Phoenix has all the attractions you’d expect from Arizona’s main city, with attractions that appeal to children and adults alike.
Phoenix naturally has many of the cultural attractions that goes along with being Arizona’s main city, with some top-class museums that would each take a few hours of your time. While there is also plenty of outdoor activity, with some attractive parks and plenty of hiking opportunities, these are less of a draw than they are elsewhere.
The Heard Museum
Number one among the attractions is the Heard Museum, which has one of the biggest and best collections of Native American items in the world. The emphasis is naturally on the American Indian tribes of the South-Western USA, but the entire country is covered and there are also several special exhibitions each year. Recent and forthcoming examples include Hopi Pottery, Navajo Textiles, and the influence of Native American culture on the notable American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe. There are regular events too, such as displays of Native American music and dancing.
Phoenix Art Museum
The work of Georgia O’Keeffe is represented at the Phoenix Art Museum, which is the largest museum of the visual arts in the American South-West. It opened in 1959 and is an attractive and spacious building in its own right, making it a pleasure to visit. Today it has a vast collection. Many of the items do deal with this corner of the United States – works by the pre-eminent Western artist Frederic Remington, for example – but the collection is international. The photography collection alone has over 80,000 works by 2,000 photographers, including Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
Phoenix Zoo
While those first two museums will appeal mostly to adults, Phoenix has plenty for young visitors to enjoy too. The Phoenix Zoo, for example, is one of the largest zoos in the United States, and has over 1,300 animals., including 200 endangered species. The zoo has four themed trails to follow, including one about Arizona wildlife and another especially for children, with a petting zoo. If you don’t manage to see animals like coyotes or bobcats in the wild while visiting Arizona, you can at least see them in the zoo, in natural surroundings.
Arizona Science Center
The Arizona Science Center is very much aimed at families, with over 300 exhibits which are very much hands-on. There are several different galleries, including one which deals with Forces of Nature, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes – none of which you will experience for real in Arizona. Another section deals with the modern world of digital technology, while a very popular exhibit allows children to ride a SkyCycle. The Center also has a Planetarium and an IMAX Theater.
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
The Children’s Museum of Phoenix opened in 2008 and since then has won numerous awards, including being among the ten best children’s museums in the USA. One approach it has taken is to have no signs on any of the exhibits, in the belief that children instinctively know what to do. This makes it especially good for overseas visitors with children, especially the very young. They can enjoy painting, dancing, climbing, driving racing cars, and meet a Flying Cactus in the Desert Delights exhibit, which will teach them all about the Arizona landscape.
In short, there is plenty to see and do in Phoenix for young and old, indoors and outdoors.
OUR PICK OF THE GUIDES
From that blues bar you haven’t visited yet to the desert hike you keep meaning to plan, experience something new right here at home with Moon 52 Things to Do in Phoenix & Tucson.
- Cool things to do in and around the cities: Kick back at a Spring Training game or squeeze into the grandstands of El Gran Mercado for some lucha libre. Bike the famed Loop in Tucson, kayak Tempe Town Lake, and lace up your boots for an urban hike in the Phoenix Mountains. Support local BIPOC writers at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore and taste what’s on tap at a women-owned brewery. Savor Sonoran-style food like tamales and carne asada or try authentic Tohono O’odham fry bread.
