photo: @psalmsthirtyfour and @arielraee
Want to feel like you're among towering palms in Hawaii this weekend? How about enjoying hush puppies in New Orleans? Thanks to the Valley's slew of fun, family-friendly events this weekend of April 20-22, you can take a little spring break without ever leaving Phoenix.
FRIDAY:
Teddy Bear Tea Time
Children ages 6 and under are invited to bring their favorite teddy bear to jump and play with at AZ Air Time trampoline park from 10 a.m. to noon. Complimentary iced tea, lemonade and cookies will be served to the children. Coffee will also be served to the parents. Special admission pricing is $6 per hour per child. Foam pit and rock wall climbing is included with admission. Jump socks are required.
Dinosaurs in the Desert at the Phoenix Zoo
Finish your week off with a stroll around the Phoenix Zoo and enjoying the limited-time self-guided expedition, Dinosaurs in the Desert, featuring 23 roaring, moving animatronic dinosaurs. The exhibit is on display through April 30.
Sonoran Safari at i.d.e.a. Museum
Head to i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa to explore the artistic landscape of the world’s 11th largest desert—the only place where the famous saguaro cactus grows in the wild—during the limited-time exhibit, Sonoran Safari. Through art and hands-on activities, guests learn about the desert’s native plants, animals, reptiles and birds. On view through May 27.
SATURDAY:
photo: @psalmsthirtyfour and @arielraee
Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade Scottsdale Grand Opening
From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., stop by Scottsdale’s new Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade and enjoy specials on food and drinks all day, leis for kids, live music and the chance to win free lemonade for a year.
Moonlit Drive-In Movies at the Promenade: Cars 3
The Promenade, located at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and North Scottsdale Road, hosts their annual Moonlit Drive-In Movie series this April with the showing of “Cars 3.” Every Saturday night, festivities kick off at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot near Golden Spoon Yogurt (movie starts at 7:30 p.m.) Moviegoers will enjoy the movies for free with a canned food donation to benefit the Harvest Compassion Food Bank. Viewers are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets or other portable seating options. A balloon twister will be on site between 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. offering free balloon animals. Other contests, prizes and activities are planned.
Southwest Cajun Fest
Southwest Cajun Fest returns to Chandler on Saturday, April 21, bringing delicious Cajun food for all to savor. Presented by Abita Brewing Company, the fest will run from noon to 9 p.m., showcasing the heart and soul of New Orleans paired with Arizona fusion and flavor. Southwest Cajun Fest is an all ages event, packed with cultural festivities, food and entertainment. Festival patrons will feel transported to the southeastern region of Louisiana with a variety of food vendors serving up regional dishes including crawfish boil, jambalaya, fried gator, catfish, etouffe, lobster rolls, creole shrimp, hush puppies, red beans and rice, and more. Other highlights includes a wing, crawfish and watermelon-eating competition, a kids zone, and Southern-style cocktails. Tickets prices vary.
Dino Day at Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs
Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs will host its first free Dino Day Saturday, April 21, at OdySea in the Desert from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Dino Day is a free event at the OdySea in the Desert courtyard where families and children can enjoy numerous dino-related activities. There will be a fossil dig pit where children can become paleontologists for a day and dig up fossils. In addition, there will be a paleontologist table set up for the Pangaea experts to educate and answer questions about dinosaurs, a dino tattoo station and raptor performances on the stage. The Pangaea dinosaurs will also be roaming the courtyard and interacting with guests throughout the day. Guests who attend will get $5 off their ticket to Pangaea for the day.
Children Helping Children” Coloring Contest at Benihana
Every year on May 5, Japan honors its children’s health, prosperity and happiness with a nationwide celebration. Once again, Benihana is bringing this holiday to life with it’s annual “Children Helping Children” coloring contest. Now through May 5, children who dine at the restaurant may participate in the coloring contest. One winner will be selected in each restaurant to receive a dinner for eight friends of family members at Benihana.
SUNDAY:
Artisan Festival at OdySea in the Desert
Guests are invited to OdySea in the Desert for its final Artisan Festival of the season on Sunday, April 22. The event will be held in the outdoor courtyard and will feature live music by Melanie (12 to 2 p.m.) and Haley Green (2 to 4 p.m.) and a marketplace featuring 40 of the finest AZ creators, artists and designers. The kids art zone will showcase the original recyclable piece of artwork by Heather Frietas with a virtual auction benefitting OdySea Aquarium’s nonprofit conservation groups. There will also be an opportunity for children to plant an heirloom seed and take it home in addition to experiencing Kayce Westfall of Usborne Books free drawing workshop.
The Art of Ice Cream Experience Bike Crawl
What better way to spend an early Sunday afternoon than with a leisurely bike crawl that includes scoops of ice cream and The Art of Ice Cream Experience? LimeBike is providing the rides for the crawl to make it easy for guests to hop on and go. The crawl commences outside the The Art of Ice Cream Experience and moves along the quaint streets of Old Town Scottsdale to a few local ice cream shops, where crawlers stop to enjoy a scoop of cool ice cream before pedaling on to the next stop. The crawl ends at The Art of Ice Cream Experience. The crawl is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $23 for kids ages 12 and under (this includes admission to The Art of Ice Cream Experience and a scoop of ice cream at each stop along the crawl.)
