Top Arizona parks to explore with your kids:
Arizona’s Grand Canyon is a sight to behold for many tourists and road trip enthusiasts. If you are planning on going on a road trip with your family, make sure that you have made the necessary preparations for your kids, including a Diono car seat and snacks to keep them safe and entertained while on the road. When you reach Arizona, you can expect more places to visit aside from the Grand Canyon. Here are some Arizona parks that your kids will enjoy exploring:
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Native Cultures
There are over 250,000 Native Americans that live at the 13th-century state’s borders, which plays a big role in preserving their ancient culture. The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument protects the Hohokam people’s 13th-century ruins.
Your kids will also enjoy the Montezuma Castle National Monument, which protects the 800-year old cliff dwellings. Near the Flagstaff town is the Wupatki and Walnut Canyon National Monuments. One of the country’s best Native American Museum is the Phoenix’s Heard Museum, where it features 10 galleries that showcase Native American art and artifacts. The museum offers hands-on activities like creating a bandolier bag and Yaqui-inspired paper flowers.
Relive the Old West
Arizona used to be a wild place when the Americans first settled there. Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp were famous characters who called Tombstone their home in the 1880s, where they participated in the historical gunfight that happened at the OK Corral. Visitors today will be glad to visit the Tombstone and witness a mine tour, historic cemeteries, and buildings, and Wild West shows that showcases the original OK Corral.
The Sonoran Desert
One of the popular tourist destinations in Arizona is the Saguaro National Park. The park also provides every family visitor the opportunity to learn about the desert and its important ecosystem.
If you want to visit this park with your family, you can go during early spring or late winter, where the temperatures are milder and wildflowers are blooming. The Saguaro cacti will have its short-lived blooms in June. Your kids will also appreciate exploring the desert when you are in Phoenix. Try visiting the Pinnacle Peak or the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for nature tripping with your family.
Kid-Friendly Museums
If you want your kids to know more about the Sonoran Desert, then you should take them to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, loathed near the Saguaro National Park. It is part zoo, part natural history museum, and part botanical garden. The museum integrates its animal enclosures into the surrounding desert landscape.
There is also a trail that you and your family can stroll along and witness a peeking coyote behind a Saguaro cactus, see a Ferruginous Hawk flying above, and watch a javelina saunter while in an area surrounded by 140 varieties of cacti and other plants from the desert.
They also have the Cat Canyon, the hummingbird aviary, and a cave that lets visitors experience what it’s like underground. Your kids will also enjoy the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, and let them listen to other musical instruments from different parts of the world.
Another place for your kids to enjoy is the Arizona Science Center, also in Phoenix, which features 350 interactive exhibits. The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is also a good destination for your kids and lets them experience indoor play during the summer season.
Board a Train
Everybody knows that kids are fascinated with trains, and Arizona is filled with many railroad-themed activities for their visitors. You can take your kids to Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and take rides at the Paradise and Pacific Railroad. Go and explore with your family the expansive display of the indoor model train.
Visit Arizona now with your children and let them learn and experience the wonderful history of their people. It would be a great experience for you and your family in exploring the different attractions that Arizona can offer.
