Top Spring Break Ideas Near Phoenix

Top Spring Break Ideas Near Phoenix

Spring break doesn’t have to mean spending thousands of dollars on an all-inclusive cruise to the Caribbean where your Mother-in-law decides to relive her college days by dancing on the banquet tables in front of your six-year-old. (Let’s all just let out a collective sigh.) If you’re a lucky resident of the southwest United States, there is plenty to do in your area. If you’re not from Arizona, flights to Phoenix are pretty affordable, considering the proximity to larger airports on the west coast. The variety of things to do in the Phoenix area with your family over your spring break holiday can make it difficult to decide what to do, but we’ve put together a list of top spring break ideas for you and your family to make the most of your week of spring freedom.

With average March temperatures resting at a comfortable 76 degrees, Spring Break is the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy the dry heat with your family. Whether you decide to catch a baseball game or hike Camelback mountain, use this activity guide to enrich your family time together while getting in those relaxing moments every Spring Breaker craves.

Catch a baseball game

Breezy, sunny weather, stadium popcorn, and affordable baseball tickets? You got it! Cactus League Spring Training, a seasonal rite in Greater Phoenix, begins the spring season each year. For baseball lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this. The 2018 Cactus League season features 15 major league teams and more than 200 games from February 23 to March 27. Choose which teams you want to see and when on the extensive Cactus League website. Children 2 and under watch the game for free, and everyone else is charged only $20-$86 per ticket, depending on the team you want to see.

Take a flower-filled desert hike

March is a beautiful time to explore the Sonoran Desert. Many of the native cacti are flowering in preparation for the summer heat, and desert wildflowers are plentiful this time of year.  There are over 300 native wildflowers in bloom near the Phoenix area, and far too many to name here. Luckily, Visit Phoenix has published an extensive list of local hikes that feature floral varieties of all kinds and hikes of all difficulties, so whether you’re exploring with grown children or preschoolers, you’ll be able to find something to fit the attention span and mobility level of your family.

Day Trip to the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is only a short 4-hour drive from Central Phoenix. If you leave early, you’ll easily have 4-6 hours of activity time to spend taking in the magnificent views of the south rim, exploring the different roadways via car or shuttle bus, or eating a delicious meal in view of the awe-inspiring canyon gorge. Spring break is one of the best times to visit the canyon because there are fewer crowds of tourists than in the heat of the summer vacation season. As of 2018, the entrance fee to Grand Canyon National Park is $30 per private vehicle. This covers everyone in the car. There are reduced fees for motorcyclists and people entering by bicycle, on foot, by train, and by park shuttle bus. If you have a National Parks Golden Eagle (general annual pass), Golden Age (62 and older), Golden Access (blind and disabled), and Grand Canyon Park Passes, you can get in at a reduced fee or at no charge, depending on the pass.

Send Your Kids to Day Camp

Just because your kids get school off this week doesn’t necessarily mean you get time off of work. If you’re still working some of the days that your children will be on break, it’s worth it to find a local day camp to enrich their spring break experience. Organizations all over the central phoenix area offer camps for kids, and many of them are inexpensive or offer scholarships. While you’re at work, they might learn how to build a robot, identify native plants in the desert, hone their soccer skills, or perform in a smashing musical debut.

Sample an event from the master calendar

VisitPhoenix.com, a private, not-for-profit organization that has spent lots of time attracting events to the Greater Phoenix area, has an extensive master calendar up on their website that breaks down upcoming events by what’s happening this weekend, in the next seven days, and over the next thirty days. Navigate through their site to easily access events by category, read write-ups about local businesses (written by Phoenix natives), and find the city’s best restaurants. In the next week alone, visitors can see a psychedelic play, laugh until their sides hurt with Michael Quu, run their hands over the hoods of 200 shiny hot rods at Westgate, and learn about the history of Arizona with its most ‘hip’ historian. Never a dull moment in the city of Phoenix.

Written by Jeremy Alderman from Zog Digital, Inc.