Went to see James Hood's "Astronomica" at the Dome - what an experience!…read more We had VIP tickets and sat in the reclining chairs, the whole dome ceiling covered in twinkling stars before the actual show itself. The music was performed by an orchestra, I believe it was the Hungary Philharmonic in the credits, and the narration was about how we are all part of the Universe, stardust over millennia becoming bodies. This is a visual performance without astronomy as a lesson; the graphics are fantastic and all around you as you lie back - just like gazing at the sky at night. I couldn't help smiling during the entire hour! The seats were great, I'm so glad we sat in the recliners and not upright for the display. Parking - we found out later - is at the Heritage building and they will validate your ticket; we parked in the other garage and it wasn't cheap due to the game nearby. It is wheelchair accessible, but in the Ladies restroom there was only one stall for disabled. In the atrium there's a gift shop as in all museums, and a cafeteria still open when we left the Dome. The ongoing Julia Child exhibit was right near the Astronomica show, so I went and took a walk around the exhibit: big fan of Julia so it was an extra bonus :) I enjoyed the experience very much, I hope you will too!

Jen & I wanted to take our granddaughter Op somewhere before she started school so we headed to the…read moreArizona Science Center, we had a great time seeing everything and being in side an air conditioned building. We got there early before it really started to get busy so was able to see everything without bumping elbows with other people. We had a good time and sure you would as well so plan a date and enjoy a trip to the Arizona Science Building.

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple…read morepies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff." ― Carl Sagan, American astronomer and astrophysicist Come view the stars. The Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory is open on Fridays and Saturdays, from sunset - 9:30PM, weather permitting. The cost is free but there is a suggested donation of $5/family or $3/adult. Donations are gratefully accepted for the maintenance of the equipment. See the moon, planets, double stars, open clusters, and other wonders of the night sky. Join them on the second Friday of each month for their Public Star Party. An astronomy talk is presented in the adjoining public library at 7:30PM and is hosted by the East Valley Astronomy Club (www.evaconline.org). Visit their website (www.grcoonline.org) for special events, solar viewing, and to book private group bookings.

Although they have public viewing sessions, we reserved a private session for $40 for our family of…read morefive. It was over an hour looking at the sky, learning about astronomy, and getting a crazy view of the moon and several stars. I never realized how awesome the stars were going to look thru a powerful telescope. Claude and Gordon led our session and their passion for astronomy really came through. Our kids 8-18 yrs were all engaged and thought it was really wonderful.

As a butterfly fanatic, I was in heaven!! There are so many beautiful species in the garden, there…read moreis no bad direction to look in. The staff were so knowledgeable and truly cared about all the animals in their care. Highly recommend, especially as a break from the heat!

This experience starts with a 3D movie about the migration of monarch butterflies, then a stop in…read morethe Emergence Gallery, where you can see caterpillars and chrysalis (aka cocoons). From there, visitors can access the Conservatory through the doors. Though a bit humid, it is such a magical environment with concrete pathways, a few seats, a koi pond, and lots of greenery. Various plants creating a beautiful setting, including flamingo flower, panama rose, purple heart, and sandpiper vine. And informative signs are posted throughout, educating visitors about the conservatory and butterfly care. Visitors are given a butterfly guide in the beginning, but some of the butterflies fluttered their wings so quickly nonstop, it was sometimes hard to identify. The big blue one (blue morpho, I believe) looked like a bird as it soared in and out of the plants and overhead. There were so many butterflies in the air, on the leaves and flowers, they even had signs noting how you could get them to land on you as well. The random music in the background wasn't too loud. At some point, the Harry Potter theme song came on, and what an enchanting vibe in the conservatory! They had bees in there too (behind glass). Once you exit the butterfly conservatory, there was much more to see. The Rainforest reptile gallery included awesome turtles (like the mata mata turtle camouflaged with the rocks), snakes, and even amazing axolotls on display. And the Tropical Waters room was delightful to view, with fish, stingrays, and more. There was also a gift shop, cafe, and vending machine selling edible bugs. Butterfly Wonderland is great for all ages, and I had such a memorable time here this past weekend.

Business was shut down and there was no mention on the website. Save your time and money because…read morethe building was vacant.

Such a fun place to visit right in the heart of the shopping center. And worth the $10 to get in…read more Every imaginable movie/horror with creatures that have so much detail they even feel real. The owner loved showing us around and you can still take your time and just observe. Photo ops too

I had the most wonderful opportunity ever to work this seasonal job here. I love the group of…read morepeople that I work with here at Imaginarium Mesa AZ. It's been an amazing experience the lights are absolutely beautiful perfect for those special memories to be made with your family and friends. They have a huge ball pit for the kids, thrill show and a circus act three shows a night to be exact. The four legged family is also invited as long as he / she is in a stroller or carrying bag and isn't roaming around freely. There's plenty of snacks to buy and hot coco to keep you warm on these cold Arizona nights you won't be disappointed.

A fun pop up in the Valley featuring amazing lights, performances, photo booths, and something for…read moreeveryone. So much to explore at Imaginarium - a great way to spend time with family and friends before the holidays! This pop up is in the Ross parking lot at Superstition Springs Mall in Mesa open through Presidents' Day 2025 and featuring Santa now till 12/24. Bring your camera and be prepared for jaw dropping moments from the performers and the best photo ops throughout. Tons of bubblly "snow" to play in for the kids too!

The exhibits were pretty creative and fun! I loved that most of them were super interactive…read more Beautiful installations of lights for sure. Selection of the art was good. The staff were also super helpful. I think it was worth coming here for sure.

A nice unique thing to do in Scottsdale when you want to cool off from the oven-like conditions…read moreoutside but still want to wander around on your feet. Wonderspaces is basically a poor-man's TeamLabs. Large scale immersive and sometimes interactive artpieces arranged in a minimal modernist setting. When I first looked to go here it looked like it was only operating 5 days a week but to my surprise and delight they were open on the Monday that I was in town, so naturally I grabbed myself a ticket for a mental diversion from my workcation otherwise holed up in my hotel. When you check-in, a nice old man explains all the exhibits and points out a few highlights, one of which is a piece where you have to sit still for 20 minutes and let "3 robuts" draw you - cuz when else do you get drawn by a robot? (Well, in the age of AI, is it all that different?) Thankfully it wasn't too crowded when I went otherwise it could get quite backlogged waiting to sit for a digital caricaturist! This was probably the most tedious of the works, so I'll start here, as I had to get the host's attention and he came over and did some set up with the robot arms and the nearby tablet's app. He made small talk with me so as to keep my gaze steady as the robots with their webcams and drawing arms started their work. After a few minutes he left me alone but insisted I stay seated still until all the robots were done. One of the robots worked on me for an extra 8 minutes, so this felt more like a dental appointment than a fun electronic experiment. Another work was very reminiscent of teamlabs with dangling strings of LED lights They made such a big deal of each light having its own IP address, which was an implementation detail that really should not have needed oversharing. The work spoke for itself and the lights synchronized to the music immersively. Another fun one was large dots flipping in such a way that you could tell was capturing your motion and playing it back. And some 3D models spun at high speed with flickering lights to make it look like they were pulsing. Then there was the uninteresting video about a boy growing up awkwardly. Didn't seem to fit the theme of the exhibit. The last large scale piece were large plastic takeout bags almost recalling the nihilism from American Beauty and the futility of consumerism - which I think is the underlying principle that got me to spend money in this museum in the first place. A big crowd pleaser which was a large suspended tapestry was out of commission - you could see it but it was lowered for maintenance, so I missed out on that. Anyway, was it a good diversion? I'm satisfied.

It was a great day hanging out in an art museum since it's still warm out. Several areas in the…read moremuseum were roped off. There were still several exhibits to enjoy. There were large Korean paintings in many large rooms, indigenous paintings, photography, sculptures, a light show exhibit, the butterfly wall, recycled art and more. Their gift shop is well stocked. Staff are helpful. There is a multitude of items to choose from. Free parking lot and WiFi in the building.

The Phoenix Art Museum is a gem located in downtown Phoenix, offering beautiful exhibits, films,…read moreperformances, workshops, lectures/talks, and more! It has its own parking lot, shared with the Phoenix Theatre Company, so parking can be difficult especially when there are shows going on. The normal admission prices are as follows: Museum Members | Free Children (5 and younger) | Free Adults | $23 Seniors (65+) | $20 Students (with ID) | $18 Youth (6-17) | $13 They also graciously offer free/reduced admission on - Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays from 3-8pm - First Fridays 5-8pm which includes access to in-gallery sketching, live music with resident DJ J-ME LEE, unique books and resources at the library pop-up, delicious food and drinks from local vendors, and docent-led art tours - Family Fundays 2x yearly for all-ages, free-access day with arts-engagement programming suitable for visitors of all ages, interests, and abilities Note that general admission is free, but special exhibitions require a ticket (pricing may vary) They also offer $5 off tickets for Phoenix Theater ticket holders, $3 for AAA members, and discounted admission for military personnel/veterans. When I visited, The James K. Ballinger Wing (Art of the Americas + Europe galleries) was temporarily closed for necessary infrastructure updates, but it is scheduled to reopen this Fall. Otherwise I got to see the: Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller: The Instrument of Troubled Dreams Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection Flowers of the Punjab Carlos Amorales: Black Cloud The Collection: 1960 - Now Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room ... and more!! Super fun visit for any casual or serious art enthusiasts. Expect to spend hours here exploring!

This was a nice event and the weather was perfect! It was a…read morelittle too spread out, but I understand that they want to showcase different businesses. The vendors were well chosen and had some really cool stuff. We did not go to the food area, but nothing beats food trucks!

I'm so glad Tempe Blooms returned for another year. The people behind it have created such a…read moreunique, fun event to bring locals and tourists to downtown Tempe and blend them with beautiful floral art, music, and local businesses. There are a couple of parking garages/lots in DT that give you a discounted rate during the event- we paid $10 for the 201 Ash garage, off the light rail. How it works - you meander around DT and look at, experience all the beautiful floral artworks. Downtown Tempe has a couple of stations with staff peppered about DT that provide a map of where things are located. You can go about at your own pace or route. Be aware that people can be a little vicious with trying to get "the shot" #ForTheGram. There are a couple of specific areas with small businesses posted up. We were hoping to make a bouquet at the fresh flower market but by the time we arrived - the line was super long and looked like flowers were picked over. So if that's your priority, go early. We were there no more than 2 hours and had a great afternoon taking in all the sights and sounds (there's live music peppered around too) of Downtown Tempe.