Phoenix Arizona | Cheaper Airtickets

A- Overview:
Glittering like a jewel under the bright Southwestern sun, the dazzling surroundings and the eight months of nearly perfect weather in Phoenix have drawn people to this fascinating Arizona city. It is easy to understand why Phoenix was chosen as the capital of Arizona, Phoenix is an ideal travel destination. It is known for its warm temperatures and low humidity. Lying on flat desert and surrounded by mountains and green irrigated fields, it is a resort, convention, and government center as well as a thriving industrial area.

By day, the sun fairly sparkles, and as evening nears the sunsets splash purple and blazing orange across the vast horizon. It is because of these wondrous sights that Phoenix’s metro area is called the Valley of the Sun. This once sleepy agricultural town is now increasingly active and constantly expanding.

Residents have no qualms about driving 200 miles for a picnic or a swim, and visitors should be prepared to follow their example by securing a rental car in order to get around. There is so much to see and do that you will want to explore in all directions. The highway system is easy to understand and to follow. Even if you don’t venture beyond the downtown area, you will find a surprising energy and level of activity amid the buildings at Van Buren and Third streets in the newly restored and renovated Copper Square area. If you have not visited downtown Phoenix for awhile, the winning combination of quality restaurants, museums, shops, and nightclubs will surely exceed your expectations.

The area’s awesome beauty, from the top of nearby South Mountain to the distinctive Camelback Mountain, eclipses any manmade building. As you stroll through the desert you will be surprised by the abundance of blooming vegetation, and moved by the grandeur of rolling hills that are criss-crossed by hiking trails.

The sun shines all day; the nights are pleasantly cool. There are so many activities and attractions to enjoy while visiting Phoenix. As a vacation spot it pleases both the sophisticated traveler and the casual vacationer.

B- City Information:
Population: 1,321,154

Elevation: 1072 feet above sea level

Land Area: 474.9 square miles

Location: Located in the central part of Arizona, transected by Interstate 10 from the west and south and Interstate 17 from the north

Time Zone: Mountain Standard Time (when it’s noon in Phoenix, it’s 11am in Los Angeles and 2pm in New York City). Phoenix does not observe Daylight Saving Time, so these time comparisons vary by an hour from the end of April through the end of October.

Average Temperatures:

Month
High
Low

January
66F
41F

February
70F
44F

March
75F
48F

April
83F
54F

May
92F
63F

June
101F
70F

July
103F
77F

August
102F
77F

September
97F
70F

October
87F
59F

November
74F
47F

December
66F
41F

Local Seasons:

The peak season in Phoenix is in the winter when people throughout the country escape the cold and come to enjoy the warm temperatures and low humidity of this desert city. Whether it’s golf, sitting at the pool, strolling through town, dining at the many fine restaurants, or just enjoying the scenery, this is an ideal time for a visit. Temperatures during the day can reach the 70s F and at night drop to the 40s F, offering the opportunity for outdoor activities during the day, and cooler sleeping temperatures at night. Spring is quite pleasant as temperatures rise and humidity drops to less than 20%. Fall is very similar in temperature. Summers are very warm, with the high temperatures during the day often reaching well over 100 F. There is virtually no humidity, so the effect of the higher temperatures is not as pronounced as in more humid parts of the US. Summer emperatures drop to the mid 70’s F at night.

Holidays Observed

New Year’s Day, Jan. 1

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, 3rd Mon. in Jan.

President’s Day, 3rd Mon. in Feb.

Memorial Day, last Mon. in May

Independence Day, July 4

Labor Day, 1st Mon. in Sept.

Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thurs. in Nov.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24 and 25

New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31

How to Get There:

By Air

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

3400 Sky Harbor Blvd.

Phoenix AZ 85034

602-273-8880

Located 10 minutes from downtown Phoenix and less than 30 minutes from Scottsdale, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport lies at the heart of the southwestern United States. There are hundreds of nonstop and connecting flights from points around the globe each day. The airport is served by many of the national and international airlines as well as certain regional carriers.

Scottsdale Airport

15000 N. Airport Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
480-312-2321

Located close to Scottsdale, this regional airport is an ideal choice for leisure and business travelers, seeking close proximity to world class resorts, hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and corporate centers, with an average of 360 VFR days yearly.

Ground Transportation:

Most of the major car rental companies, as well as taxi and limousine service is available at the Phoenix Airport. Limited services available at the Scottsdale Airport.

By Car:

The city is accessible via Interstate 10 from the west (Los Angeles) and southeast (Tucson) and Interstate 17 from the north (Flagstaff)

By Train:

Amtrak

3400 East Sky Harbor Blvd.
G.A.I.T. desk in each terminal
Phoenix, AZ 85034

800-USA-RAIL

This is a stop for Amtrak Thruway connecting bus service. only. Amtrak trains do not stop in Phoenix.

By Bus:

Greyhound

2115 E Buckeye Rd.
Phoenix AZ 85034

602-389-4200

How to Get Around:

The easiest and most convenient way to get around is by either personal or rental car. Other services are available:

Valley Metro – bus system

602-253-5000

Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH)

Bus service within the downtown area

Free Local Area Shuttle Service (FLASH)

Provides service around a loop for Arizona State University

C- Attractions/Things To Do:
Arizona Center
400 E. Van Buren Street between Third and Fifths Street
(602) 949-4353 (602) 271-4000
Shopping, dining, and entertainment are what make the Arizona Center a “must see” downtown marketplace. Shopping is made simple at the marketplace with over 50 specialty shops and carts. Each of the nine-full service restaurants feature al fresco dining. After sunset, popular nightclubs offer country/western dancing, sing-along piano bar, and a sports bar with more than 50 big screen TV’s. For maximum comfort the state’s largest computerized misting system, keeps the temperature 10 degrees cooler throughout the Arizona Center.

Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion
2121 N. 83rd Avenue
(602) 254-7200
Designed specifically for musical performances, the facility has hosted most of the nation’s top entertainers as well as some of the best outdoor concerts. On a summer night, patrons can come out to enjoy the entertainment comfortably with a specially designed cooling system that combines air conditioning with fans. Come out with your towels and lawn chairs and groove to the music.

Camelback Mountain
Echo Canyon Recreation
Phoenix Mountain Preserve, Phoenix
(602) 256-3220
Distinguished by its sheer red cliffs, the Camelback Mountain and Echo Canyon Recreation area is the city’s most prominent landmark. This 75.8-acre park featuring the Praying Monk Rock formation and the famed camel’s silhouette, is a popular area for hiking and climbing. Rising 1,300 feet to the summit the Echo Canyon Trail reverberates the majestic beauty found within the Sonoran Desert. While making your way along the trails, you will encounter some of the most colorful plants and vivid wildlife to inhabit this region.

The Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St.
(602) 254-7399
(602) 252-8497 Reservations
Ticket Office Hours:
Monday- Friday 10am to 6 pm
Saturday noon to 6pm
And one hour prior to center performances
Located in downtown Phoenix, The Herberger Theater Center divided into two theaters, one seating 815, the other holding 350. Whether your agenda includes the theater or the ballet, the Herberger Theater Center’s Center Stage is the home to the Arizona Theatre Company, and Ballet Arizona. Stage West, the center’s second theater, provides a more intimate performance with the likes of Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Arizona Theatre Company, Childsplay and Centre Dance Ensemble. Also a variety of visiting dance troupes, orchestras and plays are presented year-round. The Hereberger Theater Center caters to young and old, always bringing the stage alive with each of its performances.

Patriots Square Park
Washington Street and Central Avenue
(602) 262-4627
The heart of downtown is adorned with two and a half acres of bountiful grass, shade providing trees and benches, a performing arts stage, and food kiosks. This area comprises Patriots Square Park, a popular site for city celebrations as well as quaint lunches in the park. In addition to the aesthetic appeal of Patriots Square Park, it serves as a cover for a large underground parking garage

Phoenix Symphony Hall and Terrace
225 E. Adams Street
(602) 262-6225
The Phoenix Symphony Hall and Symphony Hall Terrace are home to the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Opera. Symphony Hall has hosted innumerable Theatre and musical events. It is at Symphony hall where top performers and touring shows perform. While a variety of festivals and specials events grace the outside Symphony Terrace.

Pueblo Grand Museum and Cultural Park
4613 E. Washington Street
(602) 495- 0901
Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 am- 4:45 pm, Sunday 1:00- 4:45 pm
The Pueblo Grand Museum and Cultural Park is the only National Historic Landmark in the city of Phoenix. This is the kind of place that appeals to everyone in that it is not only a museum, but also a Native -American archaeological site. This archaeology site includes a Hohokam culture ruin. The ruin was once the site of a thriving indigenous chief city. After learning of their ingenuity in adapting to desert life, the site draws on a feeling of mystery as to why a civilization of superb farmers would abandon their home.

Ak-Chin Him-Dak (Eco-Museum)
46875 N. EcoMuseum, Phoenix
(602) 568-9487
Located 40 miles south of downtown Phoenix, the Ak-Chin Him-Dak Museum is known as the “museum with out walls”. Assembled by the Ak-Chin tribe the museum stands a part from most in that the tribal members themselves have been the ones to conduct excavations, catalogue artifacts, and document their own oral history.

America West Arena
201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix
(602) 379-7800
Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, the Arizona Rattlers, Phoenix Mercury, and the Arizona Sandsharks all call America West Arena home. The one million square-foot, 20,000-seat multipurpose America West Arena hosts more than 180 events a year. This sports / concert arena electrifies Phoenix by bringing enthusiasm and excitement downtown.

Botanical Desert Gardens
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix
(602) 941-1217
Hours: October – April, 8am to 8pm daily
May-September, 7am to 8pm daily
Closed on Christmas Day
Housing half of all the variety of cactus in the world, the Desert Botanical Garden includes 150 acres of plants from the world’s deserts. Founded 1937, this non-profit museum illustrates the beauty of over a thousand plant species adapted for the arid landscape. Sponsoring programs in research, plant conservation, and environmental education the garden emphasizes harmony with the desert by displaying not only vivacious plant life, but by also incorporating exhibits that depict the relationship between modern day cities and the desert. Self-guided nature walk, public lectures, Cactus Show.

Encanto Park & Recreation Area
2605 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix
(602) 261-8994
Prices: Free
Spanning over 220-acres, Encanto Park is the city’s largest flatland park. Offering a perfect spot for family cookouts, Encanto Park facilities includes picnic areas, a lagoon, boat house, swimming pool, nature trail, urban fishing, two golf courses, softball diamonds, basketball – tennis courts, and the KiddieLand/Enchanted Island Amusement Park. Visitors can rent canoes and paddle boats and joining the fish and ducks out on the lagoon or toss a Frisbee throughout the park’s grassy areas. A perfect place to relax and spend a weekend having fun in the sun.

Heard Museum
22 E. Monte Vista Road, Phoenix
(602) 252-8844
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30 to 5:00
Sun 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Closed Major Holidays
In 1929 Dwight B. and Mai Bartlett Heard founded The Heard Museum as a private, non-profit museum to house their personal collection of artifacts and art. The focus of the museum resides on the cultures of the Southwest. Tracing the history of the region from 15,000BC to the present, it includes everything from prehistoric to contemporary. The museum’s best-known collection features a large number of Hopi Kachina Dolls. The appreciation and respect for the arts and lifestyles of Southwest Native American culture is promoted as the evolving philosophy of the Heard. Especially oriented toward children, the museum has a hands-on exhibit called “Old Ways, New Ways”, which focuses on the Southwest Zuni, Northwest Coast Tsimshiam and the Great Plains Kiowa. The Heard museum holds over 32,000 ethnographic objects and contemporary work of art, 10 galleries, a new auditorium, education center, and an indoor/outdoor cafe.

Historic Heritage Square
113 N. Sixth and Monroe Street
(602) 262-5071 or (602) 262-5029
Arizona Doll & Toy Museum (602) 253-9337
Farmer’s Market – Open every Thursday from late October through May 20, 10am-2pm.
Heritage Square represents the Victorian root from which Phoenix originated in the 1860’s. A Victorian complex in the heart of downtown. Heritage Square is a refreshing site among the relatively young city. Historical city park has eight turn-of-the-century houses, including the restored 1895 Victorian Rosson House. . The Farmer’s Market presenting everything from fresh produce to other fine goods, fills the street of the square every Thursday. The available guided walking tours will wind you through the historical buildings, museums, restaurants and gift shops that encompass the remaining residential structures from the original townsite of Phoenix.

Mystery Castle
800 E. Mineral Road
(602) 268-1581
Hours: Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm
Over a period of 18 years, one man built this 8,000 square-foot stone and sand castle. Constructed by Boyce Luther Gulley for his daughter, Mary Lou the castle features 18 furnished rooms with Southwestern Antiques, 13 fireplaces, a cantilevered stairway, parapets, many charming little nooks and crannies and a chapel. Visit the castle and be prepared to be whisked away into a Southwestern fairytale.

Orpheum Theatre
203 W. Adams St.
(602) 252-9678 or (602) 994-2787
Hours: Daily
Children under age two free, if not occupying a seat.
Built in 1929, this elaborate Spanish Baroque style remains as the last historic theater in downtown Phoenix. Although it retains its original architectural and historical identity, renovations have transformed the theater into a technically-modern events venue. The Orpheum’s stage is filled with an array of performing groups, from local, regional and national touring productions to performance companies and nonprofit performing arts group.

Papago Park / Hole-In-The-Rock
Galvin Parkway and Van Buren Street
(602) 256-3220
Papago Park facilities include lagoon, desert hills and rugged mountains, a golf course, museums, picnic areas, fishing, and hiking. The Hole-In-The-Rock landmark is a great hit with the kids. Papago Park serves as a great place to sit back, relax and enjoy the sites that surround you.

Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Avenue
(602) 257-1222
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday-Friday 10:00 am- 9:00pm
Saturday-Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm
The Phoenix Art Museum is credited as being the largest visual arts museum in the Southwest. This museum specializes in contemporary Southwestern art, but also has other collections that cover North American art in general, sculpture, photography, 14th century fashion and decorative objects, exhibition of Renaissance work, the famous Throne Miniature Rooms historic interiors. The museum has expanded from its traditional exhibitions, and now offers a wide range of exhibitions throughout its 65,000 square feet of gallery space. Tours Available.

Phoenix Zoo
455 N. Galvin Parkway
(602) 273-1341
Hours: May 1 through Labor Day : 7:30am – 4:00pm
Winter Hours: 9am – 5pm
Take a leisurely drive through desert rock formation to the Phoenix Zoo, located in a section of the Papago Park. So, after a picnic in the park, come and visit the thousands of wild beasts, and endangered animals that roam here. A 125 acre zoo is home to more than 1,300 mammals, birds, and reptiles. The zoo features rare Sumatran tigers, Tropical Flights Aviary, African Savannah, Arizona Trail exhibit, all with native animals in naturalistic exhibitions. Plan to spend the entire day visiting the zoo’s exhibits. From the children’s petting zoo to the zoo’s exhibit of things that go “boo!” in the Sonoran Desert night, there isn’t one exhibit worth missing!

D- Family Fun Attractions:
Ak-Chin Him-Dak (Eco-Museum)
46875 N. EcoMuseum, Phoenix
(602) 568-9487
Located 40 miles south of downtown Phoenix, the Ak-Chin Him-Dak Museum is known as the “museum with out walls”. Assembled by the Ak-Chin tribe the museum stands a part from most in that the tribal members themselves have been the ones to conduct excavations, catalogue artifacts, and document their own oral history.

Botanical Desert Gardens
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix
(602) 941-1217
Hours: October – April, 8am to 8pm daily
May-September, 7am to 8pm daily
Closed on Christmas Day Housing half of all the variety of cactus in the world, the Desert Botanical Garden includes 150 acres of plants from the world’s deserts. Founded 1937, this non-profit museum illustrates the beauty of over a thousand plant species adapted for the arid landscape. Sponsoring programs in research, plant conservation, and environmental education the garden emphasizes harmony with the desert by displaying not only vivacious plant life, but by also incorporating exhibits that depict the relationship between modern day cities and the desert. Self-guided nature walk, public lectures, Cactus Show.

E- Events & Entertainment:
Events & Entertainment

January

P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & Half Marathon

Held in early January

Location: Both the marathon and ½ marathon will start in downtown Phoenix at Wesley Bolin Plaza and will finish in Tempe, between ASU’s Sun Devil and Sun Angel Stadiums.

800-311-1255

What better way to get started on that New Year’s resolution to improve your health, or perhaps that personal best time… participate in a running tour of Greater Phoenix and experience fun in the sun and music on the course at one of Arizona’s biggest road races.

Santa Cruz Valley Car Nuts Annual Car Show
Held in mid – late January

Location: Tubac Golf resort

520-885-6630

See more than 500 collector cars, trucks and motorcycles! The show also features family fun activities, food, raffles & live radio broadcast.

Maricopa County Home and Garden Show
Held in mid January

602-485-1691
One of Arizona’s largest Home Shows features a professional landscape competition with numerous landscape companies showcasing spectacular landscape displays. The event is sponsored by Horticultural Frontiers Landscape & Design, at the Landscaper’s Boulevard.

February

Matsuri-A Festival of Japan
Held in late February
Location: Monroe 5th-7th Street-Phoenix
602-262-5029
Annual Cultural Event

March

Annual Voices Take Flight
Held in early March

Location: Phoenix First Assembly
Join the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services for in an afternoon of song featuring the United States Coast Guard Academy Cadet Choir, the Arizona Choir from the University of Arizona. Each of these groups of young people performs individually, then join together to perform a rousing finale of God Bless America – raising their voices to celebrate music and support the military, particularly veterans many of whom have been stricken with incurable neurological diseases. Voices Take Flight is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of incurable neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – a fatal neurological disease that inordinately affects our Gulf War Veterans.

Pioneer Village Annual Bridal Fair
Held in early March

Location: Pioneer Living History Village

623-465-1952
With its picturesque romantic sunsets, 1880’s white wedding chapel, the white gazebo surrounded by mountains and the 1800’s Opera House, Pioneer Village has become a popular location to hold a Bridal Fair.

The Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market
Held in early March

Heard Museum
602-252-8840

Call for additional information

Aloha Festival
Held in mid March

Location: Heritage & Science Park

480-967-7366

Admission Free

The Arizona Aloha Festival provides fun activities, demonstrations and displays to round out the island experience.

The American Tenors- Annual Endowment Benefit
Held in mid March

Location: Chandler Center for the Arts

480-782-2680

The Chandler Center for the Arts represents a culmination of the unique cooperative efforts between the Chandler Unified School District and the City of Chandler.

October

Rainbow Festival

Held in early October

Location: Heritage & Science Park
602-252-6284

Call for additional information
Annual Festival

November

Annual Sedona Red Rock Fantasy

Held mid November – early January

Location: Los Abrigados Resort & Spa

928-282-1777

Nestled within the world-renowned red rocks of Sedona, Red Rock Fantasy is a festival of more than a million lights providing a man-made marvel within the scenic beauty that has drawn visitors for the past one hundred years. Boasting forty-one displays created by families from the Southwest, the festival promises never-before-seen marvels of light that leave children in wonderment and move adult minds to enjoy the holidays as they did when they were young. It is a magic that can bring cartoon favorites to life, challenge children to scavenger hunts within the displays, or illuminate a 25′ swan in dazzling, blue moonlight. That is the magic that has made Red Rock Fantasy a favorite among Arizonans and visitors to the state alike.

Entertainment

Actors Theatre of Phoenix

112 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004

602-253-6701

Call for performance schedule

A professional theatre company in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Presenting New York quality productions at the city’s premier arts venue – classics, contemporary and musicals.

Arizona Opera Company

4600 N. 12th St.

Phoenix, AZ 85014
877-639-0188

Call for performance schedule
Arizona Opera is the only professional producer of grand opera in the state. The company produces five operas annually in its home cities of Phoenix and Tucson.

Arizona Theatre Company

502 W. Roosevelt St.

Phoenix, AZ 85003
602- 256-6995

Call for performance schedule

The Arizona Theatre Company is one of the state’s leading professional theatre, performing six productions at the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson and at the Herberger Theater Center.

ASU Public Events at Gammage Auditorium

1200 S Forest Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-965-5062

Call for performance schedule

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Gammage seats 3,000 and presents a year-round season of nationally touring Broadway musicals, plus much more.

Ballet Arizona

3645 E. Indian School Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85018
602-381-0184

Ballet Arizona is one of the Southwest’s premier professional ballet companies. Performances are held at The Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix and at various locations throughout the state.

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre

5247 E. Brown Rd.

Mesa, AZ 85205
888-504-7256
This 500-seat, year-round, professional dinner theater presents full-length Broadway musicals and comedies combined with a savory buffet meal to create a dinner-and-show package that is exception.

Dodge Theatre

400 W. Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85001
602-379-2800

It is completely different and is a state-of-the-art entertainment venue designed specifically for concerts, Broadway and family stage shows, boxing and conventions.

Herberger Theatre Center

222 E. Monroe

Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-252-8497

The Herberger Theater Center is a two-stage complex featuring year-round music, drama and dance performances presented by four resident professional performing companies.

Phoenix Symphony

455 N. 3rd St.

Phoenix, AZ 85004
800-776-9080

Call for performance schedule
One of Arizona’s largest performing arts groups presents classics, pops, family, chamber concerts and special events.

Phoenix Theatre

100 E. McDowell Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-889-5284
Phoenix Theatre, founded in 1920, is one of the oldest theatre companies in Arizona, and one of the oldest continuously operating arts groups in the country. The theatre is known for producing, and redefining.

Valley Youth Theatre

525 N. 1st St.

Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-253-8188
Valley Youth Theatre has state-of-the-art technical capabilities in its 202-seat proscenium-style theater.

Sports

Arizona Cardinals

Phoenix, AZ 85001

Professional Football – NFL

800-999-1402

Season runs September – January

Call for schedule

Arizona Diamondbacks

Phoenix, AZ 85001

Professional Baseball – MLB
602-514-8400

Season runs April – October
Hit a home run with by arranging an outing to beautiful Bank One Ballpark to enjoy exciting Arizona Diamondbacks baseball.

Phoenix Coyotes

Professional Hockey – NHL

ALLTEL Ice Den

9375 E. Bell Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85260
480- 473-5600

Call for schedule
Games played at America West Arena.

Phoenix Suns

Professional Basketball – NBA

201 E. Jefferson St.

Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-379-7900

Season runs October – April, call for schedule
Phoenix’s own National Basketball Association team plays at America West Arena.