This huge multilevel game complex inside the Arizona Mills Mall offers state-of-the-art games. Try interactive, virtual reality games that allow what the player does in reality to happen simultaneously on the big screen with animated characters. Once you have worked up an appetite, settle in for some grub at the restaurant. You can feast on hamburgers, chicken, pasta, and pizza, plus a variety of appetizers. Right next to the restaurant is a full-service bar, proving that video games are not just for kids anymore.
Contact Information: 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, Suite 669, Tempe, AZ 85282, United States +1 480 839 4263
Arizona's world-class shopping experience is found at this destination mall near the Biltmore Resort. Setting this facility aside from the mundane is the exquisite garden, which is utilitarian as well as beautiful. Culinary herbs, grown in the garden, are harvested and utilized by chefs from Biltmore's award-winning restaurants. Renowned names such as Neiman Marcus, Gucci and Sak's Fifth Avenue are cornerstones of this center. Fine eating establishments include Christopher's Fermier Brasserie and Ayako of Tokyo.
Contact Information: 2502 E Camelback Road, (at 24th Street), Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States +1 602 955 8400
Arizona's largest collection of exotic animals is located west of Phoenix and offers out-of-doors fun. Enjoy a diverse collection of animals and attractions which include an animal-shaped carousel, and the Safari Train Ride to exhibits like the endangered Scimiter Horned Oryx, African Waterbuck and Nyala antelope, to name a few.
Contact Information: 16501 West Northern Avenue, Southwest Corner Of State Route 303 And Northern Avenue, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340, United States +1 623 935 9453
This unusual piece of architecture, built from recycled bottles, granite and bricks in 1930, is a tribute from a father to his daughter. Located near South Mountain, you may take tours through the castle. Largely constructed of native stone, the 8,000-square-foot castle contains 13 fireplaces, 18 rooms and various features of interest. Southwestern antiques furnish this unique facility. Admission: USD5 adults; USD3 seniors; USD2 children. Credit cards are not accepted.
Contact Information: 800 East Mineral Road, Phoenix, AZ 85042, United States +1 602 268 1581
More than 1,000 years ago the Hohokam built the first irrigation system. This marks Phoenix's lone National Historic Landmark. Exhibited at Pueblo Grande Museum & Cultural Park are the ancient cultures of the prehistoric Hohokam residents who lived, farmed and prospered for centuries. Traverse the actual ruins learning the Hohokam's methods of adobe construction. Public displays include an authentic ball court, irrigation canals and a football field-sized platform mound. A gift shop is located within the museum for your convenience. See website for complete visitation particulars. Cash only.
Contact Information: 4619 E Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034, United States +1 602 495 0901
Return to an earlier time when you visit Sahuaro Ranch Park, a lovely historic park built in the 1890s. Seven original buildings set on 16 acres are home to rabbits, chickens and peacocks. Originally a citrus farm founded by William Henry Bartlett, the ranch is now a Glendale City Park. Tour the main house and view exhibits of years past. The park is open to visitors daily and with historic tours of the area.
Contact Information: 9802 North 59th Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85302, United States +1 623 930 4200
This fun paradise offers relief from the heat of the desert. Ride the high waves or soak up the sun;you choose, it is your playtime! Bora-Bora Bay offers eight water-slides and a little tyke Captain Cook Wading Pool. Older kids and adults will enjoy water basketball or volleyball at Mauna Loa Bay. Kilauea Cove offers a water slide to die for, with panoramic views from the top. Daredevils will love the Tornado Twisters, Hurricane Falls and the dreaded Black Hole. There is a full-service snack bar to refresh yourself after your heated activities.
Contact Information: 1500 North McClintock Road, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States +1 480 947 2477
Thrill to the Zambezi River or the screaming six-story Kilimanjaro Speed Slides. For those not quite ready for heart-stopping emergency-room type rides, there are safe thrills enough on the ocean waves ride at the Serengeti Surf Wave Pool, or cruise over to the little kid play area in Jungle Jim's. Locker and tube rentals are available. Open seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Prices are subject to change, call or refer to the Web page.
Contact Information: 4243 West Pinnacle Peak Road, Glendale, AZ 85310, United States +1 623 581 8446
Visit the ruins of a once-prosperous community of the ancient Sinagua. One of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America, the structure boasts five stories and 20 rooms. Inhabited more than 600 years ago, much of the building is still intact. The best time of the year to visit is December and January. Binoculars would be beneficial for a closer view. Walkways are provided and are wheelchair-accessible. Montezuma's Castle and visitor center is located off I-17 at exit 289.
Contact Information: 2800 Montezuma Castle Highway, (exit 289 from 1-17 and drive 3 miles east), Camp Verde, AZ 86322, United States +1 928 567 3322
Visit one of the world's largest and most colorful displays of petrified wood. The Painted Desert's many-hued badlands are of archaeological interest. Exhibited fossils have been dated to 225 million years. Learn how wood is petrified and explore early reptiles and dinosaur exhibits at two visitor centers. The Desert Visitor Center is reached from the north by Interstate-40, and the Petrified Forest from the south via U.S. highway 180. Fuel services are available at the north entrance. Bring cash. No credit cards are accepted.
Contact Information: U.S. Route 180 & Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028, United States +1 928 524 6228
Towering 1,400 feet, this mountain features the unmistakable shape of a camel's hump. North trailhead offers sheer red cliffs rising 200 feet vertically in some areas, which beckon rock climbers. Facilities are limited at the Echo Canyon Recreation Area with only a trailhead water fountain, an interpretive ramada and trails. Desert wildlife is abundant here; you may see small animals such as snakes, lizards and Harris Antelope Squirrels as well as a variety of birds. Admission is free. See website for trail maps and fact sheet.
Contact Information: 5700 North Echo Canyon Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85018, United States +1 602 256 3220
Spend a relaxing day wandering through the Forest of Uco or the African Trail. Carefully crafted and maintained, the exhibits here are eco-friendly and educational in nature. Younger visitors will thrill to ride a tractor at Harmony Farm and pet live animals in the barnyard. Nearly every conceivable animal resides here, from meerkats to lions and baboons to giraffes. This privately-owned zoo is refuge to thousands of animals. Parking is free, admission into the zoo is USD12 for adults, USD9 for seniors and USD5 for children. Children two and under are admitted free.
Contact Information: 455 N Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008, United States +1 602 273 1341
Drive through the world's largest park, South Mountain Park Scenic Drive, a spacious 16,500 acres with many lookouts. Fantastic views are offered of Phoenix and the surrounding valley at this no-fee area. Summit Lookout is at 2,330 feet and highlights the enormity of this sprawling desert area. For visitors, the Interpretive Center describes the heritage of the area and includes mining and botanical information. If you prefer an out-of-car experience, hike the trails and see the area's petroglyphs. Bring a lunch and enjoy the park's picnic areas complete with ramadas. Remember your sunscreen, hat and drinking water when visiting Arizona's parks!
Contact Information: 10919 South Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85042, United States +1 602 495 0222
See more than 20,000 specimens in one of the world's best gardens, the Desert Botanical Gardens. Selected to help save endangered plants, the focus is on native flora, with special emphasis placed on succulents. The cactus collection is world-renowned, with more than 1,300 examples. March through May offers prolific blooming, so plan your trip for these times, and don't forget your hat and sunscreen. If you are visiting in April, be sure not to miss the Annual Dinner on the Desert event.
Contact Information: 1201 N Galvin Parkway, Southeast of McDowell Road & 64th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008, United States +1 480 941 1225
Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park is an archaeological treasure trove of ancient cultural artifacts, 200 million-year-old fossils and one of the world’s largest concentrations of petrified wood. Petrified Forest is situated in the red-hued Painted Desert, typified by colorful layered badland hills and flat-topped mesas, a region created by prehistoric riverbed mineral deposits.
Hike along one of several park trails including the Painted Desert Rim Trail and Crystal Forest to see the crystallized petrified wood and other plants that were washed into the region 200 million years ago, buried in sediment and cut off from oxygen, which effectively slowed the decay rate to a crawl. Another impressive site is Pueblo Puerco, an Ancient Puebloan (formerly known as Anasazi) 100-room sandstone village, which also features petroglyphs believed to have been records of astrological events.
Founded in 1871, Phoenix is the capital of Arizona, situated in the biologically unique Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 1100 feet.
Why would anybody want to start a city in the middle of the desert? The answer is, surprisingly, agriculture. The Salt and Verde Rivers of central Arizona were exploited for large-scale agriculture by Native Americans as early as the 11th century. The area that now encompasses Phoenix was a center of the Hohokam culture, which built large canal systems and a network of towns and villages, whose remains may be viewed in the city to this day. The city's name reflects its status as a city "reborn from the ashes" of the previous settlement.
Due to the warm climate in winter, Phoenix benefits greatly from seasonal tourism and recreation, and has a particularly vibrant golf industry. Other activities include hiking at Camelback Mountain, South Mountain Park and many other parks around town, viewing amazing art and architecture in the Scottsdale and Paradise Valley area (including Frank Lloyd Wright works) and checking out one of the area's many professional and semi-professional sports teams.
