Best Things to Do in Glendale, AZ

The home of our beloved Cardinals, opens its doors for tons of other sports. In recent years they have hosted the Super Bowl, COPA America soccer tournament, the Final Four...now that we think about it, perhaps the State Farm Stadium is a breeding ground of controversy. See more about the latest developments in and around Westgate in Glendale. 

Avoiding the drama? Not to worry, you can catch a hockey game and even a few WWE matches at the Gila River Arena. It is home to the Arizona Coyotes. Maybe hockey's not your game but think about it... there is ice, Zambonis, penalty boxes, punching, skate stomping and a lot of blood… how is hockey not your game?

On the other hand, there is always America's favorite pastime, baseball, if all that cold blood gets to you. During spring training Camelback Ranch hosts both the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even though the spring season is not very long you might be able to catch a Triple-A game, which is usually more fun anyway.

Maybe grab Goose and spend a day with your egos writing checks your bodies can't cash. With a lot of luck and a bit of hustling, you might be able to swing a visit to Luke Air Force Base. Hell, you might even end up flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.

Or is the wifey over Tom Cruise? Aren’t we all? Well, drop her off for some shopping while you and the boys catch the game. She can start with Historic Downtown Glendale. There are tons of gift shops and antique stores, built into historic Glendale homes. If she’s lucky she'll catch one of the dozens of festivals held there every year, from A Chocolate Affair to their Christmas Glendale Glitter. Its all of that Gilmore Girls crap most women pine for. Then she can head out to Westgate, right next to UoP Stadium, when she is all done there you can take her to bed or lose her forever.

If you don’t like sports... wait that's not a thing, nevermind. If you have the unfortunate timing of being in town during an athletic dry spell, then stock up at Cabelas and hit the outdoors.

If you feel like going Mach-2 with your hair on fire, take a family hike through the Petroglyph Preserve and marvel at drawings that look like your 3 year old made them. But since they were done hundreds of years ago they are actually the coolest thing out there.

Thunderbird Conservation Park has more strenuous hiking to offer. There are eight trails to choose from in the 1,185-acre park.

On the flip side, Xeriscape Botanical Gardens is an easy walk that shows off the lush foliage that you can only find in Arizona. Right next to the garden is Sahuaro Ranch Park. This is a great place to visit with the family, they have picnic areas, soccer fields, volleyball courts, and playgrounds.

We don’t even need to talk about Wet N Wild. Why? ‘Cause it’s classified. Classified... it means I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you. Let's just say there's a lot to do, so get out there and experience life before you get caught in someone's jet wash and your best friend dies in your arms because he forgot to watch the canopy.

For the last 50 years, there's one candy shop in Glendale that has been hooked on making things sweeter in life. It's also one of the few places where you can book a tour of the candy factory and see how these delicious little sweets are made in person. It's a great opportunity to take the wife and kids to get their ultimate sugar fix and learn something new about how sugar is repurposed and transformed into tasty goodness.

If you don't take the 30-minute tour in person, they also have a great video monitor feed of their factory that provides a self-guided tour to view from home. Don't say we didn't warn you beforehand, this VR tour doesn't provide the 'smell-o-vision' that you would get if you actually come to the factory. Besides that, there are activities that you can't miss including making your own chocolate bar, chocolate teddy bears decorating, and even a chocolate tasting tour pass!

It's one of the sweetest experiences to see behind-the-scenes of how candy is made. Plus you can visit their gift shop and stock up on chocolate and candy that's freshly made and ready to enjoy.

Perhaps there is nothing more than satisfying than to take a trip down memory lane like nothing else you've experienced before. Let's just say that visiting this museum isn't your average tour on the block but it will give you an inside look at how toys and dolls have earned their rightful place in a collection that includes specimens from the last 300 years! Talk about repurposing old dolls and toys that you might remember from your childhood...

Forget about those recent Annabelle and Chucky movies, this museum is filled with dolls and toys that are part of everyone's life sometime in their early years. For some, it's a chance to see rare collections that doll and toy collectors dream about. The best exhibit includes a 1912 schoolhouse filled with- you guessed it- antique dolls that might just trigger your need to stop binge-watching killer doll movies on Netflix!

It's a cool alternative tour you can check out that is equally cool for parents and kids of all ages. Even if it isn't Halloween-related, for some it might send shivers up your spine either way. Check it out!

While some places just aren't keeping up with the current technology, we are often forced to live out the past through collecting antiques. Zola Bell's is a unique experience in downtown Glendale that is sure to touch your sense of reclaiming the past in a whole new way. You might just find a trinket that you remember as a kid or a decorative keepsake that will add charm and warmth to your home.

It's not the biggest place to visit and surely isn't going to cost you anything to take a look at what they have to offer. You won't be disappointed with their selection and more than likely go home with a piece of history that won't cost you an arm or a leg. If you've never taken a trip down to Zola Bell's before, this is a real treat that is a living time capsule for items and trinkets that have been waiting for their next chance for being repurposed.

If you're a Glendale local, you've no doubt heard of the Mongollon before? This is Arizona's very own Bigfoot and is said to roam across central and eastern Arizona. Just in the last 5 years there's been a recent sighting and footprints found up in Prescott that's no more than 75 miles away! Who knows for sure if the Mongollon Monster has managed to take up potential photo ops throughout this 1,185-acre national park devoted to desert preservation?

What you will find is a generous selection of 15 miles worth of trails that are perfect for biking and hiking. There are over 50 species of birds that can be stopped throughout the year, so it's perfect for bird watchers too! Don't forget to bring some Plaster of Paris' in case you do find a strange footprint. It'll be more than a keepsake and is the perfect way to recycle potential proof that the Mongollon keeps on Truckin'...

It's also a great place to get out and see desert nature as it naturally appears and is always a fun place to bring the family for weekend hikes. Whether you like hiking, jogging, horseback riding, or just plain picnicking, it's also a free experience that has been carefully preserved by volunteers, making it the ultimate conservation park within Glendale.

What better way to see life than to see it from the past expression of Neon? Neon used to be big business back in the days when glass tubing was carefully bent and shaped and then filled with neon gas and electrified. The result is a stunning form of colored light that entertains the senses, mesmerizes your eyes, and is one of the only forms of light that you can physically hear.

This is one Glendale attraction that is worth checking out at dusk or at night to get a better experience. It's a great place to bring your date or with your wife, heck for that matter you kids might find this museum more than stimulating through the amazing uses of neon art. Forget about those mysterious rumbles and quakes they're getting up in Phoenix, this exhibit is all-the-buzz worth checking out in Glendale.

It's another fine example of how neon has found a purposeful transformation other than being a bright advertisement on the side of liquor stores and buildings. It's another form of light that is showing how art influences modern culture with a long-last craft that's been recycled into dazzling entertainment centerpieces.