8 Fun Things to Do in Phoenix
Fun things to do in Phoenix, Arizona, include seeing a Mystery Castle, visiting the Baghdad Opera House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and buying coyote bones.
Solve the Riddle of a Castle
The main mystery of Mystery Castle is why it was built in the first place. The bizarre building was the work of one man, Boyce Luther Gulley, who left his wife, his child, and his job without warning, disappeared for three years, then landed in Phoenix where he bought some land and spent 15 years building his castle using cement and less conventional materials, like used car parts and railway tracks.
Find a Preserved Shark in a Bizarre Collection
Curious Nature is a taxidermy business but also a museum of curiosities of stuffed and preserved animals, birds, fish, and insects. If you want to buy a coyote bone as a souvenir, this is the place to find it.
Discover a Mystery on a Mountain
Camelback Mountain is a Phoenix icon, Right in the middle of the city, its shape resembles a camel lying down, with two humps and a head. What geologists can’t explain is why the mountain is a puzzling mix of red sandstone that is 30 million years old and grey granite that is 1.5 billion years old, the rocks merging with each other in places. Hiking and biking trails cover Camelback.
Visit a Castle in the Desert
Known to locals as ‘The Wedding Cake’, Tovrea Castle was built in 1928-30 by an Italian immigrant, Alessio Carraro. He planned it as a luxury hotel at the centre of a resort development. However, it never opened and after years of simply sitting there looking totally out-of-place, it has been renovated by the city and is now open to curious visitors. It’s also a great haven for wildlife.
Find a Pyramid Tomb with No Mummy
Arizona’s first governor, George W. P. Hunt, was a freemason and chose a masonic symbol, the pyramid for his tomb. He governed from 1912-33, but dies in 1934 and the city honored him by burying him on top of a hill in Papago Park… pyramid tomb and all.
(Scottsdale, to be Accurate)
Play Drums in a Musical Museum
The Musical Instrument Museum is so vast that they sell 2-day tickets, knowing visitors won’t see everything in one day. One of its most appealing features is a room full of instruments you can play, including drums and a small Gamelan Orchestra.
See a Theatre that Should Be in Baghdad
When Tempe commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new theatre for them, he dusted off some old designs and found one that he’d been asked to do for the Baghdad Opera House. The project was never completed so he offered it to Tempe, and the authorities loved it. Go when the box office is open to take a peek inside.
Dine in a Mansion Made from Gum
The grandiose Wrigley Mansion was built in several different styles by William Wrigley Jnr, of Wrigley’s Chewing Gum. It’s now an event space but you can see inside by booking a table at the Italian restaurant that’s also there. The hilltop position means impressive city views.
OUR PICK OF THE GUIDES
From that blues bar you haven’t visited yet to the desert hike you keep meaning to plan, experience something new right here at home with Moon 52 Things to Do in Phoenix & Tucson.
- Cool things to do in and around the cities: Kick back at a Spring Training game or squeeze into the grandstands of El Gran Mercado for some lucha libre. Bike the famed Loop in Tucson, kayak Tempe Town Lake, and lace up your boots for an urban hike in the Phoenix Mountains. Support local BIPOC writers at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore and taste what’s on tap at a women-owned brewery. Savor Sonoran-style food like tamales and carne asada or try authentic Tohono O’odham fry bread.
