In the northeastern Sonoran Desert, south of the Grand Canyon,
lies Arizona's state capital Phoenix.
With well over 4 million people, this is the state's largest city
and one of the most populated cities in the USA.
Welcome to the Valley of the Sun,
where it is always warm and where the nature stands out from the landscape
like a camel in a desert.
Start out in the central Arts District.
Here, the coffee and tea houses in between the galleries
and boutique stores are a good place for breakfast.
Looking out over the city is the carefully preserved Wrigley Mansion,
a place for fine dining in a modern, or antique setting.
Learn all about your digestive system, and more,
in the downtown Arizona Science Center.
Get gobbled up by a monster stomach and cycle high in the air
in this interactive museum.
Potential Einsteins can test their brain in the wonder center,
while the little ones will love splashing about.
For exhibits that are off the wall,
visit the nearby Phoenix Art Museum,
which is also filled with more conventional paintings and sculptures.
A few blocks north, the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art
is the place to see Navajo jewelry and ancient bowls and jars.
Try your hand at creating pottery and jewelry yourself
in the award-winning Mesa Arts Center. All the tools you need are there!
Between Mesa and Phoenix is Scottsdale.
In the Scottsdale Museum Of Contemporary Art the sky is the limit
when it comes to art.
After browsing the work of local creatives,
explore the upscale stores in the Scottsdale Quarter.
For a musical journey through time,
treat your ears to the Musical Instrument Museum
on the northern edge of Phoenix, it is stacked from floor to ceiling with
African drums...
guitars from the Middle East ...
and unusual South American instruments.
MIM is also a tribute to some of America's finest artists.
Back near the Salt River,
the Pueblo Grande Museum And Archaeological Park
gives an insight into the lives of the Hohokam people.
These Native Americans shaped this city some 1,500 years ago
by digging irrigation canals to the river.
East from here is Papago Park,
home to some of Phoenix's best family attractions.
Check out the huge cacti and edible art in the Desert Botanical Garden...
the old fire trucks in the Hall of Flame...
and the prairie animals in the spacious Phoenix Zoo.
Don't miss the chance to clamber through the Hole In The Rock
to see the Valley of the Sun in full glory!
Another natural window overlooking Phoenix
is on the opposite side of the city.
At Dobbins Point it is like you are looking into the future in one direction,
and into the past in the other...
Out of all of the rock formations in Arizona,
the drop offs and folds of the Grand Canyon are the most awe-inspiring.
Many feel humbled when staring out
over one of America's biggest natural treasures.
If you don't have time to drive the four hours north
to see the Grand Canyon, Sedona is only half the distance from Phoenix.
The sandstone cathedrals in "Red Rock Country" are a great sight at sunset.
Arizona is always basking in sunlight and with its Southwestern charm,
rich Native American history and deep appreciation of art and nature,
Phoenix is an attractive oasis in the hot Sonoran desert.