Even if you're not staying in Mesa, this museum is worth a trip, especially if your kids are into dinosaurs (and aren't they all?). In addition to the multilevel Dinosaur Mountain, there are loads of life-sized casts of the giant beasts plus a touchable apatosaurus thighbone. Other exhibits highlight the Southwest's pre-conquest past, and that of the Americas more broadly, from a prehistoric Hohokam village to an entire hall on ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
© Dave G Houser / Getty Images
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Top choice in Greater Phoenix
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Heard Museum
14.3 MILES
This extraordinary museum spotlights the history, life, arts and culture of American Indian tribes in the Southwest. Visitors will find art galleries,…
Musical Instrument Museum
19.2 MILES
From Uganda thumb pianos to Hawaiian ukuleles to Indonesian boat lutes, the ears have it at this lively museum that celebrates the world's musical…
Desert Botanical Garden
7.1 MILES
Blue bells and Mexican gold poppies are just two of the colorful showstoppers blooming from March to May along the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail at this…
Old Town Scottsdale
7.44 MILES
Tucked among Scottsdale's malls and bistros is its Old Town, a Wild West–themed enclave filled with cutesy buildings, covered sidewalks and stores hawking…
Nearby Greater Phoenix attractions
1. Arizona State University
5.76 MILES
South of Scottsdale and sandwiched between downtown Phoenix and Mesa, Tempe is home to the 50,000 students of Arizona State University's main campus…
2. ASU Art Museum
6.08 MILES
This airy, contemporary gallery space has permanent collections of contemporary, Southwestern, North and Latin American art, hosts regular temporary shows…
3. 'A' Mountain
6.1 MILES
For sweeping metro and mountain views, huff it up for half a mile to the top of Tempe's 'A' Mountain, so-called because of the giant letter 'A' painted…
4. Mill Ave
6.17 MILES
Along the western edge of Arizona State University, Mill Ave is Tempe's main drag and is lined with restaurants, bars and a mix of national chains and…
5. Tempe Town Lake
6.42 MILES
Mill Ave spills into Tempe Town Lake, a 2-mile-long recreational pond created by reclaiming the long-dry Salt River in the 1990s. Have a picnic at Tempe…
6. Phoenix Zoo
7.04 MILES
Home to more than 1400 animals, including local natives such as the bald eagle and bighorn sheep, Phoenix Zoo houses species rare and common in several…
7. Desert Botanical Garden
7.1 MILES
Blue bells and Mexican gold poppies are just two of the colorful showstoppers blooming from March to May along the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail at this…
8. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
7.3 MILES
Complementing the adjacent Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, SMoCA's five galleries, housed in a cleverly adapted old movie theater, showcase…