10 Best Museums in Phoenix

The Phoenix Art Museum offers a broad scope of art as well as performances, lectures, and other educational events. It hosts rotating exhibitions, and its permanent collection includes some 20,000 works from the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Artists of note whose works reside in that collection include Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Ansel Adams, and Pablo Picasso. It has some 6,000 fashion items, and it partners with the University of Arizona’s Centre for Creative Photography for exhibitions.

Events at the Phoenix Art Museum include theatre performances, workshops, lectures, and something called Object of the Month – a 30-minute interactive talk in which a gallery staffer directs conversation about a single work.

The Heard Museum says it aims to be the leading institution for the “presentation, interpretation, and advancement” of Native American art. It’s located in city centre Phoenix with 11 galleries as well as outdoor courtyards for the display of art. It hosts rotating exhibitions and maintains a permanent collection in addition to offering educational programmes, performances, and festivals.

An ongoing exhibition is “Substance of Stars,” which tells the creation stories of four indigenous communities through contemporary and traditional art as well as a 360-degree video called “Sky Dome.” Another exhibit, “Away from Home,” examines a largely unknown part of American history: the forced assimilation of Native American youth via boarding schools.

The Musical Instrument Museum offers what its name suggests – yet on a staggering scale (some 6,800 instruments and musical objects). In addition to seeing the instruments, you can hear them several ways. Visit the Geographic Galleries to experience multimedia presentations featuring people playing from around the world. Go to the Experience Gallery to bang a gong, strum a harp, or try a theremin.

In the Artist Gallery, see instruments and memorabilia from the likes of Elvis, Joan Baez, and Ravi Shankar. You can also go to a drum or craft workshop, attend a blues performance and lecture, or stick around for an evening concert. No wonder patrons here are said to average four hours per visit.

At the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, you can see an impressive collection of warplanes from World War I to the Vietnam era, learn about military history, view artefacts that span nearly a century, and fly in a restored aircraft. Exhibition subjects include the pioneering and highly decorated African American Tuskegee Airmen, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (or WASP) programme, and the US volunteer group known as the Flying Tigers.

Memorabilia on display includes flight jackets, uniforms, medals, and photographs. For an extra fee, you can arrange to fly in 1 of 2 bombers, an open-cockpit biplane, a single-engine trainer, or 1 of 2 twin-engine, multipurpose planes. The museum is in Mesa, about a 30-minute drive from city centre Phoenix.

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix offers multiple interactive exhibits and play spaces for kids as old as 10. There are many Baby Zones throughout the museum, where parents of both young and older kids can enjoy the exhibits together. Little ones can navigate the vertical Noodle Forest, ascend The Climber to get a bird’s eye view of things, learn creative hand-eye coordination in the Art Studio, get in costume and take the stage in DramaRama, or get some reading time in the Book Loft.

Engineers have considered the various developmental stages of children when designing the exhibits. A café is on-site, and outside food is welcome in designated areas. Admission is free for all on the first Friday evening of the month.

The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting covers the history of firefighting from multiple angles: restored fire engines and pumping mechanisms, a Hall of Heroes honouring those who’ve given their lives or received commendations, and displays of historical gear such as alarms, extinguishers, and helmets.

The oldest of the more than 100 engines on display is an English hand pumper from 1725, while one of the newest is a rescue unit that responded to the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Vehicles come from the US, Europe, South America, and Asia. One of 5 galleries is dedicated to the history of US wildland firefighting. A youngsters’ play area includes a lorry for kids (and grownups) to climb.

The Arizona Capitol Museum contains history in its name as well as its mission. The building was the state capitol until 1960. It was restored in 1979 to be the historical museum it is today. It contains artefacts, interactive exhibits, and other resources to educate people on the history of the state and territory of Arizona. It has rotating exhibitions of art and historical materials.

Visitors can tour the Capitol Mall, learn about the Arizona Constitution and the history of the Arizona government, or see an Arizona flag built from nearly 114,000 Lego bricks. Admission is free. Guided tours are too, but they must be booked in advance and have at least 10 participants.

The Arizona Museum of Natural History lets visitors explore the past through the lenses of palaeontology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. In this museum located in Mesa, you can stand among towering bones of prehistoric animals, look at artefacts from ancient civilisations, and learn about cultures that inhabited Arizona during periods of Spanish rule and US territorial status.

Walk through Dinosaur Hall to see the various sizes and complexities of extinct reptiles or go to Dinosaur Mountain to witness re-created animals and habitats, including a recurring flash flood. In the Southwest Gallery, you’ll find exhibits and artefacts depicting ancient hunting and farming cultures from the region. View Spanish armour and Catholic mission artefacts, and peer into a real territorial jail cell.

The Phoenix Police Museum displays the history of Phoenix law enforcement from its inception with volunteer safety squads and the election of a city marshal in the late 1800s to the present day. You can see a scale depiction of the first marshal’s office and jail cell. Other exhibits contain uniforms, badges, weapons, and additional gear from various generations of Phoenix law enforcement, including the Arizona Rangers and modern-day SWAT teams.

See vintage police cruisers (including a Ford Model T) as well as motorcycles and a police helicopter. Other exhibits cover crime-scene investigation, bomb robots, and women on the force. Youngsters can play in a cruiser, try on a uniform, and be sworn in as an officer.

The Pioneer Living History Museum is a 90-acre site north of Phoenix that holds 20 historic buildings from the 19th century. Many of the buildings are authentic, including the Opera House, a schoolhouse, and several homes of early settlers such as John Tewksbury, who died in a feud called the Pleasant Valley War.

See antiques in a reproduced blacksmith shop, visit a carpentry shop and dress shop, or talk to one of the costumed volunteers who staff the facility. An exhibit hall displays firearms, tools, and locks and keys. The Pioneer Living History Museum is about a 40-minute drive from city centre Phoenix.