10 Top Rated Things to Do in Phoenix, Arizona
Photograph by Tony the Marine, via Wikimedia Commons
Desert Botanical Garden
#1 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Located in Papago Park, Desert Botanical Garden is a 140 acre garden featuring more than 50,000 plants from all around the world. The collection includes thousands of species of cactus, trees and flowers. It has 5,000 species in the living collection with 500 rare and endangered species. Sonoran Desert nature trail offers spectacular view or the mountains surrounding the garden. The garden also offers tours, workshops and classes on desert landscaping.
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Papago Park
#2 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Papago Park is a popular hilly desert park located in the cities of Phoenix and Tempe. 1,200 acres of the park is in Phoenix and 296 acres in Tempe. The park features unique geological formations and variety of desert plants including the giant saguaro cactus. The park includes other top attractions of the city such as Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo. It also includes hiking trails, lakes, museum, and tomb of Arizona's first governor, George W. P. Hunt known as Hunt's Tomb.
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Musical Instrument Museum
#3 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is the largest musical museum in the world. Museum collection includes over 8,000 instruments from more than 200 world countries. The collection of instruments and exhibits focuses on the five major world regions. It also includes 300 seat theater for concerts and a cafe.
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Camelback Mountain
#4 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Camelback Mountain located in the Camelback Mountain Echo Canyon Recreation Area is a popular local attraction. The mountain resembles the hump and head of a kneeling camel. It is popular place known for recreation activities including hiking and rock climbing. The mountain has two separate peak with higher peak known as Precambrian granite. The 1.14 miles Echo Canyon Trail and 1.4 miles Cholla Trail ascend to the peak of the mountain.
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Heard Museum
#5 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, Heard Museum presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitions that showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art. The museum also hosts the annual El Mercado de Las Artes festival in November. The Indian Fair and Market held in March features over 600 Native American artists.
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Phoenix Zoo
#6 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Phoenix Zoo located in the Papago Park is home to over 3,000 animals of 400 species. The 125 acres zoo features four themed areas: Arizona Trail, Africa Trail, Tropics Trail, and Children's Trail. The Africa Trail features African painted dog, hamadryas baboon, mandrill, ostrich, gazelle, Southern white rhino, zebras, lions, cheetahs and giraffes. The Arizona Trail features native plants of Sonoran Desert. Other attractions of the zoo include stingray bay, carousel, safari trail camel rides, giraffe encounter, and zoolights.
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South Mountain Park
#7 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
South Mountain Park is the largest urban park in the United States. The park preserves 16,283 acres of mountainous area and native desert plants. It features 58 miles of hiking trails and lookout point. Park activities include hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Dobbins Lookout at 2,330 feet is the highest point in the park and offers scenic views of the city.
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Phoenix Art Museum
#8 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
The 285,000 square feet Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum of visual art in the southwest United States. The museum collection include over 20,000 art works in nine collecting areas including American and Western American art, Latin American art, Asian art, European art, modern and contemporary art, fashion design, and photography. The museum exhibit present art from across the world throughout year.
Photograph by C. Williams, via Wikimedia Commons
Hall of Flame Fire Museum
#9 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting is home to the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes. The museum features over 100 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display, children's area, and museum gift shop. The collection includes fire apparatus and artifacts from England, France, Austria, Germany, and Japan. Collection of graphic materials includes lithographs, prints, engravings, arm patches, paintings, and photographs.
Photograph Flickr by Joe, via Wikimedia Commons
Hole-in-the-Rock
#10 in Best Top 10 Places to Visit in Phoenix
Hole-in-the-Rock is a natural geological formation located in the Papago Park. The rock has number of openings eroded making it scenic red sandstone attraction. The formation is a popular attraction of the park attracting number of visitors.
Phoenix Museums
- Hall of Flame Fire Museum
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Heard Museum
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Phoenix Art Museum
- Arizona Science Center
- Arizona Capitol Museum
- Pueblo Grande Museum
Phoenix Parks
- Papago Park
- South Mountain Park