Mesa Southwest Museum

This Museum in itself is such a grand find! I didn't even know it exsisted right in central Mesa, until i heard about a free admission day they had. We were totally blown away at such an amazing tresure that is here in mesa! We were attending a art festival where they were displaying local artists work and our daughters both young, were really enjoying themselves throughout ALL of the museum, I learned so much about the history of Arizona and our children both who are not in school also learned so much by the wonderful visual exhibits. One of the most relaxing things about the museum is the upstairs patio. It was a great ending to a wonderful place to just sit out in the open air looking at the grand city! A definite MUST see! more

If you have a child in the family that adores dinosaurs, the Mesa Southwest Museum is a great place to take them. They have a huge display that simulates what it would have been like for the dinosaurs to be in a flash flood. They have great information on types of dinosaurs and nice replicas. They have cute old-style jail cells that make for a great photo opportunity. Make sure to bring your camera and take a picture of your child in jail!! more

My two children recently had the day off of school and we were looking for something to do. Both of them are really into dinosaurs, and a friend of mine reccomended that we take a trip to the Mesa Southwest Museum. We spent the whole day there and the kids just have a blast, I even enjoyed myself! There are plenty of dinosuar fossils and everything else that they may be into! I reccomend that you take a look for yourself! more

Family membership is very reasonable for the year and comes with several free passes for guests. Even individual admission is reasonable compared to other museums. Great summer program for kids. Very reasonable price and they cover many themes other than dinosaurs (bugs, whales, rocks, the desert). My 4 year old son attended them this summer and had a great time. Dinosaur display is great for repeat vists and the rotating exhibits are always good. The permanent rock exhibit is also enjoyable. The art exhibit of Arizona landscapes is beautiful (more for adults) and the desert landscape upstairs is very cool. more

I agree that the best part is the animated Dinosaurs but with other special temporary dispalys there is never a dull moment. The real jails and Arizona history is great for adults and each time we have gone there is always a hands on area for the kids. And of course the Oldwest movie screen and the panning is always a hit with the kids. So don't forget to check out their website to see what other great temporary exhibits they may have at the time. The gift shop is nice but can be pricey but if you look carefully you can find a few key items you can get for your kids at a resonable price. more

This is a nice place to take the kids to teach them about the native people of our state. The kids can pan for gold, look at bank robbers or cowboys. There are huge animontronic dinosaurs. That was my kids' favorite part. I loved seeing the jail cells from the Old West. Parking is not the best. more

We love the Mesa Southwest Museum. Their main focus is dinosaurs and the natural history of Arizona. There is a large display in the center of the museum where animatronic dinosaurs move and growl during a "flash flood." Besides the dinosaurs, there is also a very cool display of Wild West culture. You can see what a real jail cell was like, pan for gold, or pretend to be in a Western movie. more

The Mesa Southwest Museum has the best dinosaur exhibit that we have seen since moving to Arizona. So if your little boy loves dinosaurs like mine does, then you should definitely visit the Mesa museum. The dinosaur exhibit encompasses multiple floors and is a multi-level exhibit. At the bottom, there is a dinosaur playroom where the children can read dinosaur stories, color dinosaur pictures and make dinosaur rubbings. There is also a cowboy exhibit and a prison exhibit - but they are not as good as the dinosaur exhibit. Great for an afternoon out of the AZ sun. But eat before you go - because they do not sell any food. more