With year-round sunshine, kid-friendly resorts and more to do than any one weekend will allow, Scottsdale is an under-the-radar pick for your next family vacation.
Set amid the sun-drenched beauty of the Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale is a lush oasis framed by the rugged McDowell Mountains and towering saguaro cacti. In recent years, it’s become renowned for world-class golf, indulgent spa treatments, and as a base for boisterous bachelor and bachelorette groups.
But alongside the green fairways and wellness retreats, Scottsdale has plenty to offer families, from cultural immersion in a museum, scenic hikes on flat terrain, and resorts with palatial pools, splash pads, and sandy beaches.
And while the city experiences scorching summer temps, Scottsdale remains open and inviting year-round. Visit in warmer months to take advantage of cheaper prices and fewer crowds or in winter for crisp air and near perfect weather. Either way, prepare for more to do than any one weekend will allow.
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What to do in Scottsdale with kids
Toddlers: A world of discovery awaits at Scottsdale’s Arizona Boardwalk—in between naps, anyway. The complex has nine attractions, including OdySea Aquarium, which has more than 30,000 marine animals and 65 exhibits, including a hands-on kids zone with water tables, an interactive light wall, and touch pools with stingrays, sea stars and more. Even potty breaks are a highlight with glass walls above the bathroom sinks that align with the aquarium’s shark tank.
Within the same complex, Butterfly Wonderland has one of the largest butterfly pavilions in the U.S. Butterflies flutter above toddlers’ heads in a rainforest-like atrium. Other exhibits include a 3D film and the chance to peer at bugs and fish up-close.
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is a 30-acre park where visitors can ride the Paradise and Pacific Railroad along a one-mile track, which is a reproduction of a Colorado narrow-gauge railroad with three steam locomotives, two diesel engines, a turntable, and trestles. The park also has a Wild West-themed playground, a carousel, mini model railroads, and a seasonal splash pad.
Children 10 and younger: Guided horseback rides at MacDonald’s Ranch take riders ages six and up along scenic trails scattered with cacti and perhaps some desert wildlife. No experience is necessary, but for those who’d rather keep their feet firmly on the desert floor, the ranch also has a petting zoo, play area, and photo opportunities that are free regardless of whether you’ve booked a ride. Better yet, load everyone into one of the ranch’s grand stagecoaches for a tour of the entire property.
Families may also embark on a kid-friendly hike at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, a protected area of land that encompasses one-third of the city of Scottsdale. With more than 30,500 acres, it’s the largest urban preserve in the country, and has 11 trailheads and more than 230 miles of shared-use trails. Many are suitable for beginners, including the Gateway Trail, a 4.5 mile loop with a moderate elevation gain surrounded by saguaro cacti and, depending on the time of the year, wildflowers. For something shorter, there are also accessible flat and paved paths.
Tweens and teenagers: Traverse the world through music at the Musical Instrument Museum, which has more than 4,200 instruments on display from every corner of the globe, a theater, and regularly scheduled family-friendly programming. Galleries showcase instruments from all time periods, though it’s a particularly good pick for teens who will appreciate the chance to admire Taylor Swift’s iconic outfits and guitars inside the artist gallery. While you can’t touch her possessions, visitors can pluck, strum, and play pieces in the experience gallery that houses a wide collection of instruments for hands-on jam sessions.
Additionally, Wonderspaces is an evolving modern art show known for its deeply interactive, engaging, and highly photogenic exhibits. Installations change throughout the year but are known to whimsically incorporate light, sound, and space to challenge perception in mesmerizing ways.
Where to stay in Scottsdale with kids
Toddlers: Few Scottsdale resorts cater to their youngest guests quite like the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. There are six heated outdoor swimming pools, including Sunset Beach, a 9,000-square-foot stretch of soft white sand with a gentle zero-entry and small splash features. There’s also a playground, water slides, catch-and-release ponds with toddler-friendly fishing poles, and the Trailblazers Kids Club, where kids can color, play arcade games, dig in a sand table, and enjoy story time with the club’s mascot, Bixby, a large yellow dog. Or, for the real thing, resident golden retrievers and yellow labs sit in the lobby a few times a week as canine ambassadors to greet guests.
Children 10 and younger: Checking into the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort with kids is a little like arriving at summer camp. There are 10 pools (one with a sandy beach entry), a three-story waterslide, top-rated golf, a climbing wall, tennis and pickleball courts, and more. Daily programming is robust, and includes activities like face painting, tie-dye, arts and crafts, an inflatable obstacle course, and candy stations.
Tweens and teenagers: For a stay well-positioned to explore the outdoors, the Boulders Resort & Spa is a spectacular property in northern Scottsdale surrounded by 12-million-year-old rock formations and sweeping desert views. Older kids can keep active with nature trails that meander around the sprawling property, and the resort also has two 18-hole Jay Morrish-designed golf courses, tennis and pickleball courts, and can arrange outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, horseback riding, stargazing, and hot air balloon rides.
Where to eat in Scottsdale
Toddlers: Hash Kitchen is a brunch spot known for over-the-top dishes like s'mores pancakes, and parents will appreciate creative takes on scrambles, benedicts, and as the name suggests, crispy hash potatoes. When lunch or dinner rolls around, The Vig serves a little bit of everything—salads, sandwiches, burgers, tacos—including a toddler-friendly menu with the requisite chicken tenders or macaroni and cheese, with great outdoor space to play while kids await their food.
Children 10 and younger: For a meal paired with a taste of nostalgia, Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant is a retro-style diner in Old Town Scottsdale that dates back to 1958. Behind the iconic pink exterior, the restaurant whips up classic American food, sundaes, milkshakes, and malts. Or, for home-cooked fare in a refined yet unstuffy atmosphere, The Herb Box’s scratch kitchen philosophy delivers seasonal spins on staples like fish, salads, and burgers for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Tweens and teenagers: Fuel up at Farm & Craft, a fast-casual restaurant near Old Town with a focus on healthy and sustainable brunch and lunch like acai bowls, avocado toasts, hearty bowls, and colorful smoothies. For a memorable family outing, reserve a table on the patio of El Chorro, with its flowing bougainvillea, bocce ball lawn, and fire pits overlooking the Camelback and Mummy mountains. Steaks and fish are the mainstays of the menu, and every meal begins with a basket of the restaurant’s famed sticky buns instead of bread.
When to go
While Scottsdale admittedly sizzles in summer with sky-high temps, those willing to brave the warmer months will find deals on luxury hotels and easy-to-snag reservations. Or, consider a visit in the shoulder months like late fall or spring when warm sunshine is still ample and the crowds haven’t fully descended quite yet. In winter, expect crisp mild weather and fewer crowds.
Emily Hochberg is a Southern California-based freelance travel writer and editor with over 15 years of experience covering transportation, hotels, luxury, destinations, family travel and lifestyle. Her byline has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and Thrillist, among others. Follow her on Instagram to keep up with her latest adventures at @emily_checks_in
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