Exploring Downtown Phoenix: What Does It Have in Store for Art and Culture Lovers?

Phoenix is an art and cultural mecca for those who enjoy Indigenous works, history, and unique geography.

When you explore the heart of Downtown Phoenix, these aspects are combined into one central location. Easy to access from the airport, Downtown Phoenix may be your favorite stop on your itinerary. Grab your preferred vehicle from the many available Phoenix Airport car rental retailers, and take your time cruising across this big city’s cactus-laden deserts and busy highways. As you explore the Downtown area, here are some of the crowd-favorite things you’ll find.

Murals

Our city is full of tributes to legends in the form of murals. You’ll see them dotting the landscape as you drive or ride by. Some of the most well-known public art displays include the Prince Tribute by Maggie Keene, the Rebel Lounge “Arizona” mural painted by various artists and depicting the state’s diverse landscape, and the majestic view of Phoenix painted on the side of Majerle’s Sports Grill by Jake Early and Quinn Murphy. Share your favorite mural on social media, and you might start a trend to make it as famous as these three!

Live Music

While Austin, Texas, may be famous for its live performances, Phoenix bands are in hot pursuit of overcoming that number-one spot! Throughout the Downtown area, prepare to be entertained by some of the hottest and most talented up-and-coming musicians today. They’re booked in various venues and playing on the Downtown streets. Show your appreciation and support by staying a while and listening to them play!

Museums and Theaters

Art and theater connoisseurs can’t miss the Celebrity or Orpheum Theater in Downtown Phoenix. The Celebrity Theater on 32nd Street has hosted famous physicians for more than six decades, although the stage and seating are small enough to keep the concerts from being overcrowded. Performers love the Celebrity Theater because of its rotating stage, giving the audience a close-up view no matter where they’re seated.

The Orpheum Theater has a more classic history as home to the first Vaudeville theater in the city circa 1929. Over the next century, the theater transformed into various arts and culture arenas, including a Broadway theater, before closing down for decades. Bought by the city in 1984, the venue now shows plays, musical acts, and comic performances.

If those establishments aren’t enough to whet your cultural appetite, you’ll find dozens of other museums and theaters in and around the Downtown Phoenix area that may appease you!

Art Galleries

There’s no place with a heart for art quite like Phoenix. From the Roosevelt Row Arts District, where you’ll interact with art galleries, restaurants, and shops, to the year-round festivals in Hance Park, art is everywhere.

Crossing off every worthwhile art gallery or museum in the area during your stay can be a challenge. Might we suggest adding the Alwun House Foundation to your list? As the focal point of the Roosevelt Row Arts District, a trip there ensures you’ll see many of the other favorites along your travels, at least at a glance!

Come Back For the Rest Soon!

If this seems too good to be true and too much to include in your trip, just remember, we’ve only scratched the surface of Downtown Phoenix! Come for a visit, but be warned — you may fall in love with this Southwestern city enough to return a few more times!