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    Arizona Boardwalk

    4.0 (48 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Arizona Boardwalk Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Arizona Boardwalk

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    Jo S.

    Great fun for the whole family! We loved the Butterfly Conservatory. Lot of things to do while you're there.

    With the Star Wars characters: Princess Leia, Obi Wan Kenobi, & Darth Vader
    Dane B.

    Celebrating the force. May the 4th be with you. I recently visited the Arizona Boardwalk for the May the 4th Be With You run, and it was a blast! This was my first official run, and it was indeed memorable. The location was perfect for the event, and even after the run, I made sure to take photos of some attractions displayed all over the venue. I also rubbed elbows with Star Wars characters. I am glad that the run was held here (and not in a galaxy far, far away--for the Star Wars celebration, lol) because, kidding aside, it gave me great ideas about where to visit next time I am in the Scottsdale area. AZ Boardwalk is home to eight attractions: OdySea Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the Southwest; Butterfly Wonderland, the largest indoor butterfly conservatory in America; UFO Experience, an out-of-this-world alien mysteries exhibition; Ripley's Believe It or Not, a collection of the extraordinary and unbelievable; Laser+Mirror Maze, a mind-bending light effects experience; Museum of Illusions, with eye-fooling exhibits; Pangaea, with true-to-life recreations of prehistoric dinosaurs; and Cyber Quest, an arcade for the whole family to enjoy. From exciting rides and attractions to delicious dining options and shopping, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Plus, the beautiful surroundings make it a great place to spend time with family and friends.

    Art
    Ericka I.

    Mainly for families with kiddos! Great photo ops though ! Pricey like amusement parks for small establishments!

    Business
    HoyMay P.

    If you and the family are looking for entertainment, the Boardwalk is a good choice. There is a great selection of paid things to experience. Odysea the aquarium, the Butterfly World, Ripley's Believe it or not and many more to choose from. There are restaurants on site so you don't have to venture far to find food. There are stairs and an escalator to take you to the second floor. Free shared parking lot and WiFi in certain parts of the area.

    Dave S.

    Nice! I think if I lived in the area or had kids or grandkids this would be a must. I'm visiting from out of state and spending time with my family. Came for Bugfest with my grandkids (well done) and stayed to visit the aquarium here. All was clean and well taken care of. Places to visit with the kiddos, a handful of places to grab a bite and some shade. Last words...let's go see.

    Sada N.

    Whoaaa! Where do we start! There were so many different scenes you could have went to, we did the butterfly wonderland. As the butterflies freely fly around (literally) makes the world a better place to live. The colors were amazing. It was very quiet and calm. As informative as each section has its own fun fact about the certain species of butterflies, plants and flowers. Definitely a place to visit. Pricey too. My kid was a little scared of the flying butterflies BUT became brave towards the end! And let's not forget the gift shop! As we purchased her favorite hobby (book) as a 3 year old which was her favorite thing to do was read. Can't beat that! (2019)

    Aquarium
    Karli P.

    So fun for kids! We loved even just walking around! We spent a couple hours at the aquarium, which was so fun, wish we could have spent more time! You really need to plan for the entire day!

    Monique W.

    Arizona Boardwalk has a variety of attractions, shops, and restaurants. My family and I were visiting from Las Vegas. On a Tuesday, we decided to stop by Arizona Boardwalk and ended up spending the whole day here! We purchased combo tickets for the OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, and Pangea - Land of the Living. There are a variety of other attractions which include the following VR Xtreme Johnny Rockets Johnny's Playground Frozen Penguin Laser + Mirror Maze The Science of Ripley's Believe or Not. Four Peaks Mining Co. Arizona Territory Trading Post Sugar Drop Candy Soap Bubble It was really empty when we visited on a Tuesday during Christmas week. We enjoyed all of the attractions at the Arizona Boardwalk. It is relatively expensive though, especially if you purchase the combo tickets at the OdySea Aquarium. My daughter's favorite attraction was the Pangea, Land of the Living. We ended up spending at a minimum of 3 hours there! The OdySea Aquarium was amazing too, especially since we don't have any aquariums in Las Vegas. The Butterfly Exhibit was my favorite though, especially the conservatory! We also spent time at a few of the restaurants such as Frozen Penguin and Johnny Rockets. Sugar Drop Candy is a fun spot and great for picking up some candy! Johnny's Playground is a great indoor playground. Arizona Boardwalk has a lot of wonderful family activities and I'd highly recommend it!

    The largest tire I've ever seen
    Jason P.

    Fun place. To start, I was only here for the May the 4th be with you 5k run. I did not experience any of the offerings here at the boardwalk, but I can say it's pretty nice and great for families and kids. Not much else I can say, but it feels like the kind of place you could go over the weekend and stay the whole day. They have a coffee shop, some restaurants, as well as several amusement type of places.

    African Penguin from OdySea Aquarium

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    8 months ago

    Beautiful place to talk a walk around and enjoy the places, definitely a good place for kids as well, we just don't got those yet

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    1 year ago

    Carousel was over priced. 2 revolutions for $5. Nice and clean. The Boardwalk was ok. Parking was free and ample.

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    Why does it cost a parent $5 to stand with their kid on the carousel? Comes out to $10 a ride for 1 kid. So lame.

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    Ask the Community - Arizona Boardwalk

    How busy does the place get on the weekends?

    Weekends are our busiest days of the week. Sunday is typically slower than Saturdays (but not always), Saturdays stay pretty consistent, but on Sundays it usually does not get busy until 11:00am. Sorry I could not provide a more specific answer.

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    Review Highlights - Arizona Boardwalk

    We purchased combo tickets for the OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, and Pangea - Land of the Living.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    OdySea Aquarium - OdySea Aquarium at Arizona Boardwalk

    OdySea Aquarium

    3.6(1.4k reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I haven't been here in years, and forgot how enjoyable this aquarium is. It's got a nice variety of…read morefish and other cool animals like penguins and even a sloth. The animal habitats look clean and you can tell they're well cared for. This is a great place to go for a school trip with the touching pools as the employees teach you about the occupants. My favorite part is definitely the voyager, which is a small theatre like atmosphere that rotates around while you learn of the different fish, sharks, turtles etc, much like the carousel of progress in Disney. They have a nice place to grab some food, Starbucks, or even an adult beverage. The entire thing is situated within a complex that houses shops, a dinosaur exhibit, a UFO encounter, a center area called the boardwalk with a carousel and soon a Ferris wheel. I really enjoy the Frozen Penguin ice cream shop with its delicious treats, perfect on a hot day. Overall it's a great place to visit really enjoyed the day.

    The aquarium was absolutely wonderful. From the minute that you arrive, you are submerged into all…read morethese wonderful exhibits. I really loved the projected scenes on the walls at the entryway. I also think it's really cute that they take your picture when you get to aquarium. We did not purchase our photo although it was very nice one. It was just a little too pricey, $30 for one photo if I am not mistaken. I personally love to go to the aquarium to see their variety of jellyfish and stingrays, and I am always especially happy when they have puffer fish. I was in luck. Not only did they have a wonderful, huge amazing display of jellyfish, but they also had the cutest display of puffer fish. I was finally able to show my daughter what they look like up close. That was pretty special to me. And even better, as I took a picture of these puffer fish on my phone, they noticed my sparkly keychain. When they saw that, they were drawn to it. They came right up to the glass. My daughter was in awe. The aquarium has this amazing rotating display. At first, I didn't know what to think about it. I didn't quite understand what it was. So of course, naturally, my family and I had to check it out. You are seated in a small auditorium. Their seats are more than comfortable, and the auditorium is very well air-conditioned. It takes you through a series of different huge displays. One of them features some of the most beautiful stingrays I've ever seen. Another features sea lions. And of course, a few feature the different fish and sharks. I have never in my life experienced a presentation like that. It was amazing. If we had had more time, I probably would've wanted to watch the presentation a second time. My kiddo isn't so young and teeny tiny anymore, but there are lots of little kids play areas at the aquarium. There is what I called the water table. There is running water that flows through there and the kids are able to use flat panels of plastic to redirect the water through this kind of maze if you will. That's a big favor. Be sure you have paper towels on hand for when your kiddo is done here. They will most likely be wet up to their elbows. It's a cute and fun way to make friends too. They are different opportunities for visitors to get more up close and impersonal with a variety of animals that they have here at the aquarium. We did not participate. One day, hopefully we can. There was so much to see. Everyone at the aquarium was so friendly. There are some Touch pools and opportunities for kids to pet different sea plants and small animals. That is always fun. One thing I had never seen before was a Starbucks inside of a aquarium. This is not just any Starbucks my friends. This particular Starbucks understands that parents need a break too. I'm not talking strictly about coffee. The Starbucks inside of this aquarium offers a small variety of adult drinks. Yes, you heard me correctly. They offered beer. I believe they also offer a few seltzers. Anyway, I thought that was pretty cool. My family and I didn't have an opportunity to actually enjoy anything from Starbucks, but we did take notice of their offerings. If you will be in the area for a couple of days, this is easily one of the better things to be able to take advantage of. If you purchased your aquarium tickets along with tickets to other attractions at the Arizona Boardwalk at the same time, you can create a ticket bundle. In doing so, you will receive a discount on your tickets. I can't quite remember what the percentage off amount was. However, we did purchase tickets to the aquarium as well as to the Museum of illusions. I think that might've given us 20 or 30% off of the combined ticket price. Definitely check it out online. It was a good deal. Parking here is free. They have lots completely around the entire boardwalk area. I really enjoy the boardwalk space. There is a large courtyard in the middle. It is great and perfect space for kids to come and enjoy lunch outside, especially for small schools that come to visit for a field trip. It really is just a beautiful spot. The aquarium and our experience at the boardwalk area was phenomenal. You must take a moment to check out the bathroom. Initially, I thought the whole little thing about the bathroom being cool was some sort of a joke or just something funny to post. But no, it really is pretty awesome. People often flock to the bathroom just to check that out. It can make for kind of a tight situation when the bathroom area is being crowded because people want to see the sharks. But, it was the one time that I could say that there were sharks in my bathroom. LOL Our visit here worked out perfectly. We came here right after breakfast and by the time that we left, it was definitely time for a little bit of a late lunch. There is definitely more than enough for everyone here.

    Photos
    OdySea Aquarium
    OdySea Aquarium
    OdySea Aquarium

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    Butterfly Wonderland

    Butterfly Wonderland

    4.1(683 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Butterflies are free to fly and so am I...WOW!!!! It was a butterfly wonderland for sure! This girl…read morewas in heaven amongst a variety of butterflies that kept giving me kisses... Before we actually entered the "butterfly sanctuary," we watched a 3-D short documentary about the life of a monarch butterfly. It was fascinating and I highly recommend watching it. To enter/exit you have to wait in a small room that is closed off to keep the butterflies from escaping. An employee will give you the thumbs up. You step into a enclosed conservatory with misters going on/off every few minutes to keep the room at an appropriate temperature for these tropical and exotic butterflies. So Zen and peaceful...it was lovely taking in the atmosphere here. If you sit still long enough, a butterfly or 2 will land on you. They will even climb onto your finger when you put it gently near its face. Such an incredible experience! On the way out you will pass the small cafe and the "overpriced" gift shop. *To avoid the school/camp tours, go later in the day. It can get nosy... *Free parking in the lot *If you live in the area I would suggest getting the annual pass - well worth it. ~ and that's all I have to say about that...

    The butterfly part is neat, here is what I have a problem with:…read moreMy daughter and I left incredibly depressed after seeing all of the lizards, birds, and snakes in teeny tiny cages, some of them completely alone. Imagine not ever in your life being able to stretch out your body...that is what many of the animals in this place go through. We felt physically sick. They don't even let the moths go out with the butterflies since they hide during the day, also very sad. As beautiful as the butterflies were, we left extremely sad. Our visit was over a week ago and we still talk about it. Do better or release these animals that deserve a good life.

    Photos
    Butterfly Wonderland
    Butterfly Wonderland
    Butterfly Wonderland

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    Four Peaks Mining

    Four Peaks Mining

    4.3(25 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    The Tour begins with a visit to the Four Peaks Mining store at Arizona Boardwalk. The store…read moremanager, Susan, coordinates the tours. Our flight from Falcon Field was a smooth ride with unforgettable scenic views of the area. Tour guide John gave us an entertaining and informative experience. We learned about the geology which formed the amethyst mine. He described the mining operation from stone collection through shipping the stones for jeweler evaluation, then jewelry design. The mining was dusty fun. We left with some amethyst stones that we dug out and enjoyed the return flight.

    I'm sure if you are looking to buy stones or jewelry this may be a good store. Pricey but I'm sure…read moreit's because this is a touristy spot. My review is based on our experience for the mini mine and the geode rocks. I was visiting with my 6yr old rock loving son. I was looking for panning options and I kept seeing this place recommended for its mini mine and geode rock. We get there and see the mine. Walk in and not really sure about it. It's really dark except this nice glow from a salt rock plugged in. Saw some clipboards on the wall. At this point the only worker there hasn't acknowledged us at all. So I go to the counter and ask her if we can go in the mine?, is there something we need to do?, what are the clipboards?; any kind of interaction. She said we can just go in and the clipboards are for a scavenger hunt. Okay cool, go back in, the wall says 1 board per family, okay, grab a board and proceed in. It's dark in there and can't really see so we grab our phone lights. There are different rocks/crystals on the wall. The "scavenger hunt" was the rocks on the wall; and they were all on the one spot we were standing. Just turn around in a circle and you're done. So we exit and see the geode rocks. My son grabs a few; because at $8 each why not. We take them to the counter and the woman starts to put them in little bags. I told her we wanted to open them there for the experience. (Side note... I had called the day prior to see if we open there or at home. I was told can do it in store.) She said she can only help us with one rock since she's in the store alone. Okay sure. So I ask my son which rock. He said the biggest. She then tells us the we need to get the lightest because heaviest may not open. So he picked a small more flat one. She insisted we do the rock she was holding. Okay, fine. Let's just use it. She takes us out the store door and guides us to this bench with a metal plate and gives my son glasses and a hammer. He hits the rock and nothing. It hurt his hands because the metal just vibrated. So I try and the rock just flops around and after 3 hits from me, a piece chips off the rock but don't open. She said see they may not open. So we just leave. Now that we are back home we will try again with our own tools. This was such a scam advertising on their website. The "Experience" they explain is not at all an experience but a waste of time and money. Find somewhere else for this. I would say go here only if you want to buy expensive jewelry.

    Photos
    Four Peaks Mining - Mine experience

    Mine experience

    Four Peaks Mining - Amethyst

    Amethyst

    Four Peaks Mining

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    Arizona Boardwalk - amusementparks - Updated May 2026

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