5 Reasons to Visit Phoenix, Arizona, the Desert City That Keeps Winning James Beard Awards
5 Reasons to Visit® · Arizona
5 Reasons to Visit Phoenix, Arizona, the Desert City That Keeps Winning James Beard Awards
Phoenix chefs won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in both 2024 and 2025, and a dozen Arizonans made the 2026 semifinals. Add desert mountains inside city limits and world-class museums, and the capital makes its own case.
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Phoenix, Arizona, has been the state capital since 1889, and for years many visitors saw it mainly as a gateway to golf resorts and the Grand Canyon. That picture is out of date. Phoenix chefs have won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest two years running, the city’s desert preserves rank among the largest urban parks in the country, and its museums of Native American art, desert plants and musical instruments are among the best of their kind. Here are five reasons to make the capital the destination.
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1Things to See & Do
Things to Do in Phoenix: Desert Gardens and One-of-a-Kind Museums
Start at the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park, where trails wind through thousands of cacti, succulents and desert wildflowers set against red buttes; evening and seasonal events show off the garden after dark. Nearby, the Heard Museum has been celebrating American Indian art and cultures since 1929 and is one of the most respected museums of its kind in the country.
In north Phoenix, the Musical Instrument Museum displays instruments from nearly every country on earth, with headphones that let you hear each one played. Downtown, the Arizona Capitol Museum occupies the copper-domed 1900 territorial capitol, and from February through March, Cactus League spring training brings Major League Baseball teams to ballparks across the Valley.
2Dining Scene
Where to Eat in Phoenix: Back-to-Back James Beard Winners
Phoenix is one of America’s most exciting food cities right now. Chef Rene Andrade of Bacanora, known for Sonoran cooking over an open fire, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2024, and Yotaka Martin of Lom Wong, which serves regional Thai dishes downtown, won the same award in 2025. In 2026, Phoenix semifinalists included Tacos Chiwas, Little Miss BBQ, Chula Seafood and Restaurant Progress.
Pizzeria Bianco, which helped put Phoenix on the national food map, is still a pilgrimage, and the city’s Mexican and Sonoran cooking, from carne asada to the bacon-wrapped Sonoran hot dog, runs deep. The cocktail scene keeps pace, with bars such as Highball and Little Rituals earning James Beard recognition in 2026.
Phoenix is the rare big city where you can summit a desert peak at sunrise and sit down to an award-winning dinner that night.
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3Recreation
Outdoor Phoenix: Camelback, South Mountain and Miles of Desert Trails
Few big cities have mountains like these inside their limits. Camelback Mountain’s steep Echo Canyon trail is the Valley’s most famous climb, Piestewa Peak offers a similar challenge, and South Mountain Park and Preserve covers more than 16,000 acres, making it one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, with trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
The Phoenix Mountains Preserve links even more trail miles across the city, and the Valley is famous for its golf. In warmer months, tubing on the Salt River is a local tradition. Desert heat is serious: hike early, carry plenty of water, and be aware that the city can close popular trails on extreme-heat days.
4Shopping
Shopping in Phoenix: Native Art, Vintage Finds and a Downtown Market
The Heard Museum Shop is one of the best places in the Southwest to buy authentic American Indian jewelry, pottery, baskets and art, with pieces sourced directly from Native artists. For upscale shopping, Biltmore Fashion Park gathers luxury and specialty stores in an open-air setting, and Scottsdale’s shopping districts are a short drive away.
For something more local, browse the vintage and design shops of the Melrose District on Seventh Avenue, and visit the Phoenix Public Market downtown, an open-air farmers market for regional produce, baked goods and crafts.
5Art & Culture
Phoenix’s Art Scene: A Major Art Museum, Roosevelt Row and First Fridays
The Phoenix Art Museum is one of the largest art museums in the Southwest, with collections spanning American, Western, Asian, Latin American and contemporary art, plus fashion design. Between the Heard Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum, Central Avenue holds two of the region’s essential cultural stops within a short ride of each other on light rail.
Just east of downtown, Roosevelt Row is the city’s arts district, with galleries, murals and creative businesses. On the first Friday of each month, Phoenix’s long-running art walk draws crowds through the galleries and studios downtown. The Phoenix Symphony and touring productions at the historic Orpheum Theatre fill out the calendar.
Plan Your Phoenix Trip
Phoenix is a fall-to-spring destination. October through April delivers warm days and cool nights, with spring training in February and March; summer brings intense heat, so if you visit then, plan outdoor time for early mornings and lean on resorts, museums and long dinners. Give it three or four days: one for the Desert Botanical Garden and the Heard, one on the trails, one for Roosevelt Row and the Phoenix Art Museum, and every evening for the restaurants.
Phoenix, Arizona: FAQ
Is Phoenix, Arizona worth visiting?
Yes. Phoenix offers James Beard Award-winning restaurants, the Desert Botanical Garden, the Heard Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, and desert hiking on Camelback Mountain and South Mountain, with warm, sunny weather from fall through spring.
What are the best things to do in Phoenix?
Top things to do in Phoenix include visiting the Desert Botanical Garden, the Heard Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum, hiking Camelback Mountain or South Mountain, exploring Roosevelt Row and First Friday, seeing spring training, and eating at the city’s acclaimed restaurants.
What are the best restaurants in Phoenix?
Phoenix restaurants with major recognition include Bacanora, whose chef Rene Andrade won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest; Lom Wong, whose chef Yotaka Martin won the same award in 2025; and Pizzeria Bianco. 2026 James Beard semifinalists in Phoenix include Tacos Chiwas, Little Miss BBQ, Chula Seafood and Restaurant Progress.
When is the best time to visit Phoenix?
October through April is the best time to visit Phoenix, with warm days and cool nights. February and March bring Cactus League spring training. Summers are extremely hot.
Is it safe to hike in Phoenix in summer?
Summer hiking in Phoenix is dangerous in the heat of the day. Hike only in the early morning, carry plenty of water, and check for closures, since the city may close popular trails on extreme-heat days.
How far is Phoenix from the Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim is about 230 miles north of Phoenix, roughly a three-and-a-half to four-hour drive.
When did Phoenix become the capital of Arizona?
Phoenix became the capital of the Arizona Territory in 1889 and remained the capital when Arizona became a state in 1912.
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