Things To Do
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Stop by the Arizona Natural History Museum for great exhibits on paleontology, archeology, and the ancient American Southwest! There are also activities such as digging for bones, wandering a Old West jail, and panning for gold. Centrally located in downtown Mesa, it's about a ten minute drive from the recommended hotel. This museum also hosts a special memorial bench in the main lobby for Larry Armstrong, Grandfather of the Bride, in honor of his years of volunteer work and service to the museum.
Organ Stop Pizza
This is a great kid-friendly place for a casual dinner and a show. The organ players take requests and begin song sets at the top of each hour.
Phoenix Zoo
The Phoenix Zoo makes a great day-trip and will be having their annual Zoo Lights evening events nightly from 5:30-10:30pm with special pricing during the winter months. It does get chilly in December, so remember to bring a light jacket!
Gilbert Riparian Observatory
OdySea Aquarium
The Odysea Aquarium in Scottsdale, right off the loop 101, is the largest aquarium in the area and worth a day trip. The aquarium itself can easily be traversed in about 2-3 hours and also includes animal feedings around lunch time, a cafe in the center, and free and paid theater experiences at set times. The aquarium is also in an 'amusement' open mall featuring other attractions such as 'laser maze', 'butterfly garden', 'dinosaur hall', shops, restaurants, etc.
ASU Gammage
Shucked (December 2nd - December 7th)
Mesa Arts Center
Christmas with Millennial Choirs & Orchestras - Silent Night (December 3rd - December 6th). Also check out the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum next door for free.
Chandler Center for the Arts
The Nutcracker (November 28th - December 6th)
Top Golf Scottsdale
Top Golf is great for 1-2 hours of golf-like fun for all ages!
Musical Instrument Museum
Open 9am-5pm daily, the MIM is great for spending a day learning about music history, music instruments, and is currently featuring a "Magical Flute" Exhibition. There are also several events going on every day-- the schedule of upcoming events can be viewed on the website. The MIM has timed ticket entry from Nov 1-Apr 30, so it is best to get your tickets ahead of time. General admission is $20/per, teens (13-19) is $15/per, and kids (4-12) are $10. Children 3 & under are free.
Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum
Open Wed-Sunday 10am-4pm. The Airforce Museum, also called Falcon Field museum, has a self-guided tour to view all the planes with displays and pictures depicting the history and docents to assist and answer any questions. Definitely worthwhile for anyone interested in aviation.
Arizona Science Center
The Arizona Science Center, located in downtown Phx, is a great choice for science, astronomy, and learning something new. Their current main exhibit, open Tues-Sun from 10:30am-4pm, is an exhibition on Pompeii, featuring over 150 artefacts and diving into what happened during the volcanic eruption and what was preserved because of it-- this exhibit has an extra fee of $5/per. Premium tickets (Including the pompeii tour) is ~$20/per and can be purchased online or at the door. Additional add-ons, such as riding the sky cycle, a film in the theater, and other events at the science center are available in the all-inclusive ticket for ~$30.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona
The Legoland Discovery Center is a great place to play with legos, have fun, and generally spend lots of time with fun activities. Good for kids 2+. You can also bundle the experience with SeaLife Aquarium, a smaller aquarium with interactive activities next door. Tickets range from $22-$40/per depending on included activities.
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Ever been to a jousting tournament? No? Then take an evening to root for your favorite knight in a dinner and a show experience at Medieval Times! This one's a lot of fun. A three hour evening dinner show that runs daily with shows at 4pm and 7pm in Scottsdale. Shows sell out quickly and tickets are best bought online. Kids (10 & under) are $46.95/per and adults (11+) are $76.95/per. The dinner is a four course meal served to you while you watch the performance.
Riverview Park
Riverview Park has playground with a climbing tower, baseball complex, fishing lake, BBQ grill, and picnic tables. Winter lights for the season. It's a nice park to take a walk and let the kids play. It's also right next to Riverview outdoor shopping mall if you want to do some shopping or go see a movie.
Desert Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden, located next to the Phx Zoo, is a great place to wander through a self-guided tour of all the flora the desert has to offer. There is also a restaurant and gift shop on location. General admission is $40/per, Youth (3-17) is $20/per, and babies (2 & under) are free.
Merry Main St & Winter Wonderland Ice Rink
Mesa's annual Merry Main St event will be happening Friday and Saturday nights! From 5pm, enjoy the holiday festival event in downtown Mesa. There is tons of things to do including visit Santa, go ice skating at the small ice rink, see the decorated tree, shop at the many pop-up stands, and have fun with all the free activities.
Golfland Sunsplash
Sunsplash, the attached waterpark, may be closed for the season, but Golfland, the arcade in the castle, and laser tag arena on the second floor are open! Golfland has three 18-hole mini-golf courses to choose from and all you need to golf and keep score with the ball rentals. The courses will be lit for the season in lights for Golfland Winter Wonderland. Open 10am-10pm daily (11am on Sundays) and tickets cost $11.50/per golfer. Laser tag, pizza, and the arcade are separate costs.
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Interested in trains and the Old West? Check out the Railroad Park and museum in Scottsdale. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is a 30-acre railroad park located in Scottsdale, Arizona. It features a 15 in gauge railroad, a Magma Arizona Railroad locomotive, a railroad museum, three model railroad clubs and a 7+1⁄2 in gauge live steam railroad train, Carousel, and Model Railroad Building (December, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Historical Railroad Museum Schedule December: 10a.m. till 4p.m.
AMF Mesa Lanes
Want to go out for some bowling? The AMF Mesa Lanes is a fun activity that's great for an evening/night out just off Gilbert Rd and the US 60 in Mesa. They've got 32 lanes, an arcade, billiards, food, and a lounge area. Rentals are available on site and you can make reservations online if you want, but they only take reservations up to a week out.
Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix
Located in Downtown Phoenix, the Japanese Friendship Garden is a very pretty garden stroll experience that's open Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-6pm. General Admission is $15/per, Youth (7-17) is $11/per, and kids (0-6) is free.
United Escapes of America - Mesa
There are dozens of escape rooms across the valley. We've done this one (and escaped!) with some friends, highly recommend. The experience is on a timer, so it'll take you about an hour or two (depending on room), plus arriving a half hour early to check in. If you can, best experienced with the suggested capacity. Prices vary based on what room, but avg between ~$30-45/per. Great for a late morning or daytime activity.
Valor Christmas- Formally Lights at the Farm
This Christmas holiday lights show is seasonal fun synchronized walk-through light show event. The Tickets are $10 off when bought ahead of time using the promo code: PreSaleValor25 $35-$40 /per vehicle on drive-up. Ticket includes parking.
Mesa Market Place Swap Meet
Want to do some local shopping? Check out the Mesa Swap Meet, available Friday-Sunday. Vast outdoor marketplace with 1,500+ vendors, a food court, live music & free admission & parking. Winter Hours: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 7:30am - 4:00pm.