If you're planning a family vacation to Phoenix, Arizona you'll want to plan activities for the whole family to enjoy. Fortunately there's something for even your youngest children to do in Phoenix. The city offers a wide variety of children's activities including zoos, museums and historical attractions. Whatever activities you choose for your vacation, everyone in the family will have fun in Phoenix, and maybe learn something, too.
Phoenix offers two great zoos to explore. More than 1300 animals live at the Phoenix Zoo. You might get the chance to feed a giraffe, ride a camel or pet a stingray. There's also a petting zoo and a Discovery Farm, where toddlers can burn off a little energy playing on life-sized animal play sculptures. The Phoenix Zoo also includes a Safari Train, a carousel and bike and boat rentals. Your kids will love playing on one the five playgrounds located inside the zoo.
The Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium has the only public aquarium between San Diego and Albuquerque. Its 75 indoor exhibits feature a variety of animals, including sharks, stingrays, penguins and jellyfish. The outdoor portion of the zoo has five rides including a train, sky-ride and log ride. In the Small Mammals of the World exhibit, you'll see small monkeys, rodents and bats, as well as the zoo's newest babies on display in the nursery room. The Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium also includes a reptile house and a children's petting zoo.
The Children's Museum of Phoenix provides hands-on fun for kids up to age 10. The interactive exhibits focus on learning through play. Exhibits include the Art Studio, the Book Loft, a Market for role-playing and a Rock-and-Roll ballroom. The museum also has an area especially for kids under age 3.
For the science lovers in your group, plan to visit the Arizona Science Center. It has a planetarium and an IMAX theater plus five themed galleries with hands-on exhibits for all ages. You'll find the Music Landing, a gallery about sound and music, in addition to Digital World and Forces of Nature, which tells about the Earth and much more.
Phoenix has great historical attractions, too. Just 30 minutes north of downtown Phoenix you'll find the Pioneer Living History Village, 90 acres of town from the 1800s. You'll find a sheriff's office and jail, a ladies' dress shop, an opera house and a blacksmith's shop. You might be greeted by cowboys and lawmen in this Old West town. While you're there, you can watch a melodrama or an authentic western reenactment.
The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Site collects and preserves cultural artifacts from the Southwest. It's built at the site of 1500 year-old Hohokam village ruins. The museum exhibits focus on the Hohokam culture, including replicas of Hohokam houses and exhibits on daily life and archaeology. The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Site also has three rotating exhibitions each year.
