Glaring Museums in Arizona: 7 Amazing Secrets

Arizona also called the Great Canyon state is one of the states in the southwest of the United States. The state is the country’s sixth-largest and fourteenth-most populous state and is best known for the Great Canyon carved by the Colorado River. Well, the temperature in Arizona is usually hot and humid, it hardly snows in Arizona. The place has too many mountains points attracting visitors for hiking and trekking, Great Canyon and Monument Valley are one of them.

1. Introduction to Arizona State

Not just Arizona holds cultural values and history the place is also home to many students as the state has around 57 universities and colleges. Well, Arizona is famous for many things which include its beautiful scenery and rich history. But the best part is its sunsets, you will definitely fall in love with the sunsets in Arizona, the place also holds a rich cultural heritage.

With great heritage and history comes the great responsibility of protecting the past and showing it to the future generation. That’s what the state of Arizona has done it has carefully protected all the heritages and important sculptures in its 140+ museums. So today we’ll be getting to know about the famous Museums of the State of Arizona.

1.2 What are Museums?

Well to a normal human understanding, it is a place where there will be some ancient documents, art crafts, culture-related manuscripts, etc. Though, a proper definition of a Museum can be “a place/building in which objects of historic, scientific, artistic or cultural interest are stored and exhibited”. Not making it more complex In simple words it is a place where you kind find everything(that has been restored) from the ancient or from the past period.

But, this is our way of understanding what a museum is but the internet says “A Museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researchers collect, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage”.

Museums are often considered to be boring and nerd places but actually, there are different types of museums, that are built with the interest of people like the rail museums, art museums, etc. So, that every person can visit their interested choice of place.

1.3 Famous Museums In Arizona

1.3.1 Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum

Well, considering the age group of people reading this article are born after World War II, we certainly do not have enough knowledge about the war and the planes that were used so in order to gain that knowledge and watch the planes that we were used in the time of war you must visit this air force museum.

The museum is run by a group of volunteers and is located next to Falcon Field Airport. These aircraft hold countless stories of the war, visitors are allowed to touch the and climb into these big air crafts and cargo planes.

The museum displays almost 15 aircraft that were used during World War II and Vietnam War, and the best part is one or two planes are still in service. The visit to this museum is worth it as you’ll never get to experience sitting at the back of the aircraft used in war.

• Age Group – 2 and above
• Fee – Adults -$15, Kids-  $5, seniors- $12
• Usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Visiting Hours- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m

1.3.2 Arizona Museum of Natural History

The Museum of Natural History is a perfect family-friendly place to spend an afternoon. As soon as you enter the place you’ll see a giant skeleton of a mammoth, he used to roam around in America thousands of years ago. There are many more skeletons of dinosaurs and mammal fossils you can have a look at.

This amazing Museum is located in downtown Mesa. Not just the animal history this place has some human history as well as one part of the museum is dedicated to a European who was the first person who visited Arizona in the 1500s.

The Arizona Museum of Natural History has fossils from every era of Earth’s ancient history. Though many of the skeletons are replicas there are some real ones as well. This is a must-visit place with children as they get to pretend to be a paleontologist and dig the dirt for the long-lost fossils in the Paleo Dig Pit.

• Age Group – No age barrier
• Fee – Adults -$ 13, Kids-  $ 7, seniors- $10
• Usually closed on Sunday and Monday.
• Visiting Hours- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m

1.3.3 Arizona Science Centre

This science center is an amazing place to learn about all aspects of Science in just a few hours. This is a fantastic museum for kids and families which is located in downtown Phoenix. The place is known for its amazing exhibits and over 350 exhibits have been done at this place. The place has a doomed planetarium theatre to make you feel like you are in space while watching some amazing educational space videos about the solar system.

This place opens the door of creativity for the young growing minds and makes them learn more about physics, chemistry, and other areas of science. If your kid has an interest in science that this is a must-visit place for you and him to explore more about science.

• Age Group –  Child above 3
• Fee – Adults -$ 20, Kids-  $ 15.
• Open Everyday.
• Visiting Hours- 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m

1.3.4. Musical Instrument Museum

If you have an interest in music, you need to visit MIM as it is called affectionately. This place is home to 8000 instruments from over 200 countries. The museum has some very rare and expensive collections of musical instruments.

The Musical Instrument Museums believe or have faith that music is a language of souls and is a connection to the soul, so they try to display the same in their beautiful musical exhibits, events, and concerts. The Artist Gallery presents instruments that were used by famous musicians and performers like Elvis Presley, Jonny Cash, Maroon 5, and many more great musicians. The Museum has a Geographical Gallery that shows musical journeys around the world with little instruments. The MIM is the top global instrument museum in the world.

• Age Group –  5 and above
• Fee – Adults -$ 20, Teens-  $ 15, Children- $10
• Open Everyday.(occasionally closed on Sundays),
• Visiting Hours- 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m

1.3.5 Navajo Nation Museum 

Navajo is a tribe who are historically has been the most populous of all indigenous people in Arizona, with rich history stories. The Navajo Nation Museum is located on Navajo land and displays exhibits of artifacts, photographs, and Navajo artwork and jewelry.

Their exhibits feature handmade gems and jewelry from over 80 Navajo Artisans from all over the southwest. Also includes materials like hand-woven baskets, clothes, photographs, etc. This museum is worth the visit as you’ll need to see and honor the work of Navajo people who have lived here for centuries now

• Age Group – No age barrier
• Fee – Free for everyone
• Open Everyday.
• Visiting Hours- 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m

1.3.6 Heard Museum

Heard Museum is one of Phoenix’s first museums and a cultural attraction spot. The Museum was founded by Maie Heard, a few months after his husband’s Dwight Herad death. The museum opened in 1929, at that time opening a museum as a widowed was not something the society appreciated but still Miss Heard took the risk and open a museum for the collection of her art and the risk was worth it.

Since then the museum has gone under several expansions and renovations. Today it is one of the premier museums for Native American art in the world. The Museum brings more than 40 thousand visitors every year and has an outdoor area showcasing art mode on stone and sculptures. The museum is carrying the legacy of museums in Phonix. Also, a lot of dance and music exhibitions happen in the museum.

• Age Group – No age barrier
• Fee – Adults- $17, Children $9, Senior-$14
• Closed on Monday
• Visiting Hours- 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m

1.3.7 I.D.E.A Museum

As the name suggests this Museum is actually all about kids and if you don’t have you should probably avoid visiting this place as they have some amazing interactive exhibits for the children to enhance and develop their young growing minds with some learning skills, early mind development lessons and some learning about science and the best part is this is all done in a fun way so children can have fun as well as they learn. They even get activity kits to take back home.

To your shock the exhibitions keep changing so every time you go there is something new and unique for you and the kids. Like the recent exhibition was called “Robot Arts” which gave the kids an opportunity to learn more about the robot’s functions, mechanisms, and many more operations. This exhibition was so much fun for the curious-minded kids. The goal of this museum is to ultimately bring back the creativity in kids that’s why their website offers some in-home activities to nurture young minds.

• Age Group – No age barrier
• Fee – $9, kids under 1 year are free
• Closed on Monday
• Visiting Hours- Tue-Sat 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, Sun 12 pm-4 pm

These were the seven most amazing and fascinating museums in Arizona, well this list might contain the popular ones as the list of museums is never-ending a state with more than 140 museums is crazy just think about it how much they have saved, preserved, and displayed to the world. Every museum has its own specialty their own uniqueness that’s why, most tourists visit Arizona just for its museum’s beauty and to explore the scenery of the state.

2. Question/Answers

1)The word Museum is derived from?

A) It is derived from the Greek word “mouseion”, meaning a seat of muses and a philosophical institution.

2)What is the nickname of Arizona?

A) The nicknames given to Arizona are The Great Canyon and Cooper City.

3) What is special about Arizona?

A) Arizona’s most famous and now official nickname, “The Grand Canyon State” celebrates its most iconic feature, the Grand Canyon.

4)  Name the first museum in the world.

A) The first museum in the world is the Ashmolean Museum, which opened in 1683 in England.

5) What kind of state is Arizona?

A) Arizona is a landlocked state situated in the southwestern region of the United States of America

6) Is it hot in Arizona?

A) Yes, it is usually really hot and humid in Arizona.

7)  How many museums are there in Arizona?

A) There are more than 140 museums in total in the city.

8) Which city has the most number of museums?

A) Mexico City has the most number of museums i.e. more than 150 museums in the city.

9) How many types of museums are there?

A) There are five basic types of museums:- general museum, natural history and natural science museum, science and technology museum, history museum, and art museum.

10) Are we allowed to film inside the museum?

A) The answer differs from museum to museum as some museums allow photography while some restrict it. But you should always ask before filming in the museum.

11) How many museums are there in the world?

A) There are around 55000 museums in the world.

12) Is there an entry fee in museums?

A) Yes, every museum has a nominal entry fee but some museums are free also.

13) Which is the largest Museum in the World?

A) The Louvre in France is the largest museum in the World.

14) Is there a dress code in a museum?

A)  No, there is no dress code but prefer wearing comfortable casual shoes as there is a lot of walking inside.

15) How many tourists visit Arizona each year?

A) 40.9 million people visited Arizona in 2021 collectively spending $23.6 billion in the state.

16) Why visit Arizona?

A) The state of Arizona is one that features a fantastic diversity of landscapes and areas of geological interest.

17) Which city has India’s largest museum?

A) Kolkata has India’s largest museum in India, it’s called Indian Museum Kolkata. This museum is also the oldest museum in India.