Unique Things To Do Around Phoenix Arizona

An Overview of Phoenix

Serving as the capital of Arizona, Phoenix is a consistently sunny, desert climate metropolitan located in the aptly-named Valley of the Sun. the large city is home to high-end spas, large golf courses, vibrant nightclubs and a wide range of outdoor activities. With features such as the Desert Botanical Garden, nearby Mountain Region parks and excellent museum, there are many unique things to do around Phoenix.

Unique Things To Do Around Phoenix

Yayoi Kusama Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room

Found in the Contemporary Art Wing in the Phoenix Art Museum, this exhibit uses installations of mirrors, completely enclosing rooms and decorating the interior with lights. The result is an endless infinity of lights extending off into the distance with the viewer in the center.

Mystery Castle

Found in the foothills of South Mountain Park, this odd, rambling stone mansion contains eighteen rooms, thirteen fireplaces, strange walls and embedded bits of junk. It’s a beautiful, if outlandish, piece of architectural design.

Her Secret is Patience

Found in downtown Phoenix, this is a large, brightly colored public art sculpture which uses a network of lines and waves to fabricate a semi-transparent glowing shape. The artwork, which is hovers in the air, suspended on cables, is best seen lit-up in the evening.

The Flying V Cabin

This is a rustic, worn down building that once belonged to John D. Tewksbury, patriarch of a bloody family feud. The structure is part of the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum and the gun slits, which were used to safely shoot out of, are still intact.

Curious Nature

This is a naturals history emporium and taxidermy shop filled with skulls, bones, unique gifts and some strange animals tucked into jars.

Camelback Mountain

Conveniently located near Phoenix and known for it’s spectacular views of the horizons, Camelback Mountain has several impressive hiking trails winding up it’s humped shape, which resembles a kneeling camel.

Desert Botanical Garden

The Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden is filled with rows of desert plants and pieces of unique artwork. The area is known to host exhibitions and also “Electric Desert” shows, where alien lights and sounds decorate the gardens in the darkness of night.

Sonoran Hot Dogs

One of the city’s local culinary specialties, a Sonaoran Hot Dog is made with a schmear of warm, refried beans on the interior of the roll, followed by a bacon-wrapped dog, topped with avocados, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and a drizzle of Zesty Mayo. The most popular place to find this culinary experience is at Nogales Hot Dogs restaurant.

Taliesin West

Serving as Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio, this amazing desert laboratory is now open to the public, immersed in desert nature with major art installations scattered throughout.

Thunderbird Conservation

This is an excellent, flat desert park good for extended hikes, equestrian trails, mountain bike routs and desert-bird watching

Musical Instrument Museum

This is an excellent museum which doubles as a concert theater and education center. The most famous feature of the museum is the gargantuan 12-foot-tll Octobass, the largest and rarest stringed instrument in the world. This massive instrument resonates at extremely low tones, supposedly feeling like a subwoofer when used.

White Tanks Mountain Regional Park

This is a large regional park containing protected desert, mountain and flatland environments. The park includes a large hiking area leading to narrow, desert waterfalls. Goats, cacti and desert scrub are all common sights.

Phoenix Art Museum

This museum contains an expansive collection of international artworks including ancient and contemporary pieces. The museum contains the sculpture Black Cloud by Carlos Amorales. Inspired by the annual migration of monarch butterflies, the Black Cloud depicts a dense swarm of delicate moths coating walls and galleries in the museum space.

The Heard Museum

This museum has a large display dedicated to Native American art and culture with additional programs dedicated to the advancement of indigionous art.

Goldfield Ghost Town

Once upon a time, the Goldfield Ghost Town as a completely abandoned 1890s Old West community found slightly outside of Phoenix. The area was eventually reconstructed and now provides gold-mine tours, Old West gunfight reenactments and a small history museum.

Hall of Flame Fire Museum

This is a tribute museum dedicated to firefighters and the preservation of firefighting equipment used throughout the world.

Phoenix Bat Cave

This is a huge urban bat colony consisting of 10,000 Mexican Bats, which fly out at sunset from June to August. The huge colony in flight makes this a beautiful scene at sunset.  To get here, go northwest from 40th Street and Camelback near Chelsea’s Kitchen on the northern end of the Arizona Canal trail. Parking is available at Chelsea’s Kitchen or the office buildings nearby.

Native American Ruins

There are many famous Native American Ruins around Phoenix.  Montezuma’s Castle, an astonishing cliffside civilization and Tuzigoot, 2- to 3-story pueblo ruin on the summit of a limestone and sandstone, are particularly well known. For ruins which are closer to the city, Tonto Upper Cliff Dwelling, the Sears Kay Ruins, the Besh-Ba-Gowah Museum and the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument are all much closer and quite impressive. The Native American ruins in the region are some of the most unique things to do around Phoenix.

Lon’s at the Hermosa

An excellent, upscale outdoor eatery.

O.H.S.O. Eatery and Brewery

This is a dog-friendly brewery with a large patio, burgers and classic American food.

Brass Armadillo Antique Mall

This is a regional chain which sells Old Western goods, antiques, collectable items and strange, repurposed goods. It’s an excellent location for exploring and window-shopping.

Papago Park

This is an excellent hiking area, especially for visitors who enjoy scrambling over boulders. The area is known as home for large herds of wild bighorn sheep. The park itself is designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. Papago Park also includes Hunt’s Tomb, a small white pyramid listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fuego at the Clarendon

This is a small, colorful storefront bistro specializing in Latin foods, margaritas and mojitos.

Milk n’ More

This is an outlet cheese shop for the Arizona Cheese Co. The shop sells handmade cheeses, curds, snacks and other gifts.

Old Town Scottsdale

A vibrant and unique urban downtown centers in the American Southwest, this pedestrian-friendly district is home to galleries, nightlife venues, retail shops and musuem. Especially well-known features include Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, the Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Rusty Spur Saloon, The Spice & Tea Exchange of Scottsdale and numerous, high-quality galleries. With its numerous features, this is one of the most unique things to do around Phoenix.

Navajo Code Talkers Tribute

Located at the corner of Central Avenue and Thomas Road in midtown Phoenix, this memorial honors the spirit and strength of the Navajo Code Talkers by showing a young man holding a flute, symbolizing the communication of peace instead of war. Code Talkers were Navajo Nation soldiers who used code techniques along with their unique dialect to create unbreakable codes, which were instrumental in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

Frank Lloyd Wright Spire

This is a large, 125-foot-tall blue and turquoise tower found at the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. The structure was one of the many brainchildren of Frank Lloyd Wright, but the design was initially rejected. After his death, the structure was reintroduced in 2004 and now serves as an important city landmark.

Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park

Located along the Grand Canal Trail, the Pueblo Grande Ruin and Irrigation Sites are pre-Columbian archaeological sites found in Phoenix, Arizona. The site contains irrigation canals, prehistoric platforms and unique, restored structures.

Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights

This is an amazing historic structure originally intended to be the centerpiece for a destination resort. However, the structure was instead turned into a massive, private residence after being purchased by E.A. and Della Tovrea. The castle, now open to the public, has desert-garden grounds, a distinct profile and an impressive interior.

Butterfly Wonderland

This is an interactive, indoor tropical habitat which is home to thousands of butterflies.

Read more about unique things to do around Phoenix and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Blog.

Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.