30+ Things to do in Arizona

Fun Things to Do in Arizona

1. Explore Grand Canyon National Park

Take in sweeping views from the rim, hike scenic trails into the canyon, or watch sunrise and sunset paint the cliffs in changing colors. It’s one of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth and a must-see on any Arizona itinerary.

2. Visit Sedona

Famous for its towering red rock formations, this scenic desert town is a haven for hikers, photographers, and wellness seekers. Explore scenic trails, browse art galleries, or take a jeep tour through dramatic canyon terrain.

3. Walk among giant cacti at Saguaro National Park

Explore scenic desert trails surrounded by towering saguaro cacti that can live for over 150 years. The park is especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset, when the desert landscape glows with warm colour.

4. Tour Antelope Canyon

Walk through smooth sandstone passageways carved by water and time, where sunlight creates glowing beams across curved canyon walls. Guided tours reveal the geology and Navajo heritage behind this incredible natural wonder.

5. Discover Native American art at Heard Museum

This renowned museum offers powerful exhibits exploring Indigenous history, traditions, and contemporary art. Interactive displays and storytelling experiences make it both educational and deeply moving.

6 . Explore the galleries of Scottsdale

Known for its vibrant arts scene and stylish Old Town district, this desert city blends culture with luxury. Enjoy weekly art walks, boutique shopping, excellent dining, and a lively atmosphere day or night.

7. Visit the historic town of Tombstone

Step into the Old West where gunfights, saloons, and frontier legends come to life. Watch reenactments, explore historic streets, and learn about the town’s famous lawmen and outlaws.

Things to Do in Arizona With Kids

8. Explore interactive exhibits at Arizona Science Center

Hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, and immersive experiences make learning fun for curious minds. It’s an engaging stop where kids can explore everything from space to engineering.

9. Ride the train at Grand Canyon Railway

Travel through scenic desert landscapes on a historic train journey filled with entertainment and storytelling. The experience makes visiting the canyon even more memorable for families.

10. Visit Musical Instrument Museum

Discover instruments and musical traditions from around the world through interactive exhibits and immersive displays. It’s a unique cultural experience for visitors of all ages.

11. Cool off at Slide Rock State Park

Natural rock slides and refreshing pools make this one of Arizona’s most unique swimming spots. Surrounded by red rock scenery, it’s a perfect place to relax on warm days.

12. Explore aviation history at Pima Air & Space Museum

Walk among hundreds of aircraft ranging from historic planes to space-age technology. Massive outdoor displays and guided tours make it fascinating for visitors of all ages.

13. Visit Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Walk scenic trails to see one of the world’s largest natural travertine bridges, surrounded by lush canyon scenery. It’s a peaceful spot for hiking, photography, and enjoying Arizona’s natural beauty.

Free Things to Do in Arizona

14. Scenic drive along Apache Trail

This winding historic road passes desert cliffs, sparkling lakes, and rugged mountain views. It’s one of the most scenic drives in the Southwest.

15. Wander historic streets in Jerome

Once a booming mining town, today it’s filled with art galleries, historic buildings, and panoramic valley views. The hillside setting makes every street feel unique.

16. Explore Desert Botanical Garden on free admission days

Desert Botanical Garden is one of the best cultural outdoor attractions in Phoenix, known for its Sonoran Desert setting, thousands of desert plants and scenic paths lined with cacti, succulents and seasonal displays. Visiting on one of the garden’s Community Days is an especially good way to experience the landscape, art and rotating exhibitions while keeping costs down.

17. Walk around Tempe Town Lake

Tempe Town Lake is one of the easiest urban outdoor stops in the Phoenix area, with waterfront paths for walking, jogging and cycling right beside downtown Tempe, Arizona State University and the Mill Avenue area. The lake stretches for roughly 2.5 miles with paved paths on both shores, which makes it a strong pick for an easy sunset walk or a relaxed break from city sightseeing.

18. Discover downtown art in Phoenix

Downtown Phoenix is one of the best places in Arizona for a self-guided art walk, with murals, sculptures and public installations spread through streets, plazas and civic spaces. The city’s Office of Arts and Culture actively supports public art across Phoenix, so this is a good choice if you want something creative, walkable and easy to pair with other downtown stops.

19. Visit historic buildings in Prescott

Prescott is one of Arizona’s best historic small-town stops, and the Courthouse Plaza area is the heart of it, surrounded by preserved architecture, local shops and streets that still reflect the town’s frontier-era development. The Courthouse Plaza Historic District remains one of Prescott’s defining landmarks, which is why it works so well for an easy stroll with a strong sense of place.

20. Explore cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument is one of Arizona’s most accessible ancient sites, preserving a remarkably intact 20-room cliff dwelling built into a limestone wall by the Sinagua people. It is an especially easy historic stop because the main viewpoint is reached by a short paved loop trail, making it one of the most rewarding low-effort cultural sites in the state.

Outdoor & Adventure Things to Do in Arizona

21. Hike to Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend is one of the most iconic viewpoints in Arizona, where a short hike leads to a dramatic overlook above a sweeping 270-degree bend in the Colorado River. It is one of the state’s most photographed landscapes and an easy add-on if you are already exploring Page, Glen Canyon or Lake Powell.

22. Visit Lake Powell

Lake Powell is one of the Southwest’s biggest water-based playgrounds, known for boating, kayaking, sandstone coves and huge desert scenery spread across Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It is a strong choice if you want Arizona landscapes that feel both dramatic and recreational, with the scale of the lake making it feel much bigger than a standard reservoir stop

23. Explore Monument Valley

Monument Valley is one of the most recognisable landscapes in the American Southwest, with towering sandstone buttes rising from a vast desert floor on Navajo land. It is one of Arizona’s standout scenic experiences not just for the views, but also for the opportunity to explore the area through Navajo Nation Parks and guided tours that add cultural depth to the setting

24. Hike in Chiricahua National Monument

Chiricahua National Monument is one of Arizona’s most underrated outdoor destinations, known as a “Wonderland of Rocks” for its rhyolite pinnacles, balanced formations and scenic trails. It is a great pick if you want something quieter and more unusual than the state’s better-known canyon parks, while still delivering big scenery and excellent hiking.

25. Ski or hike at Arizona Snowbowl

Arizona Snowbowl offers one of the most unusual mountain experiences in the Southwest, with winter skiing and snowboarding on the San Francisco Peaks and scenic gondola rides in the warmer season. It is a particularly strong stop if you want to combine alpine views with a Flagstaff base, since the mountain works as both a ski destination and a summer sightseeing outing.

26. Swim near Havasu Falls

Havasu Falls is one of the most famous waterfall destinations in the Southwest, known for its vivid turquoise water, travertine pools and remote canyon setting on Havasupai land. It feels far more like a true expedition than a casual stop, and that is part of the appeal, but it also takes advance planning because all visits require permits and are subject to tribal rules and conditions.

27. Drive through Oak Creek Canyon

Oak Creek Canyon is one of Arizona’s most beautiful drives, following State Route 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff through red rock walls, forested slopes and dramatic switchbacks. It is one of the easiest ways to experience how quickly Arizona’s landscapes can change, especially in autumn when the canyon is known for some of the state’s best seasonal colour.

Unique Things to Do in Arizona

28. Visit Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater is one of Arizona’s most unusual attractions, offering the chance to stand at the rim of one of the best-preserved meteor impact sites on Earth. The viewpoint platforms, crater tours and museum-style exhibits make it a good stop if you want something scenic but also rooted in geology and space history.

29. Explore mining history in Bisbee

Bisbee is one of Arizona’s most characterful small towns, known for its copper-mining history, preserved architecture and creative, artsy atmosphere in the Mule Mountains. It is a strong choice if you want somewhere that feels distinctly different from the desert resort image of Arizona, with steep streets, historic buildings and old mining landmarks giving it real personality.

30. Walk ancient ruins at Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument preserves ancestral Puebloan sites in a high-desert landscape between the Painted Desert and the ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona. It is one of the best places in the state to combine archaeology, scenic driving and short walks, with several major structures still open to visitors.

31. Discover space history at Lowell Observatory

Lowell Observatory is one of Arizona’s most important science attractions, known for its long research history, historic telescopes and strong public programs under Flagstaff’s dark skies. It is a particularly good stop if you want something that feels both educational and memorable, especially when evening viewing sessions are available.

32. Visit London Bridge in Lake Havasu City

London Bridge is one of Arizona’s oddest and best-known landmarks, rebuilt in Lake Havasu City after being relocated from England stone by stone. Today it works as more than just a photo stop, with waterfront walking paths, nearby shops and the English Village helping turn it into a fuller sightseeing area.

33. Explore underground chambers at Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns State Park is one of Arizona’s standout geology attractions, known for its guided cave tours through a living limestone cave system filled with delicate formations. It is a strong pick if you want something cooler, more unusual and more structured than a standard desert hike, especially since the cave experience is carefully managed through timed tours.

34. Travel historic Route 66

Arizona has the longest preserved stretch of the original Route 66 in the United States, running for more than 385 miles through classic small towns, roadside attractions and vintage Americana. It is one of the best road-trip experiences in the state, especially if you want to link places like Seligman, Williams, Flagstaff and Kingman into a more nostalgic Arizona itinerary

Events in Arizona

Experience the WM Phoenix Open

The WM Phoenix Open brings PGA TOUR golf, lively crowds, and Scottsdale event energy to TPC Scottsdale each February.

Visit the Arizona State Fair

The Arizona State Fair fills Phoenix with rides, concerts, food, and family fun each October and into early November.

Attend the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction brings collector cars, auction action, and automotive buzz to Scottsdale each January.

FAQ'S

What airport do I fly into for Arizona?

Most visitors fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, located in Phoenix. It’s the state’s main gateway, with excellent connections across the U.S. and international destinations. Other regional airports, including Tucson, also serve different parts of the state.

When is the best time to visit Arizona?

Spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather for exploring deserts, cities, and outdoor attractions. Winter is popular for mild temperatures and sightseeing, while summer brings intense heat but fewer crowds and great resort deals.

Is Arizona family-friendly?

Absolutely! Families can enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Arizona Science Center, explore scenic parks and trails, and experience breathtaking natural wonders like Grand Canyon National Park. Outdoor adventures and wide-open landscapes make it a great destination for all ages.