10 More Things to Do to Keep Cool This Summer!

1. Visit the aquarium! There are 2 in the Valley. One shares its position with wild animals, J Wildlife World and Aquarium. See them both, close up and personal.

2. Visit another aquarium! The Valley may be hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, but desert dwellers can be face to face with tiger sharks, eels, rays, sea horses, an octopus and thousands of neon tropical fish at the Sea Life Aquarium. Where: Arizona Mills Mall, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, Tempe. 480-478-7600.

This is the first Merlin aquarium to have a 360-degree tunneled walkway that cuts through a massive tank where schools of tropical fish, rays and sharks swim above, below and around visitors.

3.  Visit the Splash Playground at Tempe Town Lake! There’s a one-acre playground for children.

4. It’s nice and cool in the Arizona Science Center! Adults and children will love the exhibits and things to do.

5. And here’s your chance to discover the Challenger Space Center!

6.  Can’t get out of town to fish? There are 15 urban park lakes throughout the area that are regularly stocked with trout, catfish and other fish varieties. Or If you’re a fishing enthusiast, hire a fishing guide for a day, a weekend or a week. Go urban fishing at 16 select parks throughout the Phoenix area.

7. Visit one of more than 50 museums in Central Arizona.

8.  Beat the heat by riding indoor go-karts at several Phoenix locations. D1 Race Factory and SpeedStreet Indoor Race Track.

9.  Stargazing in the Valley. The nights are cooler and the skies are bright! And outer space is waiting for you to discover its secrets.

10. And last, but not least… the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum showcases the state’s geological wealth with sparkling gemstones, prehistoric fossils, and enormous excavation equipment. Consider a picnic lunch at Civic Space Park, where kids play in the grass or splash around in the water features, or Encanto Park, home of Enchanted Island Amusement Park.