Things to Do in Phoenix
Phoenix spreads across a desert valley with mountain preserves inside the city limits and a museum cluster along Central Avenue. This guide ranks fifteen picks, from the Desert Botanical Garden and the Heard Museum to South Mountain Park and Camelback, with what each one costs and how the summer heat changes the plan.
The top 15, ranked
Ranked from official sources: the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation trail pages, the City of Phoenix museum service and each venue's own admission page. Prices, heat restrictions and opening shapes were read from the operator's own site.
- Top pick
1Best for desert plants · #1 of 15
Desert Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenPapago Parkopen daily from early morning, with extended evening hours through the summer$10 to $25Fifty five acres inside Papago Park hold one of the best Sonoran Desert plant collections anywhere, laid out along themed walking trails between the red buttes. It is the clearest explanation of the landscape the rest of the city sits in.
Local tipIn summer the garden opens early and runs extended evening hours specifically so visitors can avoid the middle of the day, and the summer online rate is lower than the standard one.
- Top pick
2Best for art · #2 of 15
Heard Museum
MuseumCentral Avenue corridoropen daily in the main season and one day fewer through the summerTicketedThe Heard holds one of the strongest collections of American Indian art in the country, running from traditional work through to contemporary artists, in central Phoenix. It is the single best cultural stop in the valley.
Local tipThe museum drops a day in summer, closing Mondays as well, so check the season before planning a Monday visit.
- Top pick
3Best for hiking · #3 of 15
South Mountain Park and Preserve
Municipal PreserveSouth Phoenixentrance and parking open early morning to evening, with trails open longerFreeAt more than 16,000 acres across three mountain ranges this is one of the largest municipally managed parks in the country, and it sits inside the city limits. The trail network runs for miles and the road to Dobbins Lookout gives the view over the whole valley.
Local tipDuring extreme heat warnings the city restricts certain trails between 8 in the morning and 5 in the evening under its Trail Heat Safety Program, so check before you drive out.
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4Best for music · #4 of 15
Musical Instrument Museum
MuseumNorth Phoenixopen daily on the same daytime hours year round$10 to $25A global collection of instruments arranged by country, with headphones that play each one as you reach it, so the museum is heard as much as seen. It opens every day of the week, which few things here do.
Local tipGeneral admission does not cover special exhibitions, which are ticketed on top.
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#5Best for hard hiking · #5 of 15Camelback Mountain
Hiking LandmarkArcadia and the Camelback corridoropen sunrise to sunset, with trail restrictions during extreme heatFreeThe most recognizable landmark in the valley is climbed by the Echo Canyon or Cholla trails, both of which the city rates extremely difficult with steep gain over exposed rock. There is no easy way up it.
Local tipThis is not a casual walk. The city rates it extremely difficult, the same heat safety restrictions apply, and rescues here are routine in summer.
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6Best for families · #6 of 15
Phoenix Zoo
ZooPapago Parkopen daily with hours shifting significantly by season, earliest and shortest in summer$25 to $50A nonprofit zoo in Papago Park, directly beside the Desert Botanical Garden, which makes the two an easy single trip. Its hours move a long way with the seasons.
Local tipIn the hottest months the zoo opens early and closes by early afternoon, so arrive at opening rather than after lunch.
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7Best for art · #7 of 15
Phoenix Art Museum
Art MuseumCentral Avenue corridoropen Wednesday through Sunday with two late evenings, closed Mondays and Tuesdays$10 to $25More than 21,000 objects run from ancient work to contemporary installation, on Central Avenue a short walk from the Heard. The two together make one strong museum day without moving the car.
Local tipWednesday evenings run on a pay what you wish basis, and First Fridays are reduced as well.
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8Best for easy hiking · #8 of 15
Papago Park
Municipal ParkPapago Parkentrance hours vary by side of the park, with trails open longerFree with paid optionsThe red sandstone buttes minutes from downtown hold the Hole in the Rock formation, easy trails and the ground that both the zoo and the botanical garden sit on. Walking the park itself costs nothing.
Local tipThe ticketed attractions inside the park charge their own separate admission, so budget them individually rather than as one park fee.
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9Best for families · #9 of 15
Arizona Science Center
Science MuseumDowntown Phoenixopen Tuesday through Sunday on daytime hours, closed Mondays$10 to $25Hands on galleries and a planetarium fill this downtown museum, which is the strongest indoor option in the city when the heat rules out everything outside. General admission covers the galleries, and a wider Discovery Pass adds the planetarium and giant screen.
Local tipGeneral admission and the Discovery Pass are priced separately, and special exhibitions are added on top of either, so decide which you want before buying.
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10Best for archaeology · #10 of 15
S'edav Va'aki Museum
Archaeological MuseumSouth Phoenixseasonal schedule with reduced summer days and hours$10 to $25A Hohokam platform mound and archaeological park sit inside the modern city, preserved and interpreted by the City of Phoenix. This is the deepest history on the page by a wide margin.
Local tipIt was renamed from Pueblo Grande Museum in 2023, so older directions, maps and reviews use the previous name for the same place.
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11Best for gardens · #11 of 15
Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix
GardenDowntown Phoenixsingle daily block for most of the year, splitting into morning and evening sessions in summer$10 to $25A traditional strolling garden with a koi pond and tea house sits in the middle of downtown, which is a genuinely unexpected thing to find in the Sonoran Desert. It is small and takes about an hour.
Local tipThrough the summer the garden closes in the middle of the day and reopens later, so a midday arrival will find the gate shut.
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12Best for history · #12 of 15
The Square PHX and Rosson House Museum
Historic DistrictDowntown Phoenixhouse tours run on fixed time slots on set days rather than continuous opening$10 to $25A block of surviving late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings sits in the middle of downtown, anchored by the 1895 Rosson House, which is toured room by room. It is the oldest residential fabric left in the city.
Local tipRosson House tours run at set times on set days rather than on walk up access, so plan around the published slots.
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13Best for young children · #13 of 15
Children's Museum of Phoenix
Children's MuseumDowntown Phoenixopen seven days a week on daytime hours$10 to $25Play based hands on exhibits fill a converted downtown school building, aimed squarely at younger children rather than at the whole family. It opens seven days a week.
Local tipThe hours posted on the site are labelled as summer hours, so confirm them for other seasons before travelling.
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14Best for hiking · #14 of 15
Piestewa Peak and Dreamy Draw
Municipal PreserveNorth central Phoenixparking and entrance open early morning to evening, extending later in summer, with trails open longerFreeThe gateway into the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, closer to central Phoenix than South Mountain and less brutal than Camelback. Entrance hours run later into the evening through the summer.
Local tipThe same citywide heat safety restrictions apply here, so check the trail status on hot days before setting out.
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15Best for families · #15 of 15
Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
MuseumPapago Parkopen Tuesday through Saturday from mid morning to early evening, closed Sunday and Monday$10 to $25A collection of historic firefighting equipment gathered from around the world fills this museum near the zoo and the botanical garden. It is an odd and very good rainy day, or in Phoenix a very hot day, option.
Local tipLast admission is an hour before closing, and it shuts on Sundays and Mondays.
Where things cluster
Phoenix is wide and flat, with downtown and the Central Avenue museums at its heart, Papago Park just east, the Camelback corridor northeast, and South Mountain filling the southern edge of the city.
- Downtown Phoenix and Roosevelt RowThe core where culture, commerce and college life meet, holding the science center, the children's museum, the Japanese garden and The Square PHX within a few blocks.
- Midtown and the Central Avenue corridorThe museum spine just north of downtown, where the Heard Museum and Phoenix Art Museum sit close enough to do in one afternoon.
- Papago Park corridorA red rock park east of downtown that holds the Desert Botanical Garden, the Phoenix Zoo, the Hall of Flame and the Hole in the Rock formation.
- South Phoenix and South MountainThe southern side of the valley, dominated by South Mountain Park and Preserve, one of the largest municipal parks in the country, with the S'edav Va'aki mound to its northeast.
Make it a day
Desert at dawn, museums through the heat
Start before the sun is high with a walk in Papago Park or an early entry to the Desert Botanical Garden, which opens specifically so visitors can beat the heat. Move indoors for the middle of the day to the Heard Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum, which sit a short distance apart on Central Avenue. Come back outside in the evening for the drive up to Dobbins Lookout at South Mountain, which is the best view over the valley and costs nothing.
Mountains one day, museums the next
Give the first morning to a climb, choosing Piestewa Peak if you want a real hike or Camelback only if you are experienced, and check the city's heat restrictions before either. Spend that afternoon at the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo, which share Papago Park. On the second day work the indoor list, pairing the Heard Museum with the Phoenix Art Museum, then adding the Arizona Science Center or the S'edav Va'aki mound depending on who you are with.
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November through April is the season Phoenix is built around, comfortable enough to hike in the middle of the day and to sit outside in the evening. From late spring into September the heat is the governing constraint rather than the crowds: the city restricts certain mountain trails between 8 in the morning and 5 in the evening under its Trail Heat Safety Program during extreme heat, the zoo opens early and closes by early afternoon, the Japanese Friendship Garden shuts for the middle of the day, and the Desert Botanical Garden extends into the evening instead. Plan the outdoor half of any summer day around dawn and dusk.
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Phoenix things to do FAQ
Heat, safety, cost and geography answers for a smoother visit.
What is Phoenix known for?
Phoenix is known for Sonoran Desert landscape inside the city limits, with South Mountain Park and Camelback Mountain both within the boundary, and for a strong museum cluster along Central Avenue led by the Heard Museum. The Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park is the single most visited attraction on this list.
Is it safe to hike in Phoenix in summer?
It needs real planning. The City of Phoenix runs a Trail Heat Safety Program that restricts certain trails between 8 in the morning and 5 in the evening during extreme heat, and Camelback in particular is rated extremely difficult. Hike at dawn, carry far more water than feels necessary, and check trail status before setting out.
How many days do you need in Phoenix?
Two days works well. One covers the outdoor half, with a mountain preserve in the morning and Papago Park in the afternoon. The second covers the museums along Central Avenue and downtown, which are indoors and matter more in summer than in winter.
What are the best free things to do in Phoenix?
South Mountain Park and Preserve, Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak all cost nothing to enter, and so does walking Papago Park itself. The Phoenix Art Museum runs pay what you wish on Wednesday evenings, which is the cheapest way into a paid museum here.
What happened to Pueblo Grande Museum?
It was renamed the S'edav Va'aki Museum in March 2023. It is the same Hohokam platform mound and archaeological park run by the City of Phoenix, so older maps, directions and reviews using the previous name point to the same place.
Is Phoenix the same trip as Scottsdale?
They are neighboring cities in the same valley and easy to combine, but they are separate places with separate lists. Taliesin West, Old Town Scottsdale and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve are all in Scottsdale rather than Phoenix, and none of them appears on this page.
Keep planning
Use these nearby guides to extend a Phoenix trip with a different pace and a clear next stop.
Image credits. Hero: Simeon87 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. 5 Camelback Mountain: Dru Bloomfield / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.