15 Best Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix in 2024

SEARCHING FOR FUN INDOOR THINGS TO DO IN PHOENIX?

We have spent months living in Phoenix, usually escaping the cold winters at home, and have spent our fair share of time exploring Phoenix and the surrounding area. We know what it’s like when it’s raining or too uncomfortable to be outside during the hot summer months, and you need to find somewhere to hang out indoors with air conditioning.

There are so many fun indoor things to do in Phoenix and the surrounding area. Our family has been able to visit all of the indoor places on this list, and are all places our family loves! My kids are always asking when we can go back to the Crayola Experience in Arizona. 

Here is a list of our favorite indoor things to do in Phoenix, AZ, that we enjoy during our visits to Arizona.

Best Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix

1. Odysea Aquarium

Odysea Aquarium is home to over 30,000 animals and 500 different species and is a great way to spend the day. Our kids always love a trip to the aquarium, and this was one of our favorite activities in Phoenix.

Each exhibit is an educational experience, and there are many interactive exhibits to get your children of all ages involved. My kids loved the touchpools and reading about the animals they were looking at.

We love seeing sharks, turtles, and jellyfish. The Odysea Aquarium in Scottsdale was also full of animals we don’t get to see as often, like otters, crocodiles, eels, and a variety of unique fish.

We recommend scheduling three or four hours to spend at the aquarium. There is also a gift shop on site.

2. Butterfly Wonderland

Butterfly Wonderland is just next door, in the same complex as Odysea Aquarium. If you’re planning to visit both locations, we recommend getting the combination discount tickets. We’ve found that combination tickets are one of the best ways to catch the highlights of a new city on a budget.

This combo ticket is the only way to save money and enjoy both of these amazing Phoenix attractions.

Plan on an hour and a half to two hours to experience all of the fun things at Butterfly Wonderland. Our favorite part was the Butterfly Emergence Gallery. Here, you get to view chrysalis before they hatch into butterflies.

Next, you can spend as much time as you’d like in the conservatory. There are thousands of butterflies in the conservatory that are so colorful. Rowen and Raven loved wandering through to see how many different colors of butterflies they could find.

There are other displays and exhibits highlighting the animals that live among the butterflies as well. The Rainforest Reptile Exhibit is the newest addition to Butterfly Wonderland. It features so many interesting animals like the Asian water dragon, the poison dart frogs, and dwarf caiman crocodiles.

You could easily spend a day at the Odysea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland, making it one of the perfect indoor kids’ activities in Phoenix.

Related Article – Odysea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland – A Fun Family Stop in Phoenix

3. Sealife Aquarium

Sealife Aquarium is in the same complex as LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona, and discounted tickets are available if you visit both. When we visited, the price difference to add a second experience was around $7, so it’s definitely worth the money to buy the combination tickets.

My kids loved watching the fish swim in the Shoaling Ring. You get to stand in the middle and watch as hundreds of barred flagtails swim around you.

The shipwreck was the other highlight for us. Here, you can climb up on the ship and look down at the animals in the water, as well as view them from an underwater observation bubble.

Sealife Aquarium was a lot of fun and is definitely one of the most fun things to do in Phoenix indoors.

▶️ Get Tickets for Sealife Aquarium Here!

4. Arizona Museum of Natural History

During our last visit to Arizona, we visited the Arizona Museum of Natural History. This is one of the best things to do in Phoenix indoors if you are interested in dinosaurs or want to give your kids the opportunity to learn about dinosaurs.

There are awesome hands-on exhibits and beautiful displays. There is also a fun room where young kids can play and further explore dinosaurs with fun games, toys, and activities.

Outside, there is a fun area where you can pan for gold in the History Courtyard and learn more about the mining in the Lost Dutchman Mine. This was one of our kids’ favorite things about the museum.

Other highlights of the museum include a flash flood exhibit that is three stories tall, as well as over 60,000 items that are significant to Arizona’s natural history, anthropology, history, and art.

5. Musical Instrument Museum

One of the most unique and interesting museums we have been to in all our travels is the Musical Instrument Museum. This is the only global musical instrument museum in the world, and exploring all the different instruments and music from around the world is amazing.

The museum is broken up into different parts of the world and features their music, instruments, and costumes. This is a great cultural experience. You also get a headset when you go in, making it easy to watch and listen to the different musical samples throughout the museum.

My kids especially loved listening to the music and seeing the different costumes from around the world. Visiting the Musical Instrument Museum is one of the best indoor activities in Phoenix.

Another really great section for kids is the hands-on music room. Here, kids and, yes, adults get to play, too; they can play any instrument in the room. Raven fell in love with the banjo, and Rowen thought playing the harp was amazing!

Keep in mind that this is the only interactive room in the museum. If you have younger kids or kids who prefer lots of hands-on activities rather than looking at exhibits, your visit to the museum might be really short. However, I will say that my kids thought the outfits and videos in the exhibits were all very entertaining.

Coltin and I had fun engaging with our kids here, too. The museum is targeted toward kids, but it’s also one of the most fun indoor activities in Phoenix for adults! It’s the perfect place for cultural learning and fun!

6. Fat Cats

If you are looking for fun things to do inside in Phoenix that the entire family will enjoy, Fat Cats is a great option. There are lots of fun activities there, like a bowling alley, an arcade, a movie theater, glow golf, and virtual reality entertainment. It’s a great entertainment venue!

When we visited, we went bowling and had a lot of fun. There are 20 bowling lanes, and you can order food to be delivered right to your lane. They don’t have a full bar, but they do serve beer as well. We went bowling with family who live in the area, and they didn’t have any problems accommodating a large group.

The glow golf is also a fun activity there. It is a 9-hole course with a space theme. It glows in the dark, which is a fun way to add a twist to your normal miniature golf. The walls also have a really cool glow-in-the-dark design.

There are three locations in Arizona – Mesa, Gilbert, and Queen Creek. This is one of the best indoor attractions in Phoenix, AZ.

7. Fashion Square

Fashion Square is one of the premier shopping, entertainment, and dining centers just a day trip away, in Scottsdale, just outside of The Valley of the Sun. It is a very nice mall with lots of great stores to go to. There are lots of high-end stores as well as designer boutiques.

We love exploring this mall because if you don’t want to spend any money, window shopping is one of the most fun, free indoor things to do in Phoenix. If you don’t mind dropping some cash, there is also a movie theater and some great restaurants here too.

If you’re feeling like taking things outside, old-town Scottsdale is another fun place to visit in this area!

8. Phoenix Art Museum

The Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest’s largest art museum and is one of the best indoor activities for adults in Phoenix. The museum is home to about 17,000 pieces of fine arts, photography, and fashion from around the world.

There are some permanent exhibits as well as rotating ones. Exhibits focus on works of art from America, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The Western spirit of America is on display here, including some amazing American Indian Art. Modern, contemporary, and fashion designs are also represented.

There are also lots of great programs throughout the year, like tours, films, and special events. Due to the more serious subject matter, a visit here is one of the best indoor activities in Phoenix, AZ, for adults.

If you happen to be visiting with kids, they will have fun, too! Be sure to check out the PhxArtKids Artist Gallery, which has lots of interactive and hands-on activities, as well as the sculpture garden.  

The Phoenix Art Museum has free admission every first Friday from 3 pm to 9 pm, perfect for date night. Touring the museum usually takes 2-3 hours.

Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix With Kids

9. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona

Rowen and Raven are big fans of LEGOS, so visiting LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona was a huge treat for them! Everyone in the family will enjoy the two rides, 10 LEGO build-and-play zones, as well as the 4D cinema. It’s one of the best indoor things to do in Arizona.

Be sure to check out the Miniland. The LEGO builds are incredible. There are light rail trains that run, construction workers demolishing the streets, and all sorts of fun things to look at.

It’s the perfect opportunity for Lego lovers to have the time of their lives!

After going through the Miniland, there is a large room with multiple play areas, including Lego Friends and Olivia’s House. Rowen and Raven loved this section. We could let them bounce from station to station as they wanted.

There are hands-on learning stations where you can design an earthquake-resistant building and car design. They also have a LEGO building class which Rowen loved. This was one of the girls’ favorite fun indoor activities in Phoenix.

Get Tickets for Legoland Discovery Center Here!

10. Party Jungle

Party Jungle is one of the best spots to visit if you are looking for fun indoor kids activities in Phoenix. It is an indoor amusement park with lots of fun rides, miniature golf, and games. Party Jungle even has a little track for train rides.

It is also nice because you can go on the rides as many times as you would like. Your entrance fee into the indoor park in Phoenix covers unlimited rides, laser tag, and miniature golf. They also have one of the best indoor playgrounds in Phoenix.

You do have to buy separate tokens if you want to play any of the arcade games.

11. Matuku’s Island

Makutu’s Island is an indoor adventure playground in the Phoenix area built around a huge tree and is filled with tunnels, nets, slides, and tubes. I especially loved that there was a baby section that I could let my youngest play in and not have to worry about her getting run over by bigger kids.

Coltin and the girls loved earning tickets in the arcade while Sage and I played in the baby section. There is also a pizzeria, making it a one-stop for fresh food and family fun.

This is definitely one of our top recommended indoor things to do in Phoenix with kids. Plus, adults get in free with a paying child, making it an affordable and fun family adventure.

12. Crayola Experience

We spent the ENTIRE day at the Crayola Experience. You don’t have to be there that long if you don’t want to, but my kids would have been there well after closing if they had been allowed to stay. If you ask them, it is the only right place to be in Phoenix!

The Crayola Experience in Chandler is ideal for kids between the ages of 3-6 but I think older kids would still enjoy the different stations and activities. It is an indoor kids’ heaven filled with hands-on activities inspired by Crayola products. My oldest kids are eight and still love visiting but they are super creative and love crafts.

We went through every station, and then Rowen and Raven made the rounds back through their favorite ones. With a few exceptions, you can do each of the stations as many times as you would like.

Rowen and Raven did the drip art station probably 20 times each. This was the main event for them! Thank you to the wonderful local store employee who was so patient with them.

Everyone over the age of 3 will need a ticket.  You should plan on spending 3-4 hours at the Crayola Experience because it is one of the great indoor kids’ activities in Phoenix. It’s definitely a good choice for families looking to have some artistic fun or beat the summer heat!

13. i.d.e.a. Museum

The i.d.e.a. Museum is completely set up to introduce little kids to the world through art, creativity, and imagination. The main area of the museum is known as the HUB. This large room is filled with interactive and educational experiences to grow your child’s imagination.

Rowen loved creating art pieces from different materials and objects. We learned about recycling, how gears work, and more!

Raven’s favorite part of the i.d.e.a Museum was Artville. It is designed for kids five and under, and you have to wear socks, so bring a pair.

It is a small village filled with a kitchen, a veterinary clinic, and a great place set aside for puppet shows. There is also a studio for an art project.

14. Uptown Jungle

Uptown Jungle is awesome! We visit every time we come to Phoenix, and sometimes multiple times during each visit. It is an indoor play area with a trampoline park area, indoor rock climbing walls, super slides, and other play equipment.

Our favorite parts were the ball blaster area and the climbing walls. The climbing walls are specifically designed for kids of all ages, and my kids had no trouble scaling the walls as they learned the basic skills of rock climbing.

Admission charges are based on the amount of time you want to play. We usually stay for two hours each time, and it always goes really quickly. If you have younger kids, you may want to consider the 90-minute option. The socks are available for purchase if you don’t have a pair.

If you’re looking to spend some time inside, this Phoenix rock gym is one of the great indoor activities for kids in Phoenix and Mesa.

15. Children’s Museum of Phoenix

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is one of the wonderful indoor kids’ activities in downtown Phoenix and is a popular attraction for families. It gets kids moving and using their imagination. It has over 300 play experiences spread out over three floors.

Kids under the age of 11 will enjoy the museum most. Rowen and Raven loved all of the play sections, like the grocery store, car wash, kitchen, and ice cream cart. There are exhibits for older kids as well, like an outdoor construction area where they can screw, hammer, and glue.

Another great part of the museum was all of the art and craft tables set up. There was a section for face painting and a table to make a book using markers and stickers. They had an art room where you could make a project using recycled materials as well.

Map of Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix

FAQ: Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix

Conclusion: Indoor Things to Do in Phoenix

We hope you have found this list of our favorite indoor activities helpful in planning some of the fun things to do indoors in Phoenix. Whether it is a rainy day or one of the hot summer days, there are lots of great indoor activities in Phoenix.

We’ve also enjoyed many outdoor activities in Phoenix, so we can help you out if you are looking to enjoy some outdoor fun in the city as well. We always love our time in Phoenix and hope you have a great visit as well.

Arizona is such a beautiful state, and if you have some extra time, you can turn your visit into a very fun road trip. You can drive up through the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon or head south to see Saguaro National Park. Or even get adventurous and go Salt River Tubing! The opportunities for fun are endless.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or reach out on Instagram.