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Downtown Phoenix | Greater Phoenix | Scottsdale | Tempe and Around
Downtown Phoenix
Changes in the Valley over the past two decades have meant the emergence of a real downtown in Phoenix, where people hang out. There are apartments and loft spaces; cultural and sports facilities, including Jefferson Street’s Chase Field and Talking Stick Resort Arena; and large areas for conventions and trade shows. It’s retained a mix of past and present, too, as restored homes in Heritage Square, from the original townsite, give an idea of how far the city has come since its inception around the turn of the 20th century.
Getting Here and Around
There are lots of parking options downtown, and they’re listed on the free map provided by Downtown Phoenix Partnership, available in many local restaurants (www.downtownphoenix.com). Many downtown sites are served by the light-rail system or DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle), a free bus service.
Timing
Artlink Phoenix First Fridays.
On the first Friday of every month galleries stay open late and crowds converge to view the work of emerging and established artists, listen to live music, and see impromptu street performances. It’s an excellent way to check out the Phoenix arts scene. | 602/256–7539 | www.artlinkphoenix.com.
Exploring
Arizona Science Center.
With more than 300 hands-on exhibits, this is the venue for science-related exploration. You can pilot a simulated airplane flight, travel through the human body, navigate your way through the solar system in the Dorrance Planetarium, and watch a movie in a giant, five-story IMAX theater. | 600 E. Washington St., Downtown Phoenix | 602/716–2000 | www.azscience.org | Museum $17; museum, IMAX, and planetarium $34 | Daily 10–5.
Children’s Museum of Phoenix.
A playground for kids of all ages, this museum features hands-on exhibits where children learn by playing. Venture through the “noodle forest,” relax in the book loft, or get a crash course in economics by role-playing at the on-site market. | 215 N. 7th St., Downtown Phoenix | 602/253–0501 | www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org | $11 | Tues.–Sun. 9–4.
Heritage Square.
In a parklike setting from 5th to 7th streets between Monroe and Adams streets, this city-owned block contains the only remaining houses from the original Phoenix townsite. On the south side of the square, along Adams Street, stand several houses built between 1899 and 1901. The Bouvier Teeter House has a Victorian-style tea room, and the Thomas House and Baird Machine Shop are now Pizzeria Bianco, one of the area’s most popular eateries. | Downtown Phoenix | www.phoenix.gov/parks/parks/heritagepk.html.
Rosson House Museum.
This 1895 Victorian in the Queen Anne style is the queen of Heritage Square. Built by a physician who served a brief term as mayor, it’s the sole survivor among fewer than two dozen Victorians erected in Phoenix. It was bought and restored by the city in 1974. | 113 N. 6th St., Downtown Phoenix | 602/262–5070 | www.heritagesquarephx.org | $7.50 | Wed.–Sat. 10–3, Sun. noon–3.
Quick Bites: Switch.
One of Phoenix’s coolest ways to beat the summer heat, Switch offers a unique menu. Choose from fresh sandwiches, healthful salads, a fabulous cheese platter, gourmet burgers, steaks, seafood, baked goods, and crêpes, all served in a sleek, modern setting with couch conversation pits and one of downtown’s best patios. | 2603 N. Central Ave., Downtown Phoenix | 602/264–2295 | www.switchofarizona.com.
Phoenix History
As the Hohokam (the name comes from the Pima word for “people who have gone before”) discovered 2,300 years ago, the miracle of water in the desert can be augmented by human hands. Having migrated from northwestern Mexico, the Hohokam cultivated cotton, corn, and beans in tilled, rowed, and irrigated fields for about 1,700 years, establishing more than 300 miles of canals—an engineering phenomenon when you consider the limited technology available. They constructed a great town on whose ruins modern Phoenix is built, and then vanished. Drought, long winters, and other causes are suggested for their disappearance.
Modern Beginnings
From the time the Hohokam left until the Civil War, the once-fertile Salt River valley lay forgotten, used only by occasional small bands of Pima and Maricopa Indians. Then in 1865 the U.S. Army established Fort McDowell in the mountains to the east, where the Verde River flows into the Salt River. To feed the men and the horses stationed there, a former Confederate Army officer reopened the Hohokam canals in 1867. Within a year, fields bright with barley and pumpkins earned the area the name Pumpkinville. By 1870 the 300 residents had decided that their new city would arise from the ancient Hohokam site, just as the mythical phoenix rose from its own ashes.
A City on the Rise
Phoenix would grow indeed. Within 20 years it had become large enough—its population was about 3,000—to wrest the title of territorial capital from Prescott. By 1912, when Arizona was admitted as the 48th state, the area, irrigated by the brand-new Roosevelt Dam and Salt River Project, had a burgeoning cotton industry. Copper was mined elsewhere but traded in Phoenix, and cattle were raised elsewhere but slaughtered and packed here in the country’s largest stockyards outside Chicago.
Meanwhile, the climate, so long a crippling liability, became an asset. Desert air was the prescribed therapy for the respiratory ills rampant in the sooty, factory-filled East; Scottsdale began in 1901 as “30-odd tents and a half-dozen adobe houses” put up by health seekers. By 1930 travelers looking for warm winter recreation as well as rejuvenating aridity filled the elegant Wigwam Resort and Arizona Biltmore, the first of the many luxury retreats for which the area is now known worldwide. The 1950s brought residential air-conditioning, an invention that made the summers bearable for the growing workforce of the burgeoning technology industry.
Phoenix Today
The Valley is very much a work still in progress, and historians are quick to point out that never in the world’s history has a metropolis grown from “nothing” to attain the status of Phoenix in such a short period of time. At the heart of all the bustle, though, is a way of life that keeps its own pace: Phoenix is one of the world’s largest small towns—where people dress informally and where the rugged, Old West spirit lives on in many of the Valley’s nooks and crannies despite the sprawling growth. And if summer heat can be overwhelming, at least it has the restorative effect of slowing things down to an enjoyable pace.
Wells Fargo History Museum.
This Wild West museum isn’t very big, but there are lots of things to see, including an authentic 19th-century stagecoach and a replica that you can climb aboard, as well as an interactive telegraph. The artwork of N.C. Wyeth is on display. | 145 W. Adams, Downtown Phoenix | 602/378–1852 | wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museum_phoenix.html | Free | Weekdays 9–5, closed bank holidays.
Greater Phoenix
While suburban towns are popping up all around Phoenix, the city’s core neighborhoods just outside Downtown maintain the majority of their history and appeal. There are options aplenty to take you out hiking in the hills or inside to some interesting cultural sites.
Getting Here and Around
One of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, Greater Phoenix is a sprawling mix of urban and suburban. Sky Harbor Airport is one of the busiest in the nation. Although Phoenix has some public transportation, it’s best to explore the Valley by car.
Top Attractions
Fodor’s Choice | Desert Botanical Garden.
Opened in 1939 to conserve and showcase the ecology of the desert, these 150 acres contain more than 4,000 different species of cacti, succulents, trees, and flowers. A stroll along the ½-mile “Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert” trail is a fascinating lesson in environmental adaptations; children enjoy playing the self-guiding game “Desert Detective.” Specialized tours are available at an extra cost; check online for times and prices. TIP The Desert Botanical Garden stays open late, to 8 pm year-round, and it’s particularly lovely when lighted by the setting sun or by moonlight. You can plan for a cool, late visit after a full day of activities. | 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy. | Phoenix | 480/941–1225 | www.dbg.org | $22 | Daily 8–8.
Hall of Flame.
Retired firefighters lead tours through nearly 100 restored fire engines and tell harrowing tales of the “world’s most dangerous profession.” The museum has the world’s largest collection of firefighting equipment, and children can climb on a 1916 engine, operate alarm systems, and learn fire safety from the pros. Helmets, badges, and other firefighting-related articles from as far back as 1725 are on display. | 6101 E. Van Buren St. | Phoenix | 602/275–3473 | www.hallofflame.org | $7 | Mon.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. noon–4.
Fodor’s Choice | Heard Museum.
Pioneer settlers Dwight and Maie Heard built a Spanish colonial–style building on their property to house their collection of Southwestern art. Today the staggering collection includes such exhibits as a Navajo hogan and rooms filled with art, pottery, jewelry, kachinas, and textiles. The Heard also actively supports contemporary Indian artists and displays their work. Annual events include the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest in February and the Guild Indian Fair & Market in March. Children enjoy the interactive art-making exhibits. TIP The museum also has an incredible gift shop with authentic, high-quality goods purchased directly from Native American artists. | 2301 N. Central Ave., North Central Phoenix | 602/252–8840 | www.heard.org | $18 | Mon.–Sat. 9:30–5, Sun. 11–5.
Fodor’s Choice | Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).
A fun destination for even casual music fans, the museum offers a rare display of music and instruments going back hundreds of years—including more than 15,000 instruments and artifacts from across the globe. Special galleries highlight video demonstrations as well as audio tracks that showcase the sounds that instruments, both primitive and contemporary, create. Among the museum’s dazzling array of instruments are the piano on which John Lennon composed “Imagine,” and the first Steinway piano. | 4725 E. Mayo Blvd. | Phoenix | 480/478–6000 | www.mim.org | $20 | Daily 9–5.
Mystery Castle.
At the foot of South Mountain lies a curious dwelling built from desert rocks by Boyce Gulley, who came to Arizona to cure his tuberculosis. Full of fascinating oddities, the castle has 18 rooms with 13 fireplaces, a downstairs grotto tavern, and a quirky collection of Southwestern antiques. The pump organ belonged to Elsie, the “Widow of Tombstone,” who buried six husbands under suspicious circumstances. | 800 E. Mineral Rd., South Phoenix | 602/268–1581 | www.mymysterycastle.com | $10 | Oct.–May, Thurs.–Sun. 11–4. Call to confirm hrs.
Phoenix Art Museum.
This museum is one of the most visually appealing pieces of architecture in the Southwest. Basking in natural light, the museum makes great use of its modern, open space by tastefully fitting more than 17,000 works of art from around the world—including sculptures by Frederic Remington and paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Moran, and Maxfield Parrish—within its soaring concrete walls. The museum hosts more than 20 significant exhibitions annually and has one of the most acclaimed fashion collections in the country. | 1625 N. Central Ave., Central Phoenix | 602/257–1222 | www.phxart.org | $15 (donation-only Wed. evening and 1st Fri. evening, except during special exhibitions) | Wed. 10–9, Thurs.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. noon–5; 1st Fri. of the month 10–10.
Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park.
Phoenix’s only national landmark, this park was once the site of a 500-acre Hohokam village supporting about 1,000 people and containing homes, storage rooms, cemeteries, and ball courts. Three exhibition galleries hold displays on the Hohokam culture and archaeological methods. View the 10-minute orientation video before heading out on the ½-mile Ruin Trail past excavated sites that give a hint of Hohokam savvy: there’s a building whose corner doorway was perfectly placed for watching the summer-solstice sunrise. Children especially like the hands-on interactive learning center. Guided tours by appointment only. | 4619 E. Washington St. | Phoenix | 602/495–0900 | $6 | Oct.–Apr., Mon.–Sat. 9–4:45, Sun. 1–4:45; May–Sept., Tues.–Sat. 9–4:45, Sun. 1–4:45.
Tovrea Castle.
Get a glimpse of what Phoenix was like a century ago by touring the extensive grounds and the two floors of the castle, constructed in the 1920s and early 1930s. Unfortunately, the cupola—the castle’s “crown”—doesn’t meet fire codes, so visitors can’t get the 360-degree views that cattle baron E. A. Tovrea enjoyed. A Phoenix landmark, this 44-acre site in central Phoenix is managed jointly by the city of Phoenix and a group of loyal preservationists. | 5025 E. Van Buren St. | Phoenix | 602/256–3221 | www.tovreacastletours.com | $15 | Tours Sept.–June, Fri.–Sun. Call for reservations.
Worth Noting
Encanto Park.
Urban Encanto (Spanish for “enchanted”) Park covers 222 acres at the heart of one of Phoenix’s oldest residential neighborhoods. There are many attractions, including picnic areas, a lagoon where you can paddleboat and canoe, a municipal swimming pool, a nature trail, Enchanted Island amusement park (www.enchantedisland.com), fishing in the park’s lake, and two public golf courses. | 1202 W. Encanto Blvd., North Central Phoenix | 602/261–8991 | www.phoenix.gov/parks | Park free, Enchanted Island rides $1.15 each or $20 for a daily pass | Park daily 5:30 am–11 pm; Enchanted Island hrs vary by season and weather.
Papago Park.
An amalgam of hilly desert terrain, streams, and lagoons, this park has picnic ramadas (shaded, open-air shelters), a golf course, a playground, hiking and biking trails, and even largemouth bass and trout fishing. (An urban fishing license is required for anglers ages 15 and over. Visit www.azgfd.gov for more information.) The hike up to landmark Hole-in-the-Rock—a natural observatory used by the native Hohokam to devise a calendar system—is steep and rocky, and a much easier climb up than down. Governor Hunt’s Tomb, the white pyramid at the top of Ramada 16, commemorates the former Arizona leader and provides a lovely view. | 625 N. Galvin Pkwy. | Phoenix | 602/495–5458 | www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/papago-park | Free | Daily 5 am–11 pm.
Phoenix Zoo.
Four designated trails wind through this 125-acre zoo, replicating such habitats as an African savanna and a tropical rainforest. Meerkats, warthogs, desert bighorn sheep, and the endangered Arabian oryx are among the unusual sights. The zoo is full of interactive stops for kids of all sizes. Harmony Farm introduces youngsters to small mammals, and a stop at the Big Red Barn petting zoo provides a chance to interact with goats, cows, and more. TIP In December the zoo stays open late (until 10) for the popular “ZooLights” exhibit, which transforms the area into an enchanted forest of more than 225 million twinkling lights, many in the shape of the zoo’s residents. Starry Safari Friday Nights in summer are fun, too. | 455 N. Galvin Pkwy. | Phoenix | 602/273–1341 | www.phoenixzoo.org | $20 | Sept.–May, daily 9–4; June–Aug., daily 7–2. Hrs vary by month and weather; check website for details. ZooLights extends holiday hrs until 10.
Shemer Art Center.
Revolving exhibits of current Arizona artists, who have agreed to donate one of their pieces to the center’s permanent collection, are displayed in a former residence near the Phoenician resort. The collection is largely contemporary, and exhibits change every month or so. | 5005 E. Camelback Rd., Camelback Corridor | 602/262–4727 | www.shemerartcenter.org | $7 | Tues.–Sat. 10–3.
South Mountain Park.
The world’s largest city park (almost 17,000 acres) offers a wilderness of mountain-desert trails for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders—and a great place to view sunsets. The Environmental Center has a model of the park as well as displays detailing its history, from the time of the ancient Hohokam people to gold seekers. Roads climb past picnic ramadas constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, winding through desert flora to the trailheads. Look for ancient petroglyphs, try to spot a desert cottontail rabbit or chuckwalla lizard, or simply stroll among the desert vegetation. Maps of all scenic drives as well as hiking, mountain biking, and horseback trails are available at the Gatehouse Entrance just inside the park boundary. | 10919 S. Central Ave., South Phoenix | 602/262–7393 | www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south-mountain | Free | Daily 5 am–7 pm.
Scottsdale
Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists’ communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue is known for shopping and Native American jewelry and crafts stores, while Main Street and Marshall Way are home to the international art set with galleries and interior-design shops.
Getting Here and Around
Although your tour of the downtown area can easily be completed on foot, there’s a regular free trolley service (480/312–3111 | www.scottsdaleaz.gov/trolley).
Timing
If you have limited time in the area, spend a half day in Old Town Scottsdale and the rest of the day at Taliesin West.
Scottsdale ArtWalk.
Every Thursday evening (except Thanksgiving) from 7 to 9, the galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way stay open for this indoor-outdoor celebration of the arts. Tour the galleries, watch street performers, and grab a bite to eat. | www.scottsdalegalleries.com.
Top Attractions
Old Town Scottsdale.
Known as “the West’s Most Western Town,” this area has rustic storefronts and wooden sidewalks alongside some of the best dining and window-shopping in town. It can be exceptionally touristy in some areas, but it’s also the closest you’ll come to the “Old West” as it was 80 years ago. High-quality jewelry and Mexican imports are sold alongside kitschy souvenirs. | Main St. from Scottsdale Rd. to Brown Ave., Old Town.
Fodor’s Choice | Taliesin West.
Ten years after visiting Arizona in 1927 to consult on designs for the Biltmore hotel, architect Frank Lloyd Wright chose 600 acres of rugged Sonoran Desert at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains as the site for his permanent winter residence. Today it’s a National Historic Landmark and still an active community of students and architects. Wright and apprentices constructed a desert camp here using organic architecture to integrate the buildings with their natural surroundings. In addition to the living quarters, drafting studio, and small apartments of the Apprentice Court, Taliesin West has two theaters, a music pavilion, and the Sun Trap—sleeping spaces surrounding an open patio and fireplace. Five guided tours are offered, ranging from a one-hour “panorama” tour to a three-hour behind-the-scenes tour, with other tours offered seasonally; all visitors must be accompanied by a guide. TIP Wear comfortable shoes for walking.
To reach Taliesin West, drive north on the 101 Freeway to Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Follow Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard for a few miles to the entrance at the corner of Cactus Road. | 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., North Scottsdale | 888/516–0811, 480/860–2700 | www.franklloydwright.org | $28–$75 | Daily 9–4, with evening tours most days. Call to confirm.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
More than just an artist’s retreat and workshop, Taliesin West and the surrounding desert still inspire both visitors and architects who study here. Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The desert abhors the straight, hard line.” Though much of Wright’s most famed work is based on such lines, this sprawling compound takes its environment into consideration as few desert structures do. Taliesin West mirrors the jagged shapes and earthen colors of its mountain backdrop and desert surroundings. Even Wright’s interior pieces of “origami” furniture assume the mountain’s unpredictable shapes.
Arizona Inspiration
Wright first came to Phoenix from Wisconsin in 1927 to act as a consultant to architect Albert Chase McArthur on the now famed Arizona Biltmore. Later Wright was also hired to design a new hotel in what is currently Phoenix South Mountain Park. Wright and his working entourage returned to the Valley and, instead of residing in apartments, they built a camp of asymmetrical cabins with canvas roofs that maximized but pleasantly diffused light, and blended into the rugged mountain backdrop.
When the hotel project failed due to the stock market crash of 1929, Wright and his crew returned to Taliesin, his Wisconsin home and site of his architectural fellowship, and the camp was disassembled and carted away. But the concept of his humble worker village would remain in Wright’s creative consciousness, and a decade later the renowned architect found an appropriate plot of land north of Scottsdale.
Natural Construction
Built upon foundations of caliche, known as nature’s own concrete, and painted in crimson and amber hues that highlight the “desert masonry,” the buildings seem to adhere naturally to the landscape. The asymmetrical roofs resemble those of Wright’s South Mountain camp and were covered with canvas for many years before Wright added glass. Supported by painted-steel-and-redwood beams, they face the sun-filled sky like the hard shell of a desert animal that seems to be comfortable here despite all the odds against its survival.
Architectural Legacy
The more-than-70-year-old property and its structures, which Wright envisioned as a “little fleet of ships,” are perhaps some of the best nonnative examples of organic architecture. They also serve as desert building blocks for future generations of Wright protégés—some perhaps schooled on these very grounds—to balance man and Mother Nature.
Worth Noting
Butterfly Wonderland.
The largest butterfly pavilion in the United States gives kids (and their parents) a close-up view of thousands of butterflies in a temperature-controlled rainforest environment. You should also make time to check out the honeybee exhibit, the live ant colony, and the 3D theater. | 9500 E. Via De Ventura, North Scottsdale | 480/800–3000 | www.butterflywonderland.com | $20 | Daily 9–5.
Scottsdale Historical Museum.
Scottsdale’s first schoolhouse, this redbrick building houses a reconstruction of the 1910 schoolroom, as well as photographs, original furniture from the city’s founding fathers, and displays of other treasures from Scottsdale’s early days. | 7333 E. Scottsdale Mall, Old Town | 480/945–4499 | www.scottsdalemuseum.com | Free | Oct.–May, Wed.–Sat. 10–5; June and Sept., Wed.–Sat. 10–2.
Tempe and Around
Tempe is the home of Arizona State University’s main campus and a thriving student population. A 20-minute drive from Phoenix, the tree- and brick-lined Mill Avenue is the main drag, filled with student hangouts, bookstores, boutiques, eateries, and a repertory movie house. There are always things to do or see, and plenty of music venues and fun, casual dining spots.
The inverted pyramid that is Tempe City Hall, on 5th Street, one block east of Mill Avenue, was constructed by local architects Rolf Osland and Michael Goodwin not just to win design awards (which they have), but also to shield city workers from the desert sun. The pyramid is built mainly of bronzed glass and stainless steel, and the point disappears in a sunken courtyard lushly landscaped with jacaranda, ivy, and flowers, out of which the pyramid widens to the sky; stand underneath and gaze up for a weird fish-eye perspective.
The banks of the Rio Salado in Tempe are the site of a commercial and entertainment district, and Tempe Town Lake—a 2-mile-long waterway created by inflatable dams in a flood control channel—which is open for boating. There are biking and jogging paths on the perimeter.
Getting Here and Around
Street parking is hard to find, especially amid all the construction, but there are plenty of public parking garages. Some merchants validate parking for reduced parking charges. The Orbit free shuttle does a loop around Arizona State University, with stops at Mill Avenue and Sun Devil Stadium. The light rail also stops at 3rd Street and Mill Avenue.
Timing
Tempe Festival of the Arts.
This free festival on Mill Avenue is held twice a year in early December and March–April; it has all sorts of interesting arts and crafts. | www.tempefestivalofthearts.com.
Exploring
Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park.
Ever wonder how a major metropolis can thrive in the middle of a desert? Experience the history of Arizona’s water supply and its impact on everything from local produce to millions and millions of people here and around the world. | 1300 N. College Ave. | Tempe | 480/929–9499 | www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/museums/tempe | $5 | Tues.–Sat. 10–4, Sun. noon–4.
Arizona Museum of Natural History.
Kids young and old get a thrill out of the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the state. You can also pan for gold and see changing exhibits from around the world. | 53 N. Macdonald St. | Mesa | 480/644–2230 | www.azmnh.org | $12 | Tues.–Fri. 10–5, Sat. 11–5, Sun. 1–5.
Arizona State University.
What began in 1886 as the Tempe Normal School for Teachers, a four-room redbrick building and 20-acre cow pasture, is now the 750-acre Tempe campus of ASU, the largest university in the Southwest. The university has five campuses across the Valley, with the Tempe campus serving as headquarters. As you walk around campus, you’ll wind past public art and innovative architecture—including a music building that bears a strong resemblance to a wedding cake, designed by Taliesin students to echo Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gammage Auditorium, and a law library shaped like an open book—and end up at the impressive 71,706-seat Sun Devil Stadium, which is carved out of a mountain and cradled between the Tempe buttes. | Tempe | 480/965–9011 | www.asu.edu.
Arizona State University Art Museum.
This museum is in the gray-purple stucco Nelson Fine Arts Center, just north of Gammage Auditorium on the Arizona State campus. For a relatively small museum, it has an extensive collection, including 19th- and 20th-century paintings and sculptures by masters such as Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Rockwell Kent. Works by faculty and student artists are also on display, and there’s a gift shop. | Mill Ave. and 10th St. | Tempe | 480/965–2787 | asuartmuseum.asu.edu | Free | Tues. 11–8, Wed.–Sat. 11–5. Summer hrs vary.
Mesa Grande Cultural Park.
Unpreserved in the middle of the city for years, this amazing, six-acre historic site features a group of Hohokam structures dating to 1400–1100 BC. Once protected by only locals and the occasional eccentric landowner, it’s now operated by the Arizona Museum of Natural History. | 1000 N. Date St. | Mesa | 480/644–3075 | www.azmnh.org/arch/mesagrande.aspx | $5 | Oct.–Apr., Wed.–Fri. 10–2, weekends 10–4.
Sea Life Aquarium.
Some 5,000 creatures including sharks, stingrays, eels, and a giant octopus call this underwater menagerie home. A 165,000-gallon tank with a 360-degree viewing tunnel is the first of its kind. Who says there’s no water in the desert? | Arizona Mills, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle | Tempe | 480/478–7600, 877/526–3960 | www.visitsealife.com/arizona | $18 | Mon.–Sat. 10–7:30, Sun. 10–6.
Tempe Town Lake.
The human-made Town Lake has turned downtown Tempe into a commercial and urban-living hot spot, and attracts college students and Valley residents of all ages. Little ones enjoy the Splash Beach Playground, and fishermen appreciate the rainbow trout–stocked lake. You also can rent a boat and tour the lake on your own. | 550 E. Tempe Town Lake | Tempe | 480/350–5200 | www.tempe.gov/city-hall/community-development.