A huge, sprawling landscape, the
Valley of the Sun includes the city of Phoenix and a
network of cities and towns surrounding the main business
and commercial core, including Scottsdale and Tempe.
For more details and help in planning your
visit to the Valley of the Sun, contact the Phoenix and
Valley of the Sun Convention and Visitors Bureau -- call
800-528-0483. The main public information center is
located at One Arizona Center, 400 E. Van Buren, Suite
600, Phoenix AZ 85004-2292. The center is open Monday
through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Another information
center is at the northeast corner of Adams and Second
Streets, in the Hyatt Regency Block -- open from 8:30 am
to 5 pm daily. For general information on current
activities, call (602) 254-6500.
What to See & Do
City Parks
There are two distinctive parks in the area
that offer quiet walks and other things to do -- both
situated in the desert environment. South Mountain Park
is the largest municipal park in the world. It is located
south of the Salt River, off Interstate 10. A second
entrance, an extension of Central Avenue, leads through a
large portion of the park, offering a drive to the Summit
Lookout.
Papago Park is a desert area shared by the
cities of Phoenix and Tempe. In addition to the picnic
areas and hiking trails, the park houses the Phoenix Zoo,
an 18-hole golf course, and the Desert Botanical Garden.
You could easily spend a complete day exploring the
attractions of Papago Park. The botanical garden has
indoor and outdoor displays of every desert plant
imaginable, including a 3-acre exhibit that has displays
of the historic uses of Sonoran Desert plants.
Sixty-fourth Street runs through the park (north/south),
and either McDowell or Van Buren Streets will take you
west to the park from downtown Phoenix.
Museums, Galleries & Gardens
The Heard Museum features an
outstanding range of exhibits on the art and culture of
southwestern native peoples. Indian artists demonstrate
their craft skills daily in the galleries. The museum is
located at 22 East Monte Vista Road, (602) 252-8848. The
Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest's largest art
gallery -- featuring paintings, photography, sculpture,
and fashion from the Renaissance to modern times, plus a
children's gallery. The museum is at 1625 N. Central
Avenue, (602) 257-1222.
The Arizona State Capitol Museum
(1700 West Washington St.) celebrates the history of the
state capitol building -- built in 1900 and restored to
its 1912 appearance. The museum is open weekdays from 8
am to 5 pm, (602) 542-4675.
There are two notable Indian cultural
centers in the area portraying the cultural history of
the tribes that settled the area before the European
settlement. The Hoo-hoogam Ki Museum is located on
the Salt River Indian Reservation, a few minutes' drive
east of Scottsdale. The museum features displays with
artifacts from the Pima and Maricopa tribes. For
information, phone (602) 941-7379. Pima and Maricopa
culture is also on display at the Gila River Indian
Arts and Crafts Center, which is found 30 miles south
of Phoenix via Interstate 10 (exit 175), at Sacaton.
There is a botanical park and a gift shop, with
accommodations available. Call (602) 963-3981.
Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural
Park (4919 E. Washington St., Phoenix) is the site of
Hohokam ruins that were occupied from AD 1 through AD
1450. Some exhibits show excavated material and some
highlight other aspects of Native American culture. Call
(602) 495-0901.
Desert Center at Pinnacle Peak is a
desert garden open daily for self-guided tours. It is in
Scottsdale, at 8711 E. Pinnacle Peak Road. Call (602)
585-5743 for a recorded message. Those interested in
impressionist art will enjoy a visit to the Fleisher
Museum, in the Perimeter Center at 17207 N. Perimeter
Dr., Scottsdale. The museum is dedicated to showing the
work of the California School of American impressionist
artists. More than 200 works are on display. The gallery
is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm but is closed on
holidays, (602) 585-3108.
The Pioneer Arizona Living History
Museum is located north of the city, via Interstate
17. Here, a complex of restored pioneer buildings
displays early life in the state. People in period
costumes populate the old buildings, which include a
bank, opera house, miners' camp, and a Victorian home.
Other Things to See & Do
Apache Greyhound Park, the dog
racing track, is in Apache Junction, 17 miles east of
Phoenix. The track features racing Thursdays through
Mondays from October to May. For information, call (602)
982-2371 or 244-2729.
Cave Creek and Carefree are
neighboring mountain villages north of the city, offering
shopping and dining. Cave Creek dates back to the 1800s
and has much of its old mining town flavor. Carefree is a
modern upscale residential community. There are several
old-timey eating places (saloons) in Cave Creek, and this
scenic area is a fine place to visit, particularly near
the end of the day.
Set in the foothills of the McDowell
Mountains, Taliesin West is a national historic
landmark&emdash;the winter home, studio, and school
founded by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This outstanding
example of Wright's style is open daily for guided tours:
October&endash;May, Mon.&endash;Thurs. from 1 pm to 4 pm,
Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 9 am to 4 pm;
June&endash;September, 8 am to 11 am.
See information on hotels and resorts in the
Phoenix area on our hotel
page.
Phoenix Camping
Green Acres RV Park III is in Tempe, close to
almost everything in the Phoenix area at 1890 E. Apache
Blvd. There are 60 RV spaces with showers and laundry.
(602) 829-0106.
Desert Edge RV Park is located 17 miles north
of the city, next to I-17. Take the Deer Valley Rd. W.
exit. It's 1/2 mile north by the Frontage Rd. to 22623 N.
Black Canyon Hwy. The 250 sites all have hookups.
Laundry, propane, dump station, pool, whirlpool,
recreation room. (602) 869-7021.
Two national forest campgrounds are situated near Cave
Creek and Carefree, in the northern part of the Phoenix
metro area.
CCC Campground is 20.5 miles north of Carefree on
Forest Road 24. This is a primitive campground with no
drinking water.
Seven Springs Campground is 20 miles northeast of
Carefree on FR 24. There is water but no showers. Several
nature trails are nearby.
Scenic Drives from Phoenix
Apache Trail
At the eastern edge of the greater Phoenix area, the
Superstition Mountains provide a backdrop for great
sunrises. The best scenic drive in the area leads behind
this range, over the old Apache Trail. Take this road at
Apache Junction -- east of Phoenix.
Pinal Pioneer Parkway
Another scenic drive featured earlier in this Arizona
section (page 194) provides the scenic way to get to
Tucson. To get to Florence Junction (the start of the
southbound drive), take the same route (60/89) east from
Phoenix and continue for 16 miles past Apache Junction.
Turn south toward Florence and you'll soon be at the
start of the Pioneer Parkway.
One point of interest along the way is the Tom Mix
Memorial, at the spot where the venerated western
movie star left this mortal coil. It is truly a touching
experience for movie fans, made most interesting because
of the adjacent desert plants. There is a picnic spot at
the memorial site.
There are several additional picnic areas. Trees and
shrubs along the route are marked with botanical
information.
