Arizona is a hot state with lots to offer. But, if you can visit Arizona or live in Arizona, there are still some places you can go to with your family that offers fun, education, and great memories while beating the heat! So, I curated a list of five places to take your family next time you are in Arizona!
Legoland Discovery Center is located in Tempe, Arizona. Attached to the Arizona Mills Mall is the perfect place for the family to gather indoors in a chilled and fun environment. As you enter the Discovery Center, you will see a large city made up of recognizable Arizona structures and some familiar characters. Your family fun time will consist of various segments in the location. Kids can ride some fun lego themed rides, build with legos or lego Duplo, run and slide down the kids’ playground, build cars and race them. Recently, the parent’s lounge was taken over so that kids and families can dance to Troll’s music. There is a section to build with Legos from the Lego Friends collection as well. You can also choose to watch a 4D lego film, or you can learn to build like a master via the Lego Master area. Personally, my kids loved hanging with the Lego Master, mainly because there were not that many people there. My boys loved learning new techniques and cool tricks. The Lego Master was great with children, and he answered any questions we had about the prominent lego sculptors and other miniature sculptors around the Discovery Center. If you have a toddler, they will enjoy the giant rubber Legos and the small kids’ play area. If you are looking for refreshments, fear not, there is a section for food and drinks and, of course, sitting for plenty of guests. On the way out of the Lego Discovery Center, you will go through a sizable store filled with everything a Lego lover could want! There are annual passes, combination passes, or day passes if you are visiting for the day. Regardless of what you choose, you and your family will have a lot of fun at Legoland Discovery Center.
The Sea Life Aquarium is across from Legoland Discovery Center in the Arizona Mills Mall. They have combination passes for both Legoland Discovery Center and the Sea Life Aquarium, including the annual pass combination. My family has the combination pass, and it has been a lot of fun, especially in a pandemic year. Both these locations take cleanliness seriously and uphold regulations and CDC guidelines. The aquarium is a fun place to learn and discover all about the sea life in our oceans. My kids love the sea turtles and sharks. There are touch areas and lots to see around every corner, including a 360-degree walk-through area where you are surrounded by sea life. If you look below you, you can see sharks and fish swim below you or even right above your head. I love the ray area. It gives you an up-close look at how they function and interact with other rays, fish, and even the ocean floor. Along the way, you can participate in collecting stamps and choose to have your children fill out things they discover and see in various centers of the aquarium. Since it has been a pandemic year, going to the aquarium and filling out the papers is a great way to get a science field trip done while getting science credit. In addition, there is a play area for the kids and a gift shop filled with creatures they just saw on the way out of the aquarium. It is a great place to learn and become immersed in the sea life experience.
Makutu’s Island is located in Chandler, Arizona. Makutu’s Island is an indoor jungle-themed playground with a large tree filled with tubes, slides, tunnels, and a zipline. Kids can run around and explore the jungle play area, and small kids can enjoy a toddler play section. Much of Makutu’s Island has cute animal characters the kids seem to love, and parents can relax and hit the cafe for food and refreshments for the family. Makutu’s Island takes safety and CDC guidelines seriously, and they also participate in socially distanced parties. You can book a party before opening and close to closing as well. Before the pandemic started, my son visited Makutu’s Island with his school. We discovered that groups and schools could rent out slotted times for their events, making it a perfect place to get to know parents and teachers and let the kids play in a chilled area safely. So if you are looking for a place indoors to have family fun, this is a great choice, especially for parties.
Crayola Experience in Chandler is a colorful fun family experience. It is attached to a mall much like Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium in Tempe. The Crayola experience has a lot of fun activities for children and adults alike. Melt crayons, make silly selfies, use modeling, arcade center, large caddy, drip art, and many more activities are available for kids of all ages. You can buy tickets directly at the Crayola Experience and spend a reasonable amount of time creating. It is a great place to unleash creativity in a fun and safe environment and most certainly would count as an art credit for school. The kids can explore the many centers in the experience, and when the fun is done, you can venture into the large shop. The shop is opened to everyone regardless if you are participating in the experience portion. Here you will find a massive wall filled with every crayon and marker color known in the Crayola series. You can pick your pack and fill up a tin or a box with as many crayons and markers as you want and pay the price for the box or tin. When we went, I bought the tin and filled it up, and layered my tin over and over to the brim. Metallics, glitter, and everything in between was present to choose for your bucket. I had doubles and triples of my favorite colors. The Kids loved the plushies, candy locations, coloring books, and other coloring accessories. There is a lot to experience, see, and do at the Crayola Experience!
Funtasticks is located in Tuscon, Arizona. There is something for everyone there to enjoy. The water park known as Cactus Springs is a great place to rent a cabana and enjoy the water fun. Cactus Springs consists of multiple levels. Water slides, buckets that tip, water wheels, and bubble jets are just some of the many features of this fun water attraction. In addition to the water park area, there is go-kart racing, water bumper boats, an arcade, miniature golfing, laser tag, kiddie land (rides for the young ones), and more. You can book parties here, and you can upgrade your wristbands for various attractions. Funtasticks is a fun place to visit for the whole family.
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