48 Museums to Explore in Arizona

A museum and research facility dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Native American cultures and their histories. Its facilities are located near the village of Dragoon in Cochise County, Arizona, about 65 miles east of Tucson in Texas Canyon. It contains one of the finest collections of archaeological and ethnological artifacts in the country as well as a sizable research library.

The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, a.k.a. Airbase Arizona Aircraft Museum, was established in 1978, in Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. It is the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force and the home of one of the largest Commemorative Air Force units in the world. On exhibit are World War II artifacts, helicopters and classic American and foreign combat planes, many of which are the last remaining warbirds of their kinds.

The Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens are open to the public for tours and tea throughout the day. Enjoy our exhibits and treat yourself to a delightfully decadent sweet from the Sanguinetti Chocolate Shoppe. Discover why the Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens are known as the Jewel of Historic Yuma.

The Arizona Museum of Natural History is the only natural history museum in the greater Phoenix area and is located in Mesa, Arizona. It exhibits the natural and cultural history of the Southwestern United States.

The Arizona Route 66 Museum opened in Kingman, Arizona on September 29, 2001 during Andy Devine Days. The museum, located in the Powerhouse Visitor Center, formerly the Desert Power & Water Co. Electric Power Plant, depicts the historical evolution of travel along the 35th parallel that became Route 66.

The Arizona State Capitol is located in Phoenix, Arizona and was the last home for Arizona's Territorial government until 1912. The three branches of state government initially occupied the four floors of the statehouse. As the state expanded, the branches relocated to adjacent buildings and additions. The 1901 portion of the Capitol is now maintained as part of the Arizona Capitol Museum with a focus on history and culture. The re-opened library from 1938 occupies part of this museum as well.

The Arizona State Museum, founded in 1893, was originally a repository for the collection and protection of archaeological resources. Today, however, ASM stores artifacts exhibits them and provides education and research opportunities. It was formed by the authority of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. The museum is operated by the University of Arizona and is located on the university campus in Tucson.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona. it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres of the desert landscape. It is one of the most visited attractions in Southern Arizona

The Arizona State University Art Museum is an art museum operated by Arizona State University, located on its main campus in Tempe, Arizona. The Art Museum has some 12,000 objects in its permanent collection and describes its primary focuses as contemporary art, including new media and "innovative methods of presentation"; crafts, with an emphasis on American ceramics; historic and contemporary prints.

Besh-Ba-Gowah is a 200-room prehistoric Salado masonry pueblo located atop a broad ridge overlooking Pinal Creek. This beautiful Museum offers a chance to explore the ruins and artifacts of the Salado Indians who inhabited the area from A.D. 1225 to A.D.1400. Its architecture consists of multi-storied, masonry room block clusters connected by long, narrow corridors or elongated plazas.

The Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum is dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of Bisbee, Arizona. This Museum takes you and your family back in time to the days of the Arizona Territory, telling the story of a copper-mining town’s role in the industrialization of America, a history of your grandparents’ generation.

Bonelli House is at the corner of Fifth and Spring Streets in Kingman, Arizona. The house was built in 1915.eorge Bonelli built the house in 1915 with local Peach Springs Tuff stone from Metcalfe Quarry. The home is two stories, rectangular, and has a low hipped-roof with dormers. The veranda on three sides is supported by square wooden pillars.The property belongs to the City of Kingman and is operated as a historic house museum by the Mohave County Historical Society.

The Butterfly Lodge Museum is the historic hunting lodge of Indian adventure author James Willard Schultz and later, the studio-home of his son, Lone Wolf . Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a step back in time, you’ll enjoy the original furnishing, artifacts and a gift and book area that include the creative works of both father and son. Open Memorial day weekend through Labor day weekend.

The building was built in 1929 by Gus Kratzka as the family residence. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has a rusticated concrete exterior and includes several features that made the summer heat more bearable for the retired banker and his wife. The mission of this building is to develop an art museum and creative arts center and provide citizens of the Casa Grande and Central Arizona with the opportunity to enjoy a diverse selection of quality art.

Casa Malpaís is an archaeological site of the Ancestral Puebloans located near the town of Springerville, Arizona. The site is a nationally recognized archaeological site. The site features an ancient staircase, a Great Kiva, a solar calendar, and rock art. The museum features an introductory video with commentary by Zuni and Hopi elders and an interactive guide to artifacts from the site.

A majestic museum, which offers an authentic look back in time with the preservation and restoration of Castle Dome City. It is the longest worked mining district in Arizona. Walking through this ghost town that has over 50 weather-beaten buildings, will make you feel as if you are a part of history. The museum houses artifacts dug up from over 300 mines within the Castle Dome District and each tells a story about the mine’s history.

The Center for Creative Photography established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American photographers. , as well as a collection of over 80,000 images representing more than 2,000 photographers. The CCP collects, preserves, interprets, and makes available materials that are essential to understanding photography and its history.

This is the place to experience Apache history and culture. Housed in a modern facility constructed to reflect a gowa, our traditional holy home, the cultural center and museum is committed to the celebration and perpetuation of the Apache heritage. The park interprets the rich and troubled history of relations between the Apache and other Native American tribes at the fort, which was converted into a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school after its military use ended.

Fort Lowell was a United States Army post active from 1873 to 1891 on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Fort Lowell was the successor to Camp Lowell, an earlier Army installation. The Army claimed a military reservation that encompassed approximately eighty square miles and extended east toward the Rincon Mountains.

The Gila County Historical Society is located in Globe, AZ, the county seat of Gila County, Arizona. The Society archives and displays many items related to the history of the area, which includes some of the Old West's most dynamic episodes. Our museum is free and open to the public.