Arizona Museum of Natural History

Address:	53 N Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201, USA
Phone:	+1 480-644-2230
Site:	azmnh.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	Closed 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 1–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 10

Leila Demian

Wow! I just got back from spending over 3 hours at this museum with my 2 1/2 yr old boy and 6 year old daughter. The dinosaur walk was beautiful and impressive, both kids really enjoyed that. Much of it was really nicer than I expected it to be. The Native American relics were beautiful and captivated my daughter , which was really a cool experience to have with her ("Do you think that a little girl, over a thousand years ago, picked flowers for her mommy and put them in that pottery vase?"). We spent 3 hours there, and would have stayed longer, except we ate a light breakfast and I was terribley hungry. We never even got to the gold panning part, a few of the caves (like the lost Dutchman mine exhibit) was a bit too scary for my daughter, so we had to skip them (a shame because it looked really cool to me!) and being with a toddler made it hard to read many of the signs, but hopefully next time we will get to read a bit more. They spent a good chunk of time with the hands on puzzles that are in several of the rooms and an even greater amount of time was spent in the "Exploration Station" which was a classroom type environment that had many educational games, puzzles books and crafts that were appropriate for a wide age range. My daughter pent most of her time in that room working on a dinosaur stencil and coloring activity. My son flitted around from several activities-- "fishing" for prehistoric fish, sorting rubber bugs, magntic puzzles, etc... We will most likely be buying a membership for the summer as it is a great way to pass the hot summer days indoors where your kids can learn quite a lot!

Kliff Kapus

This place is fantastic! My three boys ages 7, 9 and 11 had a blast. Not only did they enjoy the dinosaurs (like most kids do) they also got a charge out of the other areas of the museum, even displays that are traditionally "boring". Native American life was very cool and my kids had fun assembling pot shards like a puzzle. My oldest son (who knows about these sorts of things) informed me that this museum enjoys one of the only three complete Camarasaurus skeletons in the world. And here I thought it was just a plain old Brontosaurus! The geological region of the museum is also impressive with some beautiful specimens to admire. Downstairs and out back is a place to pan for gold and a simulated dinosaur dig where kids can brush away the dirt and sand to uncover buried "fossils". There is even a mining display that you can walk through and an old time jail you can climb into. We had fun posing for pictures behind impressively heavy and realistic iron doors! It sort of looked like a set for The Walking Dead! The whole thing took about three hours to explore but I could see someone taking more or less depending on pace. The back patio with its gold panning and dino dig could easily occupy an hour in and of itself. I highly recommend this clean, modern and enjoyable museum!

skye wilson

This museum is a nice place to take kids on a weekend or during the summer. Inside, youll see some giant prehistoric creatures bones, and some animatronic dinosaurs. There are a few stories that you can explore, with all the walls lined with rocks or exhibits. On the backside of the museum, outside, there is a place where the kids can "find" dinosaur bones under foam. There is also a gold mining area, where you can try your hand at panhandling for gold in an area where there is running water over sand. Ive seen some pretty big chunks being retrieved. Once back inside, go into a theater and learn about something, it was pterodactyls last time I was there or visit the old gadget room. The museum is a little small but well layed out.

A Private User

I went to this museum back when I was in elementary school and loved it as a child. I hadnt been there since that time until just a week ago. When I was young, I never really cared much about what was in the museum, accept for the dinosaurs, because I was too young to understand any of it! I went there a week ago and suddenly realized the amazing artifacts and exhibits. It was an amazing experience for myself to learn all of these amazing facts and details from Paleontology and Archaeology! All of the exhibits had breath taking, well preserved pieces of Arizona history in them. Honestly, Id reccomend this museum to anyone that is interested in Arizonas history and artifacts.

Julianne Dempski

Actually it doesnt even get a star....Zero stars. Children were running wild in there. Parents lost children. Other visitors were rushing us through all the exhibits by crowding behind us and rudely acting like we were in their way...so you cant read about the artifacts. Not sure where you are going that you have to quickly get past us....because we didnt see you read and learn things about the exhibits. Either it was overcrowded with wild people or the AC doesnt work. The place is so small. Its no San Diego MNH...just saying. I wont go there again...especially on day that charges an entrance fee...cause if they did today...I would demand my money back.

Sequoia Ewer

Lied and said if I waited I could buy the year pass with 31 dollars off if i wanted to wait until I went through after I went through with my 31 dollar purchase went to buy the pass instead of allowing the 31 off on 2 adults and 1 kid they said I had to buy the basic which was 15 dollars more so them lieing almost cost me 75 instead of 60 Ill not be returning even though I and my 3 year old was really excited to do So because on 1 income I couldnt even afford to go but I wanted to do something fun with my family.

TA B

While not as grand as a Smithsonian museum, or as large, its still an excellent museum, and one of the best in the Southwest. Unlike a lot of the eastern museums, this one lets you get amazingly close to the exibits, even letting you walk inside some. You can really get a sense of scale, as you can stand right next to the dinosaur skeletons, rather than 15 feet away and behind a chain, like other museums. Kids will love the interaction, adults will enjoy the history and artifacts on every wall.

Kevin Glynn

Many interesting exhibits to see. Several large dinosaurs, as well as a room devoted to flying ones. In the lobby their are several impressive ice age animals including: mammoth, mastadon, American lion, and horses. Really enjoyed the selection of Native American pottery and art, as well as large displays of traditional living quarters. Several interactive areas for kids as well. Easy to spend a few hours checking out all they have to offer.

Whitney Brooks

Had a good time here with my young daughters and boyfriend. Enjoyed all the exhibits and the girls enjoyed all the hands on play areas. My boyfriend absolutely loved the gold panning station and I loved the dinosaur hall. Definitely recommend if you have small children, children who love nature or if its just you and your partner wanting to explore and learn new things. Also the price to get in was awesome. Very pleased with our visit today!

Cameron Kopas

Visited this museum for the adult after hours "Beer and Bones" event in 2016 and was very surprised by how great of a museum this is! Excluding the very well planned and managed event, the exhibits are really interesting to everyone, and I didnt feel anything was too simplified or childish. Did not have enough time to explore everything during the 4-hour event, so I will definitely return to finish exploring.