Arizona Boardwalk

Arizona Boardwalk in Scottsdale is the Phoenix metro area's most ambitious family entertainment destination — a multi-venue complex housing several world-class attractions within walking distance of each other. The headline names: OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, Museum of Illusions, and Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs. For families visiting Scottsdale, this is the single location that addresses the widest range of kid interests in one geographic footprint.

OdySea Aquarium is the anchor. At 200,000 gallons of marine exhibits across two stories, it's one of the largest inland aquariums in the United States — a surprising and impressive facility that includes a moving gondola ride through the main tank, shark tunnels, ray touch pools, and extensive educational programming. Kids who've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Georgia Aquarium will find OdySea in their tier of legitimately excellent aquariums.

Butterfly Wonderland is a different category of experience. North America's largest butterfly conservatory houses thousands of live butterflies in a massive conservatory where they land on visitors. For young children especially, the sensation of butterflies landing on their arms and shoulders produces genuine wonder.

Parents consistently note it as one of the most memorable experiences of a Scottsdale visit.

Museum of Illusions and Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs fill out the campus with interactive optical illusion exhibits and animatronic dinosaur experiences respectively. Each is worth 45-90 minutes.

Cost management is the main planning consideration — each venue has separate admission, and a family that does OdySea + Butterfly Wonderland + food can easily spend $200+. Combo tickets for paired venues exist and are worth buying online in advance. Weekday mornings are the most crowd-efficient visit strategy, and parking throughout the complex is free.