It’s that time again for talking about options of summer fun things to do! For the past couple of years a large group of bloggers have teamed up to bring you great budget-friendly, family fun ideas for things to do around cities across the nation! I’ve covered both Arizona & Omaha in the Staycation series for the past two years & am thrilled to do it again!
Indoor Play- Stores/Museums/Restaurants

How fun to go see how teddy bears are made! You can drop-in and tour the factory for FREE every day (Monday – Saturday at 1pm)! There are additional touring/field-trip options, including the addition of stuffing your own bear (for a fee). Get all info on the Stuffington Bear Factory tours here.
This is our absolute favorite play place! They often run deals & specials, so be sure to check out their website. For more info & pictures, you can read our full Playgrounds Fun Zone review here.
Harkins Summer Movie Fun – Kids can enjoy a movie a week for 10 weeks, for less than $1 per film! Talk about a great way to enjoy a few hours in a nicely air-conditioned area for little cost! Harkins theaters are our favorite! This year is going to be our first year doing this!
Cerreta Candy Company– This long-time, family-owned business in Historic downtown Glendale offers FREE tours Monday-Friday at 10am and 1pm! I remember taking tours there as a kid, seeing how the fabulous candy is made, enjoying some delish samples, and then sometimes getting to make a Chocolate Pizza at the end (for an additional fee). Grandma & Grandpa took the boys here after Baby Brother was born and they had a great time! Educational and yummy! A win-win!
– Peter Piper Pizza



*New*- Butterfly Wonderland – I am SO excited to check this out this summer! It’s opening May 25th and is slated to be America’s largest butterfly atrium!! How fun to be able to go to an indoor rainforest in the middle of the Arizona desert!
Chase Field – Baseball is the sport of the summer and Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks, offers some relatively inexpensive family fun. Single-game tickets can be purchased for less than $10 each and each year there are various family package deals that include food & drinks and/or other special promos. Many night games also include a fireworks show following the game.Chase Field is very family friendly, especially with the St. Joseph’s Sandlot. Features include a kids’ playground, toddlers’ playground, batting cage, future field, Baxter’s Den and more! For some extra fun for the baseball fans in your life, then take a take a tour of Chase Field!
University of Phoenix Stadium – if baseball isn’t your thing, maybe a tour of the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the AZ Cardinals, would be fun for football enthusiasts.
Outdoor Water Play
Splashpads:
- Splash Playground at Tempe Beach Park
- The fountains at the Scottsdale Quarter
- Kidsplash Fountain at Desert Ridge Marketplace
- Splash Zone at Enchanted Island Amusement Park
- Yakulla Caverns Splash Pad at the Phoenix Zoo
- Splash Pad at Rio Vista Community Park
- Interactive fountain/splash pad at Westgate
Wet ‘n Wild Phoenix – Located in the North Phoenix area, this is a fun place to cool off over the summer. Last year, they opened a whole Wet ‘n Wild Jr. area. This is perfect for younger kids! The boys had a blast playing here!
Resorts:
Keep in mind that the summer is “off-season” for hotels & resorts here. So, you can often score great deals of $149 or less per night at some really high-class places (plus sometimes resort credits & other bonuses too). Here’s a short list of some that are known for having some great family activities and water play fun:
- The Westin Kierland (we stayed there this spring and it’s wonderful! You can see our full Westin Kierland review here)
- Arizona Grand Resort (formerly known as the Pointe at South Mountain)
Want to do a little exploring of other parts of Arizona? Then, be sure to click over to last year’s list of great places to visit all over the great state of Arizona!
10 Responses
Now you should do one for Northern Az 😉 we have lots to offer up here as well!
Absolutely you do, Jeannie! We LOVE Northern Arizona. And, actually, I covered it in last year’s staycation post! 😉 https://www.momendeavors.com/2012/06/staycation-2012-enjoying-arizona-on-a-budget.html
Wow, this is a great round-up! I was born and raised in AZ and I haven’t even been to all these places. Looks like the summer list is getting some additions… 🙂
Thanks, Kari! I know! There is SO much to do here! One of the reasons living here is great! 🙂
These are great ideas.
Do you have any that are in the East Valley?
Glendale and most of these are over an hour away for some of us East Valley Moms.
Hi Carrie! Yes…I covered a few in this post! the Arizona Museum of Natural History is in the East Valley, as is Organ Stop pizza. The Butterfly Wonderland and MIM are technically also in the east valley as they are in Scottsdale.
My kids love going to the Arizona Museum for Youth (AMY – soon to be renamed IDEA). The play area has something for all ages and the museum always has something the kids love! They also love going to Jambo Indoor Amusement Park. They are constantly begging to go there. Both places are in Mesa for those in the Easy Valley.
Great tips, Valerie! My boys have been begging to go to Jambo Park lately! We need to make a trip! 🙂
Great info some things on here like the candy company I never heard of living here almost 10 years. The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is another great place in Scottsdale for kids.
Loads of cool stuff for kids over there!