Black Otter Trading Post

Phoenix has developed an envious reputation as being the cultural center for the Southwest and certainly dominates the art, music and cultural scene in the Mountain region of the United States. No visit to Phoenix can be complete without a trip to the many museums and art centers that have established their home here. Here we have the top 5 museums and art centers for you to look at while you are here on your visit to this great city, so enjoy and let’s take you on a cultural journey second to none in the region.
The Phoenix Art Museum
The Phoenix Art Museum offers the very best in art exhibits from around the world and places them on display right here in Phoenix. The entire family will find something to enjoy here with an extensive collection of art covering the European Renaissance and Baroque periods, art from the Orient and of course the American West. The collection has over 17,000 exhibits to delight, mystify and satisfy every taste imaginable and many exhibits are interactive while your imagination will be stimulated with the Thorne miniature rooms and the numerous outdoor exhibits. Over 400 hundred years of art and art history are on display in this classically progressive museum which mirrors the growth and development of Phoenix from a desert settlement into the cosmopolitan metropolis of today.
The Phoenix Theater
The Heard family (see the Heard Museum) was a wealthy and successful Phoenix family and the Phoenix Players was established using their stables back in 1920. The Phoenix Theater was established and is now the oldest continuously operating theater company in existence east of the Mississippi. Their continuing presence in the city was assured by the grant of land to Phoenix by the Heard family which included the condition that the theater would perpetually reside at the stable site originally provided. The Phoenix Players provide a range of entertainment and plays and you should book well in advance of your trip to ensure you are not disappointed as they tend to play to a full house.
The Heard Museum
The Heard family thrived in Phoenix and grew wealthy and influential as the city expanded and became the economic center of the Mountain region. As they became ever wealthy, they also became great cultural supporters and much of the development of music, art and theater in Phoenix is owed to the Heard family. The Heard Museum is itself the largest and most extensive collection of Native American art in the western United States with a huge collection of Kachine dolls, pottery, textiles and jewelry of Native Americans.
Shemer Art Centre
The Shemer Art Center occupies the very first home in Arcadia built in 1919 and this restored home houses many fine art exhibits and displays. The pride of the Arizona artist community is on display with a wide range of traditional and exploratory art on show. The grounds are also of interest with their landscaped features and sculptures for the visitor to enjoy and relax.
Phoenix Civic Plaza Convention Center and Symphony
This is one of the premier exhibition complexes in the western United States and also home to the Phoenix Symphony as well as the Arizona Opera. Book well in advance as tickets are frequently sold out and there is a huge range of performances on offer throughout the year.