Many people think of Arizona as a place to vacation and spend time. However, it is also a great place to live! Arizona is home to the majestic Grand Canyon, which was carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years. In fact, the Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most visited parks in the world.
Phoenix Museums
Another great reason to live in the desert is that several of Arizona’s prominent museums are located there. Museums such as Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Mountain Grand Canyon Railway and Sky Harbor Airport Museum, provide visitors with an interactive experience while they learn and explore.
Heard Museum
Certainly one of the place most cherished by locals is The Heard Museum . Located on 36 acres in downtown Phoenix and known for its folk art collection that includes Abiquiu pottery, Navajo rug and Gila River baskets. The museum was also built to enhance public access. To name a few are Indian Village with 18th-century Navajo tents depicting different clan groups;
Chinese village houses which allow visitors to observe ethnic crafts including those used making tongs; and an African village where visitors can enjoy a two-minute movie of artisans using pottery wheel. The museum also houses unusual line-up displays including one on dinosaurs and another on Native American teaching materials . In addition the Heard Museum’s permanent collection includes background about kachinas, Hopi royalty costumes, Mexican food dishes , and 26th Amendment presentations.
Phoenix Art Museum
The Phoenix Art Museum was founded in 1909. Housed on 115 acres, it’s home to more than 45000 pieces of art as well as several buildings and gardens. The architecture is quite unique: lovely thatched roofs make for a pleasantly rustic feel with no central staircase or elevator; instead visitors take the funicular railway up from their underground parking garage through an old adobe tunnel passing along the galleries below. Also popular are two much.
Arizona Science Center
The Arizona Science Center’s two-acre Water Spectacular provides a 360 degree learning experience for its audiences. This area plays host to over 40 displays, such as the John Galt Environmental Hall where visitors can take an interactive film and photo tour of cities in danger from global warming . Another is Behavior Theater where guests may see groups of children who sing or play instruments at their site acts like wild birds ready to fly off into the forest.
Musical Instrument Museum
One of the world’s largest musical instrument museum, The Musical Instrument Museum exhibits more than 40 instruments from around the world. There is a section for indigenous and modern cultures such as Japan’s traditional shakuhachi flute users (now restricted under American law which forbids what are historically bamboo whistles). Starting in 1998 there has instead been an impressive selection including works by Picasso or Marlene Dietrich on display at one time.
The landscapes of Papago Park
Papago Park, the country’s largest urban park and playground provides a peaceful setting for elaborate military war history displays such as those at Tombstone Old Town. Other areas of note include an 1816 wooden fort or trading post with shops inside that appears to be right out of Colonial Williamsburg; two coal mines displaying artifacts from 1870s mining days while also showcasing replica structures; as well as Shawnee Petroglyphs made in 1075 by the Hiawatha of the indigenous tribes.
In Papago Park, a “Wild West Motel” was placed in open tombs to simulate life during that time period just as it would have been in real life.
Desert Botanical Garden
Other than the Arizona Sweetcorn Festival, another large annual event that draws thousands of visitors to Phoenix is the Desert Botanical Garden’s Prickly Pear Walk held in late May. Visitors taste and buy over 350 kinds of prickly pears from all parts of North America and around the world during a noon-4PM walk about 1 ¼ miles long through additional gardens at Bisbee with tastings starting 9AM until 4PM.
