Arizona's museums fall into three groups. The large private museums in Phoenix and Flagstaff focus on Native art and the Colorado Plateau. Arizona State Parks runs a chain of historic parks in old courthouses, forts, prisons and mansions. Missions, mining museums and Route 66 museums are run by the National Park Service, a parish and local historical societies.
Prices below are the 2026 figures published by each museum or agency. Several close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and some close one or two weekdays, so check hours before you drive.
Native art and regional museums
Heard Museum, Phoenix. Founded in 1929, the Heard is a private nonprofit with 12 galleries of American Indian art and exhibitions, plus an outdoor sculpture gallery. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., summer included. It closes on Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Tickets cover all galleries and exhibitions, though a gate fee may apply to special exhibitions. SNAP cardholders pay $5 per person for up to four people. Ticket prices are sold online and not printed on the visit page, so check heard.org.
Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff. Flagstaff residents founded MNA in 1928 to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of northern Arizona. It sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
| MNA admission, 2026 | Price |
|---|---|
| General | $18 |
| Seniors 65+ | $16 |
| Native Americans | $13 |
| Youths 10â17 | $13 |
| Children 9 and under | free |
S'edav Va'aki Museum, Phoenix. This city museum stands on a 1,500-year-old archaeological site of the Ancestral Sonoran Desert people, the culture archaeologists call Hohokam. It is a National Historic Landmark, the largest preserved archaeological site in Phoenix, and part of the city since 1929. It is next to Sky Harbor Airport and on the light rail line. Adults (18â64) pay $13, seniors $10, students and children 6â17 $6. From September to June it opens Monday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (discounted from 4 p.m.) and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. It closes Tuesday and Wednesday. In July and August it opens only Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Arizona State Parks historic parks
Most of these charge the same: $10 for adults (14+), a lower youth rate and free entry for children 6 and under.
| Park | Town | What it is | Youth (7â13) | Hours (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tombstone Courthouse | Tombstone | Red-brick Victorian courthouse of 1882 | $5 | 9â4:30 OctâMay, 9â3 JunâSep |
| Yuma Territorial Prison | Yuma | Territorial prison, 1876â1909 | $7 | 9â4:30 OctâMay, 8:30â4 JunâSep |
| Jerome State Historic Park | Jerome | 1916 Douglas Mansion mining museum | $5 | 9â4:30 daily |
| Fort Verde | Camp Verde | Army post of the 1870s | $5 | 9â4:30 daily |
| Tubac Presidio | Tubac | Spanish presidio of 1752 | $3 | 9â3, closed Mondays |
Tombstone Courthouse. Cochise County was created in 1881 with Tombstone as its seat. The courthouse was built in 1882 and served the county until 1931, when the seat moved to Bisbee. The Tombstone Restoration Commission restored it and opened it to the public in 1956. The state took it over in 1959, and Arizona State Parks calls it Arizona's first operational state park. Construction work may be under way during your visit.
Yuma Territorial Prison. The territorial legislature authorised the prison in 1875 with a $25,000 budget. The first seven inmates moved in on July 1, 1876, and some prisoners were made to build their own cells. Inmates included the stagecoach robber Pearl Hart. The prison ran for 33 years before overcrowding moved everyone to Florence. Yuma High School then used the buildings from 1910 to 1914, and its teams are still called "The Criminals." The prison is closed on Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Jerome. James S. "Rawhide" Douglas built the mansion in 1916, when Jerome was booming on copper. His United Verde Extension was one of the town's biggest producers. The park opened on October 16, 1965 as Arizona's fifth state park, and admission was 25 cents.
Fort Verde. Troops occupied the site in summer 1870, and the fort was built between 1871 and 1873. It was a main base during the Central Arizona Indian Wars and was abandoned in April 1891.
Tubac Presidio. It protects the ruins of San Ignacio de Tubac, founded in 1752 and the oldest Spanish presidio site in Arizona. Its second commander, Juan Bautista de Anza, led the expedition to California that resulted in the founding of San Francisco in 1776. Sixty-three of the 240 colonists came from Tubac.
Riordan Mansion, Flagstaff. Michael and Timothy Riordan built two almost identical connected homes here in 1904, with 13,000 square feet in all. Charles Whittlesey, architect of El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, designed them. They are seen on guided tours that start on the hour.
Missions
TumacÃĄcori National Historical Park. NPS describes TumacÃĄcori, in the Santa Cruz River valley, as a crossroads where O'odham, Yaqui and Apache people met Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers and soldiers. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Entry is $10 per adult 16 and over, valid seven days. The Fiesta de TumacÃĄcori is held every December.
San Xavier del Bac Mission. The mission stands in the village of Wa:k, in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham reservation, and still serves that community. It is an active parish, so treat it as a place of worship. The mission says weddings and baptisms are only for the local community.
Mining museums
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum. A Smithsonian Affiliate, it tells how a copper-mining town fed the industrialisation of America. Admission is $12, or $11 for veterans, active military and seniors 60+. Children under 10 enter free with an adult. It closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. In Bisbee you can also go underground on the Copper Queen Mine Tour.
Jerome. Besides the state park, the town has the Jerome Mine Museum.
Route 66
Arizona Route 66 Museum, Kingman. The Mohave County Historical Society runs it and the Mohave Museum of History and Arts. One ticket covers both: $10 for ages 13â59 and $6 for seniors 60+. Photos for personal, non-commercial use are welcome, but flash is not allowed in exhibit areas. Leashed pets are allowed in these two museums.
Visiting tips
- Arizona State Parks historic parks usually open shorter hours on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and close on Christmas Day. Yuma closes on all four days.
- Tubac Presidio and S'edav Va'aki close on weekdays: Mondays at Tubac, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at S'edav Va'aki.
- Summer hours are shorter at Tombstone, Yuma and S'edav Va'aki.
- National Park Service sites take America the Beautiful passes.
Details checked November 6, 2026.
