Phoenix attractions

One of the largest urban parks on the planet, South Mountain Park straddles a swath of south Phoenix from South Mountain Village to Ahwatukee Foothills Village. A local point of pride, the park and desert nature preserve has popular hiking, biking, and horseback trails. Inside the park, visitors will find multiple lookouts, the Mystery Castle stone mansion, and an environmental education center.

Occupying one of the oldest residential areas in Phoenix, Heritage Square comprises 10 fully restored Victorian buildings dating back to the original townsite in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can tour house museums, dine at award-winning restaurants, or even catch a ballgame at Chase Field next door.

Straddling Maricopa and Yavapai counties on the northern outskirts of Phoenix, Lake Pleasant Regional Park is a popular recreation area where you can go fishing, hiking, boating, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, camping—and even scuba diving. Its highlight is Lake Pleasant, an artificial lake and part of the Central Arizona Project waterway system of Arizona.

A recreation mecca outside Phoenix, Saguaro Lake provides boating, fishing, camping, and picnicking opportunities in a setting surrounded by groves of saguaro cacti. The lake was formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam, creating an oasis in the desert. Cool off in the water, enjoy a lakeside meal, and partake in activities at the marina.

Deep-dive into the wonders of the world’s oceans at the SEA LIFE® Aquarium Arizona. Located in Phoenix, it’s a favorite destination for families and home to more than 5,000 fish and marine life; expect to see sharks, sea turtles, rays, octopus, and more.

An Italian-style mansion set in the Arizona desert, the Wrigley Mansion was the vacation home of wealthy chewing-gum entrepreneur William Wrigley, Jr. and his wife Ada in the 1930s. Now a historic landmark and a fine restaurant, the mansion is a popular destination for special occasions, historical tours, and wine tastings.

The Arizona Science Center, set within picturesque Heritage and Science Park in Downtown Phoenix, comprises 140,000 square feet (13,000 square meters) of hands-on exhibits designed to educate and entertain. The complex also includes a planetarium and 5-story-tall screen within the Irene P. Flinn Theater.

Enjoy the ultimate indoor LEGO® adventure at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Arizona. Located in the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, this interactive LEGO-themed entertainment park features a dozen rides, build-and-play zones, games, workshops, a café, shop, and a 4D cinema, and offers hours of educational fun for kids and their families.

Enjoy an evening of improv comedy and laughter at the National Comedy Theatre (NCT) in Phoenix. Inspired by the hit television showWhose Line Is It Anyway, the NCT offers a spontaneous comedy show with plenty of audience interaction. See two teams of professional comedians perform scenes and compete to be the winner of the show.

Chase Field, the first retractable-roof, natural grass stadium in the U.S., is home to the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. The stadium in downtown Phoenix features a swimming pool and one of the largest video scoreboards in the MLB. When baseball isn’t in season, the venue hosts live music and other sporting events.

With a vast and varied collection that ranges from Monet to modern fashion, the Phoenix Art Museum is the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Here, you can examine more than 20,000 pieces of contemporary and photographic art, plus traditional American, Asian, European, and Latin American works. The Western American collection lets you learn about the region.

Sprawling across more than 80 acres (32 hectares, this massive wildlife park outside Phoenix is more than just a zoo. It’s home to Arizona's largest collection of exotic animals, from the African savanna to the Pacific reefs and everywhere in between. Conservation talks, feedings, and amusement rides make for a full day of family fun.

Located in downtown Phoenix, the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix offers a tranquil setting with hand-picked rock, stone footbridges, and lanterns, along with more than 85 varieties of plants, plus a traditional tea house. It has a miegakure or hide-and-reveal design prevalent in Japanese stroll gardens. Visitors are led to uncover hidden sights and sounds of the landscape while strolling.

Enjoy an action-packed day at Castles N’ Coasters in Phoenix. Spanning 10 acres (four hectares), the theme park offers a wide range of attractions that appeal to the young and old, including roller coasters, a carousel, mini-golf courses, go-kart, bumper cars and boats, an arcade, ziplines, an obstacle course, and more.

Mystery Castle is located in South Phoenix, in the foothills of South Mountain Park. Boyce Luther Gulley, who moved to the southwest to treat his tuberculosis, built the castle in the 1930s for his daughter, Mary Lou. Today, it is considered a Phoenix Point of Pride, one of 33 attractions representing the best of Phoenix.

Pueblo Grande Museum, an archaeological park on the ruins of a 1,500-year-old Native American village in the heart of Phoenix, reveals the story of the Hohokam people. The adobe city and its intricate irrigation system was mysteriously abandoned, leaving only hints about the life and culture of this early community.

Named for the now empty Hayden Flour Mill at the northern end of the strip, Mill Avenue is a magnet for bar-hoppers and night owls. Its position near Arizona State University in downtown Tempe ensures a constant stream of lively fun-seekers and a somewhat bohemian atmosphere, complete with shops, restaurants, bars, and festivals.

The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC) is a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in the Sonoran Desert in the far north of Scottsdale. A rehab center, medical clinic, and sanctuary for animals that cannot return to the wild, the private center provides access to the public with educational programs and tours that help visitors learn about local wildlife and see some of the permanent residents.

Birdwatching, short hiking trails, and Indigenous history bring visitors to Homolovi State Park, also called the "Place of the Little Hills," the Hopi name for the land near Winslow, Arizona, where the state park lies. The park is a significant community site for the Hopi and is home to two ancient Anasazi archaeological sites with petroglyphs and traditional pit houses.