Adventure Awaits: Arizona’s Top 10 Kids’ Activities

Are you on the hunt for exciting and enriching kids’ activities in Arizona to keep your little ones engaged and entertained? Look no further! Our dedicated Arizona aggregator website has carefully curated a list of the top ten kids’ activities across the state. Whether you’re a parent seeking fun educational experiences or planning a family day out, our thoughtfully selected activities promise to create cherished memories. Say goodbye to endless Google searches for “Kids’ Activities Near Me” and let us guide you to the best kids’ activities that Arizona has to offer.

• Arizona Science Center

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: The Arizona Science Center offers a world of interactive learning for kids of all ages. With hands-on science exhibits, planetarium shows, and engaging workshops, it’s a place where curiosity and creativity thrive.

Customer Reviews

Not all science centers are the same! This one is incredible with how many exhibits and hands-on activities it has. There are 3 parking garages around the science center. Families with small children will have so much fun, but so will tweens and teens! This is a 4 level science center with an option of using an elevator or stairs. Each level has a restroom and water station. There is a live demonstration on Level 2, which was super informative! Adult ticket prices are $15 after 1 pm for a limited time (the website didn’t specify when this would expire so call ahead). Highly recommended!

Brandi S.

57 reviews · 311 photos

2 months ago

Wonderful place. The exhibits are fun and entertaining. Spent about 3 hours here and it was great! The Expedition: Solar System Planetarium thing was fun! It can get cold in there tho. There’s a fun bubble exhibit thing (outdoor) and it looked fun (we didn’t go) coz the kids (other Ppl’s) looked like they were having a blast. A lot of interactive exhibits and even a love show/experiment/showcase. Definitely entertaining for both kids and adults. The bike thing was closed so we didn’t get to try.

KChin

Local Guide · 316 reviews · 438 photos

6 months ago

This review hurts to write because I want the science center to be enjoyed by others and receive more funding however I cannot recommend paying to visit currently. The exhibits were not well maintained, the amount of stuff to do was very lacking and it just was not an entertaining time sadly. I would love to see more funding to make this place awesome and fun to visit but it is very far from that currently. I would look at the childrens museum for younger kids and for older kids maybe the Legoland discovery center.

• Phoenix Zoo

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: At the Phoenix Zoo, kids can explore the wonders of the animal kingdom. With a wide variety of animals, interactive exhibits, and even opportunities for up-close animal encounters, it’s a perfect blend of education and outdoor excitement.

Customer Reviews

Great zoo in terms of animals! We came on thanksgiving day and it was a beautiful day and not too crowded. Weather was nice and cool and it felt like being in an air conditioned zoo! I would easily give this 5 stars if they charged a little bit less. I go to a lot of zoos and this was one of the more expensive zoos I’ve been to, it was around $107 for me and my wife and my 4 year old daughter. On top of this, if you want to do a bus shuttle thing, it’s an extra $6 a person to do it. There were these cool scooter things, and those were $5 plus around $0.35/minute. We also felt weird seeing camel rides at a zoo. Again that costs more money, but seems weird to subject camels to being ridden at a zoo for money. Staff were nice and facilities were nice! Just seems like they could improve a few things.

Paul M

Local Guide · 63 reviews · 339 photos

3 weeks ago

To say I love this zoo would be an understatement! I enjoy this zoo more than the San Diego Zoo. The size is just perfect, and without a lot of steep hills. There is a lot of shade at the zoo, which is super important in Phoenix ?. Everything is immaculate, and the zoo employees have always been very courteous. The zoo has splash pads for the kids, a really nice merry-go-round and a tram. The animal exhibits are organized with a lot of fun information for kids. There are a lot of bathrooms ?, which is always helpful. Another bonus: you can take in a cooler and eat a picnic lunch by the water. We purchased a Family Zoo Membership, which is a great deal if you live nearby. Be sure to check out the Monkey Village if you go. It’s very unique. Parking is free, and the walk to the gate is reasonable. The zoo rents scooters and strollers. Another huge benefit to membership: Members get in one hour early. The zoo has the usual animal exhibits that would be typical at most zoos. I am so grateful to have this zoo available to visit as a local.

The Popescus

Local Guide · 723 reviews · 3,499 photos

a month ago

Fantastic zoo! We especially enjoyed all the cool reptiles, desert animals, camel riding ($6 or $8?) and the petting zoo with lots of cute goats. This zoo is very large and spread out, so be ready to walk a lot! Next time I want to rent the motorized animals you can ride around the park (charged by the minute)!

• Children’s Museum of Phoenix

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is a haven for young artists and creators. It offers a wide range of art and craft activities, encouraging kids to unleash their imaginations and express themselves.

We took my niece here while she was visiting. It wasn’t super crowded and all the kids that went, ages 3, 10, and 13 had fun. I’d say the 13 year old was on the upper age of being able to enjoy it, but she still had fun. Clean bathrooms and a place to grab a snack.

Jeanne Bentley

Local Guide · 104 reviews · 72 photos

a week ago

Beautiful children’s museum with several floors of interesting things for kids to do. There’s a huge climbing structure in the middle, tricycle riding through a “car wash”, rooms to play with art, interesting activities like racing cars or sending balls down a track, a sand pit outside, a tube structure room to climb and have fun, and that’s just some of it! Our daughter was exhausted after a few hours but still didn’t want to leave. Great place! Bathrooms were clean, parking was free, and staff were friendly and helpful.

Paul M

Local Guide · 69 reviews · 364 photos

a month ago

One of the best museums in Arizona for kids ages 1-8 years old. The most cognitive, sensory and hand eye coordination stimulation your child will ever get from most attractions. The staff is incredible and passionate about their jobs and very delighted to be there. Met a woman there who told me she has worked at this museum since it opened. And that she loves it everyday. I’ve only been here 4 times but every time i come here it is an Incredible experience. I definitely recommend anyone with multiple kids to come here because it is such a safe environment. Has baby friendly areas in each room! Love this place planning on getting a membership !!! Honestly, Ive seen that any ages are welcomed to play as long as everyone is respectful towards the rules!

Dannia Garcia (danni_1333)

Local Guide · 19 reviews · 8 photos

2 months ago

• Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park

  • Location: Litchfield Park, Arizona
  • Description: The Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park is an animal lover’s paradise. Kids can get up close and personal with a variety of animals, learn about conservation, and even participate in interactive feeding sessions.

Highly recommend you purchase your tickets on Groupon! Bought my tickets for $35.99 each adult. They charge $48 at the door, so we saved big with 4 adults! We spent about 6 hours at the park today and had a blast! My mother in law and sister in law have never been to a zoo so this was their first time. They loved it! To start, we went through the amazing bird section they have, oh and monkeys. Jumped on the zip line ride for $10 a person and it’s a two person ride. We went to the Free Sea Lion presentation which was pretty cool to see the relationship the sea lions have with the trainer here. We then jumped on the Sky Ride which was $6 per person and was about a 20 minute ride. Very MUCH WORTH IT!! We went over a bunch of different animals including Giraffes, Kangaroos, Camels, Ducks, Turtles, and Warthogs to name a few. We fed snacks to the Giraffes!! So much to do here and such a great way to spend a day with your loved ones.

Angel Renteria

Local Guide · 38 reviews · 12 photos

a day ago

Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium is not only one of the best experiences you can have in Phoenix, but I would venture to say one of the best zoos in Southwest U.S. (better than the PHX zoo). This place exceeds so many expectations and it is absolutely massive – you can easily spend a full day here and still not see everything. There are so many intimate up close encounters you can have with animals here from all over the world, whether it’s feeding giraffes or standing a foot away from performing sea lions. They do an incredible job with the layout here and the exhibits. So much of the park is in cool shade for the hotter days. Whenever your feet start getting sore you can enjoy the comfort of viewing the wildlife from the chairlift of the African safari tram. They also do a nice job providing a variety of food options, especially with the Dillon’s BBQ near the entrance. How can you beat eating delicious bbq listening to live music while watching beautiful flamingos nearby? I sincerely hope, as others have mentioned here, that they can add elephants into this park in the near future, as that is really the only thing missing from this otherwise perfect zoo/aquarium!

Nicholas McLaughlin

Local Guide · 643 reviews · 3,081 photos

a day ago

AMAZING ZOO!!! went on a school field trip, was very amazing…. Atleast need 4+hours to visit.. still couldn’t see it all.. also have restaurants in it. The cool part is that we can tour the zoo in carts! Also have a couple roller coasters and some rides.

DARSH SHARMA

Local Guide · 27 reviews · 14 photos

a week ago

• Enchanted Island Amusement Park

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: Enchanted Island Amusement Park is an outdoor adventure destination with activities like zip-lining, paddle boating, and miniature golf. It’s the perfect place for active kids and families to enjoy a day of fun.

Very cute park for kids and kids’ birthday parties. I loved the train ride around the park. It is not that big, buy worth the trip. There is no entrance fee. Just buy the tickets you want for rides. Love this! My grand baby of 18 mos enjoyed and so did we!

Maria Trejo

Local Guide · 98 reviews · 142 photos

2 weeks ago

I’m between 4 and 5 stars on this but decided on 5 just because my 4 year old daughter loved it and it was such a perfect day (Black Friday). Weather was nice and it wasn’t very busy. I think we could have easily done an all day pass for my daughter and I could have got a couple of single rides and it would have been fine, but we ended up getting two all day passes. My daughter definitely got a ton of rides in, for her there’s no better thing than being able to ride again and again. Her favorite was the dragon rollercoaster thing, she probably rode it 7 times!

Paul M

Local Guide · 69 reviews · 364 photos

a month ago

It’s such a fun outing for “the littles”. Most of the rides are geared toward the smaller kids…and lots of fun for the adults to watch and to give their kids a fun time without breaking the bank. An all-day pass bracelet costs right around $25 but since admission to the park is free, and the rides don’t require adults to ride alongside their kids (there are a few that do for the smallest kids, or that can be enhanced by adult help, so you can buy more limited passes for adults if you want to), it makes it a really affordable way to spend the day with a kiddo or two. So happy we discovered this place before our grandchildren are too big to enjoy it!

Crystal Rector

Local Guide · 50 reviews · 1,152 photos

a month ago

• Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) offers a unique experience for kids to explore music from around the world. Interactive exhibits, musical instruments to play, and live performances make learning about music a joy.

This was our favorite attraction on our trip to Scottsdale! It’s only a half hour away in Phoenix and a must see for a music lover! They have an extensive collection of instruments from all over the world and from famous music composers and musicians. It’s a guided audio tour so you can listen to the music and sounds of the instruments and various cultures while you watch the monitors. It was such a fun learning experience. They have some instruments downstairs for you to try to play and helpful guides throughout. We were there for 3 hours and felt like we could have stayed longer to finish it all. One guide told us the whole tour is 6 hours. Well worth the price! There’s also regular concerts held in their music hall. We weren’t able to see one the week we were in town but next time we come I’d check their schedule for that experience. They also have exhibits that change like the acoustics feature now. We had such a great time here we would definitely come back again

Allison Johnson

Local Guide · 120 reviews · 76 photos

4 days ago

Absolutely HUGE and FABULOUS museum. We brought family in from our of town and loved all the music world views. My favorite displays featured modern bands and rock music. Also – the gardens are surprisingly beautiful. Worth the entry price and more. 5 stars!!!

Shawna “Garden Foodie 8”

Local Guide · 288 reviews · 709 photos

4 days ago

So much fun, the exhibits were amazing and you will never be able to see everything. I had a blast, the headset system was really cool. My favorite parts were most of the American exhibits, Africa, Middle East, and playing the big Gong in the experience room. Best museum ever.

Kelsey Pousson

Local Guide · 28 reviews · 149 photos

a day ag

• Big Surf Waterpark

  • Location: Tempe, Arizona
  • Description: Get ready for a day of excitement at Big Surf Waterpark. With water slides, wave pools, and lazy rivers, it’s a fantastic water park where kids can splash, slide, and make a splash.

Located on the boundary of South Scottsdale and Tempe, this water park is for all youth ages. Has a huge wave pool as well as smaller water pads and rides for younger kids. There is enough shade and lounge chairs if you get there at a reasonable time in the morning. Food selections are typical of this type of venue. They are sticklers for drinks from outside the park and will inspect your bag upon entry. You can bring a large cooler and leave it in your car and then exit and have a little lunch picnic for a much cheaper option. You may reenter the park with no problem. Highly recommend.

Ron Webb

Local Guide · 137 reviews · 654 photos

5 years ago

Haven’t been here in 10 + years and it still looks good. They have slides for kids and adults. Great prices for tickets. Large parking lot. Clean bathrooms. Just needs some up keep on some of the slides. If your looking for more variety on slides i would go to sunsplash cost more but worth it.

Amanda Richardson

Local Guide · 179 reviews · 452 photos

5 years ago

Big surf is really a fun place to enjoy the day! The waves are AWESOME and the slides are pretty good, but the one thing Big Surf needs is some repairs being done. Some of the slides are closed because they are dangerous. This should be fixed. Other than that the park is super fun and I would recommend to all ages. Although the water could use some replacing.

Shawna Rasmussen

Local Guide · 37 reviews · 299 photos

4 years ago

• Golfland Sunsplash

  • Location: Mesa, Arizona
  • Description: Golfland Sunsplash offers a variety of fun activities for kids, including mini-golf, go-karts, and water slides. It’s a sports and entertainment hub for families.

We did the mini golf on our visit and played the most challenging of the 3 different courses. ? The layout and conditions were awesome, classic California style holes, and true rolling greens. Was not crowded even midday Saturday… the flow was never interrupted. Can’t wait to play the other two! ????

Michael Calcinari

Local Guide · 423 reviews · 773 photos

a week ago

This is such an amazing and family friendly place. As two adults, we had the most fun ever. We easily spent 4 hours at the water part and 2 hours with mini golf. With the night time tickets we didn’t even have time to do all the things that came with the package deal! Going during a weekday is definitely less busy. For the water park the ground is unbelievably hot in summer so definitely bring water shoes or something. For the amount of time we spent at the park, we thought the tickets were extremely reasonable. Even more so, if you buy the tickets online at least a day in advance, they are much cheaper. We thought this was better than a 6 flags resort!

Laura Horowitz

Local Guide · 79 reviews · 130 photos

4 months ago

Overall it’s a good time. The rides are pretty fun and the place was clean. The only real negative I have is that it is pretty dated and you can definitely see it’s age. You can save a bit of money buying your tickets in the app before you go just as a heads up. They also don’t have small lockers so a medium is the cheapest you can get at $12.

Derek

Local Guide · 438 reviews · 1,859 photos

5 months ago

• Arizona Museum of Natural History

  • Location: Mesa, Arizona
  • Description: The Arizona Museum of Natural History provides a glimpse into the world of history and culture. Kids can explore dinosaur exhibits, interactive displays, and learn about the rich heritage of Arizona.

A wonderful museum. We went in on a Saturday and was fortunate because it was open house( normally $13.50 + tax ) and it was free to go in. On top of that they were giving away a free bike helmet cover in the shape of prehistoric animals. We scored one for our granddaughter. Fun for the whole family!

Robert n Michelle (Luna Express Travels)

Local Guide · 106 reviews · 543 photos

2 months ago

I went with my two boys, aged 5 and 6 years old, for the second time. They had a blast! There were plenty of different things to see. The “museum” part might be a bit more boring for kids their age, but the highlight for both of them was seeing dinosaurs and looking for gold. I do wish they had a cafeteria or someplace for snacks.

 

Estevao Avillez

Local Guide · 50 reviews · 157 photos

2 months ago

From the outside of the building one would think it’s a small museum. Wait until you go inside! It’s 3 levels. There is a wheelchair accessible ramp and doorway. The building does have stairs AND an elevator for families with strollers or those needing assistance to the upper/lower levels. Restrooms are on each level as well. There are several rooms per level so allow yourself at least an hour or two. There are a few hands-on activities for kids to explore and “games” along the way for little ones to enjoy as their parents look at and read the exhibits. A must if you are in the Mesa area!

Brandi S.

57 reviews · 311 photos

a month ago

• Desert Botanical Garden

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Description: The Desert Botanical Garden offers an opportunity for kids to connect with nature. With walking trails, desert wildlife encounters, and educational programs, it’s a nature lover’s paradise for young explorers.

Beautiful gardens that I’m sure are magnificent during spring and the peak blooming season! You could easily spend a half-day or full day exploring these unique desert habitats and environments. Many plants are labelled and there are some information boards throughout the gardens, but I think that it would be helpful to have a lot more. For this reason, I think most people would probably enjoy and benefit from a tour, which happen at 9/10/11 am respectively. I was disappointed not to receive any info about the tours when we checked in; we were just handed a map and told to enjoy. Granted, we did go on a FREE day (second Tuesday of every month) and it was very busy. It was actually uncomfortably busy for us arriving at midday, and we were tripping on people for the first hour or two. Nearly all the grounds are stroller-, wheelchair- and mobility scooter-friendly since the garden paths are all paved or dirt-packed. I don’t know if I would pay full price to come here, at just shy of $65 USD for 2 adults and a child. I wish there was an affordable option for kids under 5. It always seems like a cash grab when young children are charged at high rates for activities that are largely aimed at adults. All that said, I’m so glad there is a free community day available. I’d recommend arriving either in the early morning or late afternoon if you want a quiet, slower pace for your garden explorations.

Ashleigh Grange

Local Guide · 42 reviews · 147 photos

a month ago

Wide variety of desert plants. A must visit if you’re in Phoenix and curious about the local plant life. They also have a wonderful selection of global desert plants. Very tranquil to go by yourself or with friends. I saw a wide variety of native birds there too that you won’t see downtown.

Sarah Kruse

19 reviews · 29 photos

a week ago

The Desert Botanical Gardens are lovely. There’s a ton of walking to do and a lot of stunning beauty to see. There are sights and smells and amazing art installations. The gift shop has a wide selection and something for everyone. There are several water filling stations around the property so bring a water bottle and stay hydrated!

Brandy Nelson

Local Guide · 213 reviews · 498 photos

3 weeks ago

These kids’ activities in Arizona offer a wide range of experiences, from educational and artistic to outdoor adventures and wildlife encounters. Whether you’re looking for a day of learning or active play, Arizona has plenty to offer for families with children.