Sights in Phoenix
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Mystery Castle
Equal parts Mexican hacienda, Native American cliff dwelling and psychedelic sand castle, the 18-room Mystery Castle was constructed in the 1930s and ’40s by Boyce Luther Gulley for his daughter Mary Lou. It’s an eccentric contraption of stone, recycled telegraph poles, adobe and whatever else he could scavenge, held together by a mix of sand, cement, calcium and goat’s milk. Mary Lou still lives in the house, but is now too frail to conduct the tours herself. Call ahead to make sure it’s open at all.
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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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Arizona State University
South of Scottsdale and sandwiched between downtown Phoenix and Mesa, Tempe is a fun and energetic district, enlivened by the 51,000 students of Arizona State University. Founded in 1885, the vast campus is home to the Sun Devils stadium, performance venues, galleries and museums. It’s also taken a leadership role in the eco-movement in striving to become a ‘living laboratory’ for sustainability.
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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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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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Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix is a great family town, with plenty to keep the little tykes occupied. If your child loves animals, head to the Phoenix Zoo. A wide variety of critters, including some rare ones, are housed in several distinct and natural-looking environments. Don’t miss the petting zoo.
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Wildlife World Zoo
If the Phoenix Zoo is too tame, make the trip out to the private Wildlife World Zoo to feed giraffes and view kangaroos, tigers, antelopes and other exotic creatures, many of them endangered. It’s 35 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. There's also a new aquarium.
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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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Taliesin West
Taliesin West is the still-functioning architecture school built by Frank Lloyd Wright (he also taught and lived here) in the mid-20th century. The public can tour the environmentally organic buildings spread over 600 acres of pristine desert.
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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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Historic Heritage Square
Downtown is unapologetically modern except at Historic Heritage Square. Blend out the surrounding skyscrapers and imagine thundering hooves and creaking stagecoaches as you amble around this cluster of stately Victorians.
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Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is another beautiful Arizona building, and the art within is like the cherry inside a chocolate. Best of all, the museum anchors an area sprinkled with public art and eateries.
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Desert Botanical Garden
Stroll among the succulents and a crazy forest of cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden. Check for seasonal special events like solstice celebrations and candlelit night visits around the Christmas holiday.
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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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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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Gammage Auditorium
The Gammage Auditorium was Frank Lloyd Wright's last major building.
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Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse
On the Gila River Indian Reservation, the Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse is a re-created 1880s frontier town theme park. You can test your mettle on a mechanical bull, a stubborn burro or an amenable camel; ride a cutesy train or a stagecoach; pan for gold; get married in jail; help the sheriff arrest your rascal kids; watch a stunt show; and all sorts of other hokey-but-fun shenanigans. The steakhouse has rattlesnake and Rocky Mountain oysters (bull testicles) for adventurous eaters and mesquite-grilled slabs of beef for everyone else, usually accompanied by music and entertainment.
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