,url-https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripexpert.com%2Fimages%2Fmarker-fade%402x.png(-111.97822,33.667664)/-111.96140974760056,33.5655610468714,8.952487050689076/1280x214@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidHJpcGV4cGVydHdlYiIsImEiOiJja2Fud3l2MDcwbXZ0MndyeGF3eGI3ZWhzIn0.zLqNa1RECyZZadF8zfQM5w)
Desert Botanical GardenvsMusical Instrument Museum
Both are endorsed by travel writers. On balance, Desert Botanical Garden scores slightly better than Musical Instrument Museum. Desert Botanical Garden comes in at 91 with recommendations from 8 publications including Fodor's, Michelin Guide and Where.
Desert Botanical Garden
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
Travel + Leisure
Michelin Guide
Afar Magazine
Where Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Show All Reviews
1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008
From $0/night
Fodor's "Opened in 1939 to conserve and showcase the ecology of the desert, these 150 acres contain more than 4,000 different species of cacti, succulents, trees, and flowers." Full review
Concierge "This is one of the best gardens you will ever see, possibly because it's so full of local plants."
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"This inspirational garden is a refreshing place to reconnect with nature and it offers a great introduction to desert plant life." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Any delusions that the Sonoran Desert is a lifeless dustbowl will be swept away by this 50,000-plus collection of colorful plants, from hundreds of cacti, including the iconic saguaro." Full review
Michelin Guide 0 Stars
"With more than 20,000 desert plants, this unique garden has won awards for environmental education." Full review
Afar Magazine "There are few places where you can better learn about the beauty and complexity of desert ecology than the Desert Botanical Garden, not far from downtown Phoenix." Full review
Where "The Garden’s 145 acres showcase the Sonoran Desert and more than 20,000 plants representing 4,000 species." Full review
Travel + Leisure "This rugged and serene swath of desert sits on the southwestern border of Scottsdale and Phoenix, and is home to some 50,000 cacti, succulents, agaves, shrubs, and trees." Full review
Travel + Leisure "This rugged and serene swath of desert sits on the southwestern border of Scottsdale and Phoenix, and is home to some 50,000 cacti, succulents, agaves, shrubs, and trees." Full review
Travel + Leisure "This rugged and serene swath of desert sits on the southwestern border of Scottsdale and Phoenix, and is home to some 50,000 cacti, succulents, agaves, shrubs, and trees." Full review
Musical Instrument Museum Fodor's Lonely Planet Afar Magazine Travel + Leisure Afar Magazine Afar Magazine Where
Frommer's
4725 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85050
From $0/night
Fodor's "A fun destination for even casual music fans... among the museum's dazzling array of instruments are the piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine," and the first Steinway." Full review
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"From Uganda thumb pianos to Hawaiian ukuleles to Indonesian boat lutes, the ears have it at this lively museum." Full review
Afar Magazine "Even passionate music lovers will be likely to see an instrument they've never heard of before, and... might hear some of them played by visiting artists." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Music lovers of all ages enjoy the MIM, a sweeping multimedia tour that spans continents and centuries, from primitive African drums and Highland pipes to Johnny Cash’s guitar and hip-hop turntables." Full review
Afar Magazine "Don a headset, approach an exhibit, and wirelessly listen to African thumb piano or Mongolian throat singing at the vast Musical Instrument Museum." Full review
Afar Magazine "Billing itself as the only museum in the world dedicated to the display of global musical instruments, Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum, or MIM, opened in 2010." Full review
Where "In addition to a permanent-and-growing collection, MIM regularly mounts thematic exhibits, hosts touring assemblages, and presents live performances by multifarious, mind-bending masters." Full review
Frommer's "The MIM, less than 10 years old, lives in a gorgeous sandstone monolith on a sprawling campus just south of the 101 in north Phoenix" Full review
