Tempe History Museum
4.7(380)google
4.7(27)yelp
HistoryFree
Overview
Tempe ( tem-PEE; O'odham: Oidbaḍ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is home to the main campus of Arizona State University, one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.
Practical Info
MonClosed
Tue10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SunClosed
Suggested Duration1-2 hours
Best TimeYear-round. As an indoor cultural venue full of rich community atmosphere and ample air conditioning, this is a superb choice for a great-value intellectual outing while escaping Tempe's extreme outdoor summer heat
Getting ThereLocated in the core service area of southern Tempe, right next to the Tempe Public Library. It's about a 10-minute drive south from the ASU main campus, with a very large completely free surface parking lot
Travel Tips
- This is a treasure cultural venue for comprehensively exploring the past and present of the city of Tempe, telling in depth the historical process from the early Hohokam Native pioneers to today's modern university town
- The museum has many very exquisite interactive Kids' Place adventure areas, very suitable for families with young children to come and learn about local ancient history in a fun way through hands-on games and puzzles
- The museum is completely free to everyone (funded and operated by the local government), and it also frequently holds live performances by local independent musicians and distinctive cultural-craft community activities
Reviews
Positive
- Although the collection is small, it's very exquisite and the curatorial logic is extremely clear. The interactive devices are well maintained, letting you truly feel this city's unique inclusiveness and historical depth—and it's completely free, a great experience
- Bringing kids here is simply a superb choice! The children's play area on the second floor is very thoughtfully done; the kids don't want to leave, and the staff are extremely warm and friendly
Heads up
- It's a small city community-level history museum, so the amount of information and the wow factor of the exhibits naturally can't compare with those world-class super-large professional art or instrument museums in Phoenix