Top 10 Things to Do in Phoenix for Kids
Phoenix Arizona is one of our favorite places to visit with the kids. There are tons of kid-friendly things to do in Phoenix from cultural experiences to hikes and sports. If you prefer to fly, you can find very affordable flights on Allegiant flying from Provo to Mesa. I, however, am a sucker for a good road trip and the drive from Utah to Phoenix takes you through places like Kanab UT, Page AZ, and Flagstaff AZ. You could do all kinds of side trips and excursions on a road trip like this (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Route 66…) and it’s a beautiful drive through the desert. But we’ll save those for another post. Without further ado, here are our favorite things to do in Phoenix for kids!
Earlier this year, I took the family on a massive road trip from Utah through Page, Sedona, and Phoenix and then onto Los Angeles and Orange County, then back to Utah through Las Vegas. It was early in the summer and we were worried the heat in Phoenix would already be stifling. We found it surprisingly manageable, as long as we could cool off during the day at the pool. But our favorite time to go to Phoenix is during the winter. It’s a great place to go to take a break from the cold and snow because the temps are an ideal 60s-70s during the day.
Check out our page on Utah Road Trips!
Now let’s count down our top 10 Things to Do in Phoenix For Kids!
10. Gilbert Heritage District
Gilbert is a large town on the outskirts of Phoenix that was initially founded in 1902 and was once known as the “Hay Shipping Capital of the World”. Most of the ranches are long gone but the main street area known as the Heritage District.
There aren’t as many shops as I would expect in a place like this but it’s a great spot to take a stroll, check out some street art murals, and grab a bite at one of the many restaurants. Our favorites were Zinburger for some really juicy, messy (in a good way) burgers and Petersen’s Ice Cream and Café. We’re not huge ice cream people but we really loved this place, so you know it’s legit.
9. Sea Life Aquarium
What kid doesn’t love exploring life under the sea? SEA LIFE Aquarium at the Arizona Mills Mall is a nice kid-friendly activity full of everything you’d expect from an aquarium – sharks, jellyfish, starfish, sea turtles, and more. It also features Arizona’s only 360-degree ocean tunnel, where you can walk through and watch the sharks and fish swim all around you.
8. Play at Kiwanis Park
Kiwanis Park is a huge park complex in the city of Tempe, near Arizona State University. For the sports enthusiast, there are baseball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer fields, and basketball courts, with pickup games happening regularly. If the weather is hot, make sure to head there early in the morning while the temperature is still cool. There’s also a lake that’s stocked with fish and has lots of picnic tables around. For parents with young kids, there’s a great children’s playground with lots of sand, shade, and all the features that kids love. Our boys are obsessed with sand and will play in it any chance they get it. Ever since our first visit here, they still refer to this park as “The Sand Park” and ask us all the time to go back. The best time to visit the park is in the cooler winter months but for those times when the weather is unbearably hot, they also have a rec center with an indoor pool complete with a large wave pool that’s a lot of fun.
7. Hike Hole in the Rock
Hole in the Rock is actually one of the few places near Phoenix where you can experience the famous Arizona red rocks (northern Arizona is where you usually go for that). It’s located Papago Park near the Phoenix Zoo. It’s an easy, kid-friendly hike that’s just 0.3 miles round trip. And despite the boring yet descriptive name, it is not a boring hike. Our kids loved climbing through the arch, checking out all the saguaro, and enjoying the views of the city from up on the hill. If you have time and extra budget, make sure to check out the nearby Desert Botanical Garden as well.
6. Legoland Discovery Center
One of the best things to do in Phoenix for kids is take them to the Legoland Discovery Center, also located at Arizona Mills Mall. This isn’t a full-on theme park like the one in San Diego, but it is does have lots of cool Lego exhibits, a play area, a theater with a short Lego movie, and a few small rides that younger kids will love. You can actually get a combo ticket for both Legoland and the aquarium, and spend the day inside taking a break from the Arizona sun.
5. Old Town Scottsdale
Scottsdale might be known for retirees and golfers, but Old Town Scottsdale is a must-do even for families with young kids. While Gilbert has a few really good restaurants, Old Town Scottsdale has dozens of shops and restaurants and has much more of the “old west” vibe that people love about Arizona. There’s something for every budget, from high-end luxury to affordable family fare. You’ll love walking around all the art galleries and gift shops. And Old Town Scottsdale is hands down THE place to get the Mexican food in town. For a family-friendly restaurant with a cool ambience, we recommend Old Town Tortilla Factory.
4. Major League Baseball
If you’re a fan of America’s favorite pastime, there are lots of great options for you. Not only is Phoenix home to MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks but it’s also home to the spring training Cactus League. From February-March, fifteen pro teams descend on Phoenix and neighboring towns for spring training, including the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago Cubs. We’re big fans of the Dodgers after the two years we spent living in LA but spending the dough to take our four kids to Dodger Stadium and then hoping they’ll actually sit happily through nine innings of baseball isn’t the best idea. So when we visited Arizona in February to take a break from the Utah winter, we made sure to catch a game in Glendale. It’s a fun, more laid back, and less expensive alternative to regular season games in LA.
3. Ride an Old-Fashioned Steamboat at Canyon Lake
This is one of those hidden gems that I love coming across. I was looking at Google Maps and planning a recent road trip through Phoenix when I came across something on the map called “The Dolly Steamboat”. Upon further investigation, I discovered it was an old-fashioned steamboat that takes you on a cruise on Canyon Lake and up the Salt River. This is definitely one of the more unique things to do in Phoenix for kids. You can sit back and relax and see all kinds of rock formations, saguaro, and wildlife, like bighorn sheep and bald eagles. It’s not quite as grandiose as the Grand Canyon or Lake Powell, but it was still a really cool, unique experience and of the highlights of our trip. And cruises happen year round, even in the winter months.
2. Visit the Goldfield Ghost Town
On the way from Phoenix to Canyon Lake is a delightful little tourist trap called the Goldfield Ghost Town. It’s not an actual ghost town – it’s a reconstruction of an Old West mining town on an actual abandoned mine site. During the cooler months, they do recreations of gun fights. They also have train rides, a zipline, and tours of the old mineshaft. We didn’t do any of the paid stuff, but we still had a great time wandering through all the gift shops, admiring the cool western-style buildings, and cooling off with some cactus juice, which is surprisingly tasty.
1. Saguaros at Usery Mountain Regional Park
No visit to Phoenix is complete without seeing the famous symbol of the Arizona desert – the huge saguaro cactus. That’s why I have Usery Mountain at the #1 spot on our list of things to do in Phoenix for kids. The saguaro is an icon of the West and this is the best place near Phoenix to see one… or a thousand. My first visit here blew me away. I had seen the tall cactuses/cacti before (don’t get me started on the grammar debate) but I had never seen so many of them. This place is a must-visit, especially if you’re a nature lover. There are several easy hikes or walks through the desert landscape that you can do here, long or short depending on age or endurance level. The best time to go here is April/May, and not just to avoid the heat. That’s when the saguaro cactus produces its beautiful white flowers. You can visit any time of year, but if you go during summer months just be sure to go early in the morning and bring lots of water to avoid getting heatstroke.
Family-Friendly Places to Stay in Phoenix
We love the Arizona desert and so do our kids. There are so many fun things to do and explore, so let us know if you think we missed anything that should be on this list. The best part about Phoenix is that even in the winter when it’s the best time to visit, it’s a relatively affordable place to stay. Here are some places we recommend checking out:
Best Luxury Resort – Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas If you are looking for something spacious, luxurious, but isn’t too expensive, then these Sheraton Villas are for you. They’re usually under $300/night, which isn’t too bad for villas with a private kitchen, not to mention the outdoor pool with a waterfall.
Best Resort with Kid-Friendly Amenities – Marriott Phoenix Resort at The Buttes This Marriott resort property is built into the side of a hill and is one of the most uniquely-designed hotels I’ve ever stayed at because it incorporates the desert hillside and rock formations into the walls of the hotel. The terraced pools and hot tubs are also really cool, plus you get some great views of the city and desert sunsets. But the best part is how affordable it is compared to other Marriott resorts in Scottsdale and surrounding areas. It’s usually well under $200/night and you can usually find rooms for 35,000 points or less. This means it’s a great hotel option to use the 3 Free Nights offer from Chase when you sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy credit card.
Most Affordable – Springhill Suites at Arizona Mills Mall We often stay at Springhill Suites because there’s plenty of room and beds for our family of six and the free breakfast is also a nice option. This particular one makes our recommended list because of its proximity to Arizona Mills Mall for shopping, dining, and the Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center. And it’s a nice central location for visiting everything else on this list.
One of our favorite ways to save on family road trips is travel hacking with credit card points, so we love that you can get 3 FREE NIGHTS just for signing up for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card.
We hope you enjoy your trip to Phoenix!
— JJ