Destination Information - Phoenix, Arizona, USA

The booming metro enclave of Phoenix/Scottsdale and its surrounding region offer a fascinating meld of cowboy, American Indian, and Hispanic cultures in a rugged desert landscape. Here, the 15-foot-tall saguaro cacti seem to beckon you forward. So whether you're lounging poolside in the midday heat or on an evening nature ramble, you're sure to feel like you've escaped the ordinary.

Phoenix's Desert Botanical Gardens reveal the world's arid habitats in a 50-acre display of 10,000 plants. A visit here is sure to dispel the myth that deserts are boring and barren. On the self-guided walking tour, discover the myriad shades of green that color the desert and how many diverse plants flourish here. Walk by huge acacia trees, mesquite thickets, and tiers of purple-tinged prickly pear cactus. Get your kids to count the number of lizards they spy darting in the underbrush. Along the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Trail, kids can twist agave fibers into twine and pound mesquite beans into flour. During Family Saturdays, the garden has puppet shows, craft-making sessions, and animal displays. On Thursday nights (the best time to visit since the temperatures are cooler) in June and July, families can go on Flashlight Discovery Tours through the desert to see the night-blooming flowers, watch for owls, and listen to the coyotes howl.

The Phoenix Zoo features elephants, orangutans, giraffes, and a 10,000-square-foot Monkey Village where you can watch squirrel monkeys scamper and jump through the trees right next to you. Ride the Safari Train to get oriented, or if you want an easy-on-the-feet special tour, book a Safari Cart Tour, a customized one-hour guided tour for up to five people.