Top Museums in Phoenix, AZ
Museums in Phoenix
- Traveler favoritesThings to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
- Traveler rankingHighest rated attractions on Tripadvisor, based on traveler reviews.
Category types
Museums
Traveler rating
Neighborhoods
Good for
31 places sorted by traveler favorites
Speciality Museums • Art Museums
Encanto
Art Galleries • History Museums
Central City
•
Temporarily closed
Speciality Museums • History Museums
Central City
Military Museums
Camelback East
Speciality Museums • History Museums
Observatories & Planetariums
Central City
Speciality Museums
Speciality Museums • History Museums
Central City
Speciality Museums • Gear Rentals
Speciality Museums
Governmental Mall
Art Galleries
South Scottsdale
Speciality Museums
Central City
History Museums
Central City
Speciality & Gift Shops • Art Galleries
North Mountain
Showing results 1-30 of 31
What travelers are saying
- Susan CCottonwood, AZ12 contributionsWent with a group of about 10 ladies. We had a tour which was excellent! My first time there & I thoroughly enjoyed. Also had fun afterward in the area that allows you to play the instruments- you definitely want to go & try your skill.Written August 11, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Tom OPeoria, AZ135 contributionsMy mother, cousin and I visited the Heard yesterday as I'd been told it is a must see for native American enthusiasts, which my cousin is.
The bottom level has tribal histories, customs, has displays of clothing, weaving, pottery, baskets, dolls, jewelry making and more which were explained and brought to live by one of the tour guides. These are free and last roughly 40 minutes. It is worth your time to take one.
Also on the bottom level is an art gallery of painting and other artistic works from native American artists which are very beautiful.
Upstairs most of the displays are dedicated to the plight of the peoples due to Manifest Destiny and the European influence on all Indian nations. You can learn about tribal relocations, forced integration, family separations, punishments for non-compliance and all of that part of history.
This museum is worth your time in my opinion, can be seen in under 2 hours and is pretty affordable as four of us paid $72.Written July 30, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Victoria PCarefree, AZ1,524 contributionsWe went on a Culture Pass which includes free admission to their special event. The Museum is a great place to escape the AZ heat. While masks are not required, we felt it necessary to wear ours in certain areas. We started with the special exhibit called Desert Rider. The exhibit is geared toward the American Indian and their relationship with a vehicle. An automobile can provide escape from the reservation. It can also mean a rotting heap in the front yard. The car is significant in their lives and this exhibit studies that.
The Museum store is packed full of fun and lovely souvenirs, jewelry, books, home decor, games and more.
There are several levels to the museum. We took the elevator to the third floor to view the photography portraits. The elevators can be confusing. One bank only goes to the second floor while another elevator toward the rear of the building takes you to the third floor. There are also stairs if you wish to use those.
That particular day there was a video presentation and music.
In one of the upstairs room there was a display of 1960s fashion. It was fun to look back at some of the fashion from that era.
There was also art from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) which we enjoyed.
We thoroughly enjoyed this visit. Large shared parking lot and free WiFi. It was a little difficult to find parking as there was a theater show next door. There is also free street parking available.Written August 11, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - dachocochickGreensboro, North Carolina36 contributionsBrought my 3 kids - 1, 5, and 7. They all had a fabulous time and were not ready to leave when it was time to go. This is definitely a learn through play type of museum. The variety of activities was great and kept my kids engaged for several hours. My personal favorite was the Noodle Forest! My oldest loved the art room, my middle loved the grocery shopping area, and my youngest loved the toddler room!Written August 5, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- dachocochickGreensboro, North Carolina36 contributionsA wonderful addition to our trip! My 5 year old loves fire trucks. We spent about 2 hours here. They have two great interactive areas including a fire truck and turnout gear for dress up play in one area and a safety house and play space in another area. My kids could have stayed and played much longer than we allowed them. We enjoyed seeing all the fire trucks and playing in the play areas. Would definitely recommend if you have a kid who loves fire trucks! Even my child that doesn't love fire trucks had a good time playing. Well spent time and money.Written August 5, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- KkolearyScottsdale, AZ838 contributionsOverall it was interesting but there was not a lot to see. The ruins give a good image of the size of each strut but not really sure purpose.Written May 26, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Hillary RPhoenix, AZ3 contributionsMuseum is small but worth stopping by! Parking is an issue, though. Call first for hours and current info.Written July 28, 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- PAMELA B7 contributionsThe Science Center had many interesting and interactive displays and would be a great visit for families with children. The price was reasonable, but we felt it should have included the planetarium rather than it being an additional charge. It was a fun stop for a couple hours and could be longer for those with younger kids.Written July 22, 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Cowboydavy115Spokane, WA302 contributionsWe started visiting State Capitols and found out there's a stamp book for all State Capitols like the National Park Passport books. We hope to visit all 50 capitols, so while we were in the Phoenix area, we went to the State Capitol Museum. This is a very historical attraction and It's worth the trip since it's free. There are plenty of interesting exhibits along with a scale HO train display showing the history of the Phoenix area. What I wanted to see was the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. Here is an anchor and one of the guns from the real ship U.S.S. Arizonia that sits in Peral Harbor. There are several other memorials to Police, Firefighters. U.S. Forest Service, along with all the names of the sailors lost on the U.S.S. Arizonia. There are other memorial in this Memorial Park that are worth seeing. Visiting this whole complex is worth the tripWritten July 21, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Steven LLancaster, PA66 contributionsThis wasn't a bad history park. However, I went with my dad during the day in late May and it was very much dead. We were probably the only ones in the park. I was expecting to see some people in living history consumes but was a little disappointed when I did see anyone. It was essentially a self-guided tour. It was interesting to see the buildings, at least the ones that were open. Some buildings were closed and we very much had to peek through the windows to even get a glimpse. The proximity of some of the outer buildings was very far and it took a bit to get there. We brought portable water bottle and were looking for fill ups in the front office but there wasn't any. After we got to the farthest building we ran out of water and was quite thirsty. I can only assume what this place is like during its peak season.Written July 5, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- danniannieStockton-on-Tees, UK66 contributionsVisited the museum to stay out of the sun on our final day in Phoenix. Pleasantly surprised by a small but interesting museum. The staff were super friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. The exhibitions were interesting and we certainly came away with lots of knowledge. There are also a couple of photo opportunities including sitting in an old police car and on a motorcycle.Written May 13, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Ryan BOhio207 contributionsMuseum is free and only opened on weekends and in on an Arizona National Guard Base. Overall a very nice museum that covers military history of Arizona from the conquistadors to do day. Most displays are explained and items are marked well. They have a UH-1 "Huey" Gunship on display. Staff was nice and able to answer questions.Written February 23, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Gregory SLansing, MI15 contributionsThe telephone museum was quite complete. However more impressive was the entire pioneer village which one adMission gets you into also. Has some of the most complete historically accurate 1890s pioneer and farm equipment, homes, school church log cabins all completely furnishedWritten May 6, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Paradise304279Baltimore, MD1 contributionWe throughly enjoyed this store and gallery. There is much to see. What made it even more enjoyable was meeting some of the artists whose works we were admiring. It is definitely a must see.Written April 11, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Barbara CNew River, AZ48 contributionsCatch the current exhibit at the Jewish Heritage Center, located in the first synagogue in Phoenix, and admire the restoration of the building.Written March 5, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Phoenix
- These places are best for museums in Phoenix:
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Heard Museum
- Phoenix Art Museum
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
- These are the best places for kid-friendly museums in Phoenix:
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
- Heard Museum
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Wells Fargo Museum
- These are the best places for couples seeking museums in Phoenix:See more museums for couples in Phoenix on Tripadvisor
- These are the best places for groups seeking museums in Phoenix:
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
- Heard Museum
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Arizona Science Center
- These are the best places for budget-friendly museums in Phoenix:
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
- Heard Museum
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Wells Fargo Museum
- These are the best hidden gems for museums in Phoenix:See more hidden gem museums in Phoenix on Tripadvisor