A free museum with neat exhibits, perfect to cool down in AC on a hot Arizona day... and learn…read moresomething along the way! The museum rotates through 6-8 exhibits a year, mixing local Chandler history with traveling exhibits on art, history and culture. Right now (August 2026) you can learn about Eddie Basha (a genuinely fascinating individual whose story runs way deeper than the grocery stores bearing his name), take a spin through Arizona radio history in Radio That Rocked the Valley, and stare into the ever-changing face of Abraham Lincoln. All three exhibits are actually really good!

Small site, great ode to the late Mr. Eddie Basha…read more What a phenomenal person he was - his accomplishments and CONTRIBUTIONS to and love of the Navajo Nation will live on in Chandler's history forever.

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!

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.

We arrived at downtown Mesa about 7:40pm, parking was ample, easy and free. We parked on the street…read morenear the piper parking lot. A short walk had us arriving at the theater about 7:50pm. We easily visited the bathroom and arrived at our seats before the show started. The theater was clean and modern looking. The staff were very friendly and helpful in assisting in finding our seats. The sound quality was excellent. On this night we enjoyed the Australian Pink Floyd concert. They have been covering Pink Floyd for 38 years and doing it quite well. Great show and venue! Highly recommended!

I was so happy to visit the Mesa Arts Center today. There is a very powerful art show on exhibit…read more The wood masks had so much personality and strength. I enjoyed and was so impressed by the show entitled Retablo Sonorense. It featured handmade shoe of cloth and glass, canvases with embroidered people and then painted. The likeness of the embroidered items was incredible. There are two other galleries to enjoy yourself. You may visit the gallery for free. Free street, covered and lot parking available. WiFi available in the gallery.

Was in the area from out of town and I wanted to see this beautiful house in person. I wasn't able…read moreto go inside but the outside is so pretty Love all the details. It's truly breathtaking

I grew up in an old victorian house and thought it would be fun to bring my dad here for a tour…read morewhen he was in town visiting. We ended up being the only ones on the tour which was nice. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and funny. The entire house has been restored to represent how the original owners would have it set up as closely as possible. The inside details are gorgeous and intricate. Our tour ended up being more like 45 minutes because it was just us and we didn't ask questions. It was a great way to spend a little bit of time before our next activity.

We visited the museum on a weekday morning. We enjoyed the displays of rocks from various parts of…read morethe earth, the Arizona-Mexican artifacts, and of course the dinosaurs, especially the aquatic dinosaurs. This museum has an active dinosaur fossil dig - you can watch and even talk to the paleontologist working on it! There's lots to see and enjoy here, including real elements from a jail that held prisoners from the 1830s to the 1970s!! The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can even purchase a "memory bag" filled with pencil, notebook eraser, etc, for only $2.50 each.

Paid $14 and only stayed about 40 minutes. There were multiple groups of school children that were…read morerunning around, screaming, jumping and bumping into everything. I expect that behavior to be tolerated at a children's museum, not a public museum where a basic level of respect and decorum is expected for EVERYONE inside. Wish I could say I enjoyed it but the hundreds of screaming children ruined any experience I could have had and left with a migraine. **Would appreciate museums to have specific days for "field trips" or hours for school days. Unfortunately many museum experiences are ruined due to the behavior of unruly children, and I'm still the one paying full price.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is beautiful with a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere and stunning koi…read morefish. Everything is very well maintained, and the restrooms were especially clean. There's also a small gift shop with nice items, though it can feel crowded when several people are inside at once. Keep in mind the garden is outdoors, so Arizona summers can be very hot. It's best to visit early, bring water, and plan for the heat. The garden is also smaller than expected--you can likely walk through it in about 30 minutes or less, depending on how long you stop to enjoy the scenery and koi. They also offer excellent workshops and special programs throughout the year, which are worth checking out for a deeper experience. Be sure to visit their website for the latest schedule. Overall, it's a peaceful, beautiful escape and definitely worth visiting--especially if you enjoy koi, gardens, and tranquil scenery.

Beautiful grounds! I…read morewent in June in the early morning and it got hot fast. It's a small park so very doable for a quick in and out of your area short on time or want to avoid the heat. It cost about $15 for an adult ticket. No food or drinks are allowed on the grounds. I thought I could walk around with my morning coffee it had to quickly drink it before entering the park.

Albesila is a traveling art exhibition, passing through various cities in the US and is designed by…read moreAlan Parkinson. Held at Mesa's Pioneer Park, it was here for 2 weekends and has since moved on for its next stop in Virginia. We went on the last Sunday before the show ended here in AZ. Parking was plentiful at the park and it was a short walk to the sculpture. It was a chilly day so I'm glad we bought our tickets in advance since there was a long line for tickets at the door. As a result we didn't wait too long, maybe a few minutes after getting our tickets scanned. Since the entire exhibition consists of plastic inflatable sculptures, shoes are not permitted in order to prevent any damage to the structure. There's some cubby holes off to the side next to the entrance where you can store your shoes while you're inside. Although the structure is meant to be maze-like it was a fairly straightforward walk through everything. It was fun walking through the different "rooms" of various colors. Those red rooms are intense! There are some illuminated patterns on the ceilings of some of the domes to serve as landmarks. The main dome had a brilliant display of pattern and color and I also liked the other main landmark called The Tree, which had some circular above ground cutouts within the structure. It was a pretty short walk through the entire exhibition. You have around 30 minutes to be inside but we were done in maybe 15 minutes. When you exit there are some food trucks along the street if you feel like grabbing a bite to eat. When we were here they had Philly cheesesteak, coffee, and Udder Delights food trucks. The price was reasonable, $7 per person so overall I felt satisfied for how much we paid.

I waited in line for an hour in 50 degree weather for this? I was done in 5 minutes. All it is, is…read morea bunch of bounce house connected together without the fun of the bounce. I'm pretty sure even the three year olds were unimpressed.

Super fun for all ages! Daniele was super friendly and nice. Overall a great experience!read more

My family and I recently visited the Museum of Illusions, and we had a great time! We purchased our…read moretickets online, and if you sign up for their email list, you can receive 10% off. We visited on July 24, and there was plenty of parking available. The museum was easy to find, very clean, and the staff was incredibly friendly. They were happy to answer questions and even offered to take pictures for guests, which made the experience even more enjoyable. There are also several other attractions nearby, so it's easy to make a day of it. One thing to keep in mind is that it gets extremely hot during the summer. It would be nice if there were sprinklers, misting stations, or cooling areas outside to help guests stay comfortable. The only downside was the ticket price. While the experience was fun and memorable, I would love to see family package deals or discounted pricing for families of three or more to make it more affordable for everyone. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend visiting if you're looking for a unique and interactive activity for the whole family!

Was looking for something different to do during the day with my teens since we had most of the…read moreday-time to kill before our evening event, and I'm beyond thrilled that I found this place! We purchased our tickets online, but you can also purchase them right when you get there. It wasn't busy at all when we went, which was a Sunday afternoon, so there was plenty of parking available. When you walk towards the entrance area there will be someone standing there to greet and ask if you've already got your tickets. If so, they will scan them and you're free to head inside. If not, they'll direct you to the ticket window for purchase. There's a little gift shop and restaurant/bar off to the right and bathrooms to the left as soon as you walk in! The entire experience was so beautiful and serene! There's a map that they give you when you walk in as well, which was very helpful since the entire facility is pretty large with multiple various pathways. Pro tip; you can also use the map to fan yourself if it's too hot. And it will be hot! I meant to bring an umbrella, however I forgot. So I'm glad there's some shaded areas throughout. They have multiple water fountains along the pathways where you can also fill up your own water bottles for free. There was also a "Cool Down" room that was a nice, almost necessary spot to stop in to do just that! They don't want you fainting or having a heat stroke, so take advantage! There's also so much to see!!! I would just once again recommend bringing a reusable water bottle or lots of water if you don't want to use the fountains. An umbrella, or wear a sun hat or lots of sunscreen! Most importantly, bring your camera, or make sure you have your phone fully charged because there are so many beautiful things to see and photograph!

I've been to the garden a number of times specifically for the night lights exhibit this summer…read more They did such a great job! This is always such a peaceful place to walk around and enjoy the plants and seasonal exhibits. While I'm sad to see the garden lights exhibit go, I'm excited to see what's next, and for nice weather activities! They've re-opened the garden cafe with Mark Tarbell in charge so looking forward to trying that out, and added a Cantina with cocktails, beer, wine, and a mocktail. And have a gelato and coffee shop coming soon. I love seeing the changes and always done so well.