one of Arizona’s most scenic trout streams and a great fly-fishing destination. The clear water weaves through lush canyon walls beneath towering sycamores and cottonwoods. Its clear pools and riffles are home to rainbow and wild brown trout. Half-day and full-day guided fly-fishing excursions typically include gear like rods, reels, waders, and flies. You’ll hike and wade across some rocky terrain, learn rhythmic casting techniques, and how to read the water. As you begin to settle into a meditative rhythm, you’ll notice dragonflies skimming the water’s surface, feel the sunlight as it filters through the leaves, and hear the gentle rush of the creek that grounds you in the moment.
Afterwards, soothe your casting shoulder at Ambiente’s Velvet Spa with an Antara full-spectrum CBD treatment. The Harmony Massage, blending CBD and arnica, melts away tension, soothes the skin, and prepares your body for a deep, restful sleep dreaming of the one that got away.
2. Immerse Yourself in the Sedona International Film Festival (Feb 21–March 1)
For nine days in February, Sedona becomes a hub for global filmmakers and cinephiles. The 32nd annual Sedona International Film Festival screens the best in independent cinema, from features and documentaries to international films, student work, shorts, and animation. The atmosphere buzzes with artist panels, lively post-screening conversations, and free workshops and seminars set amidst the charm of intimate venues and Sedona’s jaw-dropping scenery. It’s one of the Southwest’s most inspiring cultural events.
Let the cinematic theme continue off-screen at Ambiente. Pop some champagne and watch the red cliffs glow like a movie backdrop outside your window. Treat yourself like a movie star at Velvet Spa with an Acuglow Facial. This treatment combines modern technology with ancient techniques like gua sha and facial cupping to sculpt and tone while boosting collagen production and promoting lymphatic drainage. LED-light therapy leaves skin brighter, more youthful, and radiant, ready for a walk down the red carpet.
1. Paint the Desert with Ambiente as Your Personal Studio
Sedona’s famous light has captivated artists for decades, from the surrealist painters Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning to the Cowboy Artists and plein air painters of today. The crisp, radiant, and ever-shifting light across the sandstone cliffs and desert terrain is unmistakable to the artist’s eye. Now, you can try painting that same light yourself. At Ambiente, “Beyond the Canvas” invites you to a private rooftop painting class atop your guest Atrium. With panoramic red-rock vistas as your muse, an instructor guides you through a relaxed, inspiring lesson suited for every skill level. You’ll create your own masterpiece in the exact landscape that defined it.
Your Atrium doubles as a minimalist creative retreat: serene, sunlit, and closely connected to nature. Settle in with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and experience what generations of artists have felt. Sedona inspires creativity at every turn.
There are many more things to do in Sedona, and Ambiente is where the most extraordinary experiences begin. Let these seven activities inspire your next trip to Ambiente to see red-rock country in a whole new light.