Downtown Phoenix Arizona things to do
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50 Great Things to Do in Phoenix Arizona

Sherianne Higgins·
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Top Things to Do in Phoenix Arizona

If you are planning a trip to Phoenix Arizona and looking for the best things to do, see, and eat while visiting, you are in the right place. Phoenix has 300 days of sunshine every year. The city is known as the Valley of the Sun. You will find the Sonoran Desert, red rock, blue skies, cacti, tumbleweeds, mountains, desert, cowboys, wild horses, and roadrunners, but there’s more! Browse the list of must-see attractions, off-the-beaten-path experiences, outdoor activities, and museums to create your personal Phoenix Arizona bucket list. Then, plan the itinerary for your Phoenix Arizona trip with these top things to do, see, and eat. Phoenix is a 1.5-hour drive northwest of Tucson Arizona and a 3-hour drive south of Grand Canyon National Park. Enjoy your time out of the office!

READ How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona

Hole in the Rock Phoenix Arizona things to do
Hole in the Rock Papago Park

Things to Do in and Around Phoenix Arizona

Video the bats taking flight at the Bat Cave (May-Oct)

Check out the Yayoi Kusama Firefly Infinity Room at the Phoenix Art Museum

Watch Spring Training Practice (Feb-Apr)

Enjoy a cocktail with a 360-degree rotating view at the Compass Room

Watch the Carnival of Illusion Show

Vintage shop on 7th Avenue

Play old-school arcade games at Cobra Arcade Bar

Take the after-dark flashlight tour of the Desert Botanical Garden

Enjoy a dive-in movie at Wet n Wild After Dark

Eat a Sonoran Dog with a Mexican Coke at Nogales Hot Dog

Visit the Hole in the Rock at Papago Park

Tour the Mystery Castle or Tovrea Castle

Check out the street art on Roosevelt Row (3rd and Roosevelt)

Learn about pioneer life at the Rosson House Museum in Heritage Square

Float down the lazy river at Sun Splash

Get your adrenaline fix at Castles and Coasters

Enjoy the downtown view from Dobbins Lookout

Go shopping at the Hive

Participate in a Japanese tea ceremony at the Japanese Friendship Garden

Check out the American Indian art exhibits at the Heard Museum

Take a cruise on Saguaro Lake

Eat homemade ice cream at Mary Coyle

See the Salt River wild horses

Learn about the Hohokam people at the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Park

Tour the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe

Hike to the top of Camelback Mountain

Have lunch at Singh Meadows

Listen to music at the Crescent Ballroom

Go tubing in the Salt River or raft on the Colorado River

Rent a paddleboat at Encanto Park

See John Lennon’s Imagine piano at the Musical Instrument Museum

Visit the Phoenix Public Market

Go horseback riding at Ponderosa Stables

Take a hot air balloon ride over the Sonoran Desert

Go mountain biking at Phoenix Reserve

Tour the Wrigley home and take in the view

Take the scorpion scavenger hunt

Eat pecan cinnamon rolls at Schnepf Farms

Check out the Her Secret is Patience art installation

Lie on a bed of nails at the Arizona Science Center

Tour the Arizona State Capital

Spend a morning fishing on the Stanford Drive Canal

See the painting elephant at the Phoenix Zoo

Watch the planes take off over you at 1-10 and Sky Harbor Circle

Eat fry bread

Cruise Canyon Lake on the Dolly Steamboat

Take an architecture tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

Drive the scenic Apache Trail and have lunch at Tortilla Flat

Tour a gold mine, ride the train, and watch a gunfight at Goldfield ghost town

Enjoy the stunt show at Rawhide Western Town

Check the Arizona Office of Tourism website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

Bookmark and Pin Things to Do in Phoenix Arizona

My Favorite Booking Resources

  • Discover Cars Search, compare and save on car rentals.
  • Trainline Explore effortlessly by train and bus.
  • Booking.com Search Booking.com to find the perfect property.
  • Hostelworld Hostelworld has great inexpensive options.
  • Get Your Guide Don’t chance it, the best attractions sell out.
  • Tiqets Get your tickets now, relax when you arrive.
  • Big Bus Tours Hop-on Hop-off at all the iconic landmarks.
  • Go City Card Save up to 50% on attractions, tours and activities.
  • Welcome Pickups Airport and port transfers.
  • Visitors Coverage Pick the right travel insurance for you.
  • Use code SAVE10 to pick up a travel guide from Lonely Planet to browse on the plane.
  • Shop my Amazon travel essentials and have them delivered to your home. 

Have a great vacation!

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15 Responses

  1. Tons and tons to google now. Like the Tovrea Castle – never heard of it and does sound mysterious. Hot air balloon ride over the Sonoran Desert sounds incredible. To see those textures from the top would be amazing. Lovely list

  2. I’ve been hearing some great things about Phoenix Arizona that I hope to visit there in future. Bat Cave is definitely the top of my list. My daughter has suddenly developed a fascination for bats and it would awesome to take her there. 360 deg rotating view? That sounds awesome. After-dark flashlight tour of the Desert Botanical Garden. It is a great way to watch some scorpions, snakes, spiders and more!

  3. Love visiting Phoenix, especially during the summer. Not for the heat but for the hotel deals. There’s a bunch of places on your list that I’ve never been to like the bat cave, the Compass Room. Schnep Farms Guess I’ll have to pay another visit this summer. Great job on the video!

  4. We didn’t have time to visit Phoenix when we drove from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. I’m sure we will stop there one of these days. The Hole in the Rock looks beautiful, and the Saguaro Lake cruise sounds interesting.

  5. Woah! That is an extensive list! I didn’t even know of a lot of places you metioned. Would live to check out Dobbins Lookout and Saguaro Lake. Hot air balloon ride also sounds like fun! And that first picture of Rock Papago Park got me super intrigued about that place too 😀

  6. That is a good guide. You have covered everything, from tickets to itinerary and expenses. I would love to see the Hole in the Rock at Papago Park and take a tour of the Mystery Castle or Tovrea Castle. Seeing the horses in the wild is so much more liberating. I have only seen them in stables and that isn’t a happy feeling.

  7. We finished a long trip in the Phoenix area so explored less than we wanted. But we know we want to go back. I now have a longer list of things to see. We would definitely want to cruise on Canyon Lake on the Dolly Steamboat. But would probably pass on fishing and looking for scorpions. But tubing on the the Salt or Colorado River would be a great way to cool down in the Arizona heat.

  8. I had no idea they had tea ceremony and a Japanese Friendship Garden in Arizona, that sounds so lovely! and I’ve heard of fry bread once in a Youtube video but never had a chance to try myself. Great list!

  9. I have friends who just moved to Arizona so I will be forwarding this list to them! Phoenix looks like a great mix between city and nature/adventure. Can’t say I have a strong desire to lay on a bed of nails… but cool nonetheless!

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