In March 1877, when a group of 84 Mormon settlers arrived here, they found a desert landscape with only thin strips of vegetation lining the Salt River. The eager families immediately began rebuilding the old Hohokam irrigation canals, hoping to make the desert green and start a prosperous new life under the warm Arizona sun. Because the land reminded them of a tabletop, they named the settlement Mesa. From the tiny adobe fort used by pioneers in the first years, Mesa has grown into Arizona's third-largest city, with a population approaching half a million. More people arrive in winter to enjoy the sunny climate, the lakes, and the Superstition Mountains. Mesa, bordered by Tempe and Apache Junction, lies 15 miles east of Phoenix.
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Exciting exhibits take you from
the beginning of time to the modern era (53 N. Macdonald St., 480/644-2230,
www.arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/, 1-5 p.m. Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tues.-Sat., $6 ages 13-54, $5 seniors and students, $3 ages 3-12). Turn right in
the lobby to enter the Tunnel of Time to see meteorites and exhibits about the universe.
Next, the Hall of Minerals has some beautiful specimens along with illustrations
of how rocks formed. You'll come out at Dinosaur Mountain, a towering rock face
inhabited by lifelike animated beasts. Pictures, fossils, and realistic models trace
the development of early life. Families can detour into the Desert Discovery Zone
to check out the hands-on exhibits and projects. Skeletons in Dinosaur Hall represent
over 20 species, including a giant plant-eating Camarasaurus. Continuing to the
upper gallery, you'll have another perspective of Dinosaur Mountain, see a gallery
of impressive Arizona Highways photos, and view Sonoran Desert exhibits. On entering
the Paleo-Indian room, you'll pass archaeologic displays and a skeleton of a
mammoth. A recreated Hohokam village just beyond looks like it's still inhabited.
A gallery of Mesoamerican art contains figurines and other ceramics.
You'll feel the Spanish presence on entering a replica of Guevavi Mission (1701-1774),
the first one built in Arizona. A short side trip leads to a grim territorial jail.
Continue to the courtyard outside where you can see a mine replica and try some
gold panning. Back inside you can enter the tunnel of the Lost Dutchman Mine and
discover some of its facts and mysteries. The historic displays end with an entertaining "Arizona
and the Movies" room. Several changing galleries and a theater room host a
variety of shows about the Southwest and beyond.
A gift shop
sells books and souvenirs. Staff can tell you about Mesa Grande Ruins, a nearby
Hohokam platform mound excavation that can be visited by appointment. The museum
is downtown on the corner with W. 1st St.; from the Superstition Freeway/US 60,
turn north on Country Club Drive, then right on 1st Street.
Mesa Arts Center
This impressive complex of glass walls and spacious
galleries houses exhibition galleries, theaters, studios, classrooms, and offices.
You'll see exhibits by the Mesa Contemporary Arts collection plus visiting shows.
Performing arts include a wide variety of concerts and plays. The center (1 E. Main
St., 480/644-6560 gallery info, 480/644-6500 box office,
www.mesaarts.com, closed Mon.) is downtown
at the southeast corner of Main and Center Streets.
Arizona Museum for Youth
Children view art exhibits and participate
in art projects presented just for them (downtown at 35 N. Robson St., 480/644-2467,
www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com,
$3.50 ages one and up). The main gallery will appeal to ages 5-12, while ArtVille
entertains younger kids. Workshops and classes also have fun things to do. The museum
is open 1-5 p.m. Tues.-Fri. and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.; summer hours (Memorial
Day through Labor Day) run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; exhibits change three times
a year.
Mesa Arizona Temple
Rising from beautifully landscaped gardens just
east of downtown, this temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Mormons) rates as Mesa's most notable landmark. Workers completed the structure,
based on classical Greek architecture, in 1927. Friezes at the top four corners
of the exterior represent the gathering of church members from different regions
of the world; brochures at the visitor center explain each of the eight scenes and
the temple's history.
Marriages and other sacred ceremonies
take place inside the temple, so it's not open for tours, but you're welcome
to wander among the exotic plants in the gardens and view exhibits in the nearby
visitor center (525 E. Main St., 480/964-7164, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, except 10 a.m.-10
p.m. in Dec., free). Personalized tours in the visitor center begin at the Christus,
a ten-foot statue of Italian marble, and present the basic doctrines of the church.
You can explore further with interactive exhibits or online at
www.lds.org.
Special events
at the temple include the Easter Pageant during the two weeks preceding Easter and
a Nativity Scene plus a display of Christmas lights (750,000 of them!) that brighten
the grounds from late November through December. Also during the Christmas holidays
are 30-minute musical programs at 7 p.m. nightly.
Trace your
family roots at the Mesa Regional Family History Center (41 S. Hobson, 480/964-1200,
www.mesarfhc.org, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon. and Sat.,
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tues.-Fri., free), located across the street from the temple grounds.
An introductory video and tour will help you get started.
Mesa Historical Society Museum
This remarkable collection (2345 N.
Horne in north Mesa, 480/835-7358,
https://www.mesahistoricalmuseum.com/, call or check website for hours, free) of pioneer
memorabilia in the 1913 Lehi School tells the stories of settlers and later citizens
who contributed to the now flourishing city. Each of the many rooms has a different
theme. You'll find antique furnishings, school exhibits, a sports hall of fame,
personal histories, old photos, and changing exhibits. A video about Mesa's
history provides a good introduction. Outside in front, you can see replicas of
Fort Utah (the area's first pioneer building) and Mesa's first schoolhouse.
Antique farm machinery rests in the side yard and around back. Auditorium murals,
shown on request, depict Southwest history. A gift shop has books and crafts.
On the way, you may wish to stop at Park of the Canals (1710 N. Horne, free)
to view three ancient Hohokam canals that pioneers dug out and utilized in 1878.
The park also has picnic tables, a playground, and a small desert botanical garden.
Arizona Wing CAF Museum
The World War II B-17G bomber Sentimental
Journey stands out as the centerpiece of a vintage aircraft collection (northeast
corner of Greenfield and McKellips Roads at Falcon Field, enter from Greenfield,
480/924-1940, www.azcaf.org, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
from Oct. to May, then 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wed.-Sun. in summer, $10 adults, $9 seniors
62+, $3 ages 5-12). The B-17G and other aircraft may be open for tours, or you may
be lucky enough to see one roar down the runway and take off into the skies. Even
more exciting is a ride in one! Call to check on the flying schedule. Other World
War II planes in the collection include a B-25J Mitchell bomber that flew missions
out of Corsica, a C-45 transport, and a SNJ trainer. The hangars also house visiting
aircraft, photo exhibits, engines, and displays of radio, navigation, and gunnery
equipment. At the Annual Veterans Day Fly-in and Community Expo, on the weekend
leading up to Veterans Day in early November, the museum hosts special aviation
programs and you can see warbirds in flight and in ground displays.
Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse
This replica of an 1880s'
Old West town (5700 West North Loop Rd., just west of I-10 Wild Horse Pass Blvd.
Exit 162, on the Gila River Indian Reservation, 480/502-5600,
www.rawhide.com, 5-10 p.m. daily all year,
extended to 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fri.-Sun., Oct.-May) invites you in for some fun
and food. Pistol Packin Paula and other characters regularly enliven the scene.
Rough Riders stage stunt action shows in the Six Gun Theater. A haunted hotel and
Lost Dutchman's Mine provide additional thrills. Or take a ride on a stagecoach,
train, burro, camel, or the Widowmaker Mechanical Bull. Kids may also have a hard
time passing up the shooting gallery, ice cream parlor, and candy store. A photo
emporium lets you pose in period costumes. Shops sell a variety of Western-theme
goods. Rawhide Steakhouse and the Sundown Cookout offer food and entertainment.
Admission and Main Street activities are free; you pay for the attractions and shows
with carnival-style tickets.Open Tuesday –Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM Thursdays
open 10 AM to 7 PM
Tubing Down the Lower Salt River
Cool off in the summer on a leisurely
float down the Salt River east of Mesa. Salt River Recreation (1320 N. Bush
Hwy., 480/984-3305, www.saltrivertubing.com)
rents inner tubes and provides a shuttle bus service back to the put-in point for
$12 per person or $9 for just a shuttle pass. The season runs May-Sept., weather
and water permitting. The shuttle bus serves four points along the river, with a
choice of floats lasting from 90 minutes to a half day. Below Granite Reef Dam,
the Salt is a river no more—the water is channeled into canals, leaving only
a dry riverbed downstream. From the east edge of Mesa, take Bush Highway north to
the Salt River. An extra tube will carry your cooler of cold drinks, but don't bring
glass containers. Weekends often see large crowds, and the Salt becomes one big
party. Wear tennis shoes to protect your feet when walking in the river. Life jackets
are a good idea—a necessity with children. Don't tie your tubes together;
rather, lock your feet into each other's tubes. Canoeists can enjoy the trip from
spring through autumn (there's no flow in winter). You can beat the summer tubing
crowds by starting at sunup.
Chandler Museum
Historical exhibits at this museum (178 E. Commonwealth
Ave. in downtown Chandler, 480/782-2717,
www.chandlermuseum.org, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat. (until 7 p.m. Thurs.), donations
welcome) display Native American artifacts and memorabilia of pioneer life and early
agriculture. You'll learn about Dr. Alexander J. Chandler (1859-1950), who pioneered
irrigation here, opened the nearby San Marcos Hotel, and founded the town named
for him.
The museum is just east of A.J. Chandler Park. To
get there from Mesa, head south on Country Club Drive (AZ 87), which becomes Arizona
Avenue and is the main street through Chandler. Go east one block on Buffalo St.
(also signed "City Complex"), south one block on Arizona Place, then east
one block on Commonwealth Avenue.
Arizona Railway Museum
Railroad enthusiasts have preserved a 1906 steam
locomotive and a wide variety of other historic rolling stock (330 E. Ryan Rd. in
Tumbleweed Park, east of Arizona Ave. in Chandler, 480/821-1108,
www.azrymuseum.org, noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
from Labor Day to Memorial Day weekends, donations welcome). Guided tours through
Pullman cars recall a bygone era of rail travel. You may also see volunteers restoring
steam and diesel locomotives and variety of freight cars.
Gilbert Historical Museum
In the small agricultural town of Gilbert,
south of Mesa and east of Chandler, exhibits in eight rooms of the 1913 Gilbert
Grammar School tell the town's story from prehistory to the present (10 S. Gilbert
Rd., enter from Elliot Rd., 480/926-1577, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues., Thurs., and Sat.,
donations appreciated). A lineup of antique farm machinery sits outside.