An amazing experience, like no other. It's a must see, at least once
in your life. It was surprising how little commercialism was there.
Unlike, say, Niagara Falls, or a beach, there just aren't many
commercial establishments (check your gas!). Also, there really
aren't any major cities near the rim. If I did it again, I would
probably stay in Flagstaff, which has many shops and restaurants
(relative to other cities), and is about 1.5 hours from the Grand
Canyon. For a place to stay, check out the Hotel Monte Vista in
downtown Flagstaff, built in 1927. Flagstaff is kind of "new age-ish"
town, I doubt a Republican has gotten a single vote from there in 40
years. There was a wonderful Thai restaurant, I forget the name.
Flagstaff is a great place to relax and have a couple beers.

If you stay for awhile, you may want to plan some other excursions,
as, beautiful as it is, you can't spend 14 hours a day for a week
just ogling at the canyon. Check out Sedona, AZ, south of Flagstaff.
The red rock canyon is simply amazing, though the city has become
quite commercial. It's a 2 lane road in and out, which can become
quite busy, especially on the weekends (cars can be queued for
miles), so I recommend seeing it on a weekday, if you have the
option. If you've come this far, you need to see Sedona, you'll want
to retire there.

About 40 miles east of Flagstaff is Meteor Crater, which is one of
the best preserved impact sights on the earth. Conveniently, the
meteor impacted right off of a major interstate, Route 40. About 40
miles west of Flagstaff is the tiny town of Williams, AZ (on historic
Route 66), where you can take a train to the Grand Canyon
(www.thetrain.com). Ok, it's kind of hokey, there's a fake train
robbery and everything, but if you make sure to reserve your seat in
the bar car you might think it's real. We stayed at a bed and
breakfast in Williams (the Red Garter Inn) which was a restored
bordello from the 1800's.

If you come through Phoenix, you may want to check out Jerome, AZ. A
historic mining town, converted into quaint antique and gift shops. I
slept in the car while my wife had a ball.

Paradise Found Tours maintains a website for The
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/>Grand Canyon at
http://www.paradisefoundtours.com. The site provides information for
Grand Canyon tours, special news, fees and other pertinent
information.

Other valuable resources:
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/tours/grand-canyon-tours/>Grand
Canyon Tours  |
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/tours/las-vegas-tours/>Las Vegas
Tours  |
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/tours/hoover-dam-tours/>Hoover Dam
Tours  |
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/las-vegas-show-tickets/>Las Vegas
Shows  |
<http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/las-vegas-show-tickets/>Las Vegas
Show Tickets  |  <http://www.paradisefoundweddings.com>Las Vegas
Weddings