Things to Do Tempe

Tempe Festival Of The Arts

The 50-year-old Tempe Festival of the Arts is held in December and March. It's a Southwest tradition. The event is a resident and visitor favorite in Tempe. On historic Mill Avenue, guests experience national acts, local music, a Kids Block, and delicious food.

The Tempe Festival of the Arts features 350 national artists. This urban art festival showcases national artists. Interested? Check back in October for Spring 2023 festival applications.

At numerous sites, the festival features local and regional music. There are almost two dozen street performers. Entertainment includes henna artists, musicians, magicians, and caricature artists.

Arizona State University Desert Arboretum Park

Arizona State University Desert Arboretum Park is the University's botanical research gardens.

The Desert Arboretum Park, tucked into the side of Tempe Butte, is a 2.5-acre botanical park that also serves as a special event, conference, and dining area.

Water cascades down the butte and flows through four ponds used for ASU biology and environmental research experiments.

Native plants from Arizona's Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahua desert regions are prominently featured. In the Sun Devil Club Plaza, benches, seating areas, and an amphitheater invite visitors to stop and enjoy the wildlife and desert flora.

Petersen House Museum

The Niels Petersen House is a National Register of Historic Places-listed local historic landmark in Tempe, Arizona. In the Salt River Valley, it is an example of Queen Anne Style brick architecture.

The Petersen House Museum, located at 516 10th Street NW in Washington, D.C., is a 19th-century federal style row house. United States President Abraham Lincoln died there on April 15, 1865, after being shot the night before at Ford's Theatre across the street.

Ken McDonald Golf Course

Ken McDonald Golf Course, located in Tempe, is an 18-hole championship course that is one of the most affordable in the greater Phoenix area.

The Ken McDonald Golf Course layout, designed by local architect Jack Snyder, features fairly open fairways and strategically placed sand bunkers.

The terrain of the golf course is relatively flat, making it a walkable course.

The Western Canal runs through the center of the golf course, providing beautiful scenery while also posing challenging water hazards on at least eight holes.

Hayden Butte Park

Tempe Butte is an andesite butte of volcanic origin located on Arizona State University's Tempe campus in Tempe, Arizona. Locals call it A Mountain because of the 60-foot-tall gold-painted letter 'A' on top.

Hayden Butte Preserve features 500 Hohokam petroglyphs from 750 to 1450 A.D. The Hohokam created hundreds of miles of irrigation canals, grew maize as their staple crop, and lived in large and tiny communities throughout the valley.

Hayden Butte Park is one of Tempe's most popular outdoor places and offers a great city perspective. Tempe residents, ASU students and alumni, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community all value the butte.

Kiwanis Recreation Center

The Kiwanis Recreation Center, located in the heart of Kiwanis Park, is the ideal location for a variety of events and activities!

Ride the tide in the Valley's only indoor wave pool, or play basketball or volleyball in our gymnasium.

Hit the batting cages or serve up an ace on one of the 15 newly renovated tennis courts.

Work out in the fitness center or sign up for one of the many exciting programs held in our classrooms.

Main Event Tempe

The Main Event Tempe is a dining and entertainment destination with more family activities than you can fit into a single visit!

Main Event has something for everyone, regardless of age!

State-of-the-art bowling, multi-level laser tag, an arcade games gallery with over 100 of the latest interactive video games, and more!

True Rest Float Spa

True REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy) is an environment with no gravity that lets the mind and body let go, relax, and start over.

With 1,000 pounds of Epsom Salts in the water, the buoyancy makes it feel like you're floating on air.

By removing gravity's pull on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, this unique state makes it easy to relieve pain, relax, heal, and get a better night's sleep.

Kneaders Bakery & Cafe

Cafe chain specializing in a variety of breads plus sandwiches, salads, pastries & breakfast fare.

Kneaders Bakery and Cafe offer artisan breads baked daily in Italian hearthstone ovens, delicious sandwiches, mouthwatering European pastries, hearty soups & refreshing salads.

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