Top Rated Attractions in Phoenix

Music lovers should head to the Musical Instrument Museum which has a collection of 15,000 musical instruments as well as multimedia exhibits. The collection of musical instruments comes from every corner of the world. Many so strange, they are exhibited along with an instructional video. Visitors get the opportunity to learn diverse music styles that exist around the globe. The museum also has live performances held at its theater.

Located in the Phoenix Convention Center, the Orpheum Theater is one of the oldest historic venues in the city. Built in 1929, the Spanish Baroque-style building underwent major transformation after its purchase by the city of Phoenix in 1984. The theater reopened in January 1997 and continually hosts performances. The building itself listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue seats 1,364 and is used for performing arts and touring productions featuring dance, theater, and music concerts.

One of the largest in the Southwest, the Phoenix Art Museum includes a staggering collection of exhibits from the world over. Permanent displays in this facility include miniature interiors as well as 20th-century art. Featured pieces cover contemporary art and fashion design with international exhibits from Europe, Asia, Latin America as well as Western America. Interactive, hands-on activities are featured for kids at the PhxArtKids space. Traveling displays are often included in the museum's highlights. Exhibits include popular works by Ubertini, Nicolas Lepicie, Max Beckmann, Robert Henri, Eugène Boudin and many more.

Founded in 1929 by Dwight B. and Marie Bartlett Heard, this museum houses tributes to American Indian art and culture. At the Heard Museum, permanent displays are showcased along with traveling exhibits displaying the rich heritage of the people. Home of approximately 40,000 artifacts, the museum has on display American Indian jewelry and more than four hundred Hopi katsina dolls. Heard Museum also has an exhibition that narrates the stories of Native Americans in 19th-century boarding schools.

Children and adults alike will adore this museum that explores the past and present of firefighting. Marvel at restored firefighting equipment, including artifacts from the 1700s and fully restored firefighting trucks. Pose for a photo by the horse-drawn fire engine then check out old firefighting helmets. Kids will love the parts of the museum that allow you to interact with the displays, including trying on a uniform and climbing aboard a firetruck. Although the museum mainly focuses on firefighting in the United States, it also has international artifacts. A must-visit museum for people interested in something unique.

Featuring multiple stages, the Herberger Theater Center is centrally located in downtown Phoenix. Center Stage contains a hydraulic orchestra pit and accommodates up to 802 patrons and the superb acoustics optimize every dramatic presentation. The smaller, more intimate Stage West theater seats 325 and this is where various dance troupes, plays and orchestras perform. This center is also home to Ballet Arizona, the Actors' Theater of Phoenix and the Arizona Theater Company.