Things To Do in Phoenix

Phoenix is a big city now, and as such it has plenty of attractions—art galleries, museums, and the like—beyond the desert scenery. A few are in fact world class, and anyone with an interest in the various strains of desert culture will find a lot to gawk at and learn about. Families will find a number of places that will fill at least a day of sightseeing, the Musical Instrument Museum, OdySea, and the Desert Botanical Garden among them. They are all open year-round, although outdoor sites like the botanical gardens and the zoo are a little more enjoyable when the temperature is less than 90 degrees.

Have any architecture geeks in your group? Phoenix is a home of midcentury modernism—the sleek and unadorned style of desert architecture you might associate with 1960s-era movie-star manses in Palm Springs—and has an architectural scene more vibrant than you might expect. The Phoenix Art Museum and the ASU Art Museum both hold annual architectural tours that can get you into some of the Valley’s most distinctive homes. Check the organizations’ respective sites for details. A local group called Modern Phoenix (http://modernphoenix.net) holds various programs throughout the year and an annual festival of talks and neighborhood tours. (Those tours tend to sell out immediately; check the website for dates and be ready to buy tickets online as soon as they go on sale.) Or if you just like poking around, turn up some of the streets around Camelback or Mummy Mountain, or take a slow drive along Tom Darlington Drive in Carefree, to ooh and aah at some extraordinary residences built into the hillsides.

Downtown Phoenix

On the first Friday of each month, from 6pm to 10pm, arts comes alive in downtown Phoenix with First Friday, centered on the Roosevelt Arts District (E. Roosevelt Road, between Central Avenue and 7th Street, also Grand Avenue south of Roosevelt Road). Street musicians and vendors vie for the attention of highly un-Phoenix-like throngs of pedestrians, and the diverse collection of local art galleries and museums in this area remain open late for browsing. Check artlinkphx.org for accompanying events and details on the First Friday shuttle, which stops at the Phoenix Art Museum. There are sometimes crowds (parking can be tough—we recommend you use light rail instead) but it’s a highly enjoyable mix of people and art.

The Flying Net/Jellyfish/Cloud

It hovers over a small park at the corner of Taylor Street and Central Avenue downtown. It’s . . . well, you decide what it is. It’s a massive piece of public art by artist Janet Echelman. (The title, “Her Secret Is Patience,” is a quote from Emerson.) It is made of polyester netting and suspended from three poles more than 100 feet high. While during the day the effect of the work is a bit blah, at night colored lights projected on the net bring it alive, and you can see it in all its mysterious glory. Whatever it is.

Cool Phoenix

As the Valley has grown, the Central Corridor has become the closest thing in the state to hip. There are fine coffee shops, nice clubs, and see-and-be-seen hipster museum events.

An afternoon coffee at Lux Central (4402 N. Central Ave.; www.luxcoffee.com; tel. 602/327-1396) universally known as Lux, is de rigueur; ASU profs, designers, and entrepreneurs cluster from 6am on every day in its warren of rooms. At night it serves dinner with a full bar and mixologists on hand. The Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave. (tel. 602/368-3121), accessible only via a steep set of stairs in an alley on the southwest corner of Central and Monroe (just walk down the alley and you’ll see the illuminated sign), is a wonderful place for a quiet drink and fairly good bar food in the afternoon and early evening; later on, things get noisier. An ingenious mobile above the bartenders is engineered to cast shadows of figures on a vellum screen; ask your bartender about the (lurid) tale they tell. There’s a small concert room to the side, too, sometimes with nationally known artists. In late evening it goes full-on nightclub.

Check the schedule at the Phoenix Art Museum for evening events there. The museum is free after 3pm Wednesdays and from 6pm to 10pm on First Fridays, and on the Second Saturday and Sunday of the month.

Roosevelt Row—that’s Roosevelt Road, a half-mile north of the center of downtown, just east of Central Avenue—has become a major ASU hang and has cool restaurants and shops. This is ground zero for the First Friday gallery walk, when the city’s artistic community comes out in force. Third Friday is a toned-down version.

The Found:Re Hotel (1100 N. Central Ave.; tel. 602/875-8000), on Central Avenue just around the corner from Roosevelt Row, is a swellegant remodeled hipster boutique hotel with its own curated art gallery—and the convivial sprawling lounge bar and restaurant don’t hurt, either. Coolest feature: An art installation right inside the front door projects groovy moving designs onto the lobby floor—projections that somehow move and puddle when guests walk across them. Finally, there’s Food Truck Friday, when a cluster of the Valley’s finest gather for lunch at Civic Space Park—that’s the park with the big net sculpture above it, 424 N. Central Ave. at Taylor St. The trucks gather from 11am to 1:30pm every Friday until the weather gets too hot.

Arizona Luxury, Circa 1929

Tucked away at the top of the Biltmore district, the Arizona Biltmore hotel (2400 E. Missouri Ave.; tel. 602/955-6600), built in 1929, wasn’t designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but he did consult on this magnificent endeavor designed by one of his former students, Albert Chase McArthur. You can see the famed architect’s hand in its distinctive cast-cement blocks; it also displays sculptures, furniture, and stained glass designed by Wright. The best way to soak up the ambience of this exclusive resort (if you aren’t staying here) is over dinner, a cocktail, or tea, but 90-minute tours ($10) are given Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 10am; there’s also a happy hour tour Fridays at 6pm; $20 gets you a shorter tour and two cocktails.

On a hilltop adjacent to the Arizona Biltmore, elegant Wrigley Mansion 2501 E. Telawa Tr.; www.wrigleymansionclub.com; tel. 602/955-4079) was built between 1929 and 1931 by the resort’s owner, chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr., as a present for his wife, Ada. Now a National Historic Landmark, this Spanish Colonial–style mansion has been restored to its original grandeur and turned into a high-end event space with Geordie’s Restaurant, an adjoining bar, and a swellegant premium wine bar. A sunset drink here is a wonderful experience. Guided tours, offered daily except Mondays, give a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Wrigleys; reservations are required. Tours cost $15; Tuesday through Saturday, they’re at 10am, noon, 2pm, and 4pm; there’s also a Sunday tour at 2pm.

Hunt’s Tomb: The Great Pyramid of Phoenix

If you’re driving through Papago Park on your way to the Desert Botanical Garden or the zoo and see a shimmering white pyramid on a hilltop, it’s not a heat-induced hallucination. The pyramid is real. It is the tomb of Gov. George W. P. Hunt, who was governor on and off through much of Arizona’s first 20 years as a state. He died in 1934. The tomb is accessible from a road leading north out of the parking area of the zoo.

Gay Phoenix

Arizona remains a red state, and anti-gay rhetoric—sometimes coded, sometimes explicit—can still be heard from actual elected officials. The good news is that central Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, well protected from such talk, are explicitly gay-friendly enclaves. Gay Phoenix is centered in the Melrose—7th Avenue between Indian School and Camelback. Don’t expect some desert version of the Castro, though; there are basically just a bunch of bars and shops, nothing terribly upscale, that come alive Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Look for Echo magazine, which keeps up with events on the scene month to month, in downtown hotel lobbies and restaurants. In reality, just about all of the bars and restaurants in the central core—7th Street to 7th Avenue, from downtown to uptown—are part of the gay scene. The burgeoning strip of restaurants on 7th Street north of Missouri Avenue are gay-friendly, too.

Two Oddball Castles

Half wedding cake, half castle, the massive three-story Tovrea Castle (5025 E. Van Buren Ave.) perches on a desert hill on a vast lot 5 miles east of downtown, surrounded by a huge cactus garden. Built in the 1920s by a successful Italian immigrant businessman from San Francisco, it was later bought by the Tovrea family (hence its name), and was taken over by the city of Phoenix in 1993. The good news is that there are tours available ($20, kids 2 and under free); the bad news is that they sell out months in advance. Try your luck at www.tovreacastletours.com; tel. 602/256-3221. It’s closed in July and August.

South of downtown Phoenix, Mystery Castle (800 E. Mineral Rd.; www.mymysterycastle.com) is a wondrous work of folk-art architecture, built in the 1930s and 1940s using stones from the property. Boyce Luther Gulley, who came to Arizona in hopes of curing his tuberculosis, built it for his daughter, who longed for a castle more permanent than those built in the sand at the beach. The resulting 18-room fantasy has 13 fireplaces, parapets, and many other unusual touches. It’s open October through May, from Thursday through Sunday, 11am–3:30pm; admission is $10 adults, $5 ages 5–12.

High-end shopping in the Valley comes in the shape of a big backward L. It begins 4 miles north of the heart of downtown Phoenix with the hip and trendy boutiques at Central Avenue and Camelback Road. Follow Camelback Road (the first leg of the L) east 2 miles and you’ll pass more juicy shopping stops, including the Camelback Esplanade, the Town and Country Shopping Center, and swanky Biltmore Fashion Park. Another 6 miles due east of that, the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads is ground zero for Scottsdale shopping, with the gigantic Scottsdale Fashion Square and many, many surrounding blocks of art galleries, boutiques, jewelry stores, Native American craft stores, and Western shops, all collectively known as downtown Scottsdale. Old Town Scottsdale, the city’s main tourist destination, is a couple miles south of here.

For the other leg of the L, head north on Scottsdale Road, though 10 miles of ever-swankier shopping territory with high-end strip malls on both sides of the street. You’ll also find some shopping areas on parallel Hayden and Pima roads. Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter, two major malls with high-end retailers, are 8 or 9 miles north of downtown Scottsdale.

Malls & Shopping Centers

The traditional suburban malls you’d find in any big city ring the Valley; two worth noting are the Desert Ridge Marketplace (at Tatum and the 101, in north Phoenix) and the Tempe Marketplace (at McClintock Road and the 202, in north Tempe), both open-air affairs with lots of chain restaurants and a big movie multiplex.

Antiques & Collectibles

Downtown Glendale (a suburb northwest of downtown Phoenix) is the Valley’s main antiques district, with a great concentration of dealers on Glendale Avenue between 56th and 59th avenues, plus a few more in the blocks just north. The Melrose District, close to downtown Phoenix on 7th Avenue between Indian School and Camelback roads, has a dozen or more vintage, collectible, and furniture stores of highly variable quality, with the emphasis on midcentury modern furnishings.

Art

The Valley’s unexpectedly strong and active arts scene is most visibly manifested in the First Friday gallery walk, which centers on Roosevelt Row, right off Central Avenue just north of downtown. There are big crowds but it’s a great diversion for interested families, students, singles, and art lovers, who will appreciate being exposed to the Valley’s most venturesome underground artists and its up-and-coming stars. (Third Fridays are a quieter alternative.)

Downtown Scottsdale has its own Thursday ArtWalk every Thursday even in summer, from 7pm to 9pm, centered on Main Street just south of Indian School Road, but also stretching up Marshall Way to Fifth Avenue. A little more genteel, it focuses on established commercial galleries—from cowboy to contemporary, from the garish to the sublime. It’s a great time to mingle with other art lovers in a casual atmosphere, meet some artists and craftspeople, and even grab a cup of wine or two.

Some of the most important contemporary arts galleries from Scottsdale have moved to downtown Phoenix.

Up-and-Comers on Roosevelt Row—Just off Central Avenue, stretching along Roosevelt Road almost to 7th Street, a dozen or more locally owned art galleries are devoted to finding the next generation of Phoenix artists. Quality, of course, varies greatly, and the upheaval wrought by ASU’s expansion means it’s changing all the time. But you’ll definitely find interesting work to check out at Monorchid, Modified Arts and the Eye Lounge, each within a block of the intersection of 3rd Street and Roosevelt Road. There’s a good guide at rooseveltrow.org.

Books

There aren’t too many big-chain bookstores left; what remain are a few large Barnes & Noble locations in some of the suburban malls ringing the Valley. The one closest to tourist areas is at 10500 N. 90th St., Scottsdale (tel. 480/391-0048). In Phoenix, there’s also a Bookmans, a sprawling operation with vast selections of used books, DVDs, and pop collectibles (8034 N. 19th Ave.; www.bookmans.com; tel. 602/433-0255); there’s one in Mesa, too.

As downtown Phoenix has revitalized itself and the whole Valley has begun to shrug off the effects of extended downturns, fun places to hang out at night are popping up all over. Although much of the nightlife scene is centered on downtown Scottsdale, Tempe’s Mill Avenue, and downtown Phoenix, you’ll find things going on all over.

Tickets to many concerts, theater performances, and sporting events are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com; tel. 866/448-7849 or 800/745-3000), but smaller, hipper venues use other services like Ticketfly (www.ticketfly.com; tel. 877/987-6487). Venue websites will direct you to the right place.

The Club & Music Scene

As most denizens of any urban nightlife scene know, clubs come and go. I wish I could say there was a nightlife bible to consult here, but there’s isn’t. But poke around the Phoenix New Times website (phoenixnewtimes.com) and the Arizona Republic website (azcentral.com) and you should be able to get some leads on the latest openings.

The Valley’s Nightlife Hubs

If you’re looking for big ol’ Scottsdale bars with a vaguely Western theme, head over to the city’s rather blandly titled Entertainment District. The name doesn’t do justice to the 4 or 5 sprawling blocks of drinking holes, centered on an extended cul-de-sac just east of the intersection of Camelback and Scottsdale roads. The lineup includes Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, Bottled Blonde, Maya Day and Night Club, and the like. If recent history holds, the names may have changed by the time you get there, but the boisterous action will live on. It’s all right next to the W Hotel.

Five miles north, at the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Shea Blvd., you’ll find some slightly more authentic country joints, like Handlebar J on the northwest corner and Ernie’s (www.erniesscottsdale.com; tel. 480/948-4433), on the southwest corner, where you can karaoke to your heart’s content with other cowpokes-for-the-night.

Mill Avenue in Tempe is a good place to wander around in search of your favorite type of music; the bars and clubs here are mostly within walking distance of one another. Because Tempe is a college town, the crowd tends to be young and occasionally rowdy. The best venue for touring acts is the Marquee, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe (www.marqueetheatreaz.com; tel. 480/829-0607), a half-mile walk north over the Mill Avenue Bridge.

Downtown Phoenix has a growing number of live music venues—the Van Buren, the Crescent, the Valley Bar—and some dance clubs. It is also home to Symphony Hall and the Herberger Theater Center. However, much of the action revolves around sports events and concerts at US Airways Center and Chase Field, which of course are surrounded by sports bars for pre- and post-game drinking.

Country Music

The best country band in Phoenix is the Pat James Band; James, a fine figure of a man in a ten-gallon hat, delivers country ballads, rollicking two-steps, and some unexpected covers with a crack band. Check his website (www.patjames.net) to see where he’s playing.

Cocktails with a View

The Valley of the Sun has more than its fair share of spectacular views. Unfortunately, most of them are from expensive restaurants. All these restaurants have lounges, though, where, for the price of a drink (and perhaps valet parking), you can sit back and ogle a crimson sunset and the purple mountains’ majesty. Among the best choices are the Terrace Room at Different Pointe of View, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort; Rustler’s Rooste, at the Arizona Grand Resort; and the swanky Jade Bar, at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain. The Thirsty Camel, the central lounge of the top-tier Phoenician resort boasts some particularly wonderful views. Tip: To avoid the pricey valet fee, tell the folks at the front gate you want to self-park; you’ll be directed to the underground parking garage and the lounge will validate.

It’s hard to think of a more spectacular setting in all the Valley than the Wrigley Mansion, sitting on a hill high atop the Biltmore neighborhood a mile north of Camelback Road. It’s harder still to think why any casual Valley visitor wouldn’t want to go at least once for a drink on the terrace at sunset. Adjoining Geordie’s Restaurant, there’s a first-class wine bar, Jamie’s, where you can do just that. It’s worth paying for the valet at the top of the hill; it’s a steep climb from the self-parking area.

Gay & Lesbian Bars & Clubs

The heart of gay Phoenix is the Melrose—that’s 7th Avenue north of Indian School Road. There’s a jog in 7th Avenue—known as “the Curve”—where a distinctive arch has been constructed over the street to celebrate Melrose. (Here’s a free barstool conversation starter: Ask if anyone knows why the Curve is there at all. The answer: It was created when surveyors building the 7th Avenue canal crossing just a few blocks north discovered that the street had been inaccurately surveyed heading north from downtown, and was actually tilting northwest! It had to be wrenched back to due north.)

There are also gay- and lesbian-friendly bars dotting the northeast quadrant of the Valley—but note that outside of the Melrose, gay bars don’t generally advertise themselves as such. (In fact, if you see a place with a somewhat generic name and no other information, you can pretty much assume it’s a gay bar!) In a lot of the hipper clubs and restaurants on Central and 7th avenues you can find a magazine called Echo that can guide you into the scene and any gay-related events that month.