Museums And Attractions

By Local East Valley Realtor Cody Sperber

The Heard Museum is known for its Native American culture and art exhibits and the Phoenix Art Museum's permanent collection contains over 13,000 art works. Pueblo Grande Museum, the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, the Rosson House, the Arizona Science Center and the Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum also house interesting exhibits. And, there's more! Discover the desert at the Desert Botanical Garden, visit the Phoenix Zoo, explore the environment at Biosphere 2 or tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West - all these plus many more attractions will provide hours of fun. Before visiting the museums and attractions listed, call ahead for hours and admission fees.

MUSEUMS

The Heard Museum's exhibits focus on Southwest Native American cultures and art. An extensive collection of artifacts including baskets, pottery, jewelry, kachina dolls and textiles are presented along with authentic house types a Navajo hogan, an Apache wickiup and a Hopi corn-grinding room - built by Native Americans. Traditional and contemporary Native American fine arts, including paintings and sculpture, are also on exhibit. Hands-on art activities in the "Old Ways, New Ways" exhibit honors the 21 American Indian tribes in Arizona. 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 602/252-8848 (information tape) or (administration).

The Arizona Science Center has 350 "hands-on" exhibits for all ages. Build giant bubbles, measure the speed of your fastball, create weather phenomena, touch a snake and much more. Explore energy, physics and the human body and take part in live science demonstrations.

"Computer Works" allows you to dissect the components of a computer at hands-on exhibits. Also featured are planetarium shows and films at the bigscreen Iwerks theater. 600 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602/716-2000.

The Hall of Flame Museum houses the world's largest exhibit of firefighting equipment - over 100 fully-restored engines and vehicles dating from about 1725 to 1950. Examine hand-drawn and horsedrawn pumpers, hose wagons and hook and ladder wagons, and climb aboard a 1916 American La France pumper. Also, hundreds of helmets, badges, firemarks and other accessories plus a large collection of lithographs, photographs and drawings are on display. 6101 E. Van Buren, Phoenix, 602/275-3473.

Restored to its 1912 appearance, the Arizona State Capitol Museum includes the legislative chambers, courts and the governor's office from the time when Arizona was a territory. Artifacts and documents of early Arizona and political memorabilia are on display. 1700 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602/542-4675.

Carnegie Center honors people who have contributed to the state's heritage and displays rotating ex-hibits on the state's history. 1101 W. Wash-ington Street, Phoenix, 602/258-4197.

The Phoenix Museum of History focuses on the Phoenix area from the Ter-ritorial era of the 1860s to the "Romantic" movement of the 1920s. The exhibits in-clude many interactives designed to give the visitor a sense of real history. A printing press, mining locomotive and changing exhibits complete the museum experience. 105 5th Street, Phoenix, 602/253-2734.

Large displays of ores and minerals from Arizona and other states are supplemented by exhibits on all phases of earth sciences at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum. 1502 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602/255-3795.

Encompassing over 100 acres, the Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park was once a village of the Hohokam people. For reasons unknown, the Hohokam deserted the villages in the region, but their culture is kept alive through the excavations of archaeologists at Pueblo Grande. The museum's permanent displays feature artifacts dating from 500 AD and descriptions of the Hohokam occupation of the site. Changing exhibits focus on archaeological topics and contemporary native people of the Southwest. A variety of workshops is also offered. 4619 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602/495-0901.

The Champlin Fighter Museum is devoted solely to fighter aircraft and the pilots who flew them. The evolution of fighter aircraft is depicted here - from World War I through Vietnam. Also displayed are one of the largest automatic weapons collections in the country and over 700 photographs of fighter aces plus personal articles and mementos. Videos documenting the evolution of the fighter plane plus actual combat footage are shown in the museum's theater. 4800 Falcon Dr., Mesa, 480/830-4540.

Southwestern Native American culture and the dinosaurs of the Southwest are highlighted at the Mesa Southwest Museum. Artifacts, ever-changing art exhibits, stage coaches and covered wagons are on view. Many "please touch" exhibitsincluding panning for gold - delight the younger visitors. Dwellings to explore include a full-size reconstruction of Mesa's first adobe schoolhouse and an 1890s territorial jail. 53 N. MacDonald Street, Mesa, 480/644-2230.

Heritage Square consists of eight restored structures from the late 1800s. These buildings were part of the original Phoenix town site. The centerpiece is the Rosson House at 6th and Monroe streets, an elegant mansion built for Dr. Roland Lee Rosson, mayor of Phoenix in 18951896. Tours of all the buildings are available, 602/262-5071. Also at Heritage Square in the Stephens House is the Arizona Doll and Toy Museum, featuring changing exhibits of antique dolls, doll-sized furniture and carriages, toys, plus a 1912 schoolroom filled with dolls as students. 602 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, 602/253-9337.

The Museo Chicano, a museum of authentic Chicano art, is located at the Phoenix Mercado. Museo Chicano exhibits, such as one celebrating the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Spaniards in America, are on a rotating basis.147 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, 602/257-5536.

The San Tan Historical Society Museum, located in Queen Creek is dedicated to preserving the town's historical records. Housed in the nearly 60 year old Rittenhouse School building (20740 S. Ellsworth Road), the museum is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open by appointment only. For more Information, call 480/888-0531

Other museums in the Metropolitan Phoenix area include:

Salt River Project Museum 1521 N. Project Drive Tempe 602/236-3333 Has exhibits and video presentations on prehistoric Native Americans and the history of Arizona's water and electrical power.
Hoo-Hoogam Ki Museum 10005 E. Osborn Road Scottsdale (on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation) 480/850-8190 Features displays of baskets, artifacts, pottery and historical photographs.
Scottsdale Historical Museum 7333 E. Scottsdale Mall 480/945-4499 Displays, photographs and artifacts depict early Scottsdale life.
Cave Creek Museum Corner of Skyline & Basin 480/488-2764 Features Native American and pioneer artifacts.
Chandler Historical Museum 178 E. Commonwealth Avenue 480/782-2717 Shows Chandler's pioneer and Indian artifacts.
Gilbert Historical Museum 10 S. Gilbert Road 480/926-1577 Displays historic artifacts from Gilbert.
Tempe Historical Museum 809 E. Southern Avenue 480/350-5100 Displays include a permanent exhibit plus changing displays on the history of Tempe.
Mesa Historical Museum 2345 N. Horne 480/835-7358 Housed in an early 1900s schoolhouse, it has a 4,000-piece collection depicting Mesa's pioneer history.

ART MUSEUMS / GALLERIES

The Phoenix Art Museum is one of the largest visual arts museums in the Southwest. The museum features a collection of over 13,000 art works with areas of emphasis including European art of the 14th-19th Centuries; American, Western American, 20th Century, Latin American and Asian art; and 18th-20th Century Fashion Design. Important works in the collection include Monet's Flowering Arches, Giverny, Frida Kahlo's Suicide of Dorothy Hale; and works by Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe and Diego Rivera. Each year more than 20 special exhibitions are presented. Visitor amenities include a restaurant, art research library, interactive gallery for children, lecture hall, great hall for large events and a museum store. Art classes, tours and a monthly concert series are offered. 1625 N. Central Avenue, 602/257-1880.

Scottsdale, known nationally as an art center, has over 110 art galleries and about half of them participate in the Thursday night (7 pm to 9 pm) ArtWalk. Many galleries serve refreshments and maps are available. For information on which Thursdays of which months, call the Scottsdale Gallery Association, 480/425-5340.

The Scottsdale Center for the Arts emphasizes contemporary art and has a variety of changing exhibits. 7380 2nd Street, 480/425-5340.

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art features five indoor galleries and an outdoor sculpture garden. The museum is located adjacent to the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. 7380 E. 2nd Street, 480/425-5340.

The Fleischer Museum features an extensive private collection of American Impressionism, California School- 1890 to 1940. Sculptures are also displayed. Their expanded collection includes Russian/ Soviet Impressionism from the cold-war era. 17207 N. Perimeter Drive, Scottsdale, 480/585-3108.

Arizona State University has more than 20 museums and galleries and 20 pieces of public art on its Main and West Campuses. General information: 480/965- 6447.

Offering art and hands-on activities for children, the Arizona Museum for Youth features three exhibits a year and workshops teach a variety of classes. 35 N. Robson Street, Mesa, 480/644-2467.

Other art museums in the area include:

Mesa Contemporary Arts 155 N. Center St. 480/644-2242
Shemer Art Center and Museum 5005 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix 602/262-4727 .
West Valley Art Museum 17420 N. Avenue of the Parts Surprise 623/972-0635

BOTANICAL GARDEN

Discover more than 20,000 plants from the world's deserts at the outdoor Desert Botanical Garden covering more than 150 acres in Papago Park. A three-acre permanent exhibit concentrates on the Sonoran Desert with a saguaro forest, a mesquite thicket, a desert oasis and an upland chaparral habitat with historic and prehistoric structures. A self-guide book is available and guided tours are scheduled. 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 480/941-1225.

ATTRACTIONS

Located in Papago Park, the Phoenix Zoo is the largest nonprofit, privately funded zoo in the country. There are more than 1,300 animals, reptiles and birds in naturalistic settings. Tropical Flights, a tranquil rain forest environment, features six uniquely designed aviaries plus Monkey Island. The landscaping includes fifty species of plants. Other areas of the zoo to explore include an African Savanna, an exhibit of rare Sumatran tigers, the Baboon Kingdom, an Arizona Trail, and a Children's Zoo. Safari Train tours are available. 455 N. Galvin Parkway, 602/273 -1341.

Litchfield Park is home to the Wildlife World Zoo, a

45-acre park with more than 320 rare and exotic species of animals. Special features are a net-enclosed 2,500square-foot aviary; Water of the World featuring 400 fish (including sharks) and amphibians; Tropics of the World exhibiting reptiles from the tropics; and a Small World mammal exhibit. 16523 W. Northern, 623/935-9453.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park is a preserve featuring big wild cats - lions, Bengal and Siberian tigers, spotted and black leopards and others - in a natural habitat. There also are reptile exhibits. 9736 N. Fort McDowell Road, Fort McDowell, 480/837-7779.

For a look at an 1880s Old West town, head for Rawhide, relocated to the Gila River Indian Community. Stagecoach, train and burro rides, gold panning, sunset cookouts and museum offer other diversions. During its 35 year history in Scottsdale, 20 million people visited the park. The new park site will open at the end of 2005. 480/502-5600.

Another Old West town, recreated with original and reconstructed buildings, is the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum. Costumed personnel are available to answer questions and staff the print and blacksmith shops and work around the homes. The Opera House has daily performances of melodramas or nineteenthcentury music. 3901 W. Pioneer Road at 1-17 exit 225, 623/465-1052.

Other preserved frontier-style structures can be seen in an area of Scottsdale (bordered by Brown Avenue, 2nd Street, Indian School Road and Main Street) and in Tempe along Mill Avenue, between University Drive and 3rd Street.

Taliesin West, the desert home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is a National Historic Landmark. it occupies 600 acres of Sonoran Desert in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains with a landscape filled with cacti, ironwood and mesquite. It is the Western Campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and daily guided tours are offered. 12621 N.

Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480/860-8810.

Cosanti is an Arizona Historic Site which houses the studios, offices, gallery, foundry and windbell shop of Paolo Soleri, an architectural innovator. 6433 East Doubletree Ranch Road, Paradise Valley, 480/948-6145.

Built by one man, businessman Boyce Luther Gulley, the Mystery Castle is a futuristic 8,000-square-foot structure of native stone and furnished with Native American artifacts and antiques. 800 E. Mineral Road, Phoenix, 602/268-1581.

Fountain Hills Park is the location of the world's tallest fountain set within a 28acre lake. Every hour on the hour (between 10 am and 9 pm), the fountain shoots 8 tons of water 560 feet into the air. It is five feet highet' than the Washington Monument. Saguaro and EI Lago boulevards.

OUT OF AREA SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

Sixty-five miles north of Phoenix is Arcosanti, a prototype of a sustainable, energy-efficient city which is surrounded by a 4,000-acre preserve at Cordes Junction. italian-born architect and environmentalist Paolo Soleri is the mastermind behind this project. Tours are conducted on the hour between 10 am and 4 pm. To reach Arcosanti take 1-17 to exit #262 north to the Cordes Junction exit and follow the signs. 928/632-6217.

South of Phoenix in Oracle (about a two-hour drive) is Biosphere 2, a three acre airtight steel-and-glass structure which is a microcosm of Earth. A guided tour starts with a film introduction. Afterwards there is a walking tour of the different Biosphere 2 environments including tropical rain forest, savanna, marsh, ocean, desert, agricultural and human bays. This facility is a test site for determining an ecosystem's ability to recy-c1e air, water and nutrients in order to sus-tain plant and animal life. Visitor Center, 32450 S. Biosphere Rd., Tucson, AZ 520/838-6200.

FESTIVALS

Community festivals abound. The most well-known is the Fiesta Bowl Football Classic and Parade at the end of a month-long festival of events each December. For a calendar of events, call 602/350-0900.

Other annual events from rodeos and horse shows to pow wows and cultural festivals are too numerous to list. For a calendar of area events, call the Visitors' Hotline at 602/252-5588.

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