Old Town Scottsdale is alive with the arts and culture of the desert southwest. Stroll areas such as the 5th Avenue Area (800-737-0008 or www.5thavescottsdale.org), Marshall Way Arts District, Main Street Arts and Antiques district in Old Town Scottsdale to discover the cultural beat of the city. Plan on a Thursday evening in the area to discover Scottsdale’s Art Walk, where artists and galleries display their unique creations while patrons sip wine and sample cheese under the sparkling night sky. Over 125 galleries, museums and studios are tucked into these streets offering art enthusiasts an eclectic tour of culture and fine art. Nearby Old Town Glendale (623-930-4500 or www.vistiglendale.com) offers a wide range of antique shops, restaurants and museums in a historic setting. In Tucson, the 4th Avenue Area (520-624-5004 or www.fourthavenue.org) offers an eclectic mix of shops and galleries in a historic area. Also, in Southern Arizona, Bisbee’s historic area (520-432-5421 or www.bisbeearizona.com) offers a wide an artful mix of galleries and shops in a culturally historic area. Flagstaff’s Old Town area hosts a wide array of unique shops and restaurants set amidst the historic buildings. Nearby, Sedona (www.visitsedona.com), offers a large range of art galleries, shops, restaurants and cultural tours amongst its spectacular red rock scenery.

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (480-994-ARTS or www.scottsdalearts.org), dedicated to modern and contemporary art, architecture and design, has the largest number of works by Arizona artists in the state and often hosts internationally renowned art exhibits. The Scottsdale Arts Festival, in March, displays art from over 175 artists while providing live entertainment on three stages as well as culinary delights of all sorts. (480-994-ARTS or www.scottsdalearts.org) The downtown Phoenix Arts District provides additional insight into the city’s vibrant art scene. The Phoenix Art Museum's (602-257-1222 or www.phxart.org) collection of over 17,000 works spans the centuries and emphasizes art from around the world from a variety of historical periods. The West Valley Fine Arts Council (623-935-6384 or www.wvfac.org) provides a full calendar of performances, festivals and exhibits. In Southern Arizona, The Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block (520-624-2333 or www.tucsonarts.com) offers a nice collection of exhibitions in restored buildings while the University of Arizona Museum of Art (520-621-7567 or http://artmuseum.arizona.edu) concentrates its collection on American and European art.
The Center for Creative Photography (520-621-7968 or www.creativephotography.org) archives incredible prints in an ever-changing exhibition schedule.

For a deeper look at the Native American art that so significantly impacts contemporary artists, be sure to visit the Heard Museum (602-252-8848 or www.heard.org). The museum's 10 spacious exhibit galleries and beautiful outdoor courtyards feature outstanding traditional and contemporary Native American art. Or, to appreciate the area’s Hispanic influence, visit Museo Chicano (602-257-5536), which is Phoenix's only Latin American museum; it contains colorful works by local and national Latino artists.

To experience the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, visit Taliesin West (480-860-2700 or www.franklloydwright.org). This National Historic Landmark was Wright's personal residence built from desert materials. Taliesin West is set on 600 acres of desert landscape and offers tours and desert walks.

For a unique tour of a variety of cultural and artistic venues, Scottsdale offers Culture Quest. Each week up to six professionally guided tours will be offered. Tours include such unique experiences as behind-the-scene tours of artist studios, one-on-one conversations with local artists or tours of local examples of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. For more information on Culture Quest, contact the Scottsdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 1-866-869-3493.

Phoenix’s thriving performing arts scene offers theatre patrons a wide variety of choices. The Orpheum Theatre (602-262-7272 or www.ci.phoenix.az.us/STAGES/orpheum) in downtown Phoenix offers guests a line-up of first class productions set in the splendor of a restored 1400-seat 1920’s theatre. The nearby Herberger Theater Center (602-254-7399 or www.herebergertheater.org) hosts approximately 450 productions a year. In addition to the numerous independent groups who perform at Herberger, the theater hosts four resident companies. The Scottsdale Center for the Arts (480-994-ARTS or www.scottsdalearts.org) hosts a wide variety of internationally-acclaimed performing artists including live theatre presentations, dance and world and classical music as well as a series of outdoor events and a free Sunday concert series on the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall.

The stage at Gammage Auditorium (480-965-3434 or www.asugammage.com) can be adapted for grand opera, Broadway musicals, dramatic productions, solo productions, organ recitals and lectures and hosts a variety of touring Broadway musicals throughout the year. The building is also an excellent example of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre (480-325-6700 or www.broadwaypalmwest.com) in Mesa offers professional dinner theater featuring full-length shows, musicals and a great buffet dinner in an elegant 500-seat theater. In Tucson, The Gaslight Theatre & Little Anthony’s Diner have joined to feed and entertain the entire family. A unique, must-see performance in Tucson is the Simon Peter Players (520-327-0030 or www.simonpeter-tucson.com) who stage an excellent pageant about Tucson’s history.

For a musical treat, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra (www.phoenixsymphony.org) and Arizona Opera (www.azopera.com) performs in Symphony Hall (602-262-7272 or www.ci.phoenix.az.us/STAGES/symphall.com). This elegant theater also plays host to Ballet Arizona (www.balletaz.org) and a variety of other entertainers and performances. Kerr Cultural Center (480-596-2660 or www.asukerr.com) in Tempe is a hall for chamber music and features a variety of musical artists. In Tucson, the Convention Center plays host to Arizona Opera, Ballet Arizona, Tucson Symphony Orchestra (520-882-8585 or www.tucsonsymphony.org) and Arizona Friends of Chamber Music (520-577-3769 or www.arizonachambermusic.org) performances. In Northern Arizona, Sedona Cultural Park (800-780-ARTS or www.sedonaculturalpark.org) presents outdoor performances by Arizona’s finest cultural organizations.

For large entertainment venues, America West Arena (602-379-2000 or www.americawestarena.com), Dodge Theater (602-379-2888 or www.dodgetheater.com), Celebrity Theatre (602-267-1600 or www.celebritytheatre.com) and Cricket Pavilion (www.cricket-pavilion.com) all play host to a wide variety of nationally popular musical and comedy talents as well as sports events.

America West Arena is home to the NBA Phoenix Suns (602-379-SUNS or www.nba.com/suns), the WNBA Phoenix Mercury (602-379-7900 or www.wnba.com/mercury) and the AFL Arizona Rattlers (602-514-8300 or www.azrattlers.com). For other sporting events, Phoenix’s Bank One Ballpark (602-514-8400 or www.bankoneballpark.com) is home to the Arizona Diamondbacks (602-462-6500 www.azdiamondbacks.com). The NHL Phoenix Coyotes (480-473-5600 or www.phoenixcoyotes.com) play in Glendale Arena (www.glendalearenaaz.com), which also hosts a variety of concerts and other activities. The NFL Arizona Cardinals (602-379-0102 or www. azcardinals.com) are currently building a new stadium in the Glendale area.

If golf is your sporting event of choice, you’re in luck because in January, Phoenix hosts the PGA Phoenix Open (602-870-4431 or www.phoenixopen.com), which attracts more spectators than any other golf tournament in the world. Phoenix also hosts the PING Banner Health LPGA tournament (602-495-4653 or www.lpga.com) in March and The Tradition (480-595-4070 or www.countrywidetradition.com) a Senior PGA tour event in April. Tucson hosts the Chrysler Classic of Tucson (800-882-7660 or www.tucson.pgatour.com) on the PGA circuit. If tennis is more your swing, the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic (480-922-0222 or www.scottsdaletennis.com) a tournament for top international male tennis players is presented in March. And, in late February women tennis players compete at the State Farm Women’s Classic (480-778-9779 or www.scottsdaletennis.com).

If racing is more your speed, Phoenix hosts Greyhound Racing (602-273-7181 or www.phoenixgreyhoundpark.com), horse racing at Turf Paradise (602-942-1101 or www.turfparadise.com) and NASCAR and Indy racing at Phoenix International Raceway (602-252-2227 or www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com). Tucson hosts its own number of racing events at Tucson Raceway Park (520-762-9200 or www.tucsonracewaypark.com) and Tucson Greyhound Park (520-884-7576 or www.tucdogtrak.com).

Or, if you’re feeling lucky, visit one of the several casinos located on Native American tribal lands throughout the state. Fort McDowell Gaming Center (1-800-THE-FORT or www.casinoarizona.com) in north Scottsdale, Gila River Casino (1-800-WIN-GILA or www.wingilariver.com) with locations in the east and west Valley, Harrah’s Ak-chin Casino (www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/akc) located just south of Phoenix and Casino Arizona (www.casionaz.com) in Scottsdale are all located in the Valley area. In Southern Arizona, Tucson is home to Desert Diamond Casino (520-294-7777 or www.desertdiamond.com). In Northern Arizona, Hon-Dah Resort Casino (800-929-8744 or www.hon-dah.com) offers a nice respite from the heat in addition to its resort and casino amenities.