Must-see attractions in Greater Phoenix

  • Heard Museum.

    Heard Museum

    Phoenix

    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

    Phoenix

    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 Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona

    Desert Botanical Garden

    Phoenix

    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…

  • There are dinosaurs and more at Arizona Museum of Natural History -- the only museum of its kind in the great Phoenix area, Mesa, AZ, USA

    Arizona Museum of Natural History

    Greater Phoenix

    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…

  • Taliesin West

    Scottsdale

    Taliesin West was the desert home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's greatest 20th-century architects. A prime example of organic…

  • Cosanti

    Scottsdale

    The home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright student Paolo Soleri, who died in 2013, this unusual complex of cast-concrete structures was a stepping stone…

  • Children's Museum of Phoenix

    Phoenix

    Designed to encourage active involvement rather than passive contemplation (text-heavy signs are ditched in favor of interactive exhibits and invitations…

  • Old Adobe Mission with cross at top

    Old Town Scottsdale

    Scottsdale

    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…

  • Phoenix Art Museum

    Phoenix

    Arizona's premier repository of fine art includes works by Claude Monet, Diego Rivera and Georgia O'Keeffe. Make a beeline for the Western Gallery, to see…

  • Pueblo Grande Museum

    Phoenix

    The O'odham Indians use the word 'Hohokam' ('all used up') for the ancestors who mysteriously abandoned this adobe city and the intricate irrigation…

  • Heritage Square

    Phoenix

    This cluster of late-Victorian and early-20th-century homes stands in stark contrast to the soaring modernity of downtown Phoenix. With the buildings now…

  • Arizona State University

    Tempe

    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…

  • Phoenix Zoo

    Phoenix

    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…

  • Lost Dutchman State Park

    Greater Phoenix

    Located 40 miles east of Phoenix, leading into the snaggle-toothed Superstition Mountains, this 320-acre state park is popular with day-trippers and…

  • Superstition Mountain Museum

    Greater Phoenix

    Exhibits at this worthwhile local museum examine the geology and native cultures of the Superstition Mountain area, plus the legend of the Lost Dutchman's…

  • Chase Field

    Phoenix

    The home field of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field is a technological and environmental wonder, with a retractable roof to keep…

  • Museum of the West

    Scottsdale

    Opened in 2015, the Museum of the West has a rotating cast of temporary exhibits, ranging from Taos painters to Barry Goldwater's black-and-white…

  • Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

    Scottsdale

    Complementing the adjacent Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, SMoCA's five galleries, housed in a cleverly adapted old movie theater, showcase…

  • ASU Art Museum

    Tempe

    This airy, contemporary gallery space has permanent collections of contemporary, Southwestern, North and Latin American art, hosts regular temporary shows…

  • Mill Ave

    Tempe

    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…

  • Goldfield Ghost Town

    Greater Phoenix

    The 1890s heyday of this former mining town, once a rival to Mesa for size and vitality, died with the exhaustion of the accessible ore. Today it's an…

  • Arizona Science Center

    Phoenix

    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…

  • Rosson House

    Phoenix

    This painstakingly restored, 2800-sq-ft Queen Anne mansion is a glimpse of an old-fashioned Phoenix nearly entirely swept away by the tide of modernity…

  • Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse

    Greater Phoenix

    Every 'howdy' sounds sincere at this re-created 1880s frontier town located about 20 miles south of Mesa on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Test your…

  • Tempe Town Lake

    Tempe

    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…

  • Scottsdale Historical Museum

    Scottsdale

    One of the buildings with genuine history in Old Town Scottsdale is the Little Red School House, now home to the Scottsdale Historical Museum, where low…

  • Westward Ho

    Phoenix

    A beloved Phoenix landmark, this beautiful 15-story hotel has weathered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune since its construction in 1928. Once…

  • 'A' Mountain

    Tempe

    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…

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