1. Desert Botanical Garden
This beautiful botanical garden is located near Sun Lakes, just outside of Phoenix. The gardens were founded in 1937 by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society. The society was determined to protect and conserve the “fragile desert environment” that was being threatened by advancing societies and urban growth. Today, the botanical garden now boasts more than 50,000 unique plant species, including 379 which are classified as threatened, rare, or endangered.
This botanical garden focuses on preserving cacti and other plants that are adapted to living in harsh desert conditions. In addition to these, guests can also view plants native to other climates that are housed in special shade houses.
Visitors to the botanical gardens can take guided tours, explore the grounds themselves, enjoy special art installations (currently visitors can see the Chihuly exhibit until late 2022), and even take adult education classes focusing on things like gardening, photography, and more.
The Desert Botanical Garden is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the American Southwest and it is full of stunning plants and interesting history. Visiting will give you a chance to learn all about plants that are indigenous to Arizona and desert climates, and the efforts being taken to preserve natural ecology in an ever-changing landscape.
2. Huhugam Heritage Center
The American Southwest is a stunning place full of rich history, and the Huhugam Heritage Center is a very special place to learn about a piece of this history. Technically located in Chandler, Arizona, this museum is still only a few short miles away from Sun Lakes.
This museum/cultural center helps display and educate people about “the ancestral, historic, and current cultures of the Gila River Indian Community.” This community consists of two tribes: the Pee Posh and the Akimel O’otham, and the heritage center works hard to ensure that their cultures are preserved and able to flourish for the generations to come.
The heritage center was constructed in 2003 to fulfill a detailed Community vision, and it truly is a special place to visit. The buildings are beautifully designed and exude a feeling of calm— they were specifically designed to blend into the landscape from afar.
The exhibits at the heritage center are filled with treasures from the ancestral tribes, art crafted by master artists, and artifacts made by farmers and crafts people of the tribes.
3. Tumbleweed Ranch
Tumbleweed Ranch is another awesome Museum located in Chandler, Arizona— right outside Sun Lakes. This museum is operated by the larger Chandler Museum (also worth a visit— it’s very cool as well!).
Specifically, Tumbleweed Ranch helps display and educate visitors about the agricultural roots of Chandler (the fourth largest city in Arizona), which began in the 1890s. According to the museum website, the community of Chandler was shaped by a number of agricultural pursuits, including dairy, sheep, cotton, alfalfa, sugar beets, and citrus.
This museum is a great way to learn about how the efforts of early pioneers helped facilitate the urban growth we see today. It’s amazing to be able to see how far Chandler has come since the very first crop was planted in the 1800s. Onsite you can explore an early 1900s grocery store, learn about antique farm equipment, and much more.
If you’re lucky, you may even get to catch some of the cool events that are hosted on the grounds of Tumbleweed Ranch. These include the Ostrich Festival, Chandler Church Wagon Cook-Off, and the Chandler High School Future Farmers of America, among others.
4. Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery
This awesome art gallery can be found in Chandler, and is one of the very best art museums/collections around. This gallery focuses on showcasing two types of art: Contemporary Western American Art, and Contemporary American Indian Art.
The gallery features over 3,000 art pieces in a variety of mediums, including oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, charcoal drawings, pen and ink drawings, sculptures of wood and natural stone, basketry, kachinas, jewelry, bronze, and wood-turned bowls.
One of the collections within the larger Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery is the Eddie Basha Collection. This collection began in 1971 when Eddie began to pursue his passion for the American West through art collection at the encouragement of his Aunt Zelma. Today, the Eddie Basha Collection is widely known as one of the largest private collections of contemporary Western American and American Indian art throughout the world.
This museum is free of charge to all visitors, but it is only open between Monday - Friday from 9am to 4pm, so don’t wait until the weekend to check it out!
5. Ocotillo Golf Course and Resort
The golf course at the Ocotillo Golf Course and Resort is one of the top golf destinations in the American Southwest. This resort is located in Chandler, Arizona, and is a proud recipient of Golf Digest’s 4.5 Star Best Places to Play Award. Ocotillo Golf Course has also received recognition as one of the Top 50 Resorts by Golf World.
This course features 27 holes on a course that is truly breathtaking. Designed by Ted Robinson, a famous golf course architect, it’s worth a visit even if you don’t play golf. The grounds feature lush flower beds and man-made lakes, as well as roaring waterfalls and stunning fairways. The course has been featured numerous PGA Tour tournaments, U.S. Senior Open tournaments, and U.S. Amateur tournaments.
In addition to all of this, the course also has an onsite award-winning pro shop that provides top quality golf instructions from PGA professionals. If all of that wasn’t enough, there is a delicious full service restaurant on the property— the Ocotillo Grille— that affords guests stunning sunset views while they dine.
Final Thoughts
Arizona is one of the coolest states in the USA, and there is so much to do no matter where you decide to visit. Sun Lakes is a great little community that is close to Phoenix and Chandler, both of which are packed with some of the best attractions the state has to offer. Check out one of the largest privately owned collections of Contemporary American Art at the Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery. After that, learn about local Native American history at the Huhugam Heritage Center where you can check out treasures from local tribes. Once you’ve learned your fill for the day, you can head to the Desert Botanical Garden for a stroll through the stunning plants, or head over to Ocotillo Golf Course for a quick game of golf or a bite to eat at the onsite restaurant.