12 Places In Arizona That Are Off The Beaten Path But Worth The Trip

Arizona is filled to the brim with interesting, fun destinations that attractions hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. If you’ve already checked all the main attractions off your “to visit” list, then you’ll appreciate the list provided below. Included are 12 fantastic places that you need to visit. Each one is unique and offers a little something special that you won’t find anywhere else.

Amerind Museum/Facebook

Founded in 1937, this museum in southeastern Arizona also serves as a research institution of the cultures and history the state’s Indigenous peoples. It features an extensive private collection of baskets and other art, plus regularly hosts cultural and collector’s events.

Address: 2100 North Amerind Road, Dragoon

Cody/Flickr

This experimental town was designed to function in harmony with the desert but is still a work in progress. Started in the 1970s by architect Paolo Soleri, it currently serves as a research facility, working construction site, bronze bell workshop, and tourist attraction.

Location: Google Maps

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Tim/Flickr

Sitting on top of the old Castle Dome City, this recreated town sits almost an hour away from Yuma depicting what frontier life was like during the town’s heyday in the late nineteenth century.

Location: Google Maps

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Eastern Arizona College/Flickr

Sitting on the Eastern Arizona College campus, this park is a great place for a fun introduction to science. It hosts an observatory but one of the coolest features includes a shuttle flight simulator to make your childhood astronaut dreams come true!

Address: 1651 West Discovery Park Boulevard, Safford

Michael Kappel/Flickr

Not only will you find extensive caverns to explore at the Grand Canyon but you will also find one of the darkest places to sleep as well. This attraction is also home to a hotel suite about 22 stories underground.

Location: Google Maps

Richard Jones/Flickr

Want a bird’s eye view of the Grand Canyon? This jaw-dropping attraction allows you to visit the west end of the canyon from a glass walkway 2000 feet from the canyon’s floor.

Location: Google Maps

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Michael Wilson/Flickr

Located on the Navajo Nation, this seasonal waterfall flows a rich chocolate color after the annual snowmelt or following any significant amount of rain! It’s especially impressive after a heavy rainfall when the waters are roaring.

Location: Google Maps

Keepers of the Wild/Facebook

This nature park and animal sanctuary in northern Arizona sits along old Route 66 and is one impressive place! Aside from providing a permanent home for abused and abandoned wildlife, the nonprofit organization also focuses educating the public about exotic and indigenous wildlife.

Address: 13441 East Highway 66, Valentine

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Malcolm Surgenor/Flickr

This historical monument sits in the remote Arizona Strip, separated from the rest of the state by the mighty Grand Canyon. The ancestral home of Kaibab Paiutes, it also became a fort for Mormons settling in the region and a refuge for travelers.

Address: 406 North Pipe Spring Road, Fredonia

Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center/Yelp

This location sits right in the middle of central Phoenix and shows what life along the Salt River once looked like before all the city development occurred. It’s a refuge for migratory birds and local wildlife, bringing a little bit of nature to the center of the one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

Address: 3131 South Central Avenue, Phoenix

bob/Flickr

Tucked away in a residential section of Tucson is this historic fairytale park, which thrives on childlike imagination. You’ll find plays, storytelling, and other events that rely on the imagination take place here.

Address: 2544 East Allen Road, Tucson

RightBrainPhotography/Flickr

The site of a former gold mine and its accompanying town, what you’ll find here are the remains of the Vulture City ghost town and its mining operations. Among the sites you’ll see here are the old chow house, a brothel, and the infamous Hanging Tree.

Location: Google Maps

Those places look incredible! If you want to check out more fantastic ideas for places to visit in Arizona, why not start with the Grand Canyon? Read 12 Incredible Things You Need To See And Do At Arizona’s Grand Canyon for some inspiration.