Museum

Heard Museum

The Heard Museum sets the standard for collaborating with American Indian artists and tribal communities to provide visitors with a distinctive perspective about the art of Native people, especially those from the Southwest.

About the Heard Museum:

Since its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum has grown in size and stature to become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, educational programming and its unmatched festivals. Dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, the Heard successfully presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitions that showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art.

Maricopa Historical Society Museum and Visitor Center at Heritage Park -

This is the site of the City of Maricopa Museum and the “Silver Horizon” CB&Q 375. The Silver Horizon was one of seven rear sleeper-observation cars used on the California Zephyr trains that ran between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA. It was later used as Amtrak 9250 on the Texas Chief from Chicago to Texas and on the Sunset Limited from New Orleans LA to Los Angeles CA – through Phoenix AZ.

The City of Maricopa has transitioned through 3 different names and locations as the transportation needs of the region evolved. Check out the museum and the Zephyr! The City of Maricopa has a very rich and interesting history!

MIM - Musical Instrument Museum

MIM has a collection of more than 8,000 instruments from more than 200 world countries. The galleries reflect the rich diversity and history of many world cultures. The music and instruments also show us what we have in common. This is a thought powerfully expressed in our motto, "music is the language of the soul."

Note from Ron Smith - MIM is on top of my list when I'm recommending places to visit in the Phoenix area. It is a very unique museum that shouldn't be missed if you have the time.

Dwarf Car Museum

Home of the first Dwarf Race Car and the handmade Dwarf Car Cruiser, created by Ernie Adams.

Ernie Adams had a fascination with cars starting back in grade school. He would admire the cars of the time, drew them for school assignments and even built a wooden car as long as a crate box with steering and peanut butter jar lids for taillights. His mother would pull him throughout his hometown of Harvard, Nebraska.

The first Dwarf Car came to life in 1965 as a 28 Chevy two-door sedan made out of nine old refrigerators. Ernie began gathering the materials for this little car in 1962. By 1965 he had enough materials and an 18 hp Wisconsin motor to begin construction. With a homemade hacksaw made from a chair frame, hammer and a chisel, Ernie began construction. He had no idea what this would be the beginning of. Because this is the first Dwarf Car ever built, it is known as “GRANDPA DWARF.” This first Dwarf Car is kept in running order and is still driven today.

The first two Dwarf Race Cars were built in Dec. 1979 and early 1980. The Dwarf Race Car idea came about after Ernie Adams and Daren Schmaltz had attended motorcycle side hack races in Phoenix, Arizona. During the drive home, Ernie expressed concern that three-wheeled racers were to slow in the corners. He said they could improve considerably by adding a fourth wheel to help thru the corners. Ernie suggested that adding a car body would also help spectator appeal. ​The first Dwarf Car race took place at the Yavapai County Fair in Prescott, Arizona in September 1983. There were 12 cars registered.

After leaving the Dwarf Race Cars, Ernie had learned a lot about bending and shaping metal. He loved to see heads turn in admiration of the Dwarf Race Cars while being towed down the highway. Ernie knew it was time to change and put his metal shaping skills to the test. Now he wanted a fully dressed Dwarf Car with fenders, chrome, finished interior and most of all street legal and the Dwarf Car Cruiser was born.

Ak-Chin Him-Dak Eco-Museum

"The Him-Dak EcoMuseum was established to collect, analyze, preserve, protect, promote and teach various aspects of the Ak-Chin heritage, culture and communication between generations. Tribal crafts, exhibits and photographs of the Ak-Chin people are displayed. The Museum is distinguished from a traditional museum in that land and territory replace the museum building, and the residents of the area take on the role of curator and public. This museum acts as an exhibit and storage area that reflects both prehistoric and local items from families housed here. It hosts two yearly celebrations: the annual Him-Dak Celebration held in April and the Native American Recognition Day Celebration in September.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

For your enjoyment, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is open 365 days a year! During inclement weather, please call (520) 883-2702.

PRO TIP: It typically takes at least two hours to see all that the Museum has to offer. We recommend arriving before mid-afternoon to make the most of your visit.

Hours:
October - May:
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Summer Hours:
June - September:
7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Huhugan Heritage Center

How many times have you driven past this museum on SR 347?

This modern cultural center highlights the ancestral, historic and current cultures of the Gila River Indian Community, made up of two tribes – the Akimel O’otham and the Pee Posh. Our mission is to ensure our Akimel O’otham and Pee Posh cultures flourish for future generations.

The Huhugam Heritage Center was built in 2003, fulfilling our Community vision to create a place for Community, culture, land, tradition and spirit: a place to honor and preserve our Him dak (our way of life).

Come experience our unique and calming architecture. The Center stairsteps up out of the desert, the building silhouettes designed to blend in with the nearby mountain ranges and hills.

In our state-of-the-art collections repository, we care for Huhugam, Akimel O’otham and Pee Posh treasures from our ancestral lands' boundaries of the Huhugam (also known by the archaeological name Hohokam), master artists, farmers and crafts people of our desert home.

Collections which include large archaeological project holdings including the Snaketown, Gila River Cultural Resources Management Program and Bureau of Reclamation Central Arizona Project Collections, an outstanding collection of nearly 500 O’odham baskets, an exquisite Pee Posh pottery collection, the trombone and memorabilia of renowned Akimel O’otham jazz trombonist Russell Moore and the Blackwater Store & Trading Post and Arts and Crafts museum collections.

Sap eth tha:thak em ñei

(We are happy to see you)