Papago Park: the garden and the zoo (11 to 13 minutes)
Papago Park straddles the Phoenix and Tempe line ten minutes southwest of Hideaway and holds three of the Valley’s best outings. The Desert Botanical Garden is 140 acres of Sonoran Desert plants on gentle trails, with a spring butterfly pavilion, evening concerts and the luminaria nights in December. The Phoenix Zoo next door is one of the largest nonprofit zoos in the country. And the park’s red sandstone buttes, including the Hole-in-the-Rock, offer the easiest sunset hike in the metro.
Downtown Phoenix (about 23 to 25 minutes)
Chase Field hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks from late March through September under a retractable roof, and the Mortgage Matchup Center (the arena formerly named Footprint Center) hosts the Suns, the Mercury and the biggest touring concerts. Both are on Jefferson Street with garages and light rail nearby. A mile north on Central Avenue, the Heard Museum is the country’s leading museum of American Indian art and the Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest’s largest art museum; Roosevelt Row’s murals, galleries and restaurants fill the blocks between them.
North Phoenix (about 25 minutes)
The Musical Instrument Museum on Mayo Boulevard holds more than 8,000 instruments from around the world, with wireless headphones that play each one as you approach; it is the museum visitors rank first after the fact. It sits near Mayo Clinic and the Desert Ridge shopping district.
Tempe (12 to 14 minutes)
Tempe Town Lake rents kayaks, pedal boats and bikes on a two-mile urban lake, and Mill Avenue is Arizona State University’s main street of bars and restaurants. Mullett Arena and Mountain America Stadium host ASU hockey and Sun Devil football, and Sloan Park in Mesa, the Cubs’ spring training park, is 12 minutes from the house.
Glendale and the West Valley (about 40 minutes)
State Farm Stadium hosts the Arizona Cardinals, the Fiesta Bowl and stadium concerts; Desert Diamond Arena next door handles arena tours. Allow 40 minutes without traffic and considerably more on event days.
Getting there
Loop 101 is five minutes east of Hideaway on Indian School Road and connects to the 202 for Tempe, Mesa and the airport and to the 51 for north Phoenix; downtown Phoenix is a straight run west on Indian School or Camelback to the 51. Valley Metro light rail does not reach Scottsdale, so plan on driving or rideshare. Details in the getting-around guide.
Drive times
| Destination | Drive |
|---|---|
| Desert Botanical Garden 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix | 11 min (4.8 mi) |
| Phoenix Zoo 455 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix | 12 min (5.2 mi) |
| OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland 9500 E Via de Ventura | 11 min (5.8 mi) |
| Taliesin West 12621 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd | 22 min (12.5 mi) |
| Chaparral Park and Dog Park 5401 N Hayden Rd | 5 min (1.8 mi) |
| Camelback Mountain, Echo Canyon Trailhead 4925 E McDonald Dr, Phoenix | 12 min (5.4 mi) |
| Sloan Park, Mesa (Chicago Cubs) 2330 W Rio Salado Pkwy, Mesa | 12 min (7 mi) |
| Tempe Diablo Stadium (Los Angeles Angels) 2200 W Alameda Dr, Tempe | 20 min (11.1 mi) |
| Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks) 401 E Jefferson St, Phoenix | 23 min (12.8 mi) |
| Mortgage Matchup Center, formerly Footprint Center (Suns, Mercury, concerts) 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix | 23 min (12.6 mi) |
| State Farm Stadium, Glendale (Arizona Cardinals) 1 Cardinals Dr, Glendale | 40 min (27.9 mi) |
| Mullett Arena and ASU Tempe campus | 12 min (5.8 mi) |