5 Of The Best Things Locals Want You To Do When You Visit Phoenix, Arizona

Despite its "Grand Canyon State" nickname, there's more to see and do in Arizona than just visiting national parks. The state capital, Phoenix, is right up there with New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston as one of America's five biggest cities. If you fly in and rent a car, you can use Phoenix as a starting point for a scenic road trip to the Grand Canyon. Along the way, you'll see unique sights like a Native American dwelling built into a cliffside (at Montezuma Castle National Monument) and the world's only McDonald's with teal arches (in Sedona). Yet Phoenix has its fair share of unique sights, too — so many of them, in fact, that the real challenge might be narrowing down your long list of options.

It helps to be armed with some recommendations from locals. Phoenix is spread out over 519 square miles, making it larger than L.A. in land size. There's so much on offer in this sprawling desert oasis that you can't possibly do it all or even read about it all online. A first-time visitor to Phoenix might be tempted to do things like tour the Arizona Capitol or take in an Arizona Diamondbacks game at Chase Field. When you're in town and your time is limited, however, you have to weigh that against the fact that there are 49 other capitol buildings and 29 other Major League Baseball fields across the U.S. Here, we'll be venturing a little more off the beaten path as we explore five of the best activities to pursue in Phoenix, based on recommendations gathered from local writers and chefs.

Arizona's state flower is the saguaro cactus blossom, but you don't have to drive 110 miles to Saguaro National Park to see it. Just try visiting Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden. This is a place that Carrie Wheeler — who's lived in Phoenix since the third grade, according to her bio — recommends in The Washington Post. It's a great introduction to the Sonoran Desert landscape and a great way to enjoy the ideal weather that makes Phoenix "the envy of much of America" outside summertime, per Wheeler.

The Desert Botanical Garden is only 4 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, one of the best airports to get stuck in on a long layover. Its trails wind through 140 acres of plants like the spiky agave and the aforementioned saguaro cactus, known for its reaching, armlike branches. Just a mile from the garden is the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail in Papago Park, which Phoenix-area local Betty Hurd calls one of her favorite hikes in the city (via Travel Lemming). It's an easy hike that takes you up to a striking geological formation where an opening in the rock provides a picturesque window to Phoenix's skyline.

One benefit of Phoenix being situated in the Valley of the Sun is that it's surrounded by mountains, meaning there's no shortage of other hiking options in the area. The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail is just one of the many places we recommend for the most scenic views in Phoenix. For a break from the desert metropolis, locals frequently name-check the Japanese Friendship Garden, where a tea house and koi pond provide a pocket of tranquility.

The creation of the Japanese Friendship Garden involved Phoenix's sister city, Himeji, Japan, which is most famous for its castle. Your best bet for touring one of those in Phoenix is Tovrea Castle, which is shaped like a wedding cake. In the past, locals have often recommended Phoenix's antique Mystery Castle, too, but as of this writing, it's closed, and its future remains uncertain. That notwithstanding, there's some truly unique architecture worth checking out just outside of Phoenix.

Back in The Post, Carrie Wheeler suggests heading to nearby Paradise Valley for a visit to Cosanti, the design studio of influential architect Paolo Soleri. It's a living demonstration of Soleri's arcology concept, whereby architecture is harmoniously integrated with ecology. If that sounds too abstract, just imagine the kind of sci-fi desert dwelling you would see in "Star Wars." Per National Geographic, George Lucas was partially inspired for the original 1977 movie by Soleri's planned community, Arcosanti, about an hour's drive from Phoenix. For its part, Cosanti is on the Arizona Registry of Historic Places, and on its guided tours, you can see a live bronze pour where the molten metal goes into sand molds to make the studio's signature wind bells.

In 2019, when the 20th-century architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright achieved UNESCO recognition, Wright's winter home, Taliesin West, became Arizona's only cultural World Heritage Site. It's in Scottsdale, which is part of the Greater Phoenix area. A longtime local named Sam, founder of the travel blog My Flying Leap, recommends Taliesin West's tours, where you can see how Wright, like Soleri, meshed his lab with the surrounding landscape using desert masonry.

Another place where you can see interesting architecture — and enjoy fine dining with a view — in Phoenix is Wrigley Mansion. Built by chewing gum pioneer William Wrigley Jr., the mansion is a mix of three architectural styles: Spanish, Mediterranean, and California Monterey. Acclaimed for its wine selection, it also has three chic restaurants overlooking the city from a knoll in the Biltmore area. Christopher's — named for James Beard Award winner Christopher Gross — earns extra points for its retractable roof, which allows guests to enjoy stargazing in Phoenix.

Elsewhere, beloved local chef Silvana Esparza, who closed her Mexican-food hotspot Barrio Café in 2024, recommends Durant's steakhouse (via The Arizona Republic). Serving up martinis and lamb chops since 1950, Durant's is one of the oldest restaurants in Phoenix, with its original clientele including movie stars like Clark Gable and John Wayne. Meanwhile, another Mexican restaurant that's still going strong in town is the one-man Bacanora, whose chef Rene Andrade favors the Vietnamese Pho 43 in his downtime. If you think you can fit your mouth around a big, purple macaron ice cream sandwich, you can head to Pho 43 for dessert.

Chef Chris Bianco, owner of the red-brick, artisanal Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix, is partial to Valentine, according to The Republic. Like a love letter to the city, Valentine puts a metro Phoenix twist on southwestern cuisine. Its ingredients are sourced from local farms, with Rovey Family Farms in Glendale providing the meat for the sarsaparilla-glazed pork ribs. The restaurant's cocktail innovations include cactus vermouth and a green chili margarita, served up tall in a boot glass.

Phoenix is one of America's best places for budget travelers, and one way you can take advantage of that is by going on a free public art walk. The Phoenix Mural Project has a Google map you can follow, with over 130 murals to be found downtown and in the Roosevelt Row arts district alone. You can find them on the side of buildings and on long walls. Over the years, murals have depicted famous faces like David Bowie and James Baldwin and spelled out "Phoenix" and "Arizona" in colorful, postcard-type letters.

Roosevelt Row has both street art and indoor galleries. It's also the setting for First Fridays, a monthly art walk recommended by more than one local cited here. During this event, musicians, food trucks, and thousands of people turn out as the streets become a pedestrian paradise. If your travels bring you to Phoenix at another time of month, you can still catch art all over the place, with Grand Avenue being another spot with a map you can use for a self-guided tour.

When you get tired of wandering the streets, Travel Lemming's Betty Hurd further recommends venues like the Heard Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum. The former showcases American Indian art, while the latter has paintings by the likes of Georgia O'Keefe in its collection. As with First Fridays, you could combine art viewing with another activity on this list, since the aforementioned Desert Botanical Garden has been known to host special exhibitions with nighttime light installations and Chihuly glass art.

Fans of the platinum-selling rock bands Tool and A Perfect Circle may have heard that singer-turned-winemaker Maynard James Keenan opened a tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale near Phoenix. Keenan's Merkin Vineyards announced the end of its lease there in 2024, but it's looking for a new location in the same area. In the meantime, Phoenix has plenty of other tasting rooms you can visit, like GenuWine Arizona, and it has at least one museum where you can make a different sort of music-inspired pilgrimage.

Sam of My Flying Leap again recommends visiting Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum. Established by the former CEO of Target, it bills itself as the "world's only global musical instrument museum," with a collection of 7,500-plus instruments from over 200 countries and territories. This could be a good place to broaden your musical horizons or connect with your international heritage, beginning with rare, oversized instruments like the French octobass. The museum hosts concerts, and its Experience Gallery has hands-on exhibits where visitors can play the West African djembe and other instruments.

For live music, Sam mentions the Celebrity Theatre, which has welcomed many superstar names like Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Whitney Houston to its revolving stage since it first opened in 1964. She also short-lists smaller venues such as The Van Buren, the blues-oriented Rhythm Room, and the jazz club The Nash. For its part, Tool played a two-night stint at Phoenix's Footprint Center in 2024. Whichever venue you choose, you may come away with some good driving music for the road out of Phoenix.