The Valley of the Sun offers a lot of fun

From sculptures in botanical gardens to vintage-car road races, Phoenix has a lot to enjoy in April
By MELANIE BRISBON, Published March 31, 2009

The city of Phoenix provides an exciting mix of cultural and urban attractions ideal for those in town for the 89th annual American Association of Community Colleges convention April 4-7.

Convention attendees interested in the latest in sustainability efforts don’t have to go any farther than the new 900,000-square-foot Phoenix Convention Center, which is hosting the convention. The center, which opened this year, comprises $3.2 million worth of public art and ecologically friendly features, such as solar paneling and a water-harvesting garden. Its West Building received a LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

To get around town, consider the city’s public transportation system, called the Valley Metro. It includes buses and light rail trains that stop throughout the city, as well as Mesa and Tempe. Patrons can ride all day for $2.50. The light rail runs every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours. The trains can get crowded, though, especially during rush hour.

The Valley Metro stops in the heart of downtown Phoenix, known as Copper Square (http://www.coppersquare.com/), home to more than 90 restaurants, pubs and markets. Given Phoenix’s close proximity to Mexico, the area has some of the finest Mexican-inspired food. Cowboy Ciao, Richardson's and Barrio Café are local hot spots for good Mexican cuisine. Pizza lovers should sample Pizzeria Bianco or Grande Orange Pizzeria. American food lovers may enjoy the steakhouse Rustlers Roost or AZ 88.

Copper Square is also home to the Arizona Science Center, which comprises many exhibits for both children and adults. General admission is $9 for adults. Extra fees apply to the IMAX theater, planetarium and for special exhibits.

Speaking of special exhibits, Star Trek fans should check out the “Star Trek: The Exhibition” at the center. It features authentic model ships, sets, costumes and props from all five series and 10 feature films. The cost for the special exhibit is $20 per adult, with general admission included. Purchase tickets for this exhibit at www.azscience.org/star_trek.php.

The metro system also connects to other interesting sites, including the Phoenix Art Museum (www.phxart.org) and the Hall of Flame Fire Museum (http://www.hallofflame.org/). The Phoenix Art Museum, founded in 1959, is the largest visual arts museum in the Southwest and includes works by artists such as Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, Annie Leibowitz and Monet, in addition to a collection of more than 18,000 works of modern and contemporary art and fashion design. General admission is $10 for adults, but convention attendees can enter for free on Friday, April 3 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (the museum is free to the public on the first Friday of each month), or they can visit for free on April 7 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Hall of Flame Fire Museum has extensive fire-history exhibits, with nearly 100 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display, dating from 1725 to 1969. Most of the items on exhibit are American, but the museum also contains artifacts from England, France, Austria, Germany and Japan. Additionally, the museum sponsors the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, which honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty or demonstrated heroism. Admission is $6 for adults.

Another attraction accessible by public transportation is the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art (http://www.heard.org/), which was founded in 1929 by Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard to house their personal collection of Native American artifacts and art. The museum features many drawings, sculptures, paintings and writings of Native Americans, particularly from the Southwest. One of its crown jewels is the Bille Jane Baguley Library and Archives, a research facility containing art and information on more than 25,000 American Indian artists. The library also has extensive information about indigenous art and cultures from around the world. General admission for adults is $10.

Since Phoenix is home to 22 federally recognized Native Americans tribes, it has several other attractions focusing on Native American culture. The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (http://phoenix.gov/parks/pueblo.html) is where archeologists believe the Hohokam people lived around the year 1450. A major attraction of the 102-acre park is the ruin of an 800-year-old platform, which archeologists believe the Hohokam used for ceremonies or as an administrative center. Visitors can also see an excavated ball court, full-scale reproductions of Hohokam homes and some of the last remaining intact Hohokam irrigation canals, which can be seen along a walking trail in the park.

Phoenix has an arid climate with hot summers and temperate winters. The climate makes for an interesting mix of vegetation in the city. The Desert Botanical Garden (http://www.dbg.org/) accessible by a free shuttle from the Priest and Washington Valley Metro stop) hosts one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants. The unique museum showcases 50 acres of outdoor exhibits featuring 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world.
The botanical garden is currently featuring the exhibit, “Chihuly: The Nature of Glass,” that features the vibrant works of Dale Chihuly, a world-renowned artist whose innovative glass sculptures have been featured in more than 200 museums worldwide. General admission is $15 per adult.

Convention goers arriving early can take in a movie at the Phoenix Film Festival April 2- 9 at the Harkins Scottsdale/ 101 Theatre. It is the largest film festival in Arizona and features many independent films, as well as special guests. This year, the fest will screen a film by students from Scottsdale Community College on April 3. Tickets cost $10 per screening. Visit http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.org/.

Classic auto lovers may want to see one of the premier vintage car road rallies in North America. The Copperstate Road Rally, created in 1990 as a fundraiser for Phoenix Art Museum, hosts about 75 qualifying vintage automobiles with drivers and co-drivers from the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Europe. More than 70 rare and vintage cars tour through Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

The event also features the Field of Dreams Car Show in which more than 500 vehicles will be on display. Each event is priced differently. Visit www.mensartscouncil.com/cs for additional information.