Let’s be honest. I didn’t move to the Sonoran Desert for cultural opportunities. It’s the great outdoors, diverse landscapes, and dry air that drew me in. (Great Mexican food and Cubs Spring Training are a plus!) But the brutally hot summers in Arizona drive many of us indoors for several months, not unlike the Chicago winters I’m used to. As I’m about halfway through writing a guidebook to all things to do in Arizona, I’ve visited a LOT of museums around the state. As the capital of Arizona, and the largest city in the Southwest, Greater Phoenix has tons of great museums, and there is truly something for everyone. From art to science, architecture, and history, Phoenix museums could easily fill a week’s itinerary. These are my favorites, but I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments, too!

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Heard Museum

If you only visit one Phoenix museum, make it the Heard Museum. Anytime I sought out recommendations for places to include in my book, the Heard Museum was mentioned. When I asked a Navajo tour guide for recommendations, he suggested the Heard Museum as well. Try to time your visit with the daily free guided tour. That gives you a nice intro to the museum before setting off to explore on your own. The Heard Museum has one of the largest collections of Hopi Kachina dolls in the world, many of which were donated from Senator Barry Goldwater’s collection.

The upstairs Boarding School Exhibition moved me to tears. The exhibit takes visitors through the process of rounding up Native children and shipping them off to U.S. government-owned boarding schools*. Using images like the one above (a before and after of a young man sent to boarding school) and audio scripts, it’s very moving. Allow plenty of time to process the exhibits, before visiting the gift shop and cafe on site. (*this is also depicted quite graphically in the Yellowstone Series, 1923.)

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

If you love Wild West lore, you’ll love Scottsdale’s Western Spirit Museum. Thanks to its popular Old Town area, Scottsdale is supposedly “the West’s most Western town.” The Museum isn’t specific to Arizona but covers 19 states of the West, plus Mexico and Canada. The architecture alone is worth a visit. The building is LEED Gold certified and was crafted to match the surroundings. The exterior mirrors American Indian basket weaving and uses “micro-shading” to reduce the energy needed to cool the building.

Inside the museum, there are two floors of fascinating collections, both permanent and rotating. Visitors can see over six centuries of Hopi artwork, plus works by John Coleman, Thomas Moran (whose paintings were instrumental in creating Yellowstone National Park,) Charles Russell, and Frederic Remington. See an original peace pipe used by Meriweather Lewis in the 19th century. I especially loved the John Moyers painting below left, “Caught Between Two Worlds.”

Scottsdale also has great outdoor activities, like rafting the Salt River!

Musical Instrument Museum

You gotta trust me on this one. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it is amazing! I’ll admit, I was on a whirlwind tour of museums in Phoenix and left this one for the end of the day because it didn’t interest me. I love music, but instruments? Meh. Good lord, was I wrong! I could have easily spent more than half a day at the Musical Instrument Museum. With the super fun gift shop, and cafe on-site? Make it a full day! The building is organized geographically and was founded by the Target Chairman Emeritus, beginning with his collection of African instruments. I particularly enjoyed the more modern exhibits, which featured specific artists, such as Carlos Santana, Maroon Five, and Elvis, plus the regional displays like Mississippi River Blues. The best comparison I can make of this museum is the Seattle Experience Music Project.

Taliesin West

My mom is a big Frank Lloyd Wright fan, so I’ve tagged along to a few of his Midwest homes and enjoyed his architectural influence in Chicago as well. Taliesin West is more than just a home, it’s a school and studio where architecture students still train today. Set at the base of the McDowell Mountains, the buildings blend naturally into the surrounding landscapes. Guided tours are given daily, and even FLW fanatics will learn something new about the father of Prairie Style architecture. Taliesin West also has an interesting calendar of events, including black-tie formal dinners held once a month. Of course, the gift shop has many enticing items to peruse.

Phoenix is just one stop on this stunning Arizona road trip!

Pueblo Grande Museum

Sure, there are bigger and better ruins in Arizona, but where else can you walk through 1,500-year-old Hohokam ruins in the heart of a city of 1.6 million people? Pueblo Grande Museum, managed by Phoenix Parks and Recreation, sits in the shadow of Sky Harbor Airport. Start in the museum on-site and learn about the advanced irrigation techniques used by the Hohokam, some of which are still used today. Then stroll the grounds, and peer into one of the largest platform mounds in Arizona. Wear good walking shoes, and sunscreen as you’ll be outside for an hour or more.

Wells Fargo History Museum – closed as of September 2020

I stumbled on this little gem of a museum in downtown Phoenix and just had to include it on my list of favorite museums in Phoenix. It’s free, and it’s small, so you’ve got nothing to lose. Wells Fargo has 12 of these history museums across the country. It makes sense, given their role in the Wild West and the California Gold Rush. There’s an original stagecoach, a telegraph machine, and Western art. It’s a fun place to pop in for a quick history lesson. If you’re lucky like I was, maybe they’ll be handing out free horchata, too!

Other Great Museums in Phoenix

Of course, this is just a small sampling of the museums in Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs. From contemporary art to performing arts, Phoenix has a ton of cultural offerings in addition to endless outdoor opportunities.

Other Phoenix-area museums worth checking out include:

• Arizona Capitol Museum
• Arizona Science Center – super cool for kids!
• The Mesa Arts Center
• Phoenix Art Museum (enjoy “pay what you wish” admission on Wednesday evenings)
• Though technically not a museum, the Desert Botanical Garden is pretty awesome!

Prescott Arizona has some interesting museums too!

What are your favorite museums in Phoenix?