From the moment we walked in my boys were in awe at the huge dino skeletons. Every room is full of hands on activities as well as no-touch displays. My 3 1/2 year old loved that there were giant floor puzzles. There were also more involved giant 3D puzzles that bigger kids would like. Down in the basement is a whole room where kids can just play. They have learning toys, more puzzles, dinosaur toys and books, coloring sheets, and more. The museum was stroller friendly. It was also safe for my almost 2-yr-old boy to run around in without worry of touching anything he shouldn't. There was a lot of interesting Arizona history there. I think I'm going to have to go without the kids one time so I can read all the signs!


Make sure you are in the Dinosaur Hall during a flash flood time (posted there). Also, if your kids are as little as mine, I would save the panning for gold for last. My boys were soaked when we were done (and I saw some bigger kids who were pretty wet as well). During the school year there are students on field trip for the first hour and a half the museum is open so if you want to avoid those crowds, come after 11:30a or noon.

There is no parking just for the museum. The best parking I think across the street just south of the museum. It is free for 3 hours and you will want to stay at least that long to enjoy the museum so avoid the 2 hrs free spaces.

**SAVINGS TIP FOR PHOENIX AREA RESIDENTS**Check your local library for a culture pass. You can check one out to get 2 free admissions here. More info on Culture Pass available here: http://phoenix.showup.com/page/culture_pass2

We wanted a one-night campout over Spring Break and Houston Mesa was one of the few campgrounds open that early in the season (mid-march) so we decided to try it out. It is just off the highway, so really easy to find, but close enough that you still you hear the highway traffic all night long. The campsites are pretty private and good sized. We tent-camp and had plenty of room. All sites have fire pits and picnic tables. There are clean flush toilets and water available outside the rest rooms but not at each site. Within the campground there was a small nature trail (1/2 mile) that was just right for 6, 3, and almost 2-yr-olds. The trail is lined with markers that explain about the ecosystem of the area. There were also lots of fallen trees along the sides of the trail for the kids to climb on. Although this was a nice, clean campground, I don't think it was worth $20. And I recommend reserving a campsite since the walk-up ones are closer to the highway. Also, it got REALLY cold at night even though the day was warm, so make sure you have warm jammies and sleeping bags.

This pizzeria had great pizza, but I doubt that is why anyone goes here. The entertainment is amazing. An organist plays an organ that also controls other intruments throughout the restaurant. He plays songs by request and a good mix of kid and adult songs. When we went it was really busy and hard to find a seat (you seat yourself), but by the time we left, around 7pm, it was clearing out. We think it would be a fun place to go just for ice cream and to enjoy the show later in the evening. The best place to sit is on the ground floor, because then you can see the performance from wherever you are. If you sit upstairs, it is hard to see the organ unless you are close to the railing. We started at the far end of the table upstairs but the people closer left before us and our kids were able to move up front to see better. Our 6-yr-old daughter liked watching the organist, our 3-yr-old boy loved anytime they would flash the lights, and our almost 2-yr-boy enjoyed dancing. The performances last about 20 mins with 10-15 min breaks. If you bring kids, make sure you have someone to sit with the kids and someone to go get the pizza when it is ready so you don't have to leave the kids alone to go to the pick-up area (you order food right when you come in and they give you a number, then you go pick it up when your number comes up).

My kids loved this park. There are a couple different play areas. My boys (3 and 1.5 yrs) liked the city area where there was a climb on fire engine and bus toy. It also has a "street" path around it where my 3-yr-old thought it was really cool to ride his bike.

The "farm" area is the biggest playground. It was lots of slides and bridges. That was really fun for the boys to run around on.

There were a lot of other kids there so you have to really keep track of your kids. It was good for my social 3-yr-old because it was easy for him to find friends to play with.

First of all, the drive out here is beautiful. Once you get here, the town is just a couple buildings on one row. Outside there are some fun decorations and info about the "town". The restaurant food is standard grill food, but the decor is fun. The walls are papered with currency, mostly US dollars but bills from all over the world. My 6 yr old daughter loved searching the wall for bills for other countries and then asking us where they were from. My boys (3 & 1.5 ys) liked the other decorations, like giant snake skins and taxidermied animals.

The country store sells treats, including fudge, ice cream and gelato. They had prickly pear gelato which we had to try and it was delicious. We ate it on a bench just outside the store (there is no seating inside).

Down the row a little is an old school house that is converted into a museum. We didn't go inside but there are some fun things to look at outside that the kids liked.

This was a fun place to stop by once but not a must see.