As the mom of five kids and the spouse of a public school teacher, I have spent nearly 18 summers with one mission in mind: Keep the kids entertained and spend as little money as possible. That has meant embracing a lot of the ’90s summer core that is currently trending, with backyard sprinkler time, trips to the local library, and free park visits.
But every now and then, you have to get out of the house, for everyone’s sake. Fortunately, Arizona has plenty of free family-friendly activities to enjoy all summer long. Here is a sampling of 26 free things to add to your summer bucket list with the kids.
1. Sign up for Mesa Public Library’s summer reading program
Where: 64 E. First St., Mesa
I am a huge advocate for libraries, and summer reading programs and events have been a staple of my children’s summers (and my own as a child!). Check with the library closest to you, but as just one example, the Mesa Public Library offers a full summer reading program and lots of free activities and events for kids of all ages. Most libraries offer prizes like toys and gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, in addition to separate summer programming. Our local library, for instance, is hosting a petting zoo, pizza party, magic show, face painting, a “dino dig” with a real paleontologist, and so much more.
2. Behold the Horseshoe Bend
Where: US Route 89 near Page
If you have a fourth grader, you may be eligible for a free America the Beautiful Pass, which could grant you access to many national parks and other federal sites, including Horseshoe Bend. You may want to save this trek for older kids who can handle a little hiking, or if you have a baby or toddler still happily confined to a hiking backpack, but Horseshoe Bend is a famous trail and natural rock formation in the middle of the Arizona desert. The hike is 3 miles round-trip, and the overlook to the formation has railings, but is still exposed, so keep that in mind if you have littles who may wander.
For older children, however, the hike can be worth it to see the wondrous sandstone structure carved by the Colorado River over 5 million years ago. Entrance to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is free if you have the America the Beautiful Pass, but the parking lot at the trailhead is on city land, so the city does charge a parking fee.
3. Go bowling every day through Kids Bowl Free
Where: Any participating Arizona bowling alley
Last but not least, we have a classic kids’ summer activity: bowling! Through the nationwide Kids Bowl Free program, kids can get access to free bowling (two games per day!) every day at participating locations. According to the main website, it is up to the bowling alley closest to you whether shoe rental is included in the program, so they recommend calling ahead to see if it will be required.
There is also an option to add a low-cost Family Plan pass so your kids can bowl, but no purchase is required for them to join in.
4. Pan for gold at Goldfield Ghost Town
Where: 4650 N. Mammoth Mine Road, Apache Junction
You can take the kids to the Goldfield Ghost Town for completely free, right down to the parking. You’re free to browse around the town, take in a gunfighter show (held every hour from noon to 4 p.m.), visit the gift shop, grab lunch at the saloon, and check out all the sights and sounds without any cost.
However, it may be tough to get through the ghost town without the kids begging to spend money on some of the paid attractions, like the ghost tour, mine tour, museum, or every kid’s favorite activity: panning for gold. Because we all know what your house needs is another bag of overpriced rocks, am I right?
5. Peer through Papago Park
Where: 625 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix
Papago Park is not only a natural playground, with hills, natural sandstone formations, and the kid-sized Hole-in-the-Rock trail and “pyramid” at Hut’s Tomb, but it also has a manmade playground for the kids.
For an ideal kid-friendly itinerary, plan an early-morning “hike” to the Hole-in-the-Rock trail—it’s only 0.3 miles round-trip and leads to sandstone formations with fun “windows” in the rock that kids can peer through to the landscape. Then, you can head to the nearby Papago Park Playground and let the kids burn off even more energy before heading home for lunch and naps.
6. Dig for dino bones at the Riparian Preserve
Where: 2757 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert
The Riparian Preserve is a wonderful way to pass the day with the kids over the summer. Entry into the preserve is completely free, as is the parking. The wildlife sanctuary features 110 acres to explore, including areas with wetlands, ponds, trails, an observatory, and an ethnobotanical garden. The preserve even features a unique play “wall” area for the kids and a full dino dig section, which is always a huge hit.
The Riparian Preserve also hosts many summer camps, activities, and events, so you can check out their online calendar for a full selection. If you felt like adding on to your free fun, you could book one of the three overnight campsites or buy a fishing license to fish in their urban fishing lake. Walking the trails could also lead to more free summer fun, as it winds behind the Southeast Regional Library on Greenfield Road, which has tons of free summer events for kids and families, and equally important: WiFi, water, and restrooms.
7. Get ready for adventure at Anthem Community Park
Where: 3701 W. Anthem Way, Anthem
Take the kids to Anthem Community Park and let them run wild across 63 acres and two different playgrounds, the Adventure and Discovery Playgrounds, which both sound right up the kids’ alley. The Adventure Playground also houses a splash pad that is free to use and open from sunup to sundown. The park also contains other recreational facilities, including a walking trail, different sports fields (like soccer), a skate park, pickleball courts, catch-and-release fishing lakes, basketball courts, and volleyball courts.
If you exhaust all the free options, you could pay around $5 per person to visit the Daisy Mountain Railroad, a working locomotive that can take your kids on a winding train ride around the park. (Group discount booklets are also available.)
8. Explore a historic railroad station at McCormick Stillman Railroad Park
Where: 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale
Speaking of railroads, the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park is another free venue the entire family can enjoy. The park houses a historic railroad station and train, along with other fun entertainment options like a museum, splash pad, nature trail, model train building, vintage 1950s carousel, playground, and my personal favorite, an old-fashioned general store with ice cream and iced coffee.
Entrance to the park, splash pad, nature trail, museum, and model train building is completely free, but if the kids want to ride the carousel or train, you can buy individual tickets for each attraction or pick up a whole-day wristband. My professional parenting advice is to definitely pack the swimsuits and towels, just in case, because that free splash pad will be irresistible.
9. Climb a “mountain” at Gilbert Regional Park and Splashpad
Where: 3005 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert
Splashpads = summer fun, and you can find another free splash pad at Gilbert Regional Park. The splash pad is very generously sized at 4,000 square feet, with nearby parking, and features plenty of fun, interactive water features for all ages. To plan the ideal summer day, let the kids play first at the expansive 17-foot-tall “mountain” playground also located in the park, which has what might be some of the coolest slides I’ve ever seen in my life, and then head to the splash pad to finish the day. The splash pad is open until 9:30 p.m. and has lights that come on at night to keep the evening fun going.
10. Play games along the interactive hike at McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Where: 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a free and family-friendly nature preserve in the heart of Scottsdale. There are multiple trailhead options, depending on your family’s ability level, but the trail most often recommended for kids is the Gateway Trailhead to access the Bajada Nature Trail.
The Bajada Nature Trail is only 0.5 miles round-trip and features interactive games and activities kids can do along the way; it’s fully accessible to strollers, wagons, and wheelchairs. The Gateway Loop Trail is another popular kid-friendly path to explore—it’s longer, at 4.5 miles round-trip, but labeled “moderately easy” and rewards hikers with views of wildlife and wildflowers.
11. Pencil in a trip to Penske Racing Museum
Where: 7125 E. Chauncey Lane, Phoenix
Car lovers, racing enthusiasts, or parents who want a way to pass the afternoon without spending any money will enjoy the Penske Racing Museum, which offers completely free admission. The museum is devoted to showcasing the accomplishments of Team Penske, a NASCAR racing team founded by Roger Penske. You’ll find a collection that includes real racing cars, including the Ford Fusion that won the Daytona 500, and many others.
The hours are somewhat limited, as the museum is only open until 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 5 p.m. on Sunday.
12. Turn up at the Tempe History Museum
Where: 809 E. Southern Ave., Tempe
A museum with free admission and tons of free family-friendly events? Sign us up! You’ll find all of that and more at the Tempe History Museum, dedicated to educating on and honoring the past and present of Tempe. The museum is ideal for all ages, with a main community hall and rotating exhibit, and four different themed areas: a “College Town,” a “Building our Community” section, a “Living Together” exhibit, and “Surviving in the Desert.”
There is also a full children’s gallery that offers plenty of hands-on fun and room for little museum-goers to explore.
13. Admire the Arizona Capitol Museum
Where: 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix
The Arizona Capitol Museum offers free admission and plenty of opportunities for kids (and adults) to learn about the state’s history, the Capitol, and government. You are welcome to explore the building on your own, but you can also book a guided tour (also free!) if you have at least 10 people in your group. Tours occur Monday through Friday at 10, 11, and 11:30 a.m. only.
Some of the sights you can expect to see with the kiddos include: a recreation of the Arizona flag made entirely out of Legos, naval artifacts, a suffragette display, the House chambers, and the recognizable copper dome atop the building. The museum also offers free educational resources on its website that you can print ahead of time to enhance your visit, like a scavenger hunt, coloring page, bingo board, word search, and crossword puzzle.
14. Solve a crime scene at the Phoenix Police Museum
Where: Historic City Hall, 17 S. Second Ave., first floor, Phoenix
The Phoenix Police Museum is a must-visit not only because it’s free but also because it offers a rich educational and memorial experience, with 35 exhibits and six interactive tours. Even the building itself is an educational monument, as it is the original police department and jail where the man behind the creation of Miranda Rights penned his confession.
You’ll find 144 years of history housed in the museum, with exhibits that feature artifacts and information on Phoenix’s first police marshal, the Arizona Rangers, the evolution of the official police uniform (the early versions are quite interesting!), and even police vehicles and an entire police helicopter. You can pose for a picture in the police car, and kids can also try on an official police uniform shirt to be “sworn in” and get some goodies to take home, like a coloring book and badge. There’s also a kid-appropriate Crime Scene Investigation (C.S.I.) that invites visitors to gather clues to solve the crime!
15. Explore the Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Where: 215 N. Seventh St., Phoenix
The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is definitely worth a paid visit on a hot summer day, but you can take advantage of Free First Friday Nights to enjoy the museum for free from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every first Friday of the month. The summer dates for Free Friday Night are: July 3, August 7, and September 14. If you are in financial need, the museum also offers the Every Child program, which allows you to apply for free or discounted museum admission.
The museum is, understandably, built for kids. It has specific baby and toddler spaces and play areas, including an under-age-three room on the third floor and baby-friendly “zones” marked throughout the whole space. There are family-friendly, wheelchair-accessible restrooms on every floor, a Nursing Nook, and amenities such as child-sized sinks and water fountains. Outside the younger crowd, though, there is plenty of hands-on fun for older kids, too, like a climbing playground, a pretend market (my kids have always loved those!), an art studio, and a reading nook.
16. Experience historic ranch life at Sahuaro Ranch
Where: 9802 59th Ave., Glendale
The historic Sahuaro Ranch is 17 acres of free family-friendly fun, complete with old buildings to explore, a barnyard of animals, teeming orchards, and even a beautiful rose garden. The Sahuaro Ranch is on the National Register of Historic Places, and you can learn more about the ranch’s history through one of the guided tours that run every half hour (just wait on the porch for the next tour to start).
The tours include a peek at what Arizona ranch life was like in 1891. The Sahuaro Ranch itself started in 1886 by a pair of businessman brothers who saw the land and nearby canal as ripe for opportunity, especially for fruit farming. (No pun intended). Some of the attractions include original buildings like a dairy barn, the milk house, the foreman’s house, and, of course, the rose garden. Oh, and peacocks! Outside of the ranch, you can also explore the Sahuaro Ranch Park, which has playgrounds, a volleyball court, and other sports options.
17. Enjoy an oasis at Desert Botanical Garden
Where: 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix
The Desert Botanical Garden is a literal oasis in the middle of the, well, desert, and it offers a “Community Day” on the second Tuesday of every month, which allows any visitor to pay what they can to visit. (No minimum amount is required, and normal admission is between $15 and $19 for kids and adult tickets. Enjoy family-friendly experiences like the butterfly pavilion, a nature trail, a discovery trail where kids can see cacti, and online resources to encourage botanical fun, such as guides for making a moon journal, dried-flower bookmarks, or a bird feeder.
18. Pop over to Paloma Community Park and Splash Pad
Where: 29799 N. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria
Like some of the other Arizona communities, Peoria has many public parks that offer free splash pads, including the Paloma Community Park, which has an expansive splash pad, an inclusive playground, concession stands, and a fun and free StoryWalk activity. (You walk around and read stations that feature pages of a book—my kids love doing them!) The splash pad is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
19. Travel back in time at Chandler Museum
Where: 300 S. Chandler Village Drive, Chandler
The Chandler Museum is one-of-a-kind and serves not only as a cultural hub and museum with traveling exhibits, but it also offers a wide range of free programs and events for families, children, and adults, with truly something for everyone. For instance, there’s a free “Art Tot” program, designed for kids ages 3 to 5 that encourages kids to come in and make a mess creating art—and then leave the mess with the professionals! (Honestly, priceless.)
The museum also offers a “Suitcase Club” for the same group that might just have the coolest concept for a club I have ever heard: presenters compare objects from the past with objects today to see how things we use in everyday life looked different throughout history. (The “suitcase” aspect ties into packing your bags for time travel!)
20. Get outdoors with Nature Niños
Where: Prescott Parks
Nature Niños is a nature-focused program for families with kids ages 0 to 8 to encourage outdoor fun in the Prescott area. Kids and their adults can join Prescott Park Rangers and other nature partners at parks and nature trails throughout the area for Nature Niños events on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The events include snacks, crafts, activities, stories, and even raffles to win prizes. According to the schedule, you can find one of the first events at the West Granite Creek Splash Pad in Prescott on August 2, 2026.
21. Kick off summer with Free Foam Frenzy at Arizona Boardwalk
Where: 9500 E. Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale
Spending a day browsing the Arizona Boardwalk is always a great way to pass time for free—entry and parking are no-cost, but perusing can be perilous, because there is so much to see and do that it can be hard to leave without spending some money. If you want to stick to fun and free activities only, mark your calendars for the Free Foam Frenzy days at the boardwalk.
The family-friendly foam parties include plenty of foam, of course, but also other water-and-splashing fun features, like water-squirting battles and even a fire truck hose. Catch a Foam Frenzy event on multiple dates throughout the summer from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Don’t forget to pack swim goggles!
22. Participate in a Draw-A-Thon
Where: 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe
If you have some budding artists in your house, mark your calendars for June 21, 2026, to attend the Draw-A-Thon at the Tempe Center for the Arts. This annual free event celebrates all young artists and mediums, and encourages hands-on creativity, learning, and inspiration with collaboration from resident artists and the community. You also browse the Temp Arts & Culture site for more events, classes, workshops, or to find more information about visiting the Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe History Museum, or the Edna Vihel Arts Center.
23. Be awed by Art after Dark at Mesa Arts Center
Where: 1 E. Main St., Mesa
The Mesa Arts Center is a fully functioning culture, arts, and event hub with ticketed events that span well into the hundreds-of-dollars range, but your family can visit the Contemporary Arts Museum on campus for free on select days of the month for Art After Dark.
Art After Dark is a special program that allows free admission on the second Friday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as the third Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The events invite families to explore the art galleries, take in the exhibits, or check out special programming and activities during the extended hours.
24. Cool off at Granite Creek Splash Pad
Where: 554 Sixth St., Prescott
The A.C. Williams Granite Creek Park offers a full array of family fun, including open turf for pickup games of Frisbee or catch, reservable Ramadas, sand volleyball, a playground, and a short, kid-friendly one-half-mile trail. There’s also a really cool bike pump trail with built-in jumps for the daredevils in the family. And for the ones who like their adventure on the cooler side, there’s also a free splash pad in the park.
The city explained that, as the parking lot is being renovated, large boulders were temporarily installed along the side of the lot to prevent people from parking on the grass, so if you see them there, that’s why!
25. PHX Sky Train
Where: 44th St. Station, Phoenix
I’m not saying I would do it unless necessary, but if your kids were fascinated by the PHX Sky Train, you could technically hop on for a free ride anytime you’d like. The train runs from Valley Metro Rail at 44th and Washington streets to different sites at the airport, including the parking lot and rental car areas. Some reviews report that the Sky Train can be fun to ride to unparalleled views of the Phoenix landscape and, of course, for spotting planes taking off and landing. There are no tickets or security, as the cars run automatically, so ride at your own risk!
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
