Northern Arizona may have the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, but Southern Arizona has its own special allure. Maricopa, situated in the Gila River Valley, is the southernmost city of the Phoenix metropolis. Visitors will discover unique entertainment opportunities that are available daily.
Maricopa is a 40-minute day trip from Phoenix (35.7 miles via I-10 E and Maricopa Rd).
Dwarf Car Museum
Dwarf Car Museum is owned and managed by Ernie Adams, who built his first Dwarf Car in 1965. Visitors will see it displayed at the museum as ‘Grandpa Dwarf.’ It’s still operable today. In the ‘80s, Adams turned his attention to Dwarf Race Cars. The first Dwarf Car race was at the Prescott Yavapai County Fair in 1983. Eventually he turned his skills to Dwarf Car Cruisers, which are wildly popular head-turners. Visitors to the Dwarf Car Museum will be able to see every car in Adams’s collection from Grandpa Dwarf to the latest cruiser.
52954 West Halfmoon Road, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 520-42-41-58
Ultrastar AK-Chin Cinemas
Ultrastar AK-Chin Cinemas is the place to be in Maricopa, Arizona, for film, food, fun, and parties. Families can choose from 12 giant screens with stadium-style seating to catch their latest favorite movie. Better yet, guests can reserve a private, soundproof VIP theater suite that accommodates six to 20 people with dining and bar service. There are three dining options from the casual elegant 347 Grille to an ice cream shop. Guests will find a bowling alley, arcade, laser tag arena, and gamer cave. The Multi-tainment Center has party space for every age and can host any event from children’s birthday parties to quinceañeras to conventions.
16000 North Maricopa Road, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 520-568-3456
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club spans 320 acres on Ak-Chin Indian Reservation, which is located in Santa Cruz Valley about an hour southeast of Maricopa. It’s a tranquil oasis of green with 360-degree views of the surrounding desert. This Troon managed golf course has a junior golf program that allows kids 15 and younger to play free with a paying adult, get complimentary golf club rentals, and take free golf lessons also with a paying adult. Other amenities include play and stay packages at Harrah’s Ak-Chin, physical and online golf store, and Arroyo Grille – their upscale, onsite restaurant.
48456 West Highway 238, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-367-8949
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino is situated inside Harrah’s Ak-Chin Resort & Casino hotel on the same property as Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club. The casino offers play on 1,100 video and reel slots, and guests can choose from among several denominations of play. It also features a variety of gaming tables including Pai Gow Poker, blackjack, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Guests will also find a Poker Room, Keno Parlor, and Bingo Hall. Ak-Chin Casino hosts Throwback Thursdays where players get $10 free slot play each Thursday morning. Guests will also want to keep an eye out for frequent promotions and events like the Labor Day Corvette Sweepstakes.
15406 Maricopa Road, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-802-5000
Copper Sky Recreation Complex
Copper Sky Recreation Complex combines the Copper Sky Regional Park with Copper Sky Multigenerational Center to bring guests the ultimate recreation experience. Visitors can schedule a tour of the Multigenerational Center by calling ahead. Those not needing a tour can drop in anytime. Guests should expect two full basketball courts, an indoor walking/running track, group fitness classes, pickleball courts, fitness center with weights and cardio machines, and outdoor Aquatics Center. The Aquatics Center has a 25-yard, eight-lane lap pool with diving boards, a leisure pool with waterslide, a lazy river feature, and a rock climbing wall. The 98-acre Regional Park has a stocked fishing lake, amphitheater, two playgrounds, and so much more.
4445 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 520-316-4600
Sonora Wings Hang Gliding
Sonora Wings Hang Gliding provides visitors to Maricopa, Arizona, with premier tandem hang gliding experiences, or with unbeatable training. Tandem flights include the 2,000-foot flight, which is the most popular, the 3,000-foot flight where you have more learning time, or the Mile High Flight that lasts 40 minutes. Tandem flights provide a certified tandem instructor who guides you to the best experience once the glider is released from the tow rope. With such a magical experience, many guests will want to purchase the media package with their flight to capture the entire event on video and with over 100 still shots.
11934 North Russell Road, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-251-1515
The Duke at Rancho El Dorado
The Duke at Rancho El Dorado is an 18-hole, championship golf course located outside Maricopa, Arizona. The new course was built in the Rancho El Dorado planned community and in 2003 was named ‘Best New Course’ by Travel Golf. Since then, it has continued to rack up accolades and awards by golf industry publications. This oasis of undulating green fairways has the magnificent Estrella Mountains as its backdrop. Silver Spur Grill is situated in The Duke clubhouse overlooking the gorgeous 18th hole. The restaurant is open from breakfast to dinner and features a beautiful outdoor patio with a stunning stone fireplace.
42660 West Rancho El Dorado, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-844-1100
Arizona Soaring
Arizona Soaring operates out of Estrella Sailport in Maricopa, Arizona. The sailport is the perfect place to do your own soaring, take a ride, or take lessons, because there is little air traffic. For those only interested in riding, Arizona Soaring offers tranquil experiences riding along the captivating Sierra Estrella Mountains, or wild aerobatic rides suitable for thrill-seekers. Guests can choose from four options, 20- or 40-minute scenic soaring experiences, or 15 minutes or more of aerobatic soaring. They also offer pilot training. Would-be pilots can complete training quickly with Arizona Soaring’s fast-track training program that gets grads up in the air in record time without cutting safety corners. Students learn from FAA certified, full-time glider instructors.
P.O. Box 858, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 520-568-2318
Skydive Phoenix
Travelers who dream of seeing the earth from miles above traveling at 120 miles per hour have found their Shangri la in Skydive Phoenix. This skydiving operation has a drop zone that affords skydivers views of the entire city Phoenix and the surrounding area from the plane, the free fall, and after the chute opens. Skydive Phoenix offers both tandem skydiving and skydiving instruction from their Maricopa facility. Non-skydivers can enjoy the thrill of watching the jumps as participants parachute to the ground a few feet away. Skydivers can preserve their memories by purchasing high definition videos of their jumps.
56580 West Dasher Drive, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-557-5867
Hands of Silk
Hands of Silk takes a holistic approach to mind, body, and spirit healing massage. They offer an array of therapeutic massage techniques designed to restore overused muscles, relax stressed minds, and heal from traumatic experiences. Guests looking for an elevated spiritual experience can indulge in services that focus on energetics, including the body’s electromagnetic grid, meridians, and chakras. Massage therapists teach guests to practice ‘focused attention’ to experience inner intelligence, fulfillment, and peace. Guests can experience one of seven types of massage – Swedish, deep tissue, sports, prenatal, reflexology, hot stone, and infant/child massage. They also provide craniosacral therapy, sugar scrub, and body contouring services.
43576 West Caven Drive, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 480-522-6505
Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona
The vision for the Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona started in 1999 with the acquisition of a four-foot-tall, 1400-pound, granite Ganesha murthi. It was gifted to the Maricopa Hindu community as the centerpiece of a yet to be constructed Hindu Temple. The first of four phases of the temple construction began in 2007 with the building of the Temple Hall and sanctom santorum. Four shrines were added in 2011, traditional Indian artwork was added to the shrines in 2012, and four richly decorated towers and a shrine to Swami Satyanarayana were added over the next two years. The Temple was finished in 2014. Visitors to the Temple should check the website for hours.
51293 West Teel Road, Maricopa City, AZ, Phone: 520-568-9881
Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona is a 1 hr 30 min (96.0 miles via I-10 W and I-8 W) day trip from Sedona:
Raceway Bar and Grill
Raceway Bar and Grill is a must-do experience. The décor alone is worth the visit; it’s a collector’s dream dining experience. There is hardly a space on the walls that isn’t covered with old license plates, signs, and other memorabilia. In fact, the restaurant has such a huge and diverse collection of items that it was featured on the TV show, “American Pickers.” They’ve even started a Consign and Dine experience with antiques and collectibles. This casual diner has a value-priced menu that will please nearly any budget. Chicago thin-crust pizza is one of their specialties, but diners can also expect wing baskets, jumbo potato skins in four types, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers.
49237 West Papago Road, #7, Maricopa, AZ, Phone: 520-568-0808
Ak-Chin Circle Entertainment Center
Entertainment strikes a wonderfully enjoyable balance at the Ak-Chin Circle Entertainment Center. Home to a number of activities for fun seekers, the Ak-Chin Circle Entertainment Center features a theater, a bar and grill, a bowling lane, a laser tag arena, and even an arcade. Visitors to the center can opt between three different packages, the Ultra Package which gives access to unlimited amusements including the bowling alley and laser tag arena, the Fun Package, which is good for 3 amusements, and the Master Blaster Package, which offers 2 amusements. The bar and grill is a fantastic dining option for hungry patrons and has both indoor and patio seating, as well as a lovely outdoor fireplace to enjoy on cooler evenings.
16000 N Maricopa Road, Maricopa, Arizona 85139, Phone: 520-568-3456