What's the must-see thing in Phoenix?

The saguaro loop trail at Desert Botanical Garden winds past cacti that are 200 years old, stand over 12 metres tall, and weigh close to 2 tonnes when full of water after monsoon rain. In the early morning the air carries the sharp, resinous smell of creosote bush. Cactus wrens call from the cholla thickets. By 10am the gravel paths radiate heat through your shoe soles. Spring weekends tend to fill up, so weekday visits are smoother. Adult admission is around $25, and the garden also runs flashlight tours on summer evenings and a butterfly exhibit from late September through May.

The Heard Museum at 2301 North Central Avenue has held one of the largest collections of Native American art in the Southwest since 1929. The permanent collection runs to about 40,000 objects across 12 exhibit galleries. The Barry Goldwater kachina doll collection on the second floor has over 400 pieces, each hand-carved from cottonwood root by Hopi artisans. The courtyard smells faintly of desert sage, and the terracotta tile floors stay cool underfoot even in summer. You can cover the core galleries in about 90 minutes. Adult admission is currently around $20. Worth noting, the Heard sits on the Valley Metro light rail line along Central Avenue, so you don't need a rental car to reach it. The gift shop sells tribal-made jewelry at prices that tend to run well below Scottsdale gallery rates a few miles north.

Camelback Mountain's Echo Canyon trail climbs 1,300 feet in 1.2 miles to a 2,704-foot summit with a full Salt River Valley panorama. Between October and April it's a 90-minute scramble over red sandstone with iron-railing handholds on the steepest sections. In summer, exposed rock surfaces reach 65°C, and Phoenix fire crews rescue overheated hikers nearly every week. The city closes trails when temperatures pass 41°C. If you visit between May and September, South Mountain Park is the lower-elevation alternative at over 16,000 acres, one of the largest municipal parks in North America. The National Trail there runs 14 miles with less exposed scrambling. For flat ground, the Arizona Canal path through the Arcadia neighborhood stretches about 5 miles past old orange groves and mid-century ranch homes.

Roosevelt Row, the arts district between 7th Avenue and 16th Street, has about 100 murals across warehouse walls and a First Friday art walk that pulls roughly 20,000 people each month. Heritage Square at 7th Street and Monroe holds Phoenix's last surviving Victorian houses from the 1890s. The Rosson House there dates to 1895 and still runs guided tours. Pizzeria Bianco on Heritage Square serves the wood-fired Margherita that put Chris Bianco on the national map in the early 2000s. Expect a 45-minute wait on weekend evenings. Barrio Cafe on 16th Street has served upscale regional Mexican food since 2002, and the warm chile aromas reach the sidewalk before you walk in. The Arcadia neighborhood along Camelback Road east of 44th Street has a quieter feel. Older bungalows sit under citrus trees, and patio restaurants like The Vig fill up around 5pm as temperatures start to drop. About 20 minutes northeast, Scottsdale Old Town lines 5th Avenue with over 100 galleries and Navajo jewelry shops.

Phoenix has two distinct seasons for visitors. October through April brings highs between 20°C and 30°C, and hotel rates reflect the demand. May through September pushes above 40°C, but hotel prices drop by roughly 40% and the monsoon storms from July through September break the heat with afternoon thunderstorms. Lightning over the McDowell Mountains at dusk is something you might not expect from a desert city. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport sits 4 miles east of downtown. The free PHX Sky Train connects to the Valley Metro light rail at 44th Street and Washington station. A single light rail fare is $2, and the ride to Central Avenue takes about 20 minutes. That line runs along Central Avenue past the Heard Museum, through downtown, and on to Tempe's Mill Avenue district. The Saturday morning Scottsdale Farmers Market at Brown Avenue and 1st Street runs year-round and tends to be quieter in summer.