11 Museums in Phoenix to Check Out This Summer
The summer months are a great time to visit a Phoenix museum because you won’t have the school tours and its a great way to stay cool. You can spend a morning exploring Southwestern art and Native American culture, pan for gold, or climb into a fire truck. If you’re visiting Phoenix for the first time, planning a family day, or looking for things to do in Phoenix when it’s too hot to be outside, this is my guide to the best museums in Phoenix. I’ve broken out the individual museums below so you can decide which ones you think are worth visiting.
Choose the Right Phoenix Museum for You
| If You Want To…. | Visit this Museum: |
| Learn about Native American Culture | The Heard Museum |
| See the Firefly exhibit | Phoenix Art Museum |
| Hands On Science Exhibits | Arizona Science Center |
| Let the kids run creativity shine | Children’s Museum of Phoenix |
| See Firetrucks from around the world | Hall of Flame |
| View Instruments from around the globe | Musical Instrument Museum |
| Learn about Dinosaurs | Arizona Museum of Natural History |
| See the largest aquarium in the desert | OdySea Aquarium |
| Play tricks on your mind | Museum of Illusions |
| See the largest Butterfly Conservatory | Butterfly Wonderland |
| Immerse yourself in art exhibits | Wonderspaces |
Musical Instrument Museum
If you only have time for one museum in the Phoenix area I would pick the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). On my first visit I didn’t really even expect to like it as much as I did. We had a day off in the middle of the week, so we decided to visit this museum. It truly is a one-of-a-kind museum because it holds more than 10,000 instruments from all over the world. The MIM is organized by continent and then country.
- Location: North Phoenix
- Time: 2 – 3hours
- Price: $10-$20
- Parking: Free
- Official Website: Musical Instrument Museum
Purchase a self-guided tour – Self-guided Musical Instrument Museum Tour
Phoenix Art Museum
- Distance: Central Phoenix
- Time: 2 hours
- Fees: $18.00 – $28.00
- Parking: Free
- Official Website: Phoenix Art Museum
The Phoenix Art Museum is worth visiting for its impressive mix of contemporary and modern art and rotating exhibits. You can easily spend a couple hours wandering the galleries. If I could only see one exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum I would visit the Fireflies infinity mirror room.
If you want to purchase a self-guided tour – Phoenix Art Museum Tickets
Heard Museum
See the best display of Native American Art at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.
- Distance: Central Phoenix
- Time: 2 hours
- Fees: $10.00 – $26.00
- Parking: Free and Paid
- Read the complete guide → The Heard Museum
Arizona Museum of Natural History
- Distance: Central Phoenix
- Time: 2 hours
- Fees: $9.00 – $16.00
- Parking: Free and Paid
- Read the complete guide → Arizona Museum of Natural History
The Arizona Museum of Natural History is a great place to learn about the natural and cultural history of the Southwest. They have everything from dinosaurs and fossils to an interactive exhibit on gold panning. This museum is geared towards kids, however it is fun to visit as an adult too. This is one we went to many many times as a family.
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Distance: Central Phoenix
- Time: 2 – 3 hours
- Fees: $19.00
- Parking: Behind the museum
- Best For: Young Children
- Official Website: Children’s Museum of Phoenix
We have been to the Phoenix Children’s Museum several times and my daughter loves visiting here. The museum will appeal to kids under the age of ten. The Children’s Museum is located in the old Monroe School building and has three floors to explore.
The first floor has the gift shop and an enormous play area. Our daughter loved this she would have spent hours here. The “climber” is an interesting sight-bathtubs with angel wings, boats with feet hanging from them, lots of areas to climb and explore.
The second floor has a “car wash” where the kiddos can pedal through a make believe car wash, an art studio where they can paint a giant castle or put on a puppet show and the Noodle forest. Our daughter loved the Noodle Forest. She loved zigzagging through the maze.
There is a room dedicated to building forts, and a room where kids can roll balls down ramps and watch where they end up. Adjacent to this area is a large grocery area where kids can go role play grocery shopping.
Hall of Flame Firefighter Museum
- Location: Central Phoenix
- Parking: there is parking at the museum
- Time: 1- 2 hours
- Fees: $10.00 – $19.00
- Official Website: Hall of Flame Museum
The Hall of Flame Museum is a perfect spot to take young kids or those who love all things having to do with firefighting. This Arizona museum is located across from the Phoenix Zoo in a building that resembles a warehouse.
This large firefighter museum is divided up into 6 galleries with over 100 restored fire trucks and other firefighting apparatus. The items date back to the early 1700’s and our from all over the country.
There is a interactive “fire safety house” and an operations station. The highlight is the big red firetruck that they can explore, dress up in the heavy gear the firefighters wear and play on a real fire truck. Our kids spent most of their time exploring the features of the truck and dressing up.
Read the complete guide → Hall of Flame
Arizona Science Center – Indoor Phoenix Family Activities
- Location: Central Phoenix
- Time: 2-3 hours
- Fees: $17.00 – $23.00
- Parking: Park at The Heritage and Science Park Garage (N. Fifth Street & E. Monroe). Have your ticket validated at the museum.
- Official Website:
The Arizona Science Center is a terrific spot for kids to enjoy over 350 hands on exhibits. With over 40,000 square feet to explore, a Planetarium and a giant IMAX® Theater you can easily spend several hours at this interactive Arizona museum. They encourage the audience to ask questions throughout.
From its humble beginnings in 1984, the Arizona Science Center has become one of the top attractions in Phoenix. There are four floors, the fourth floor resembles more of like a hallway exhibit.
Permanent exhibits inside the Arizona Science Center include:
- Many Hands Make a Home
- All About You
- Psychology
- Fab Lab
- The World Around You
- How we Live with the Sun
- Forces of Nature
- My Digital World
- Get Charged Up
- Music Landing
Forces of Nature
Next to the visit to the Planetarium the forces of nature exhibit was our kids’ favorite spot! Every 15 minutes you can experience first hand what it is like in some forces of nature including hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and monsoons.
Surround sound, realistic physical effects and a motion-floor system, the 5 minute experiences will put you right in the center of the action. You will experience the ground shake, heat lamps, wind, and rain.
Get Charged Up
Figure out how things work in this fun exhibit where you can lie on a bed of 1,000 nails, build your own electric circuit, go for a ride on a pulley powered chair, or play tug of war.
Phone: 602-716-2000 Location: Phoenix (Heritage & Science Park) Address: 600 East Washington
Read the complete guide →
Phoenix Odysea Aquarium
- Location: Scottsdale – Arizona Boardwalk
- Time: 2-3 hours
- Fees: $40 -$50, they also have discounted fees in the evening and combo tickets
- Parking: Yes, free parking
- Official Website: Odysea Aquarium
As a family we have visited the aquarium three times because we love the ocean. It is the largest aquarium in the desert. The Odysea Aquarium is two-levels with over 200,000 square feet of exhibits. Feel the stingrays in the touchpool, watch the penguins and sea otters. See sharks and tropical fish at the southwest’s largest aquarium. My favorite exhibit is the The Living Sea Carousel and the jellyfish.
Museum of Illusions
- Location: Scottsdale – Arizona Boardwalk
- Time: 1 – 1.5 hours
- Fees: $30.00
- Parking: Yes, free parking
- Official Website: Museum of Illusions Scottsdale
Scottsdale’s newest museum is Museum of Illusions will have you questioning reality. My daughter and I took my husband here for his birthday. It was a Experience more than 60 optical illusions in this unique museum. Purchase admission tickets for Museum of Illusions in Scottsdale
Butterfly Wonderland
- Location: Scottsdale – Arizona Boardwalk
- Time: 2-3 hours
- Fees: $24-$34, they also have combo tickets available
- Parking: Yes, free parking
- Official Website: Butterfly Wonderland
Butterfly Wonderland is a great indoor activity. Interactive excursion with thousands of butterflies and an indoor rain forest. Walk through the conservatory, watch butterflies hatch at the largest emergence gallery in the country.
Wonderspaces
- Location: Scottsdale – Fashion Square Mall (by the food court)
- Time: 1- 1.5 hours
- Fees: $28.00
- Parking: Yes
- Official Website: Arizona Wonderspaces
This was a fun exhibit. My husband and I visited in April. We loved all of the interactive spaces to explore.
Museum Tips
If you are a Maricopa County resident with a public library card you can check out a Culture Pass for some of these activities and get two free admissions. Visit your local library to find out details.
Phoenix Guide
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Scottsdale Guide
Scottsdale Travel Guide – the Best Things to do, see and explore around Scottsdale
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Adventurer At Heart
Amber is the writer behind Adventurer At Heart, sharing practical travel advice based on more than 25 years of exploring Arizona and traveling beyond it. She looks for places with a story, from desert trails and historic sites to scenic drives and towns worth your limited vacation time. When she’s not traveling, she’s gardening.
