What’s a Culture Pass? Culture Pass is a free program offering two free admissions to 14 Phoenix attractions and museums! Here are all the tips you need to find free things to do in Phoenix with kids using the Culture Pass!
This is the Culture Pass Map I made with pins for all 14 Culture Pass attractions in the Phoenix metro!
Culture Pass Locations — Phoenix
We’re not Phoenix natives, so we’re still learning where things are relative to our home. I used to stand in the library at the Culture Pass display, googling directions to each Culture Pass location so I could find out which ones were reasonably close to home. That was tedious. So, I made this handy dandy map of all the Culture Pass attractions.
Most of the Culture Pass attractions are bunched up near Downtown Phoenix, so zoom in to exclude the outliers that are way out of town, and you’ll see the individual pins.
Keep reading for:
- A list of Culture Pass attractions/museums and regular admission prices—plus tips on special discounts and free days at these kid-friendly Phoenix museums!
- The distance from North Phoenix to each Culture Pass location.
- Details about the Phoenix Culture Pass program.
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Culture Pass Attractions — Distance from North Phoenix
These are all 14 Culture Pass locations in order of distance from the 101/17 junction in north Phoenix (technically, from the Costco on 27th Ave.!)
I’ve included regular admission prices, and tips on special discounts and free days—so you can get the best discounts for your family and make the most of your 2 free Culture Pass admissions!
Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve admission prices:
- 0–5 FREE!
- 6–12 $3
- Adult $7
- Senior 62+, student, military $4
- ASU students FREE!
Heard Museum 16 miles south
Heard Museum admission prices:
- 0–5 FREE!
- 5–17 and college student with ID $7.50
- Adult $18
- Senior 65+ $13.50
- American Indians FREE!
Irish Cultural Center 16 miles south
Irish Cultural Center tour admission prices:
- 0–4 FREE!
- Adult $5
- Senior, student, member $3
Japanese Friendship Garden 16 miles south
Japanese Friendship Garden admission prices:
- 0–6 FREE!
- Adult $7
- Senior 62+ $6
- Military and student with ID $5
Phoenix Art Museum 16 miles south
Phoenix Art Museum admission prices:
- 0–5 FREE!
- 6–17 $9
- Adult $18
- Senior 65+ $15
- Student with ID $13
- Military FAMILIES get FREE general admission and special exhibit admisson with Military Access Program sponsored by APS! Offer honors veterans, active duty, and retired military personnel.
Arizona Science Center 17 miles south
Arizona Science Center admission prices:
- 0–2 FREE!
- 3–17 $13
- Adult $18
- Note that there are multiple extra admission prices for special exhibits, rides, etc. Best Bet: Check Groupon for a discount annual Family Membership to the AZ Science Center that includes 4 free SkyCycle rides, discounts for special exhibits, and 4 free admission tickets so you can take friends and family! (We usually pay about $50 for a family membership on Groupon after coupon code.)
Always start at Ebates to shop on Groupon—cash back! Get a $10 gift card when you make your first $25 purchase via Ebates with my link!
- Homeschool teachers get a FREE membership at the AZ Science Center! Show your homeschool affidavit for a free Educator Membership, then get two of your kids in FREE with the Culture Pass!
Cave Creek Museum admission prices:
- 0–12 FREE!
- 12+ students $2
- Adult $5
- Senior $3
Pueblo Grande Museum 22 miles south
Pueblo Grande Museum admission prices:
- 0–5 FREE!
- 6–17 $3
- Adult $6
- Senior 55+ $5
- Family Travel Tip: If you have lots of kids, visit Pueblo Grande on a Sunday instead of using a Culture Pass: All kids 17 and under get in FREE on Sundays!
Desert Botanical Garden 24 miles southeast
Desert Botanical Garden admission prices:
- 0–2 FREE!
- 3–17 $13
- Adult $25
- Active Military personnel FREE!
- Family Travel Tip: Desert Botanical Garden is expensive even with a Culture Pass, so visit on Community Day instead: FREE for all on the 2nd Tuesday of each month!
Halle Heart Children’s Museum 27 miles southeast
Halle Heart Children’s Museum admission prices:
- 0–3 FREE!
- Adult $5
- Senior 62+ $4
- Active Military personnel BOGO tickets
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 27 miles southeast
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art admission prices:
- 0–15 FREE!
- Adult $10
- Student with ID $7
- Family Travel Tip: Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is FREE every Thursday! Also free after 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays!
Desert Caballeros Western Museum 50 miles northwest
Desert Caballeros Western Museum admission prices:
- 0–17 FREE!
- Adult $12
- Senior and AAA $10
- Active Military personnel and guest FREE!
Arcosanti (Cordes Junction) 50 miles north
Arcosanti admission prices:
- $10 suggested donation
- $5 suggested donation for students
Superstition Mountain Museum 55 miles southeast
Superstition Mountain Museum admission prices:
- 0–17 FREE with paid adult!
- Adult $5
- Senior 65+ $4
What is a Culture Pass?
A Culture Pass gives you two free admissions any day to one of 14 attractions/museums and multiple performing arts venues in the Phoenix metro.
Get a Culture Pass from these Phoenix libraries:
Apache Junction Public Library – 1 location
Avondale Public Library – 2 locations
Buckeye Public Library – 2 locations
Chandler Public Library – 4 locations
Desert Foothills Library (Cave Creek) – 1 location
Glendale Public Library – 3 locations
Maricopa Public Library – 1 location
Mesa Public Library – 4 locations
Peoria Public Library – 2 locations
Phoenix Public Library –17 locations
Scottsdale Public Library – 5 locations
Tempe Public Library – 1 location
Tolleson Public Library – 1 location
Arizona State University Downtown Library
Arizona State University Fletcher Library (West)
Arizona State University Hayden Library (Tempe)
Arizona State University Polytechnic Library (East)
Check for Culture Pass availability for 3 popular library systems:
- Phoenix Library Culture Pass availability
- Glendale Library Culture Pass availability
- Peoria Library Culture Pass availability
Follow the links above to check Culture Pass availability, or look inside your library for a wall display with red Culture Pass tickets. If a ticket is in the pouch, you may check out that Culture Pass.
- Check for available Culture Passes using the library links above. You can’t reserve Culture Passes; this is just so you know which library has the Culture Pass you’re looking for.
- You can’t use the library self-checkout for Culture Passes. Check out with a librarian.
- If a popular attraction is available online (like the AZ Science Center), line up outside your library at least an hour before it opens because it’s first come, first served.
- You don’t need to return your Culture Pass; it simply expires after a week.
Family Travel Tip:
You can use a Culture Pass for any two people in your party—it’s not just for kids! Use the Culture Pass to get free admission for the 2 people in your party whose tickets cost the most. That’s usually adults, unless the adults can get a separate discount. Check the attraction/museum website to find out if they offer senior or veteran/military discounts, free or cheap student prices, free admission for teachers (in AZ this is almost always extended to homeschooling parents), etc. to decide how to make the best use of your Culture Pass.
This is how our family uses the Culture Pass for our homeschool field trips:
- Me (adult): free with Culture Pass.
- Jefferson (13, sometimes counts as an adult): free with Culture Pass.
- Jameson (11, usually counts as a kid): paid Child’s admission, or FREE if admission is free for her age group!
We use a Culture Pass when it offers the best value compared to other free Phoenix museum admission days (like First Fridays). So far we’ve visited 6 of the 14 Culture Pass attractions. We’ll visit 7 more in 2018, and skip Arcosanti, because to be honest, it looks super boring for kids (and for me).
More Phoenix Family Travel on All Day Mom:
What’s your favorite thing to do with kids in Phoenix?
