Served well by The Children’s Museum of Phoenix, we set out to see how else we might entertain our two young children while enjoying ourselves in the process.
Phoenix, what else do you have for us?
A couple answers, at least.
1) Phoenix Zoo
The website claims that it’s been voted one of the nations Top 5 zoos for children. Seeing as how Phoenix is the #5 or #6 city in the country for population, I’m going to believe the boast. Situated right next door to the Desert Botanical Gardens, you know the landscape is special, particularly to a family from the Canadian prairies. Pleasantly sized, this zoo is large enough to house a wide variety of animals (elephants to giraffes to lions to monkeys to tortoises to iguanas and more) without demanding serious miles to be logged, as is necessary in a place like the San Diego Zoo. Throw in a petting zoo, a couple decent play areas, and a classic carousel, and you can keep a couple cute toddlers busy for part of day.
2) Buying or browsing, we always enjoy looking around, when in a new city. But how to do it while busying the tots? A bright and busy mall doesn’t hurt. A well-designed set-up with a handful of toy stores and a Disney store can only help. Throw in a surprising aquarium (SeaLife Arizona) with a decent play area, and add a large food court surrounded by pumping arcade and a merry-go-round–that ought to keep them busy for a while. This mall gave us enough enjoyment that we actually visited twice–the second time, we even bought a few things!
There are a host of other things a family might do in Phoenix, but let this post and my previous one at least get you started the next time you find yourself stranded in Arizona with some small ones needing attention.