Museums · Phoenix · United States
5 best museums in Phoenix
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Kirs10 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Quick answer
Start with Heard Museum, Musical Instrument Museum and Phoenix Art Museum. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 10–13 hours across 3 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 10–13 hours
- Areas
- Midtown Phoenix, North Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix
Museums in Phoenix
Museum · Midtown Phoenix
1.Heard Museum
Founded in 1929, the Heard is one of the leading museums of American Indian art, with galleries on the Native peoples of the Southwest, a large Hopi katsina doll collection and a moving exhibit on the boarding school era, set around courtyards with sculpture.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · North Phoenix
2.Musical Instrument Museum
The MIM displays thousands of instruments from around the world, arranged by country, with wireless headphones that play performance videos automatically as you approach each display.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Art
Museum · Midtown Phoenix
3.Phoenix Art Museum
The region's largest art museum covers American, Western, Asian, European and Latin American art and fashion design.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Downtown Phoenix
4.Arizona Science Center
Hands-on galleries on the human body, forces, energy and the Sonoran Desert climate, plus a planetarium and a giant-screen theatre, in a building beside Heritage Square downtown.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Downtown Phoenix
5.Arizona Capitol Museum
The 1901 territorial capitol, with its copper dome topped by a Winged Victory weathervane, is now a free museum of Arizona history and government.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Midtown Phoenix | Heard Museum and Phoenix Art Museum | 2–3 hours + 2 hours |
| North Phoenix | Musical Instrument Museum | 3–4 hours |
| Downtown Phoenix | Arizona Science Center and Arizona Capitol Museum | 2–3 hours + 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 1 free, 4 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Musical Instrument Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Midtown Phoenix): Heard Museum → Phoenix Art Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (North Phoenix): Musical Instrument Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Downtown Phoenix): Arizona Science Center → Arizona Capitol Museum, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- June: highs of 40°C (104°F), about 1 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Extremely hot and dry; hike only at dawn and spend afternoons indoors or in the pool.
- July: highs of 41°C (106°F), about 4 rainy days, very quiet crowds. The hottest month, with monsoon humidity, dust storms and evening thunderstorms; resort deals are at their deepest.
- August: highs of 41°C (106°F), about 5 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Hot and humid with the most monsoon storms; flash flooding is possible in washes.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown Phoenix — Museums, sports arenas, Heritage Square and the light rail hub
- Roosevelt Row — Murals, galleries and First Friday art walks north of downtown
More of Phoenix
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Phoenix?
Heard Museum. Founded in 1929, the Heard is one of the leading museums of American Indian art, with galleries on the Native peoples of the Southwest, a large Hopi katsina doll collection and a moving exhibit on the boarding school era, set around courtyards with sculpture.
+Which of these are free in Phoenix?
Arizona Capitol Museum.