Uptown Sedona — Galleries, Restaurants & Tour Departures
Uptown Sedona is the postcard half-mile of State Route 89A north of the "Y" intersection — a pedestrian-friendly strip of galleries, Native American jewelry trading posts, ice-cream windows, jeep-tour kiosks, and second-floor patios that look straight up the throat of Oak Creek Canyon. It is the part of Sedona almost every first-time visitor sees, and the easiest base for travelers who would rather walk to dinner than drive.
What defines Uptown
Uptown is the compact tourist core — roughly six blocks of SR-89A from the "Y" intersection north to where the road bends toward Oak Creek Canyon. You can park once and walk the whole thing. The architecture is a mix of 1960s motor-court Southwest and newer faux-pueblo retail; the businesses skew toward galleries, Native-American silver and turquoise, t-shirts, fudge and ice cream, and the kiosks where the pink, red, and yellow jeep-tour companies dispatch trips into the backcountry.
What to do
Browse the upper-end galleries on the west side of the street, take a guided jeep tour out to Broken Arrow or Soldier Pass, or hop the Sedona Trolley for a 55-minute narrated loop. Uptown is the practical departure point for most commercial tours — see our tours guide for operator-by-operator notes, especially Pink Jeep Broken Arrow and Guidance Air helicopter. The walk north along 89A toward the canyon mouth ends at viewpoints over Midgley Bridge and Wilson Mountain.
Where to eat
Uptown is the densest restaurant cluster in town. Reservation-worthy picks: Elote Cafe for elevated regional Mexican (book weeks ahead), The Hudson for a modern American patio with red-rock views, and Javelina Cantina for sunset margaritas. Quick bites: Coffee Pot for the famed 101-omelet breakfast, or pick up a sandwich at Hilltop Deli on the way to a trail.
The catch
Parking in peak season (March-May and September-November weekends) is genuinely difficult — the city paid lots fill by 10am. Bring small bills for meters, or use one of the free trolley shuttles from the south lots. For broader trip-planning context, the visitsedona.com official tourism site keeps a current parking-and-shuttle map.
Stay nearby
Several of our vacation rentals sit within a 5-10 minute drive of Uptown — close enough to walk back from dinner if you split a Lyft one way, far enough to escape the foot traffic when you want quiet. Browse all properties to find the right size and view for your trip.
