Museum sights in Arizona
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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The state's best introduction to the wonder of the desert is here, at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. A cross between a zoo and an interpretive park, Tucson's must-see attraction deserves a full day of exploration and has a nice café. Javelinas (wild boars), coyotes, bobcats, snakes and just about every other local desert animal are displayed in a natural-looking outdoor setting. During summer there's a Saturday-night program where you can see the creepy crawlies who live on the night shift.
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Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeological Park
Excavations at the Hohokam village of Pueblo Grande have yielded many clues about the daily lives of these ancient people famous for building such a well-engineered 1000-mile network of irrigation canals that some modern canals simply follow their paths. Study this fascinating culture at the small museum, then use your new knowledge to make sense of the park’s excavations, which include a ball court, a ceremonial platform and a section of the original canals.
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Pioneer Museum
A 1929 steam locomotive welcomes visitors to the Pioneer Museum, which illustrates Flagstaff’s pioneer history in photographs and an eclectic mix of memorabilia ranging from vintage farm equipment to early medical instruments to toys and dolls. Exhibits sprawl inside the old 1908 county hospital for the indigent (known as the ‘poor farm’) and a 1910 barn. Craft demonstrations take place at a 1908 cabin moved here in 1967.
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Arizona Museum of Natural History
Founded by Mormons in 1877, Mesa is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation and the third-largest city in Arizona with a population of around 500,000. Its main cultural attraction is the Arizona Museum of Natural History, which counts animated dinosaurs, an eight-cell territorial jail, a prehistoric Hohokam village and a replica Spanish mission among its many displays and interactive exhibits.
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Pima Air & Space Museum
The Pima Air & Space Museum leads tours through the almost 5000 military airplanes mothballed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, also known as AMARG or simply 'the Boneyard.' History buffs will especially enjoy tooling around on John F Kennedy's Air Force One. Call for tour times. Combination tickets are available for Titan Missile Museum and AMARG.
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Painted Desert Inn
North of the I-40, you’ll have sweeping views of the Painted Desert, where nature presents a hauntingly beautiful palette, especially at sunset. The most mesmerizing views are from Kachina Point at the Painted Desert Inn, an old adobe turned museum adorned with impressive Hopi murals.
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Phoenix Museum of History
For an in-depth grounding in regional history – Pima Indians to the present – head over to the Phoenix Museum of History. If the artifact-filled display cases don’t capture your imagination, the city’s first jail and quirky ‘Beer Bottle’ sidewalk might just do the trick.
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Titan Missile Museum
At exit 69, 16 miles south of the mission, the Titan Missile Museum features an underground launch site for Cold War-era intercontinental ballistic missiles. Tours are chilling, informative and leave frequently. Look into combo tickets for Pima Air & Space Museum.
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Heard Museum Downtown
The Heard Museum Downtown is set in a sun-bleached Spanish Colonial-style building that houses one of the best Native American museums in the entire world. Check out the kachina collection and the room of large murals depicting Native American legends.
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Hall of Flame
Next to the Phoenix Zoo is the Hall of Flame. Kids get to don firefighter gear, climb around a genuine fire engine and examine more than 90 fully restored fire-fighting machines and related paraphernalia from 1725 to today.
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Heard Museum North
Selections from the Heard Museum’s vast collection are also displayed at two new satellite museums, the Heard Museum North in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West in the western suburb of Surprise.
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Heard Museum West
Selections from the Heard Museum’s vast collection are also displayed at two new satellite museums, the Heard Museum North in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West in the western suburb of Surprise.
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Arizona State Museum
The Arizona State Museum focuses on the cultural history of the Southwestern tribes, from Stone Age mammoth hunters to the present, and has much-envied collections of minerals, indigenous pottery and Navajo textiles.
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Museum of Northern Arizona
If you have time for only one sight in Flagstaff, head to the Museum of Northern Arizona. It features exhibits on local Native American archaeology, history and customs, as well as geology, biology and the arts.
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Tucson Children’s Museum
Parents sing the praises of the Tucson Children’s Museum, which has plenty of engaging, hands-on exhibits that stimulate the imagination, problem-solving skills and creative expression.
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UA Museum of Art
At the UA Museum of Art you can clap eyes on 500 years of European and American paintings and sculpture featuring such heavy hitters such as Rembrandt, Goya, Matisse and Picasso.
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Arizona Doll & Toy Museum
Take the tots to the Arizona Doll & Toy Museum in the 1901 Stevens House. The 1912 schoolroom with a cast of antique dolls squeezed behind the wooden desks is adorable.
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Arizona Science Center
At the popular Arizona Science Center, play with 300-odd hands-on exhibits, watch live demonstrations or take in the mysteries of the universe at the planetarium.
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Yavapai Observation Station
At the northeastern end of the village, panoramic views of the canyon unfold at Yavapai Observation Station, which has an intriguing geology museum.
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Phoenix Art Museum
Southwestern and Latin American art are the main attractions, but there's a huge range, so spend some time inside the spaciously cool and modern building.
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Tusayan Museum
At the South Rim you can pause to walk around the 800-year-old pueblo ruins: Start at the Tusayan Museum.
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Hopi Museum
On Second Mesa, some 10 miles west of First Mesa is the small Hopi Museum, whose historical photographs, baskets, pottery and other craft items may hold your interest for about a half-hour.
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