Cornville, Arizona: During the summer, Arizonans who live in the Southern parts of the state migrate to the Northern parts, for a weekend or the season, to escape the scorching heat.

Sure, it's cooler up here. To Phoenix residents fleeing the city's 115 degree inferno, the highs around Sedona of 100 or so seem positively brisk. At the same time those of us who live in the Verde Valley set our sights on a shady place by the water. For a brief retreat into the true simple pleasures of summer, it's hard to beat Cornville. 

There's not a lot happening here, mind you. The little town on the banks of Oak Creek boasts about 3,000 residents, some horses, cows and goats, and not much else. The heart of Cornville's commerce district consists of a feed store next to a gas station next to a Laundromat. But if you want to enjoy Oak Creek without the red rock crowds, lie in the shade and listen to the Cottonwoods rustle in the breeze, Cornville has it all, plus a little more for the more activity-inclined.

For some lounging creekside, just pack a little picnic and park yourself in Windmill Park (you can't miss it if you're driving through Cornville - it's the park with the windmill), abut 8 grassy acres on Oak Creek with picnic facilities and a working windmill. If you have more time, check out Eliphante, a fantasy-scape lovingly assembled over the course of 20 years by artists Michael Kahn and Leda Livant. The three-acre outdoor art sanctuary was named for the first amazing component, a kind of sculpture/secret hideout adorned inside and out with amazing paintings, mosaic work and even a built-in piano. As the years passed, the inspiration grew, and Eliphante slowly filled with structures, sculptures, found-object art, paintings, water features, even a whimsical musical instrument or two. The most recent installation is Pipe Dreams, an underground gallery space composed of a web of tunnels and caves with a painting housed in each amazing nook. It's joyful, inspired, whimsical, and absolutely one-of-a-kind. While it's very much Michael and Leda's home, they do share it with visitors with prior arrangement. (Call 928-634-4341)

For a town the size of a smallish urban high school, Cornville actually has a surprising number of good restaurants, and in its unassuming location on Cornville Road, The Manzanita Inn stands out as one of the more popular fine dining experiences in the whole Verde Valley.