15 Best Sights in Arizona, USA

A fun destination for even casual music fans, the museum offers a rare display of music and instruments going back hundreds of years—including more than 15,000 instruments and artifacts from across the globe. Special galleries highlight video demonstrations as well as audio tracks that showcase the sounds that instruments, both primitive and contemporary, create. There's even an Experience Gallery where kids can make their own music.

Kids young and old get a thrill out of the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the state. You can also pan for gold and see changing exhibits from around the world.

Exhibits at the Cave Creek Museum depict pioneer living, mining, and ranching. See an original 1920s tuberculosis cabin and a collection of artifacts from the Hohokam and Yavapai tribes.

A playground for kids of all ages, this museum features hands-on exhibits where children learn by playing. Venture through the "noodle forest," relax in the book loft, or get a crash course in economics by role-playing at the on-site market.

Retired firefighters lead tours through nearly 100 restored fire engines and tell harrowing tales of the "world's most dangerous profession." The museum has the world's largest collection of firefighting equipment, and children can climb on a 1916 engine, operate alarm systems, and learn fire safety from the pros. Helmets, badges, and other firefighting-related articles from as far back as 1725 are on display.

Developed by Kingman's active legion of railroad aficionados, the Whistler Stop Railroad Club, this museum is set inside the town's vintage 1907 Santa Fe Railroad depot and contains vintage model-train layouts from the 1940s through the 1960s, plus additional memorabilia chronicling the region's rail history.

When Pat Arnell began collecting miniatures in the late 1970s, she probably didn't imagine that her hobby would eventually outgrow her house and become an offbeat but effective vehicle for people of all ages to explore history and culture. The modern museum displays more than 275 doll houses and room boxes, antique through contemporary, from the United States, Europe, and Asia. There are also plenty of wee folk, like fairies, wizards, and kewpie dolls, and even tiny appliance "samples" that were carried door-to-door by traveling salespeople.

The 1935 stone-and-log building, which resembles a pueblo, is almost as interesting as the Native American artifacts and exhibits inside. Baskets, kachinas, pottery, rugs, and beadwork make up the collection, which represents Indigenous cultures from the pre-Columbian period to the present.

Vincent Price narrates the dramatic version of the town's fascinating past in the "Historama"—a 26-minute multimedia presentation that provides a solid overview. At the adjoining, authentic O.K. Corral, the actual spot where the 1881 shootout took place, a recorded voiceover details the gunfight, while life-size figures of the participants stand poised to shoot. A reenactment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral is held daily at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Photographer C. S. Fly, whose studio was next door to the corral, didn't record this bit of history, but Geronimo and his pursuers were among the historic figures he did capture with his camera. Many of his fascinating Old West images and his equipment may be viewed at the Fly Exhibition Gallery & Studio.

A nice place to stop and rest in the shade, this site offers vast views of the Painted Desert from several lookouts. Inside, cultural history exhibits, murals, and Native American crafts are on display.

This huge facility ranks among the largest private collections of aircraft in the world. More than 400 airplanes are on display in hangars and outside, including a presidential plane used by both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson; a full-scale replica of the Wright brothers' 1903 Wright Flyer; the SR-71 reconnaissance jet; and a mock-up of the X-15, the world's fastest aircraft. World War II planes are particularly well represented.

Meander on your own (even leashed pets are allowed) or take a free walking tour led by volunteer docents. The open-air tram tour (an additional $8 fee) narrates all outside aircraft. An on-site restaurant, The Flight Grill, is open daily.

This museum in the historic district is a tribute to Willcox's most famous native son, cowboy singer Rex Allen. He starred in several rather average "singing cowboy" movies during the 1940s and '50s for Republic Pictures, but he's probably most famous as the friendly voice that narrated Walt Disney nature films of the 1960s. Check out the glittery suits the star wore on tour—they'd do Liberace proud.

The museum might not look like much from the outside, but the collectibles and tree make this one of the best places to visit in town. Originally a boardinghouse for the Vizina Mining Company and later a popular hotel, the Rose Tree Inn Museum has 1880s period rooms and—its main attraction—a humongous rose tree (hence the name). Covering more than 8,600 square feet, the Lady Banksia rose tree, planted by a homesick bride in 1885, is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world. The best time to see the tree is from mid-March through May, when its tiny white roses bloom. Romantics can purchase a healthy clipping from the tree to plant in their own yards.

The best place to learn about the "Dutchman" Jacob Waltz and the Lost Dutchman Mine is at Superstition Mountain Museum. Exhibits include a collection of mining tools, historical maps, and artifacts relating to the "gold" age of the Superstition Mountains.

You can see the original printing presses for the town's newspaper and watch a video about the production process at the Tombstone Epitaph Museum. The newspaper was founded in 1880 by John P. Clum, a colorful character in his own right, and is still publishing today. You can purchase one of the newspaper's special editions—The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, The Life and Times of Doc Holliday, or Tombstone's Pioneering Prostitutes.