Photo Courtesy City of Apache Junction

Superstition Shadows Center 

Whether you’re a seasonal pass holder, or a first-time visitor, the Superstition Shadows Aquatic Cetner is the place to be for lap swimming, open swim, swim lessons, water aerobics, and other special events hosted all summer long. Other options include renting the facility for birthdays, office parties, or family picnics.  Come on out, and jump in – the water is fine! Located at 1091 W. Southern Avenue (between San Marcos and Ironwood Dr.). Call 480-474-5210 for more information.

http://www.ajcity.net/

Photo Courtesy City of Casa Grande

Palm Island Aquatic Center

Bring the whole family down to Casa Grande for an afternoon of fun at the Palm Island Aquatic Center! The center includes open swim hours all summer long and continues weekend hours until Labor Day.

The pool has a giant water slide for the adventurous and a shallow entry pool and splash playground for the younger ones. Swim lessons also continue through the summer and fall months.

http://www.casagrandeaz.gov/rec/facilities/palm-island-family-aquatic-center/

Photo Courtesy City of Maricopa

Copper Sky Aquatic Center 

Maricopa’s Copper Sky Aquatic Center is the perfect place to bring the family and cool off. An eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool with diving boards awaits experienced swimmers, while a leisure pool with a waterslide awaits families with children. The center also boasts a rock-climbing wall, lazy river and interactive splash pad for younger children.

The pool is open through September 15.

http://www.maricopa-az.gov/web/aquatic-center

Photo Courtesy Town of Youngtown

Parks are a vital part of any city or town, serving as a focal point and hub for recreation, children’s activities and neighborhood gatherings. In Youngtown, parks are extremely important to the town’s quality of life, as it has prioritized open spaces since the town’s inception. While the municipality is only two square miles, it offers seven parks, in addition to Maricopa Lake.

Visitors to Youngtown can enjoy a trip to the Caliche Cactus Garden, an oasis of desert plant life. Families with young children can spend the day in Schliefer or Uribe Park. Those looking for a relaxing afternoon can head to Maricopa Lake for an fishing or enjoying a picnic under the ramada.

For more information on Youngtown’s parks, visit www.youngtownaz.org

Photo Courtesy Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce

If you head, as the brochures pithily recommend, “Out Wickenburg Way,” you’ll find a nice photo opportunity in the town’s much-advertised Jail Tree. It’s a 200-year-old mesquite, tucked absentmindedly behind a Circle K near the corner of Tegner Street and Wickenburg Way.

According to legend, and the tree’s authoritative metal sign, the ancient mesquite served as Wickenburg’s “hoosegow” from 1863 up until 1890 when the town finally got itself a real jailhouse. As the sign attests in its characteristic Western font, there were no escapes. The same as any town’s oddball jail attraction.

Myth has it that convicts were sentenced to the tree and chained there until they either died from exposure or, if lucky, they completed their stretch. But, in truth, the tree was simply a holding facility. Offenders were shackled or tied to the tree only until a Phoenix lawman could make it up that way to retrieve them. Still, according to Wickenburg’s Chamber of Commerce, this could be anywhere from two to five days. At least they had some shade.

Photo Courtesy Arizona Department of Transportation

Saguaros stand next to Joshua trees, cliffs and canyons loom to the east and west and granite boulders give way to an expanse of jagged volcanic rock. Between Wickenburg and Wikieup, this 54-mile byway cuts a path through the blurred boundaries the Sonoran and Mojave deserts.

The drive officially begins in Wikieup. Wikieup is known for its pie, the Snoopy-piloted Wikieup arrow, the Wikieup Trading Post, Eat at Joe’s Barbecue and the creosote-peppered hills that surround Bronco Wash.

Once travelers move past Wikieup, they’ll find the Big Sandy River. The river, unless it’s been rainy, lives up to its name—it’s big and sandy. Beyond the river, eroded cliffs loom that are speckled in spots with saguaros and scrub.

At Mile Marker 147, travelers will see rocks that are piled on top of each other. It’s the perfect sight before arriving at  the town of Nothing. Nothing was a real Arizona town, but it remains fairly desolate now. When travelers spot it, they’ll see there isn’t much beyond junk.

Joshua trees become the focal point of this drive around Mile Marker 162. They’re reminiscent of the baobab trees made famous in Saint Exupery’s Little Prince, and if your imagination is active, you might see a little blonde boy emerge from the trees with a dog and a well-protected flower in hand.

By Mile Marker 169, the forest of Joshua trees is dense and you’ll see a sign that reads: “Joshua tree Parkway of Arizona.” The route continues on to Wickenburg, a classic Old West town that celebrates the state’s cowboy heritage with the Desert Caballeros Museum and a string of Western-themed shops and restaurants.

Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center – Photo Courtesy City of Chandler

Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center 

It’s as if a part of one of the bigger water parks resides within the Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center. Included in the center is a lazy river, water vortex, two water slides, family pool with zero-depth entry, toddler slides, and a 752-gallon “big blue bucket.”

http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=733 

Gilbert Aquatics 

Gilbert Aquatics encompasses four public pools: Greenfield pool, Mesquite Aquatic Center, Perry Pool and Williams Field Pool. Visitors of anyone of these locations will be kept busy with the many amenities offered. Between the four pools are water slides, a kiddie slide, a zero depth area, splash pads, tumble buckets, a water sprinkler, geysers, diving boards and shade ramadas. Events like a Family Pirate Party and Dive-in-Movies help to further enhance visitors’ experience.

http://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/aquatics

Rhodes Aquatic Center

The Rhodes Aquatics Center is a place for those who miss the California tides. Aside from its beach-like entry, a splash pad, tumble buckets, and eight lap lanes, the Rhodes Aquatics Complex is also home to the famous FlowRider. The FlowRider crosses snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding into an exciting ride as it simulates real waves that guests of the center can surf. The best part is that anyone can take on the FlowRider. Someone with no experience can jump on a boogie board and almost instantly start doing tricks.

http://www.mesaaz.gov/parksrec/Aquatics/pools/Rhodes.aspx

Kiwanis Wave Pool 

Kiwanis Wave Pool has brought the ocean to Arizona. With its pool that generates three-foot waves, guests can escape to Arizona’s indoor water haven. Kiwanis wave pool also offers a lap pool with six lanes, a 15 ft. tall double spiral water slide along with raft and tube rentals so guests can fully experience those waves.

http://www.tempe.gov/kiwanis 

Photo Courtesy Town of Paradise Valley

What would a trip around Arizona be without a visit to the spa? The Valley of the Sun boasts an array of spas and resorts, drawing visitors from all over the country to relax and bask in the beauty of the desert.

Paradise Valley is home to several of these resorts and spas and the trip to relaxation is just minutes away from most Valley cities. Historic boutique hotels like the Camelback Inn and Hermosa Inn reside in the vast desert landscape of Paradise Valley and other luxurious resorts like Sanctuary Camelback Mountain and Montelucia Resort and Spa, among others, call the town home.

Another benefit of being a resident of Arizona – lower rates at hotels and resorts during the summer! Be sure to check your local resort for summer rates that will have you relaxing in the spa while your family hits the pool.

http://www.ci.paradise-valley.az.us/352/Resort-Spas 

Photo Courtesy of City of Glendale

Foothills Aquatics Center

The Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center has everything you need for summer.

The center consists of a lazy river, competitive lap pool, diving well, two slides, a leisure pool with zero depth entry, and an aquatic playground. And for those who need a break from all the water-centric fun, there’s the activity room that includes billiards, ping pong, arcade games, a big screen TV, game tables, a jogging track, rock climbing wall and fitness center.

Surprise Aquatic Center 

Ready to help you beat the Arizona heat is the Surprise Aquatic Center. The center has many amenities including a zero depth area with Water Play Feature, two slides, a completion pool, vortex whirlpool and diving well.

Remember to keep the little ones safe by enrolling them in fall swim lessons! The city of Surprise offers lessons in August and September: http://www.surpriseaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22821 

Tolleson Public Pool 

The Tolleson High School Public Pool is now open! Come enjoy some fun in the sun where food, games, lessons and swim teams are offered for all.

Additionally, the pool will host various special events during the summer including a water safety day, dive in movie nights, and a special swim lesson day.

For more information please visit www.tuhsd.org or call 623-478-4398.

Photo Courtesy City of Tempe

Right in the heat of the Valley sun lies a desert oasis that serves as a recreational hub and gathering place. Tempe Town Lake, which was initially opened in 1999, offers 25 acres of recreation space and is the only place in the Valley where one can bike, run, picnic, boat and paddleboard just within minutes of downtown areas.

The venue is a top Arizona tourist attraction; some saying it only rivals the Grand Canyon in number of visitors annually. Each year, the lake sees thousands of participants enjoying local charity runs and competitive races, and many triathlons, including the Ironman Arizona call it home.

                      City of Tempe Glow Paddles –                         Photo Courtesy City of Tempe

Early morning or evening visitors can enjoy a stroll along the water’s edge, taking a 2-mile trek from the Mill Avenue to Rural Road bridge or strolling across the new pedestrian bridge, located just adjacent to the Tempe Center for the Arts. Daytime water adventurers can cool off on the lake’s surface, enjoying kayaking, rowing and stand-up paddleboarding activities, among others. Tempe Beach Park is also home to a 1-acre splash playground, where children can cool off and parents can enjoy some respite.

Come on down – the water’s great!

Photo Courtesy AZ Central

Hayden Flour Mill is a relic of our agricultural past, when Tempe was a small town surrounded by miles of farmland and anchored, economically, by the processing and marketing of grain, cotton, fruit, vegetable, and dairy products.

The Hayden Flour Mill is the oldest cast-in-place reinforced concrete building in Tempe. The mill that currently exists is the third building erected on that site; the two previous mills burned. The original mill started operations in 1874.

The ground of the Hayden Flour Mill, is now open for picnics and casual recreation. A small grove of trees allows for shady picnics. The north lawn is also open as a special event venue.  The new Flour Mill site includes the opportunity for people to look through the ground floor windows of the Mill and see some of the equipment that was used to grind flour.

Photo Courtesy of City of Scottsdale

The McDowell Mountain Ranch has everything a person in search of a pseudo beach adventure could want. Amenities at the center include a large tube water slide, 600-foot lazy river, zero-depth entry into a large play pool, water play features, interactive spray pad, grassy sections with multiple shaded areas, 8-lanes lap pool, diving boards, and a party island. The best part about the center is its midnight swims. The pool is open for night-time swimming the first Saturday of the month from June to August.

With four amazing facilities, the City of Scottsdale Aquatic Centers has a lot to offer this summer for aquatic fun! This summer, Scottsdale has themed its aquatic centers with the “Amazing Swim 2014: Swim the SEVEN WONDERS!” where you can visit any Scottsdale aquatic center and track your miles to swim your way to great prizes, better health, and fun destinations. There is no registration fee; just participate each time you use the facility throughout 2014.  The idea is to swim (the distance around or through,) the seven natural wonders of the world including Mount Everest, Victoria Falls, and the Grand Canyon! Compete against yourself, or compare your progress against other swimmers in Scottsdale.

For more information, call 480-312-POOL or visit http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/sports/aquatics.