Here’s my list of fun things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona! Most of these things to do are easy and family-friendly (minus maybe just the Camelback hike), some are even free, but they were all so much fun and I would definitely recommend them for your own trip to Scottsdale.

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I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days in Scottsdale, Arizona on a work trip. Although I was there for work, you know that as the travel lover that I am I explored as much of Scottsdale as I could in my free time.

Just a few short months ago I went ATV Riding in the Arizona desert. It was a ton of fun, but we spent all of our time in the desert and didn’t get to see what any of Arizona’s cities had to offer. So I was glad to have the opportunity to return to Arizona so soon and see another side to this beautiful state. And it didn’t disappoint.

While I wish I could have spent more time dedicated to exploring this wonderful city, I did manage to experience some amazing things in Scottsdale.

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Where to stay in Scottsdale, Arizona

Before jumping into the list of things to do in Scottsdale, I’ll touch on some options of where to stay in the area. Deciding where to stay depends on your travel style and your priorities for your time in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mountain Shadows Resort

Photo credit: Mountain Shadows Resort website

During my visit to Scottsdale, I stayed at the Mountain Shadows Resort. This 4-star hotel is in the “shadow” of Camelback Mountain, which is where it gets its name. The view of the mountain was beautiful from my hotel room balcony. One of the days during my visit, I made the 30-minute walk from the hotel to the Camelback trailhead to actually hike the mountain. Besides its awe-inspiring view, Mountain Shadows boasts luxurious rooms and services, a pool, and golfing on property.

Book your stay: Mountain Shadows Resort on Hotels.com

Hotels in Paradise Valley

Along with the Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley has a number of other luxury resorts, most with golfing and spas too. These include Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, and JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa.

But the cost of seclusion and an amazing view with vast areas for golfing comes at a price: there’s not a ton to do within walking distance here. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive to get into downtown Scottsdale. Now that I’ve had the Paradise Valley experience, for my next trip to Scottsdale, I plan on staying downtown to enjoy more of the nightlife that the city may have to offer.

Staying in Downtown Scottsdale

Scottsdale’s downtown, including Old Town Scottsdale (which I will talk about more in a minute), is definitely the central hub of things to do in the city. So if you want to be close to the action during your trip, it only makes sense to base yourself in the area. From Paradise Valley, you will inevitably have to take a lot of Ubers to get to where you’re going. But if you’re staying downtown, you could walk to many of your destinations. Once again, it really just depends on your travel style and your priorities for your trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Since I didn’t stay in downtown Scottsdale during my visit, I can’t personally recommend any hotels. But I did some researching of top places to stay in downtown Scottsdale. Some recognizable options are Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale Old Town and Hyatt Place Scottsdale Old Town. A hip hotel with a party atmosphere is the W Scottsdale. And a popular boutique hotel is The Saguaro.

Explore more Scottsdale hotel options on Hotels.com

1. Explore Old Town Scottsdale

When looking up things to do in Scottsdale during my trip, one place that consistently made the lists was Old Town Scottsdale. This historic district is home to art galleries and museums, dining and entertainment, and plenty of shopping options. The streets and buildings of the Old Town area have that old western charm which makes the experience even more fun! Old Town Scottsdale is very easily walkable, but the entire area has free parking and there are many rentable bikes and scooters if you so desire.

The Mission Restaurant

Website: The Mission
Hours: 11am – 10pm

During my visit to Old Town Scottsdale, I stopped for lunch at The Mission. This modern Latin cuisine restaurant is set inside an old mission church. The indoor seating is dark and I would recommend sitting outdoors anyway for the cool space. But it wasn’t just the unique setting that made me want to stop by, the food was also highly rated.

The day was hot and sunny, as it usually is in Arizona, so I ordered a refreshing margarita right away. To eat, I ordered the Chicken Torta, a sandwich with crispy chicken breast, chorizo, corn, and queso. It was oh so delicious but I easily could have only eaten half and been satisfied – the portion wasn’t skimpy. That didn’t stop me from eating the whole thing and being way too full though. Which was kind of a shame because there were more items on the menu I would have loved to try, such as the grilled street corn. I would definitely love to go back here with a group so that we could share plates and try more things! Check out the menu here.

The Bronze Horse Fountain

One of the most photographed landmarks in Scottsdale, the Bronze Horse Fountain shouldn’t be missed if you’re in Old Town Scottsdale. The fountain was created and donated to the city in 1989 by artist Bob Parks with the intention of attracting more visitors to the area. It worked!

The fountain is located at the intersection of N Marshall Way and E 5th Avenue (Google Maps). Nearby you can find one of the area’s other top restaurants, Citizen Public House.

Souvenir Shopping

Old Town Scottsdale is a favorite destination for locals and tourists alike, but rest assured they’ve got the tourists like us covered with souvenir shops. While walking around Old Town Scottsdale, I was on the prowl to pick up a souvenir to bring home to Peter. I ended up stopping in a shop called Kactus Jock where I bought him a pair of fun socks depicted the silhouette of a cowboy in a desert landscape. This shop and the others I passed had a large assortment of cactus and desert related goods, Scottsdale and Arizona shirts, crazy socks, cowboy hats, suckers that had a small scorpion in the center (?!), and of course postcards.

2. Hike Camelback Mountain

AllTrails: Camelback Mountain via Echo Canyon Trail
Website: Climb Camelback
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Out of all of the fun things to do in Scottsdale that I did during my trip, hiking Camelback Mountain was by far my favorite. It was a challenging and rewarding hike that I will never forget.

There are two main trails available to hikers to reach the summit of Camelback Mountain: Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla Trail. The Echo Canyon Trail is the more popular option. It is a little shorter at 2.4 miles long but more rugged and difficult. The Cholla Trail is 2.6 miles long and still rated as a difficult hike, but supposedly a little easier than the Echo Canyon Trail. I hiked the Echo Canyon Trail.

Rather than a simple paved trail, this hike takes you up the side of the Camelback Mountain, over steep terrain and boulders that at times doesn’t even resemble a trail. In total, the hike took me about 2.5 hours from start to finish. This included plenty of quick water breaks and stopping at the top for pictures. The summit of Camelback Mountain rewards you with 360-degree views of Scottsdale, Pheonix, and the Arizona desert beyond. It was stunning.

I only had time to do this hike in the afternoon and ended up catching the sunset during my hike down. It was beautiful, but then I had to complete the last portion of the hike in the dark. Hiking Camelback after dark is actually prohibited (oops) so try to plan your hike better than I did! Cars parked in the lot after hours will be ticketed. This trail is no joke and hiking the steep rocky trail in the dark is dangerous. Plan accordingly!

3. OdySea Aquarium

Website: OdySea Aquarium
Cost: $38 adult, $28 child, ($25 for adult and child tickets Mon-Sat after 4:30pm!)
Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon-Wed) or 7pm (Thurs-Sun)

The OdySea Aquarium is a part of the new OdySea in the Desert entertainment district, which also includes the Butterfly Wonderland, Pangea Land of the Dinosaurs, and plenty of restaurants and shopping. This area is full of things to do that are fun for the whole family (or just fun for yourself if you’re there alone like I was), so it is definitely worth a visit during your trip to Scottsdale.

According to the OdySea Aquarium website, it is home to 6,000 creatures including 300 different species in over 65 exhibits. Some of my personal favorites were the penguins, manta ray, octopus, sharks, sea turtles, and an entire glass pillar filled with jellyfish.

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One unique attraction that this aquarium boasts is their OdySea Voyager, which comes included in the price of the general admission ticket. The OdySea Voyager is the world’s only revolving deep sea exhibit. You sit in theatre-style seating with 46 ft. viewing windows for a 20-minute “journey” through 4 different exhibits including sea turtles, sea lions, and sharks.

I visited around 5pm so my ticket was only $25. But, because I got there later I had to kind of rush through this large aquarium to get through it in an hour for closing and I still ended up being there a little past 6pm. I could have easily spent 2 hours here. So you’ll have to decide your priorities for your visit to the aquarium.

4. Butterfly Wonderland

Website: Butterfly Wonderland
Cost: $24 adult, $16 child
Hours: 9am – 6pm

Photo Credit: Butterfly Wonderland website

If you’re already in the area of the OdySea Aquarium, you can stop right next door at Butterfly Wonderland to marvel at more of nature’s beauty. Home to thousands of butterflies, Butterfly Wonderland is the largest butterfly conservatory in America! Along with the butterflies, it is home to innumerable flowers, tropical plants, other insects, and even reptiles.

Although their website states that they are open until 6pm, be aware that they stop selling tickets after 5pm. Plan your visit accordingly. I didn’t actually get to go to the Butterfly Wonderland during my time in Scottsdale because I got there just at 5pm and it was too late (next time for sure!). This was disappointing, but luckily I got a little butterfly action at the Desert Botanical Garden.

5. Visit the Desert Botanical Garden

Website: Desert Botanical Garden
Cost: $30-$25 adult, $13-$16 child (varies depending on the day, check website)
Hours: 8am – 5pm for General Admission

This was probably my second favorite activity from this list of things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Desert Botanical Garden has a stunning collection of plants and cacti, many of which I had never seen before. I was constantly in awe of the alien-looking plantlife and beautiful blooms, as I visited during spring. Despite its popularity and the many other visitors, its labyrinth of trails allowed for a tranquil escape around every corner.

The gardens are grouped into sections by plant type (such as wildflowers) and some by native location (specific regions of North America). Throughout the gardens were informational and interactive signs to learn more about the plants and wildlife. Yes, wildlife! Many creatures call the Desert Botanical Garden home. During my visit, I saw my first roadrunner.

The cost of admission may seem expensive at $30 for an adult, but keep in mind that the Desert Botanical Garden spans 140 acres. You can easily spend hours here walking the entire garden and seeing all that it has to offer. Just remember to bring water, sunscreen, and maybe a hat – the entire garden is outdoors under the hot Arizona sun. They also include seasonal events and tours in the price of your ticket. For example, during my visit, the Spring Butterfly Exhibit (open 9:30am to 5pm) was open and included in my general admission ticket. Check their event calendar to see what is available during your visit.

6. Hole in the Rock

AllTrails: Hole in the Rock trail
Hours: Park open 5am – 7pm

Near the Desert Botanical Garden (you can actually see it from some areas of the garden walk) is the famous rock formation, Hole in the Rock. This rock formation gets its name from, well, I’m sure you can guess. It’s basically a big rock with a hole in it! But it’s cooler than it sounds. This popular landmark doesn’t just make for great pictures, but it also has an interesting history. There is evidence that early inhabitants of the region used the holes of the formation to track the position of the sun and mark the seasons.

The 0.3 mile “hike” to the natural rock structure is short and easy. You can literally see the front of the Hole in the Rock from the parking lot. Then from there, it’s just a small, sloped dirt trail around the back of the formation to the hole that you can walk through. There’s space inside to sit and get a picture. The opening also provides a nice view of Pheonix.

What are some other fun things to do in Scottsdale?

Have you ever been to Scottsdale, Arizona and have some other things to do to add to this list? Please share them in the comments below! I loved my visit to Scottsdale, but it was way too short. I am definitely planning on going back again someday and exploring it more.

Are you planning a trip to Scottsdale? I hope that you found this list of things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona helpful. Pin it to refer back to later using one of the Pinterest images below and share it with your travel buddy using the social share icons. Thank you for reading!