Discover ancient petroglyphs and unique desert wildlife or just take in the beautiful sunshine and fresh air at one of the Valley's several mountain preserves: Camelback Mountain, South Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, Piestewa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak) or Papago Park .

For the kid in everyone, the Phoenix Zoo (602-273-1341 or www.phoenixzoo.org ) offers 2.5 miles of walking trails and 1,200 animals on exhibit. The zoo has been divided into four different trails: the Africa, Tropics, Arizona and Discovery Trails. There is a petting zoo, animal encounters, natural setting exhibits and much more. They also rent bikes, boats and strollers. Other choices for viewing animal life are Wildlife World Zoo (623-935-9453) and Out of Africa (480-837-7779). For a closer look at Arizona's unique flora, visit the Desert Botanical Gardens (602-941-1225 or www.dbg.org). Located on 145 acres in the midst of the red rock buttes of Papago Park , the Garden showcases 50 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits and is home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world. Also interesting, the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (623-930-3596 or www.glendaleaz.com/waterconservation) contains over 1,000 low-water-use plants.

A must-see for hands-on learning is the Arizona Science Center (602-716-2000 or www.azscience.org), which offers hands-on, eye-opening fun with more than 300 interactive exhibits, a state-of-the-art planetarium, five-story giant-screen theater, live demonstrations and traveling exhibitions. The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting (602-275-3473) hosts the largest collection of firefighting equipment in the world. And, Champlin Fighter Aircraft Museum (480-830-4540) is home to one of the world's largest collections of fighter aircraft. The Challenger Space Center (623-322-2001 or www.azchallenger.org) in Peoria offers simulated space missions, exhibits and tours. For the younger kids, the Arizona Museum for Youth (480-644-2468) in Mesa offers great hands-on exhibits for school aged kids and wonderful educational play areas for toddlers.

For a western encounter for the whole family, be sure to visit Rawhide (480-502-1880 or www.rawhide.com), which features gunfights, stuntmen, Main Street and theater style entertainment, a steakhouse, stagecoach rides, a petting zoo, bull riding (mechanical & the real thing), gold panning, over a dozen games, rides, attractions and 12 unique shopping experiences. For a great interactive museum with a Southwestern focus, try Mesa Southwest Museum (480-644-2230).

For an interesting tour of the area, travel on the Verde Canyon Railway (www.verdecanyonrr.com), nature's longest running show.

On the Western border of Arizona on the Colorado River, Lake Havasu (800-2-HAVASU or www.golakehavasu.com) is home to the world-famous London Bridge. Lake Havasu is both a water and desert lover's dream with a wide array of water sports, desert tours, golf and tennis. Other cities tucked along the Colorado include Parker and Bullhead City , which is across the river from Laughlin .