Where to stay

Although Mesa is a big city, its outdoor attractions have the greatest appeal. Stay on the eastern side of town in Las Alegres for access to tubing on the Salt River, and hiking in Usery Mountain Regional Park and the Tonto National Forest. The neighborhood also has a dirt bike park and some of the city's best public golf courses. East Mesa is a great place to stay as a gateway to the Superstition Mountains. Accommodations near the Phoenix Mesa-Gateway Airport work well for touring a dairy farm and visiting a U-Pick peach farm. Find a hotel right in the city center for numerous outdoor attractions, including Riverview Park and the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College. If you're a fan of baseball, watch the Oakland A's in spring training at Hohokam Stadium.

Mesa and the surrounding neighborhoods have first-class cultural attractions. Hotels in the city center are great for seeing performances and visual arts at the Mesa Arts Center. The large Mesa Amphitheatre nearby takes advantage of the area's dry climate to host concerts with big-name performers playing to fans in three levels of outdoor seating over a tiered lawn. Stay in Las Alegres for dinner theater events in the more intimate Silver Star Theater. Accommodations in East Mesa are perfect for visiting the Dutton Family Theater, the winter home of the famous musical family from Branson, Missouri.

Museums in the Mesa area range from prehistoric to recent, and regional to local. City center hotels are close to the Arizona Museum of Natural History, which specializes in archaeology and paleontology of the Southwest. This museum features a family-favorite dig pit, where kids can uncover fossils. Arrange accommodations a few miles north to explore the city's past at the Mesa Historical Museum. For a small-town perspective, stay south of Mesa in Gilbert. It's home to the Gilbert Historical Museum, which features artifacts that showcase the rich history of this railroad town, as well as a model train which kids will enjoy. To the east, Las Alegres is the best place to stay for visiting the Commemorative Air Force Museum and perhaps taking a Living History Flight in a restored WWII aircraft.