Just for Kids
- Animal Tracking Stations
- Kids can test their tracking skills and collect stamps at locations throughout the grounds. Pick up a Tracking Guide at the entrance patio for $3.
- Children's Activity Center
- Located in the Reptiles, Invertebrates, and Amphibians Hall. Kids can complete a wall puzzle and make a crayon rubbing of a desert animal to take home.
- Dig for Fossils
- Located in the Ancient Arizona Exhibit. Learn about the plants and animals that lived during prehistoric times.
- Be a Tortoise
- Located adjacent to the Tortoise Exhibit. Try a tortoise shell on for size! Get your cameras ready!
- Earth Sciences Center
- Kids can explore a cave tunnel, search for minerals at the abandoned mine and fine-tune their hearing with human-sized bat ears. A perfect picture spot!
- Life on the Rocks
- Kids can explore narrow rocky passageways just their size!
- Kid's Corner/Ironwood Art Gallery
- Visit daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. when the gallery hosts a children's area for coloring, drawing, or reading children's books.
- Packrat Playhouse
- Kids of all ages will get to climb through prickly pear cactus pads and slide down cholla skeleton ribs!
- Penny Machine
- Children love creating their own souvenirs by turning the crank. Four designs available. Located near the Orientation Ramada.
- Children's Birthday Parties
- Is your child ready to party with cool cats, zippy bats, and playful pack rats? Then slink, swoop, or scamper to the Desert Museum for an unforgettable birthday adventure!
Tips for Engaging Children
Ask questions like, "I wonder how that plant's color helps it survive in the desert?" Or, "I wonder where tortoises get their water?" When your children have questions you can't answer just ask one of the docents for help!
