phoenix

[A.S.K.]

my husband and i are going to phoenix to visit his mother. we will be bringing our 2 children with us (4 years, and 3 months). any suggestions for fun family things to do that won't break the bank? also our 10 year anniversary will fall during these 2 weeks. my mother in law has offered to watch the kids so we could get away for a couple days, and any ideas on fun things for us to do there would be appreciated as well!
thanks
amy

[Marney]

The phoenix zoo is always fun, there's also the Phoenix Children's Museum and the AZ science center as well as some great water parks, Big Surf and Sunsplash. As far as a night out sans kiddos there's some great restaurants I can recommend if you let me know what type of cuisine you're into and if they're going to watch them a couple nights I would highly recommend going about an hour and a half north to Sedona for a night or two, it is one of the most romantic places in the state. I can give more specific recommendations if you let me know what you're into.

[jrvaldez85]

A good place to take three kids is the phoenix children's museum, or even a d backs game. There's a great park called rio vista that has a baseball field, playgrounds (got both older and younger kids), a huge bbq area, a small water park during the summer, and I believe they have fishing as well. There if also a drive in that we often go to. You can take your own food and see three movies in a night.

Having a four year old and a three month old myself, and both of us working full time we don't get much time to ourselves, let alone time to go out. Though when we go on vacation we leave the kids with the in laws and we'll drive to flagstaff just to get away. We usually go to the observatory and ask the hotel workers what they recommend to do. Hope I was able to help.

[The_Swedish_Chef]

A.S.K. wrote:
my husband and i are going to phoenix to visit his mother. we will be bringing our 2 children with us (4 years, and 3 months). any suggestions for fun family things to do that won't break the bank? also our 10 year anniversary will fall during these 2 weeks. my mother in law has offered to watch the kids so we could get away for a couple days, and any ideas on fun things for us to do there would be appreciated as well!
thanks
amy

Hi A.S.K.--are you driving or flying? And how long is your trip, if you're driving. I have no Phoenix help for you but perhaps some fun things for the 4 year old to do with you. A 3 month old? They just want to eat, sleep and poop! LOL

[SteveInAZ]

Where in the Valley will you be staying? The Metro area is quite large, a weekday drive from Surprise to Apache Junction could take 2 hours. If you have a general vicinity or cross streets, I could make some suggestions on where to go. A lot of the suggestions so far are centrally located, i.e. the zoo, museum. Some, like Big Surf and Rio Vista, are not and could require significant travel.

[agileangus]

Our zoo is great and cheap. We also have a great science museum downtown. My son was a huge fireman fan as a little guy . . . the Hall of Flame is a fun museum of firetrucks. The Arizona Puppet Theater is great for little ones if they are performing while you're here. McCormick Railroad Park is fun for little kids . . . they can ride the train around the park, and I don't think it's too pricey. As far as an adult getaway, Sedona is amazing if you can spend a few days there. Great shopping, hiking, restaurants, jeep tours and scenery. To the south, you could do Tucson or Tubac. Have fun!

[A.S.K.]

ok well we pretty much like all types of food, but if we go out it usually is to either mexican or chinese, and nothing beats a really good pizza and wings, but we are up for anything. my mother in law said she would be happy to keep my boys for 2-3 days, i'm trying to get used to the idea. i've never been away from my babies overnight. oh and we will be there mid oct.

[A.S.K.]

i'm not really familiar with the area at all but my mother in law lives near buckeye...

[Molly53]

Quote:
my husband and i are going to phoenix to visit his mother. we will be bringing our 2 children with us (4 years, and 3 months). any suggestions for fun family things to do that won't break the bank? also our 10 year anniversary will fall during these 2 weeks. my mother in law has offered to watch the kids so we could get away for a couple days, and any ideas on fun things for us to do there would be appreciated as well!
thanks
amy

You could attend an Arizona Cardinals game: SCHEDULE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Phoenix Coyotes Hockey: TICKETS AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

Arizona State Fair: AZ STATE FAIR INFORMATION

El Pedregal Wine and Cheese Fest (free admission) in Scottsdale: EL PEDREGAL INFORMATION

Old World Phoenix Oktoberfest
In early to mid-October, downtown Phoenix hosts an authentic Bavarian Oktoberfest, produced by the Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures, with live Bavarian music, dancing, beer maidens and traditional Bavarian food. Call [phone] for more information

An amusement park that caters to children from ages 1 to 10: ENCHANTED ISLAND has $5 FOR ADULTS IN WATERPARK FRIDAY NIGHTS or FREE PARKING & FREE ADMISSION

A free, behind-the-scenes tour at: STUFFINGTON BEAR FACTORY

ARIZONA MUSEUM FOR YOUTH in Mesa.

See zebras, giraffes and ostriches on the 45-minute African Bush Safari tour and watch Bengal and Siberian tigers play in an oversize pool. Print out a half-price admission coupon online, order discounted tickets online or mention the half-price deal when buying tickets at the park. Regular prices are $36, $34 for age 65 and older, $20 for ages 3-12 and $22 for active and retired military with ID. Through Oct. 16: OUT OF AFRICA INFORMATION.

From the first week in October through Halloween, Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix transforms into a spooky festival featuring a scare zone, an array of mazes, a pre-scare all-you-can-eat feast, exclusive stage show and entry into the Festival of Fear ahead of the general public. READ ABOUT IT HERE Call [phone] for more information.

See Valley attractions for free with the Culture Pass. Use your library card to get a Culture Pass, which allows free admission for two to 12 venues, including Arizona Science Center, Children's Museum of Phoenix, Phoenix Art Museum and Desert Botanical Garden: PHOENIX SHOW UP

VARIOUS TRAIN RIDES FOR CHILDREN, free rides on the Adobe Western Railroad on Sundays.

Currently, 10 wineries are clustered in the Sonoita-Elgin area, where conditions mimic some of the most famous wine-growing regions in the world. Print a map and get more details at www.arizonawine.org.

PHOENIX EVENTS CALENDAR

[Bill Butler]

I agree the Phoenix Children's Museum is very nice and even adults will enjoy it. It is a hand's on multi-level "Activity Center" rather than a Museum. It should occupy several hours time. Also the Zoo is nice. Adults will like the Botanical Gardens but not as much for children. A good option out near Buckeye is the Wildlife World Zoo http://www.wildlifeworld.com/. It is a tad pricy but the kids will enjoy it. They even have a restaurant on site that is pretty good. Personally I do not recommend the fair with young kids. It is very crowded and there are so many better options.

Buckeye is about 45 min to an hour West of the city. It is not known for good restaurants or activities but it is an easy drive in if you avoid rush hour. Utilize the HOV lanes with more than one person. You can spend a good portion of a day at the Children's Museum and grab lunch in the area. You can use Yelp.com to find a restaurant to your tastes. Personally if you have a couple days without the kids I would head up to Sedona & Jerome and you could even make it up to the Grand Canyon if that interests you and I would spend the night in Sedona. The hotels in the Grand Canyon are more expensive and Sedona is a beautiful place.

Some good restaurants for adults are The Tuck Shop, Beckett's Table and the Rokerij. All of them are in Central Phoenix and are world class restaurants. Rokerij is more Southwestern and has a nice bar with a fireplace downstairs. Reservations are essential for it and Beckett's Table.

Enjoy and let us know if you have any questions.

[A.S.K.]

well we are in phoenix now, and have taken a family trip to out of africa, which was very cool for my son and his cousins. we are planning on going to the fair on friday and the children's museum on monday. my husband and i are currently on our little get a way in scottsdale. we went to play pool last night and he wants to play mini golf at coasters and castles tonight. that was one of his favorite spots when he was a teenager here. thank you all for your suggestions!
amy