The 1890s heyday of this former mining town, once a rival to Mesa for size and vitality, died with the exhaustion of the accessible ore. Today it's an unabashed yet enjoyable tourist trap, offering gunfights, mine tours (complete with exploding 'dynamite'), a zip line and more.
Goldfield Ghost Town
Greater Phoenix
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.14 MILES
Blue bells and Mexican gold poppies are just two of the colorful showstoppers blooming from March to May along the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail at this…
Arizona Museum of Natural History
19.95 MILES
Even if you're not staying in Mesa, this museum is worth a trip, especially if your kids are into dinosaurs (and aren't they all?). In addition to the…
22.9 MILES
Taliesin West was the desert home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's greatest 20th-century architects. A prime example of organic…
27.09 MILES
The home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright student Paolo Soleri, who died in 2013, this unusual complex of cast-concrete structures was a stepping stone…
25.12 MILES
Tucked among Scottsdale's malls and bistros is its Old Town, a Wild West–themed enclave filled with cutesy buildings, covered sidewalks and stores hawking…
28.49 MILES
The O'odham Indians use the word 'Hohokam' ('all used up') for the ancestors who mysteriously abandoned this adobe city and the intricate irrigation…
25.64 MILES
South of Scottsdale and sandwiched between downtown Phoenix and Mesa, Tempe is home to the 50,000 students of Arizona State University's main campus…
26.38 MILES
Home to more than 1400 animals, including local natives such as the bald eagle and bighorn sheep, Phoenix Zoo houses species rare and common in several…
Nearby Greater Phoenix attractions
0.78 MILES
Located 40 miles east of Phoenix, leading into the snaggle-toothed Superstition Mountains, this 320-acre state park is popular with day-trippers and…
2. Superstition Mountain Museum
0.9 MILES
Exhibits at this worthwhile local museum examine the geology and native cultures of the Superstition Mountain area, plus the legend of the Lost Dutchman's…
3. Arizona Museum of Natural History
19.95 MILES
Even if you're not staying in Mesa, this museum is worth a trip, especially if your kids are into dinosaurs (and aren't they all?). In addition to the…
4. Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
22.84 MILES
A celebration of the adaptability and variety of plant life, this much-loved arboretum contains thousands of arid-country trees and plants from around the…
22.9 MILES
Taliesin West was the desert home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's greatest 20th-century architects. A prime example of organic…
6. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
25.02 MILES
Complementing the adjacent Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, SMoCA's five galleries, housed in a cleverly adapted old movie theater, showcase…
7. Scottsdale Historical Museum
25.06 MILES
One of the buildings with genuine history in Old Town Scottsdale is the Little Red School House, now home to the Scottsdale Historical Museum, where low…
25.12 MILES
Tucked among Scottsdale's malls and bistros is its Old Town, a Wild West–themed enclave filled with cutesy buildings, covered sidewalks and stores hawking…