Ten Best Things to Do in Phoenix
Arizona Travel Guide’s choice of ten of the best things to do in Phoenix includes the Heard Museum, Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix Zoo, and Taliesin West.
The Greater Phoenix area has a host of things to do, so many that you could stay here a month and not visit them all.
The choice is also very wide-ranging. If you’re interested in Native American culture then the Heard Museum is the best place in the country to learn about it. Music? The Musical Instrument Museum has the biggest collection of musical instruments in the world. Architecture? Visit the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin West. Gardening? The Desert Botanical Garden is a wonderful display of plants from around the world.
So, here is Arizona Travel Guide’s list of ten of the best things you can do in the Greater Phoenix area, in strictly alphabetical order:
Camelback Mountain
Or Is It the Head of a Camel?
You can see Camelback Mountain from all over Phoenix… and you can see a 360-degree panorama of Phoenix from the top of Camelback Mountain. The highest point is 2,706 feet (825m), and as you can probably guess it gets its name from the fact that its shape resembles a kneeling camel. Real wildlife that lives on the mountain include desert tortoises, Chuckwalla lizards, cottontail rabbits, and rattlesnakes. There are also various species of cactus.
The bad news is that you can only hike to the top of Camelback Mountain, and it isn’t easy. There are only two hiking trails that go to the top of Camelback, Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla Trail, and both are rated difficult trails. In fact you really climb them rather than hike them. There are some easier trails near the base of the mountain. Find out more on the City of Phoenix website.
Chase Field
Chase Field is the home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks, and of course if you’re a baseball fan then watching a game at Chase Field is a great Phoenix experience. However, even if you’re not a sports fan we recommend doing a tour of this remarkable stadium.
Chase Field was the first stadium in the USA to be built with a retractable roof when it was constructed in 1998. In many places this would be to keep the rain out but in Phoenix it is mainly to keep the sun and heat out. It does also keep the rain out, and the city does get torrential rain in the summer monsoon season. The roof takes 4-5 minutes to open or close, at a cost of $2-3. Even when closed, the stadium’s windows allow a game to be played in daylight conditions.
The stadium is in use not just during the baseball season, but events and concerts are also held there. It has a natural grass playing surface and if you go on a tour you’ll see something original about the stadium – it has a pool and a hot tub, with a lifeguard on duty, which is only 415 feet (126m) from the home plate. Find out about Chase Field tours here.
Desert Botanical Garden
Photo Courtesy of the Desert Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden covers 140 acres (57 hectares) and you’ll find it in Papago Park along with Phoenix Zoo and several hiking trails. Although it naturally has a good collection of plants that can survive in the Southwest deserts, it does contain plants from all over the word. In total there are 4,400 different species, including 400 rare and endangered species, with 27,000 individual plants. To us, that’s a lot of weeding and watering! Find out all the details on the Desert Botanical Garden website.
Heard Museum
If we had to single out one place to go at the top of our list of the best things to do in Phoenix, it would be the Heard Museum. Put this at the top of your list too. It’s the biggest and best museum in the world that showcases Native American arts, crafts, and culture. It’s got comprehensive coverage, as a recent temporary exhibition was all about the Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing.
As well as the exhibits, don’t miss the Courtyard Café where you’ll get some genuine Southwestern food, much of the produce sourced from Native America and other local suppliers. You must also save time to brows at the Museum Shop, which has wonderful Native American Arts and Crafts for sale. Each time we go we have to restrain ourselves! For all the practical information about visiting, head to the Heard Museum website.
Japanese Friendship Garden
This is a lovely peaceful retreat in the heart of one of the USA’s biggest and fastest-growing cities. It’s not far from downtown, and when you’re there you’re totally unaware that Interstate-10 is running beneath your feet. It was created as a joint project between the city of Phoenix and its Japanese sister city, Himeji.
It covers an area of 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares) and includes a tea garden and a tea house, where you can enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. You can even do a tea tour as well as regular garden tours, though the tea tours sell out well in advance. If you’re planning a visit to Phoenix and want to do a tea tour then book it ASAP. Find out all the info at the Japanese Friendship Garden website.
Musical Instrument Museum
This would be second on our list of must-sees in Phoenix after the Heard Museum. It has the biggest collection of musical instruments in the world. You can read all about it on our separate page about the Musical Instrument Museum.
Phoenix Art Museum
This is the largest visual art museum in the Southwest, with over 20,000 objects in its nine different collecting areas. These cover American art, Western American art, Latin American art, Asian art, European art, modern art, contemporary art, fashion design, and photography. There’s bound to be something here to interest you!
The European Art Collection, as just one example, has over 1,200 different objects including works by Delacroix, Rodin, Courbet, and Monet. As you’d expect, it has an excellent collection of Western American Art. The fashion collection has over 6,000 items spanning 500 years, with examples from famous names including Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, and many more. Get the practical nitty-gritty at the Phoenix Art Museum website.
Phoenix Zoo
The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962 and is the largest privately-owned non-profit zoo in the United States. It’s home to over 3,000 animals across 400 species, including many endangered and threatened species.
There are four main trails in the zoo: Africa Trail, Arizona Trail, Tropics Trail, and Children’s Trail. Animals you’ll see include African lions, Mexican wolves, Asian elephants, jaguars, monkeys and apes, and everything from Komodo dragons to tarantulas. For more information go to the Phoenix Zoo website.
South Mountain Park
South Mountain Park is the largest municipal park in the United States, and one of the largest urban parks in North America and in the world. It covers an area of 16,283 acres or 25.5 square miles (66 square kilometers).
There are over 50 miles (80 kms) of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Dobbins Lookout, at 2,330 feet (710m), is the highest point in the park that’s accessible by the public and you get great views of the whole valley from up there. For full details visit the City of Phoenix website.
Taliesin West
Taliesin West is about a 45-minute drive northeast from downtown Phoenix, but if you have an interest in architecture, and in particular in Frank Lloyd Wright, you’ll be happy to make the journey.
This was Wright’s winter home, which he established in 1937, though it was many years in the building. He naturally wanted it to reflect and grow out of the Arizona Desert in which it stands. He lived there till his death at the age of 91 in 1959, passing away after surgery in a Phoenix hospital.
Taliesin West is still surrounded by desert and an impressive place to tour. Find out how at the Taliesin West website.
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.
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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.
