This post was written in collaboration with Hotels.com. All opinions are my own.
We’ve been to Phoenix, Arizona a few times but on our most recent trip, we got to bring sweet Milo. Although a little less talkative than he is now, he was in full-on toddler mode, running around and getting into everything. So we wanted to make sure there were lots of fun things to do between nap times to keep him engaged and entertained.
We stayed two nights at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Paradise Valley in Scottsdale. It’s a more affordable option that’s desert-cool and has all the amenities one could need. They have a cool pool, lots of lounge areas outside to hang out, and nice rooms.
We didn’t end up spending very much time at the hotel except to sleep, but it was the perfect place to land. We had a packed itinerary for the couple of days we were there so we chose our hotel with that in mind.
We were only in the area as a stopover on our way to Maui, but we love Phoenix so we wanted to make it a memorable time with Milo.
Last time we were in Phoenix without Milo (also on our way to Hawaii), we stayed at Arizona Biltmore and absolutely loved the property. There are so many great hotel options that are kid-friendly in Phoenix and nearby Scottsdale.
Here are the best things to do in Phoenix with a toddler, according to our toddler:
Desert Botanical Garden – Nick and I first visited the Desert Botanical Garden in 2015 and loved it. We’ve talked for years about taking our future children there one day. We try to visit botanical gardens in each city we visit that has one. It’s a fun way to learn about the local flora and fauna and it’s usually a peaceful and enjoyable time.
When we finally got to take Milo, it did not disappoint. It’s worth hours of fun. Milo enjoyed riding through the different gardens in his stroller as well as running around. Just watch out for cactuses! And bring plenty of drinking water.
Papago Park -Papago Park is a large, beautiful park in Phoenix with hiking trails and other attractions. There are hiking trails and different lookout points, but we stayed around the lagoons to let Milo look at the birds, people-watch, and burn some energy.
I should also mention that this is a fun, free way to spend some time in nature in Phoenix!
Phoenix Zoo– We didn’t take Milo to the Phoenix Zoo. We had a full itinerary and wanted to do some things we couldn’t do at home. But if you have time to visit the Zoo, I’m sure your toddler would have a blast!
Desert Botanical Garden, Papago Park, and the Phoenix Zoo are all right next to one another. While we didn’t go to the zoo, I think it might be reasonable to do all three in one long day since they are in such close proximity to one another.
Butterfly Wonderland – We love visiting butterfly gardens and this one is fun for the little ones. It’s on the Odysea in the Desert campus with its other attractions. There’s lots of fun to be had at Odysea, but we opted to just do the Butterfly Wonderland. If we had more time, we would have explored more of the attractions here.
Old Town Scottsdale – We took Milo to Old Town Scottsdale to run around. He had lunch in the area and walked around visiting the shops. It was a nice McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park – This little railroad park was a surprising gem that ended up being the highlight of our short trip to Phoenix. We went here on the last day of our trip as we were heading to the airport. We walked around the park for a while and rode the little train with Milo and just had a blast. It was a great way for him to expend some energy before we got on the long flight to Honolulu. The train rides are pretty cheap so it’s not a major wallet drain either. It was a toddler boy’s dreamland and we highly recommend. There’s more to do here than the train, but that was certainly Milo’s (and mom and dad’s) favorite part.
