Tours & Sightseeing

If spectacular sightseeing, temperate weather and unique experiences are all things you enjoy, plan your next vacation in Greater Phoenix. Visitors have discovered a unique combination of natural beauty, climate and culture and in Greater Phoenix, where you can discover nearly two dozen Native American tribes that maintain strong local traditions.

When vacationing in Greater Phoenix, the sky truly is the limit. Mild weather conditions allow for a variety of air sports like soaring over the Sonoran Desert in a two-seat glider or lofting above the rural areas in a hot-air balloon. Tour companies would also be more than happy to lead you on a desert excursion to abandoned gold mines, or other sites filled with ruins more than 500 years old.

Whether you're interested in a three-day trip to the Grand Canyon or a day of mountain biking at our local Camelback Mountain, it's amazing how diverse sightseeing can be. A variety of discoveries await you in Greater Phoenix, where the Sonoran Desert's magical landscape stretches to the peaks of surrounding mountains, where a new panorama of beauty awaits behind every Saguaro cactus, and where each day brings a new adventure.

Click to see Greater Phoenix hiking trails

Click to see information about the Hillerman Tour conducted by Detours of Arizona

Attractions

Observe everything from fine Native American art to the ballet in Greater Phoenix, all in the cool confines of our museums, galleries and performing arts centers. We have something for everyone, and there are plenty of new places to discover, so take a look below at some of the options available to you:

The largest art museum in the Southwest and the city’s cultural crown jewel, Phoenix Art Museum presents renowned international exhibitions and features over 17,000 works in its collection of American, Asian, Modern and Contemporary, European, Latin American, and Western American art, and fashion design. Not to be missed are the Thorne Miniature Rooms of historic design, shopping in The Museum store, and lunch at Art Museum Café. Designed by New York architects Todd Williams and Billie Tsien, the Museum’s classically progressive design integrates art and architecture with the Southwestern landscape. Host to 300,000 visitors a year, the Museum begins a $36.8 million expansion in January 2005, which will add, most notably, a new four-level gallery wing, a new lobby, and a sculpture garden.

In Copper Square-Downtown Phoenix, discover

Phoenix’s beginnings at the Museum of History or visit the distinctive Museo Chicano for an overview of historic and contemporary Mexican art.

The internationally acclaimed Heard Museum is one of the best places to experience the myriad cultures and art of Native Americans of the Southwest. With a commanding presence on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix, the museum hosts nearly 250,000 visitors a year and " provides Indian artists with a wonderful home that will excite and inspire visitors from around the world." according to Arizona Highways, October 1999. The museum's 10 spacious exhibit galleries and beautiful outdoor courtyards feature outstanding traditional and contemporary Native American art.

There are literally hundreds of arts and cultural destinations throughout the Greater Phoenix region, and thousands of events from which to choose.  Visit www.ShowUp.com for the region's most comprehensive calendar of events - and be sure to visit the "

Unique AZ" page which specifically features special events and attractions that you won't want to miss during your visit:  Native American culture, Hispanic heritage, Sonoran desert and Southwestern history.  Also, be sure to check ShowUp.com's on-line Ticket Marketplace for last-minute discounts on show tickets and museum admissions. 

The performing arts in Greater Phoenix are a song, dance and more: The Orpheum Theater is an awe-inspiring 1,400-seat state-of-the-art theater. The elaborate Spanish-colonial-revival exterior is stunning with its authentic recreation of the original. The peacock-designed circular staircase, lush murals, and sunset to star-sky ceiling fascinate and captivate audiences long before the show begins.

The completely new and different Dodge Theatre promises to change the way you think about live entertainment. It's as large as you need but as intimate as you want. The Dodge Theatre is a state of the art entertainment venue designed specifically for concerts, Broadway shows, family stage shows, boxing, and convention meetings. Seating can vary from 1,900 to 5,000 for concerts, 5,500 for sporting or corporate events, and with innovative moving sidewalls, provides an intimate setting for proscenium events. The Dodge Theatre marries the classic, fully rigged Broadway stage house, with the pulsating excitement of modern arena technologies.

Statues outside the palm-studded grounds of the Herberger Theatre depict dance and vitality, welcoming a free spirit of artistic discovery and splendor. Such is the allure of the theater Phoenix has treasured since its opening in 1989. Arizona's most widely acclaimed professional theater troupe, the Arizona Theatre Company, entertains and enchants the audience with contemporary and classic theater productions. Sophisticated, yet far from intimidating, the Herberger Theatre Center is a class act.

Marvel in the beauty of chandeliers constructed of hand-blown Venetian glass as you take in a night at Phoenix Symphony Hall. It's known the land over for its resplendent Peacock Fountain. Sophisticated style and the distinction of the performing arts dazzle this internationally recognized performing arts center. The symphony itself has captivated audiences for more than 55 years.

Now in its 18th season, Ballet Arizona is the Southwest's premiere professional ballet company, under the artistic direction of Ib Andersen. Performances are regularly held at The Orpheum Theatre and Symphony Hall in Phoenix. Ballet Arizona collaborates with The Phoenix Symphony on full-length ballets such as The Nutcracker, among others. The organization is dedicated to preserving and celebrating classical dance while creating and commissioning new, innovative works.

Also in the Copper Square-Downtown Phoenix area, at The Arizona Science Center you can explore more than 300 hands-on exhibits in five themed galleries and experience the sciences and technologies that flourish in Arizona and affect your everyday life. The Phoenix Musuem of History focuses on the history and development of the city itself. Historic Heritage Square is a striking remnant of Phoenix's Victorian past. The Rosson House is the cornerstone of a city block dating from the late 1800s. Museums, shops and restaurants now inhabit the block, which encompasses the only remaining group of residential structures from the original town site of Phoenix.

The Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum portrays Arizona's territorial history, dating back to 1858-1912. Greet a working blacksmith, explore an old print shop and witness a cavalry fort. Greater Phoenix offers a museum dedicated to our prehistoric inhabitants, the Hohokam tribe. See a prehistoric ruin, take a short hike along an archaeological site, and join in workshops at the Pueblo Grande Museum.

Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home in Arizona, Taliesin West, is just on the outskirts of Scottsdale. It is well worth the drive, even if you aren't a big architecture fan, you might still find the home interesting... his ideas of design and colour. The choices become intriguing with each new exhibit, new dance, or play. – all here, all Greater Phoenix.

Be amazed and inspired during your visit to Greater Phoenix by viewing acclaimed art galleries during First Friday Art Walk and Scottsdale Art Walks. Art enthusiasts of all types will become immersed in culture and art during artLink’s First Friday Art Walk. The Art Walk occurs on the first Friday evening of each month at more than two dozen galleries, working artist studios, bars and coffeehouses. The “open house” atmosphere gives art enthusiasts the chance to visit galleries and familiarize themselves with Phoenix’s many emerging artists and innovative art galleries. artLink also provides a free shuttle service to galleries participating in the Art Walk. For more information, visit artlinkphoenix.com