Hotel at a Glance: Hotel 502

The stylish Hotel 502 puts you within easy reach of central Phoenix’s major attractions, including shopping, outdoor fun, and children’s museums. When you’re not out adventuring, you can relax in your cheery guest room or unwind in an outdoor hot tub beneath towering palm trees.

• Brightly decorated guest rooms feature big-screen TVs. A stay in a deluxe room comes with complimentary continental breakfast.
• Pool with a view: You can see the Piestewa Peak from the outdoor pool. Catch some rays on comfy lounge chairs set beneath enormous palm trees.
• Nearby family fun: At Castles N’ Coasters, kids can play arcade games and ride roller coasters. The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is also close by.

Phoenix, Arizona: Bustling Metropolis and Native American Culture Surrounded by Desert

Phoenix enjoys about 300 days of sunshine a year, which has helped it to balloon into the sixth-largest city by population in the United States. It’s also 1 of only 12 US cities with at least four major sports teams: the Arizona Cardinals (NFL), the Phoenix Suns (NBA), the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), and the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL).

Though the topography of the Phoenix area is all desert, it’s by no means desolate. Camelback Mountain is a designated city park area with scenic trails that wind past boulders and red-sandstone formations; climb to the very top for a view of the entire city. Or hit the themed trails at the Desert Botanical Garden filled with southwestern flora such as huge Sonoran cacti and other moisture-hoarding succulents. Either way, plan hikes in the early morning or twilight hours to catch the most stunning sunlit views and stay cool.

For an in-depth look at the cultures of Arizona’s indigenous population, browse the 12 exhibition galleries and sculpture garden at the Heard Museum.The collection’s nearly 40,000 pieces of art range from 500 Hopi kachina dolls to a full-size Pueblo oven. In nearby Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West was the renowned prairie-style architect’s winter home as well as a campus for his architecture school. Phoenix is also home to The Phoenix Art Museum, the largest art museum in the southwestern United States, which features exhibitions from around the world.

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