What to do in Phoenix??

[mamabird32]

My husband has a business trip in Arizona the 1st week of June. I, on a whim, decided that it would be a good idea to go with him and take our almost 4 yr old.
He will be working during the day, so we need things to do then.
We'll be at a hotel in the middle of Phoenix, so if I could get some ideas for places we could walk to.

We are very active at home, always outside; in the garden, hanging in the yard, painting outside....so I can't image us sitting inside, especially the hotel room, for very long periods.

Is it really really hot by then? Surely there will be swimming...
Are there nearby museums, pools, parks?

Any ideas are welcome and appreciated!!

Thanks
Ansley

[SundayCrepes]

You will be in Phoenix during the hottest part of the year. If you get up really, really early, you can go outside. Otherwise you will want to stay inside.

Downtown has a great science museum. Across from it is a new children's museum that I haven't been to and a natural history, I believe, museum. You should probably check out the botanical gardens, though that will be a drive and you'd need to go very, very early (finishing up by 9 or so.)

Take water with you everywhere. Long sleeved, light cotton clothes, hats, sunglasses. Sunscreen for anything not protected.

In Scottsdale is the McCormic railroad park. Fun train to ride on, but I think it may only be open on weekends during the summer. Google their website. It's a drive.

I live in Tucson. Those are things we do when we visit grandparents. My son will be 4 in December.

[Full Heart]

Yes, it is very hot then. And don't buy the whole "Its a dry heat". So is an oven. Make sure you have tons of water and suncreen with you if you plan to do outdoor activities.

Phoenix Art museum is indoor and I believe its free on Thursdays. Check their website.

The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum is indoors as well. I really like that one for the kids, very educational.

Both of those are down town and you can take light rail to the Art Museum not sure how far from light rail the Mineral Museum is.

Your hotel will probably have a pool but there are several water parks around as well.

The phoenix trolley museum is open on tues and sat and thats right down there too but I haven't been so I don't know if its worth the time. The phoenix police museum is down there too, but again haven't been there. Check their website.

Hope you can have fun in the heat!

[tallulahma]

we go to phoenix often and just spent three days there this weekend.

we spent most of the day by the pool... its the perfect weather for it IMHO, but it requires lots of sunscreen the hotel we stayed at had good shade and misters too, so it was nice.

the museums are probably your best bet in downtown if you are mostly walking or using public transportation. We love the splash park at the tempe beach park and I just read that the phoenix zoo was rated one of the top 5 zoos for kids in the us?

it is hot, but i have found it to be wildly different person to person as far as tolerances go. I could be outside in 105 degree heat for a long time- so can dd1. but my dh and dd2 are not capable of being in the heat for long AT ALL. you may just have to feel it out.

ime, the hardest times to be outside in phoenix is between 12-4.

[mamabird32]

thanks so much for the helpful replies.

I'm making a list of different activities and other things such as; light weight long sleeves, sunscreen, water, hot between 12-4....etc...

[stik]

It was 98 degrees when I drove my dd to her gymnastics class at 9 this morning. It was hotter at 9:30. It's an hour after sunset now and the temperatures are still in the 90s. Lifelong Phoenicians refer to this as "warm." I think saying it's hot every time the temperatures hit three digits just gets depressing.

We've been to the children's museum many times and love it. It's open 9-4 every day now that the schools are out. It's a very active and interactive place. They're running a series of workshops where kids get to take stuff apart - check out their website for times, they'll be free with museum admission, but you might have to reserve a space in advance. www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org. The noodle forest is also awesome.

My almost 8yo loves the art museum, but my 2yo does not and the docents start looking cranky almost as soon as she walks in. If your son loves looking at art in a quiet and respectful way, and maybe making a drawing or two in his sketchbook, he will have a blast. If he's more of a run-and-shouter, it won't go so well.

The zoo has some splash space, which makes it possible even in the heat, if you don't mind not seeing a ton of animals.

The science museum has some cool stuff. It's across the street from the children's museum. The history museum is on the same square as the science museum. It's an Arizona history museum, and I have never been there so I don't know if it's good or not.

[milkeriffic mama]

if you do have access to a car, the phoenix zoo is awesome and opens at 7:30am starting June 1. I second those who say you will want to be done early and get inside.

we have a membership to the phx children's museum. it's downtown, easy to get to and keeps us occupied for hours. there are things that my ds is still too young to be interested in, but i think a 4 year old would likely be interested in just about every activity they have available.

[SamI'mNot]

the Arizona Museum for Youth is a great place for little ones. Relatively inexpensive ($5.50/person) to get in, and the LOs can run and play and draw to their heart's content. There's even a pretend farm (with fruits and veggies "growing" on trees and in the ground), kitchen, living room (with books), and bedroom for them to play in. We just went for the first time last weekend and my DD loved it, and she's 4 1/2.

[Hoopin' Mama]

If there is time when your dh is not working, take a ride up to Flagstaff. It's lovely pine trees and probably 25 degrees cooler.

[mamabird32]

Hoopin' Mama, we do plan to take a trip to Flagstaff towards the end of the week. I heard it's about 20-30 degrees cooler there!
We plan to visit Sunset Crater, an Indian Monument and some other places...

Can't wait to explore without being sick in my 1st tri like last time we visited!

[1growingsprout]

I dont know if you are still here or not but early AM is the best time to be outside then you will want to wait til sunset... Downtown is mostly cement and just holds in the heat.... The museums are great and kid friendly (childrens museum, science center)... you may want to try the IMAX at the science center and i think the lego exhibit is open... as well.

[SundayCrepes]

We were just in Phoenix and took an adventure on the lightrail. For those of us who live in a city without a rail, it was something new. Little kids are free and my full day pass was only $2.50. A great way to get air conditioned comfort in the middle of the day.

[Montse]

Originally Posted by mamabird32

Hoopin' Mama, we do plan to take a trip to Flagstaff towards the end of the week. I heard it's about 20-30 degrees cooler there!
We plan to visit Sunset Crater, an Indian Monument and some other places...

Can't wait to explore without being sick in my 1st tri like last time we visited!

Make sure to swing by Sedona. It's on the way. In fact, you can take the scenic drive through Sedona to Flagstaff. It's totally worth it!