12 Things To Do - Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, the third-largest city in Arizona, is worth checking out for its interesting history, bountiful outdoor activities, and sunny climate.
We spent five days in the area exploring to come up with this list of best things to do in Mesa, Arizona:
If you’ve ever wanted to do a guided horseback ride with the beautiful Bulldog Cliffs in the background amongst the winding Salt River, I highly recommend the sunset horseback ride with Saguaro Lake Ranch Stables!
When you do the sunset horseback ride, you get to experience the golden colors of the southwest sun cascading off the mountains and a bit of the cooler temperatures.
The horses are very well trained, calm, and follow along the trail - so it’s really great for beginners and experienced riders alike.
Along the ride, you’ll get to observe the incredible Sonoran Desert along with Saguaro Cactus and maybe even some desert animals!
It’s located as part of the beautiful Saguaro Lake Ranch, which is a great option if you want to stay a couple of nights in the middle of the Sonoran Desert Landscape.
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It’s hard to explain why Goat Yoga is so fun, but it’s absolutely something you need to do at least once in your life!
I’d be hard pressed to say that you’re actually doing yoga rather than just playing with the goats and hoping that they’ll hop onto your back while you’re doing a plank. :)
Everyone was having such a ball watching the goats hop and stand on people’s backs!
At the end of the class, the trainers assist the goats onto anyone’s backs for the perfect Goat Yoga shot!
Oh and just to make things even more adorable, there are llamas running around too.
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A true bucket list-worthy experience, riding in a hot air balloon over the desert landscape of Mesa and Phoenix was a thrill of a lifetime. We loved our experience with Hot Air Expeditions and you will too!
It starts off with a very early morning start where you get to see the crews set up and fill the hot air balloons. We loved the cactus designs on ours!
Our hot air balloon captain was very experienced and also quite the entertainer! I’m somewhat afraid of heights but all his jokes and fun attitude had me at total ease during the whole trip. In fact, once you get to cruising altitude, you realize just how quiet and peaceful it is up there!
Once we landed, we had a fabulous catered breakfast that included champagne and mimosas! It was great chatting with all the other riders and being continuously entertained by the hilarious hot air balloon captain!
Tip: You can ask the captain to spin the balloon slowly so everyone in the hot air balloon basket can get good shots from all angles.
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Take a relaxing drift down the Salt River and marvel at the beautiful Tonto National Forest on a comfortable kayak from Saguaro Lake Ranch.
Along the way, you’ll see numerous Saguaro Cactus, wild eagles, osprey, deer, wild horses, and lots of people chilling in tubes!
There are some parts of the river that have some light rapid action, but it’s really good for all levels including total beginners.
Afterward, find one of the many hot springs in Arizona to relax in!
One of Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical gardens, the Thompson Arboretum is next to a beautiful rock formation as a backdrop and includes a wide variety of desert flora.
There are over 3 miles of nature trails offering all sorts of interesting garden exhibits. You can take the Main Loop Trail which will take you past the Hummingbird Garden, Heritage Rose Garden, Desert Legume Garden, and the Cactus & Succulent Garden.
We decided to get around the park via electric golf cart since it was a hot day and we were short on time, but you can totally do the whole park on foot!
The area around Mesa is the perfect place for anyone interested in the Southwest landscape and all those beautiful Saguaro Cacti!
One of the best bang for the buck trails is the Wind Cave Trail, which starts with a gentle slope surrounded by Saguaro Cactus and then ends with a good incline to reach a stunning view of the Mesa, Phoenix, and beyond.
Some other fantastic trails are Blevins Trail, Bulldog Saddle Trail, and Pass Mountain Trail.
Afterwards,
One of the biggest gold mining towns in the southwest until the late 1800s, Goldfield became a bit of a ghost town after the mine flooded. There were several attempts to revive the mine, but none were fruitful. Instead, the town came back to life as a museum and a well-kept recreation of what Goldfield used to look like!
It really does feel like you’re walking into some Wild West town back in the 1800s with all the well-kept wooden buildings and old-time merchants like the Coffee Cantina and Church on the Mount.
Make sure to check out the Mammoth Steakhouse and Saloon for a very unique Wild West dining experience.
The Goldfield Mine Tour is especially interesting, as it takes you into an underground mine that showcases the equipment and techniques used back in the day to extract gold.
Great for both adults and kids, make sure to also take a ride on the train which goes around the whole town while the entertaining train driver sings Old West songs all while delivering a fun history background of Goldfield.
One of the last things you might expect to see in Arizona - Queen Creek Olive Mill has over 7,000 olive trees and is a major olive oil producer. When you’re here you can visit the market and sample their large selection of delicious olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and other interesting culinary delights.
There’s also a delicious restaurant on site serving a great Italian-inspired menu. We really liked the pizza and dessert options on the menu!
Don’t forget to drop by the on-site coffee shop, Infusion Cofee, for one of the best Cold Brew Nitro drinks in Arizona!
Oh, and they also give a very informative tour about the history of Queen Creek and the olive oil-making process. If you’re at all interested in things like that, definitely join the tour!
Downtown Mesa has some great shops featuring local artists as well as vintage selections.
Some of our favorites were:
Nash Vintage Collective - a women-run collective that is a blend of vintage, modern, home decor, and handmade goods, this was our favorite store and a place where we actually bought a couple of things for our home in San Francisco.
Buckhorn Vintage - another beautiful vintage store, it’s worth perusing here and finding that perfect piece
Atomic Age Modern - if you like mid-century furniture and goods, this is the place for you!
Milano Music - one of the most extensive music stores I’ve ever been to!
Another great option in downtown Mesa are the beautiful murals and interesting pieces of art. Most of it can be seen on Main Street, with our favorite mural being the Downtown Mesa mural. We also like several of the Desert Landscape murals.
Check out the printable guide of the art and murals here.
Take a leisurely cruise around Canyon Lake on the Dolly Steamboat while learning more about the beautiful surroundings.
During the ride, you’ll likely see bald eagles, bighorn sheep, and other desert animals. The inside of the boat is air-conditioned but you can choose to also sit out on the deck.
Famous for its heritage stone-ground grains, Hayden Flour Mills gives a great informational tour about their history, the grains they use, and the process that goes into making their award-winning grains.
We took a couple of boxes home and so far have loved how they taste!
If you love seeing how your food is made from source to final product, definitely drop by for a look!