Scottsdale-Tempe-Mesa – Things to do with your Team

If your team is traveling to Scottsdale, Tempe, or Mesa, you have the luxury of conveniently being able to visit all three of these cities, as well as Phoenix during your visit.  All three cities are less than a half hour car ride from each other, so you could bounce around from city to city and stop at the most popular attractions for each.

Having easy access to three cities instead of one is a rare occurrence.  Most cities of these sizes are not located so close to each other.  Make sure to check out all three while in Arizona for the maximum amount of fun possible.

Scottsdale – Things to Do

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Arizona’s desert landscapes are world renowned.  Spectacular desert sights are only a short drive away while you’re in Scottsdale.  McDowell Sonoran Preserve allows you to witness Arizona’s desert up close, but without having to hike miles and miles in the hot, arid weather.

McDowell has a lot of hiking trails to choose from.  Many of them are on the easier side, making them very manageable for your team.  Enjoy amazing scenes of cacti and other desert flora growing along the path and expanding out into the desert.  If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of some wildlife like lizards or jackrabbits.  Bask in the glory of the desert’s beauty.  Snap a few dozen pictures while you walk.  Every few steps you will encounter a new photo opportunity.

Before embarking on your desert journey, stop at the visitor’s center for pamphlets on the preserve.  There’s a lot of valuable information that can help you.  Above all, remember to pack a lot of water.  It is the desert after all. 18333 N Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center

A much more personal experience than a zoo, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center  gives you an up close look at their animals.  Devoted to caring for and rehabilitating animals, 70 percent of the center’s animals eventually get released back into the wild.  The other 30 percent who are deemed unsuitable to return spend their days at the center, affectionately cared for by the staff.

It is obvious that the people that work with these animals are extremely passionate about them, and go above and beyond to make sure the animals are happy.  This is evident when you listen to them talk about their animal friends.  Your team can either take self-guided tours around the center or sign up for a guided tour.  Some of SWCC’s permanent residents include Griz the black bear, Pinion the porcupine, and Leonardo the jaguar.  Try and stop by SWCC during your trip to Arizona and say hi to the animals. 27026 N 156th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85262

Glow Putt Mini Golf

Arizona is notoriously hot.  Scorching some might say.  There will be times when the heat might feel unbearable and you’ll be looking for a respite from it.  Play a round or two of indoor mini golf at Glow Putt Mini Golf while you cool off.

As you can probably ascertain from the name, Glow Putt is a glow-in-the-dark course.  Covered in UV lights of all colors, Glow Golf’s jungle themed course is designed to test even the most experienced mini golfers.  This isn’t your average course.  Plan your shots carefully and watch out for the various obstacles you will inevitably encounter.  Not only does the course emit vivid glowing colors, the balls do as well!  When on special charge sections, your golf balls will light up just like the rest of the course. 9160 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Tempe – Things to Do

SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium

Another awesome activity that gets you out of the Arizona sun, SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium’s collection of exotic sea creatures will leave you in awe.  This aquarium’s goal is to educate you about its animal inhabitants, and they do it in a very interactive way.

Located next to every single tank is a touchscreen display with information about the animals living in that specific tank.  Presenting interesting facts about the marine life, these touchscreens will captivate your team and turn them into sea life experts.

There are 30 exhibitions to see, each teeming with various sea creatures.  Watch in amazement as hammerhead sharks, rays, sea turtles, lion fish, and more swim by you.  Walk through SEA LIFE’S 360-degree ocean tunnel and see what it’s like to be surrounded by the ocean.  The aquarium also hosts talks with the staff where your team can get further educated on the animals they saw while walking around. 5000 S Arizona Mills Cir, Tempe, AZ 85282

Main Event Entertainment

A jack of all trades, and master of them too, Main Event Entertainment packs every kid favorite game under one roof.  Rent out a few bowling lanes for the team and enjoy some strikingly good times.  Squad up and fight against others in the multi-level laser tag arena, or give in to your inner daredevil and traverse Main Event’s gravity ropes course.  Fly down the course in a zip line, climb across the rope bridges, and do your best not to fall.

Your team can also hit up the arcade and play over 100 games, including the world’s biggest Pac-Man!  Video games not your thing?  There are also pool tables available. 8545 S Emerald Dr, Tempe, AZ 85284

Mesa – Things to Do

Arizona Museum of Natural History

Delve into the past and discover some truly amazing displays at Arizona Museum of Natural History.  Explore Arizona’s past through artifacts attributed to many Native American tribes that once called this area home.  Learn of these peoples’ histories and accomplishments through the help of multiple exhibits.  The museum’s large collection of dinosaur fossils and replicas is without a doubt a must see exhibit while you’re there.

The staff is exceptionally knowledgeable and offers a wealth of information to visitors who want to learn even more about the exhibits than the displays provide. 53 N Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201

Commemorative Air Force Museum

If you’re in the Mesa area, stop by Commemorative Air Force Museum to see the largest military aviation museum in Arizona.  Expect to find many different types of aircraft during your visit.  From bombers to fighter planes, Commemorative Air Force Museum has them all. Sentimental Journey, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, is the pride and joy of the museum’s collection. Separating themselves from the crowd even more, the museum allows its visitors to enter some of its larger planes and climb up small ladders to see inside the cockpits of others.

Besides aircraft, Commemorative has amassed a diverse collection of memorabilia honoring Air Force veterans like the Tuskegee airmen.  Museum guides, including some World War II vets, are happy to take you on a tour of the facility and not only offer up their time, but also some of their war stories. 2017 N Greenfield Rd, Mesa, AZ 85215

Golfland Sunsplash

There’s no better place to cool off from the desert heat than a water park.  Golfland Sunsplash is one of Arizona’s biggest water parks, and one of its most thrilling too.  Sporting one of the world’s largest wave pools at a whopping 450,000 gallons, Sunsplash doesn’t mess around.  Ride on all 10 of their slides, some reaching as high as seven stories high!  A unique water ride to try is the Cauldron.  This huge, hemispherical attraction will send you swirling around until you ultimately plunge four stories into a pool.

Staying true to its name Golfland Sunsplash also offers three, 18-hole mini golf courses, ranging from easy to hard.  There is also an arcade stocked with over 200 games, laser tag, go-karts, and much more. 155 W Hampton Ave, Mesa, AZ 85210

Visiting Scottsdale, Tempe, or Mesa really gives your team an advantage in terms of enjoying the trip to the fullest.  These cities are a quick drive from one another, meaning that you have three cities worth of attractions to choose from.  Don’t stay in one city for your entire trip.  Do your best to branch out and explore more of what Arizona has to offer.