17 Best Places And Fun Things To Do In Phoenix With Kids
Looking for fun things to do in Phoenix with kids? Want to surprise your children and take them on an adventure without ever stepping foot on a plane, train or boat?
Well, look no further, as there are a lot of places in Phoenix where you can bring your whole gang, travel and at the same time exercise and learn. You of course want your kids to pick up memorable and valuable lessons along the way. So, here are 17 of the top fun things to do in Phoenix with kids:
1. Splash Pads And Slides At Altadena Park
Starting off on our list of fun things to do in Phoenix with kids is the Altadena Park. Aside from the colorful kids area, the park also offers a super fun splash pad and has plenty of large shady trees for a relaxing view. Kids will surely have an amazing day playing all afternoon long.
The Altadena Park is located at 3711 E Altadena Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85028.
2. Exploring The Out Of Africa Wildlife Park
Take a moment and step out of the Sonoran desert and into the Savanna. Watch the Creature feature at the park and experience an interactive animal encounter that will introduce your kids to some of the park’s beloved and popular animal stars ranging from furry, to feathered, to scaly. Learn fun facts and amazing animal behavior on a wide range of creatures while gaining an appreciation for the wonderment of these animals.
The Park opens from Monday to Friday at 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to 5:00 pm. For additional information, you may call the Out of Africa general information line at 928-567-2840.
3. The Arizona Museum Of Natural History
Kids love stories about dinosaurs, or almost everything that is related to dinosaurs. If you’re looking to satisfy your kids imagination, then there is one place you need to go.
Kids will surely have fun and learn a lot by showing them what dinosaurs looked like and how they walked on earth. The Dinosaur Hall is filled with examples of these magnificent creatures throughout their history. Also, Let the kids experience how to live with the dinosaurs, or at least what it looked like millions of years ago when these awe-inspiring creatures walked the earth.
The Arizona Museum of Natural History is open on Tuesday and Friday at 10am to 5pm, Saturday at 11am to 5pm, then Sunday at 1pm to 5pm. The museum is located at 53 N. Macdonald Mesa, AZ 85201.
4. Legoland Discovery Center
One of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids is going to Legoland where families and kids aged 3 to 10 can enjoy a tons of activities and practice and enhance their creativity. Kids can do a lot of coloring match and building blocks of legos. Check out the global and local landmarks made from over a million Lego bricks in Mini land where there are exciting LEGO themed rides like Kingdom Quest and Merlin’s Apprentice. Kids can also watch their favorite LEGO characters come to life in the 4D Cinema. Kids will enjoy hands-on activities with the thousands of LEGO bricks in themed build-and-play areas where kids’ imaginations can run wild with the endless possibilities that LEGO offers.
The Legoland Discovery Center is just a few minutes away from downtown Phoenix and located at 5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle Ste. 135 Tempe, AZ 85282. You can get a ticket for $20 per person when you book online at arizona.legolanddiscoverycenter.com.
5. Fly RC Planes At Royal Palm Park
If you’re looking to fly Remote controlled airplanes, the place to be is at the Royal Palm Park. It may look like a typical park, but it is great mainly for its wide area. You can play RC planes with kids and not worry about bumping into other people. Also, once you look-up, all you can see is the wide blue sky, thus making it a perfect spot for flying RC planes or even drones for adults.
You can also do other fun things like baseball catch and throw, play ball games, or just run around with the kids. The park also offers play area for kids where slides, swings and small barracks are available. There are also benches if you just want to relax and watch the kids play, or just sit plainly on the green grass.
The Royal Palm Park is located at 8405 N 15th Ave, Phoenix.
6. Be Mesmerized At The Butterfly Wonderland
When thinking about fun things to do in Phoenix with kids, one must consider visiting Butterfly Wonderland. Why? This is America’s largest butterfly pavilion that entertains, educates and enchants visitors of all ages on the wonders of one of Mother Nature’s most beloved creatures. This state-of-the-art facility includes the Conservatory where 3,000 butterflies fly freely, a 3-D theater, Butterfly Emergence Gallery, Tropical Waters of the World exhibit with a stingray and shark observation pool, Honey Bee Extravaganza, Spineless Giants and Rainforest Reptile exhibit, Butterfly Treasures Gift Shop and a Café. All perfect things to do with your kids!
The Butterfly Wonderland opens at 9am to 5pm Sunday through Wednesday, 9am to 6pm Thursday through Saturday. Plan your visit by calling 480-800-3000 or email info@butterflywonderland.com.
7. Sea Life Arizona
The SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium is where kids will surely have fun as they will discover thousands of amazing creatures and walk through the incredible 360-degree ocean tunnel. Just walk around and explore and all above you are sea creatures like you’ve never seen before. SEA LIFE Arizona is built for kids with child-level viewing bubbles and an interactive scavenger hunt. Also, now open is the Colorado River Adventure where kids can twist, turn and control the water path of the Colorado River from the Rocky Mountains to the Sea of Cortez. This first of its kind, outdoor attraction can only be found at SEA LIFE Arizona in Tempe.
Just less than 30 mins drive from Phoenix, Sea Life Arizona is located at 5000 S Arizona Mills Cir Suite 145, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA. Prices are as low as $15 for adults and kids 3 to 12 years old when you book online, and $19.95 for walk-ins. Of course children under 3 years old are free! Check their website at visitsealife.com/arizona/ for more details.
8. Enchanted Island Amusement Park at Encanto Park
One of the fun things to do in Phoenix is going to an amusement park. Considered as one of the Top 12 Best City Parks in America by Forbes, The Encanto Park has nine rides and a variety of popular attractions geared towards kids aged one to ten, but it is fun for the whole family. Their most popular kids friendly rides are the Encanto carousel, bumper boats, splash zone, kiddie cars, pedal boats, and mini-coaster. Enchanted Island also has the C.P. Huntington Train, which takes its guests on a seven-minute tour of the island. Test your skill too at the park’s arcade games or share family memories over a a ball of cotton candies.
The park is located at 1202 W. Encanto Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85007, and the good news is admission is free and you only pay for the rides you want to try on for as low as $5.
9. Goldfield Ghost Town
Take the kids a trip back into the 1800s when gold mines and cowboys ruled. Goldfield Ghost Town is Phoenix’s only authentic ghost town that offers guests a learning experience about the past and also, enjoy some great entertainment. Witness Old West scenarios, pan for gold, and take a ride on Arizona’s only narrow gauge train. You can also take an underground guided tour through the mines or a jeep tour across the scenic Apache Trail. If the kids need a break, have lunch at the Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon. Lastly, enjoy a horseback riding while touring the place!
The Goldfield Ghost Town is located at 465 N. Mammoth Mine Road., Apache Junction.
10. Hall Of Flame Museum Of Firefighting
One of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids is going to the Hall of Flame Museum. Home to the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, this musuem has almost an acre of fire history exhibits and over 100 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display (dating from 1725 to 2004). Also, there is a children’s area which is the perfect hangout for your kids. Also, your children can take a ride around town in an actual fire truck.
The Hall of Flame has six exhibit galleries. Galleries are numbered from 1 to 4, and each gallery has their own signature collection. Gallery 1 is a must see as they have a 50-seat theater where visitors can view a 10 minute video introducing all of the exhibit galleries. Gallery 2 is for kids, as it houses the children’s play area, while galleries 3 and 4 are learning areas.
The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting is located at 6101 East Van Buren Street.
11. Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)
You and your kids have been at home for a long time now and you’re in search for a fun thing to do. You need to write down the Musical Instrument Museum in your list. The MIM, which reopened June 22nd, is a perfect spot for your a getaway.
MIM’s main attraction is the five Geographic Galleries, which showcases global music and cultures through multimedia that allows you to hear, see, and feel the creative spirit of people as they play their instruments. Try the African and Middle Eastern Gallery and enjoy the extraordinarily creative and genuine music.
The MIM is open from 9am to 5pm. To know more, you may also get in touch by calling 480-478-6000 or email guestservice@MIM.org.
12. Superstition Farm
Sounds odd for a farm’s name? Don’t worry, there is nothing superstitious about it and you will be a fan after a day of fun with cows and chickens! You and your and little farmers will love getting acquainted with donkeys, sheep, bunnies, cows and more at the Superstition Farm’s petting zoo. You can also bring shopping bags and head onto the special Farmer’s Market, take home fresh milk, ice cream and other dairy products. The Superstition Farm also offers Public Educational tour that consists of Moo University, Milk bar, Guided Hay ride, and many more.
The Superstition Farm is located at 3440 S. Hawes Road, Mesa and is just less than hour drive from Phoenix.
13. Schnepf Farms
The best place for kids after being stuck at home is to go Schnepf Farm and enjoy a farm filled with strawberries and fresh air. Pick up the perfect peach or scoop up strawberries in the farm’s orchards and gardens. The Country Store & Bakery offers homemade treats and a shady spot to relax and enjoy the fresh air. On special event days, families can also enjoy live music, rides like carousel and hay rides, and many more fun activities.
The Schnepf Farms is just an hour away from Phoenix and located at 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek.
14. West Wind Drive-In
A bit different from the rest of the list, however, one of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids right now is going to a drive-in movie. Self-described as an atmosphere of “relaxed family fun with a mix of old-school drive-in vibe combined with the latest technology,” West Wind offers first-run movies (most of which double features) nightly across nine digital projectors — and it’s the only permanent drive-in theater in Greater Phoenix.
Bonus: Keep an eye out for occasional midnight screenings of major releases.
The West Wind is located at 5650 N 55th Avenue Glendale Az. General admission starts at $7.75, while $1.75 for kids, and kids below 4 are free. For more information on upcoming movies, you may also reach them at (623) 939-9715 OR (623) 931-0877
15. Chelsea’s Kitchen
Chelsea’s Kitchen takes kids meals to a new level with a gourmet TV dinners with 6 rotating options to choose from. Trade in your typical coloring pages for Wikki Sticks to play with at the table, and hit the road with a complimentary salted chocolate chip cookie. Lastly this is surely one of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids as you’ll have plenty of family bonding, and the great news is Kids can eat for free from 3-6 p.m.
Chelsea’s kitchen is located at 5040 N 40th St, Phoenix.
16. The Teapot
The Teapot has a two-story outdoor playhouse, perfect for kids while parents can relax and just watch them play. While relaxing at a shaded picnic table, grab something to read on get your caffeine fix, kids can play in an area stocked with toys or venture out to the grassy backyard. Make sure to include this on the list as one of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids.
The teapot can be found at 818 N 5th Ave, Phoenix.
17. Luci’s at the Orchard
Last on the list as one of the fun things to do in Phoenix with kids is going to Luci’s at the Orchard. Luci’s is a relaxing and revitalizing experience– just look at their historic setting. They offer a unique marketplace, cafe, and vintage ice cream shop in a casual and welcoming environment. However, since this is a list for kids, head to the outdoor splash pad to keep kids cool before or after a meal. Grab a fresh juice or treat the family to all natural ice cream, with flavors like Bohemian Raspberry and Chocolate Brownie, at the popular nearby Splurge.
Located just at 7100 North 12th Street, Building Two, Phoenix, surely a fun place for the kids and the whole family.
So there you have it! Make sure to create a list that includes these 17 places as fun things to do in Phoenix with kids. Gear up and be ready, because the kids are waiting!
Also want to know where the best locations are in Scottsdale for kids? Check out all the fun things to do in Scottsdale with kids here.
