Meet Our Local Flora and Fauna
Prowl & Play, Phoenix
Have a wild time at the Phoenix Zoo. In June and August, the zoo hosts Prowl & Play, a nighttime event guaranteed to keep kids busy with specially themed activities, waterslides, a dance party and encounters with some of the animal residents.
Cool Summer Nights, Tucson
Visit the acclaimed Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on Saturday nights from late May to early September to see the comings and goings of nocturnal denizens. Bring a flashlight to explore parts of the zoo and botanical gardens, gaze at the stars and encounter scorpions, bats and beavers.
Twilight Thursdays and Fridays, Tucson
What started as a summer after-hours adventure at the Tucson Botanical Gardens is now a year-round treat. Twinkling tree lights cast a glow along your walk among cacti, herbs, wildflowers and plants that attract birds and butterflies, which surround this former early-20th-century home. Be sure to make reservations for a seasonal meal at Café Botanica.
Wet and Wild Fun
Glow Paddle, Tempe
Tweens and older can glide along placid Tempe Town Lake aboard a kayak in one of several Glow Paddle sessions from May through August. Equipment and an instructor are included, and you get glow-in-the-dark accessories to illuminate your way around this popular urban water feature. Be sure to register on the City of Tempe website before you go. Paddlers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Night Splash, Mesa
Golfland's Sunsplash is a high-energy, family-fun water park. On select days from June through September, it stays open late for Night Splash. the dark of night - safely lighted, of course - adds another dimension to the thrilling slides, chutes and falls and the calmer wave pool, lazy river, tot pool and play area.
Dinner Cruises, Tortilla Flats
Many Sonoran Desert animals become active at twilight, the perfect time to enjoy a dinner cruise aboard the Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake. Nosh on a dinner buffet while you try to spy bighorn sheep, mule deer, coyotes, javelina or a mountain lion on the surrounding cliffs or shore. Specially scheduled cruises once a month add a stargazing program with an astronomy guide and onboard telescopes.
