Arizona Museum of Natural History

  What started in 1977 as a small local museum has grown into a fairly large and comprehensive museum with great artifacts and exhibits pertaining to the formation of Earth, local history, paleontology, and native cultures of the Americas.
  

  The museum is accessible. It’s even possible to pull a wheelchair up to the sluices in the outdoor history exhibit and pan for gold.

  Free 3 hour parking is located in the lot east of the museum. RVs will fit if parked through two spaces.  Museum   33.41658, -111.83397

Freestone Park

  This is a great little community park - not really a tourist attraction but still a nice place visit on a sunny day. Spread out over 88 acres are two lakes using reclaimed water; over a mile of paved walking trails; softball and soccer fields; basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts; a skate park; three playgrounds; and picnic tables with ramadas. There’s even a small amusement park for little kids with a train and a few rides.

The walking trails are accessible.

RVs will fit in the lots near the softball fields.

Park   33.35885, -111.76736

Rio Salado Bike Path at Tempe Beach Park

   Most of the water from the Salt River is captured in four reservoirs before it reaches the Phoenix area. The last trickle is diverted into canals to supply drinking and irrigation water so a dry river bed meandering through the city is all that marks a once free flowing river. However in 1999, after years of planning, the city of Tempe brought some of the water back by filling a dammed section of the river bed to form a two mile lake.

  The lake provides a place for fishing and boating. A small park is available for picnics and events. A paved bike path follows along both sides of the lake and dry river bed for about 12 miles of total length. The Tempe Center of the Arts, located west of the park, hosts a wide range of performances. Many are free or very reasonable. Admission to the art gallery is free.

  The bike path is accessible. The Center for the Arts wasn’t opened the day that we visited  but I believe that it’s accessible.

  The parking lot at the park is small so park RVs in the large lot at the Center for the Arts.  Path   33.43226, -111.95067

Arizona Renaissance Festival

  The Arizona Renaissance Festival, which has been a yearly event for 28 years, is held every weekend in February and March. It covers 30 acres and has 200 vendors, 13 stages and over 2000 participants. Everything is very well done with excellent attention to detail and workmanship on the buildings, stages, and human powered kid’s rides.

  Traffic causes a major backup along US 60 so arrive early. The crowds are large but there’s enough room so that it doesn’t seem cramped. Make sure to grab a map. Even with the map the festival layout is still confusing. Show seating fills up fast and it’s necessary to find a seat 1/2 hour before the popular shows start. We enjoyed the five shows that we managed to see - a combination of magic, acrobatics, juggling, slap stick, and corny humor. Even though we stayed about five hours we missed a lot and didn’t get a chance to try any of the food like bacon wrapped pork loin skewers :-P. We also wanted to watch the jousting but you really have to get there early to get a seat!

 

  

   The grounds are hard packed sandy dirt. Rolling around is easy but the area is large  and wheelchair users will get a workout. No accommodations are made for wheelchairs at the shows so wheelchair users must sit in the aisles.

  RV and oversized vehicle parking is close to the festival entrance.

Festival  33.32132, -111.43026

Desert Botanical Garden

  The garden was founded in 1937 by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society, a group of Phoenix residents who wanted to save and promote desert plants. One third of the plants in the garden are native to the area, the rest are native to deserts in the Americas and around the world. We visited at a good time - so many of the cacti and other desert plants are in bloom!

 

     

   

The garden is very accessible. The trails are either paved or hard packed sandy dirt. The Sonoran Desert Loop Trail is paved but steep. Most of the other trails are fairly level. The layout of the garden is easy to follow with all of the themed loops branching off of the main loop.

The parking lot is very large but if it’s really busy RVs should be parked in the overflow lot.  Garden   33.46016, -111.94759

Heard Museum

  The Heard Museum houses a large and impressive collection of Native American artwork with pottery, textiles, jewelry, sculptures and fine art from before European encounters up to the present time. One permanent exhibit gives an historic view of the good and bad aspects of life at Indian boarding schools. Another features artwork and information about the customs of each southwest Native American tribe.

 

  The museum is accessible. Some of the cases are high and it’s impossible to read the descriptive labels from a seated position. 

RVs will fit in the lot if parked through two spaces.  Museum  33.47317, -112.07318

General Patton Memorial Museum

  During WWII General Patton was charged with finding suitable training grounds for troops on their way to the North Africa desert. He chose 18,000-acres of California and Nevada desert which closely matched the hot, dry conditions the soldiers would encounter. It was the world's largest army post with airfields, hospitals, supply depots and support services. Chiriaco Summit, where the museum is located, was Patten’s headquarters for a few months before he was called back to Washington and sent overseas.

  The museum contains many donated artifacts but very little historic information. Watch the movie to learn more about Patten and the training center. Tanks and other equipment are located on the grounds. The only remains of the camp are a few chapel walls built by the soldiers. Don’t miss the full sized wooden models of Leonardo’s Da Vinci’s war machines at the entrance of the parking lot.

 

        

  The museum is accessible.  The ground around the outdoor displays is hard packed and pushing is fairly easy.

The parking lot is large enough for any RV. If you wish to stay overnight a free, primitive camping area is located behind the museum. There are about two dozen marked campsites – no tables or other amenities but restrooms and food are within walking distance at the Chiriaco Summit coffee shop and gas station.

Museum   33.6616, -115.72254    Campground

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  The San Diego Zoo is limited by its location in the middle of the city so in 1964 a decision was made to open a wild animal park where there would be enough room for the animals to roam. Its main purpose is species conservation and the breeding of animals. Most of the animals have very roomy, natural appearing enclosures.

   

  A general admission ticket includes four shows and a tram ride. Additional options, which include motorized tours through the African Plains or Asian Savanna, a chance to hand feed some of the animals, a zip line ride, and a rope climbing course, have added fees.

  The park is very hilly so a free companion pass is available for all paying guests who need assistance. The tram ride is not wheelchair accessible but the shuttle is. The additional motorized tours are accessible. More information can be found HERE.

   RV parking is available. We were not directed to the correct lot and parked with the cars. I think the RV parking lot is behind the accessible parking spaces which are on the flat level of the lot nearest the park entry booths. The accessible spaces fill so arrive early to get a space. There’s a fee for parking. RVs are charged more than cars.   Park   33.09816, -117.00247