Great weather, (except in the summer months), good jobs, class act golf courses, fantastic entertainment and professional sports teams are among the many reasons so many people call Phoenix, "home". The community also has outstanding attractions and places that make it unique and memorable. Below are Phoenix's current 27 "Points of Pride".

1. US Airways Center
201 E. Jefferson St., 602-379-7800
www.usairwayscenter.com
The one million-square-foot, 20,000-seat, multipurpose America West Arena is the home of the Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Arizona Rattlers arena football team and the Phoenix Mercury. It plays host to more than 200 diverse sports and entertainment events a year. Opened June 1, 1992, two million people visit the arena each year.

2. Arizona Biltmore
24th Street and Missouri Avenue, 602-955-6600
www.arizonabiltmore.com
A Valley landmark since 1929, the Arizona Biltmore recently completed a $50 million renovation and expansion. Regarded as one of the finest resorts in the world, the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired property - nicknamed "The Jewel of the Desert" - occupies 39 beautifully landscaped acres at the foot of Squaw Peak Mountain.

3. Arizona Center
On Van Buren Street between Third and Fifth streets, 602-271-1000
www.arizonacenter.com
The Arizona Center, located in a cool, inviting landscape in the heart of downtown Phoenix is a "must-see" marketplace. Shoppers will find the perfect gift at any one of the more than 50 specialty shops and marketplace carts. Dining is an adventure awaiting discovery with nine full-service restaurants, each featuring a comfortable patio area for dining "al fresco." When the sun goes down, the lights come on at Arizona Center's popular nightclubs offering music and dancing, a sing-along piano bar and a sports bar with more than 50 big-screen TVs.

4. Camelback Mountain
East McDonald Drive at Tatum Boulevard, (602) 256-3220
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/hikcmfac.html
The city's most prominent landmark, Camelback Mountain and the Echo Canyon Recreation Area, features sheer red cliffs, the Praying Monk rock formation and the familiar camel's silhouette. The 75.8-acre park is a favorite hiking and climbing spot. The summit trail is difficult.

5. Cricket Pavilion
2121 N. 83rd Avenue, one-half mile north of the I-10 Freeway
(between 75th and 83rd avenues),
(602) 254-7200
www.azconcerts.com
This 20,000 seat open-air amphitheater, which opened in 1990, presents the top names in contemporary music. Considered to be among the finest outdoor entertainment venues anywhere, it is the only building of its size in the Valley designed specifically for musical performances. It features superior sight lines, unsurpassed acoustics and a permanent stage capable of handling the most sophisticated production. A specially designed cooling system combines air conditioning with custom-designed fans to cool the warm summer nights and keep performers and patrons comfortable.

6. Deer Valley Rock Art Center
3711 W. Deer Valley Road, (623) 582-8007
www.asu.edu/clas/anthropology/dvrac
The Deer Valley Rock Art Center, a 47-acre nature preserve that contains more than 1,500 petroglyphs, merges past, present and future. Managed by Arizona State University's Department of Anthropology, the center features petroglyphs left on more than 500 boulders throughout the Hedgpeth Hills, a sacred Indian site. In a visitor's center, interpretive displays examine the process of petroglyph production, preservation and interpretation. The Glyph Shop offers a variety of items relating to rock art including books, clothing and jewelry. The site opened to the public in 1994 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours along the quarter-mile trail are available or visitors may stroll along on their own.

7. Desert Botanical Garden
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, (480) 941-1225
www.dbg.org
This unique garden, founded in 1937, displays one of the most extensive collections of desert plants in the world. The private, nonprofit museum sponsors internationally-recognized programs in research, plant conservation and environmental education. There are tours, hands-on demonstrations, interactive exhibits, workshops, special events, café, gift shop, and plant shop. Trails: Desert Discovery, Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert, Sonoran Desert Nature, Center for Desert Living.

8. Encanto Park
15th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard, 602-262-6412
phoenix.gov/PARKS/park25.html
Encanto Park is a 222-acre oasis with picnic areas, a lagoon, boat house, swimming pool, nature trail, Kiddieland/Enchanted Island amusement park, urban fishing and two golf courses. The city's largest flatland park is just a few blocks from the busy central corridor. The municipal golf courses offer modest fees and are busy all year long. The lagoon offers paddle boats and canoes as well as fishing and an opportunity to feed bread crumbs or popcorn to ducks. The facility also features a softball diamond, and basketball and tennis courts. Encanto (Spanish for "enchanted") Park is a favorite Valley spot for weekend picnics and cookouts.

9. Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Avenue, (602) 252-8848
www.heard.org
The Heard Museum focuses on the cultures and arts of Native Americans and the Southwest. Known for innovative programming and unique exhibits, the museum's 10 spacious exhibit galleries and beautiful outdoor courtyards feature outstanding traditional and contemporary Native American art. The museum also is known for its world-famous collection of kachina dolls. An outstanding array of authentic Native American artwork and other uniquely South-western items can be found in the Heard Museum Shop and Bookstore. This internationally acclaimed museum is one of the best places to experience the myriad cultures and art of Native Americans of the Southwest.

10. The Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St., 602-254-7399
www.herbergertheater.org
The Herberger Theater Center is located in downtown Phoenix, directly facing Symphony Hall. Center Stage, the larger of the two theaters, seats 815 and has seating on three levels: orchestra, loge and balcony. The last row of the balcony is located only 66 feet from the stage level. Acoustical properties are superior and were specifically designed for the spoken word so that both drama and musical theater are served well in the space. There is an orchestra pit that, when not used for musicals, can be hydraulically raised or lowered to accommodate extended set designs or additional seating. Stage West seats 325 in a standard proscenium configuration on four levels: orchestra, loge, mezzanine and balcony. Stage West is also an intimate and flexible space where seating may be changed to accommodate thrust, arena or cabaret-style presentations.

11. Historic Heritage Square
Sixth and Monroe streets, (602) 262-5071
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/heritage.html
A reminder of Phoenix's proud past, Historic Heritage Square recalls the city's Victorian past. The Rosson House is the cornerstone of a city block of museums, gift shops and restaurants housed in buildings that date from the late 1800s and represent the only remaining group of residential structures from the original town site of Phoenix.

12. Mystery Castle
800 E. Mineral Road, (602) 268-1581
At the foot of South Mountain lies a curious dwelling fashioned from desert rocks, railroad refuse, and anything else its builder, Boyce Gulley, could get his hands on. Boyce's daughter Mary Lou lives here now and leads tours on request. Full of fascinating oddities, the castle has 18 rooms with 13 fireplaces, a downstairs grotto tavern, and a roll-away bed with a mining railcar as its frame. The pump organ belonged to Elsie, the Widow of Tombstone, who buried six husbands under suspicious circumstances.

13. Orpheum Theatre
203 W. Adams St., (602) 534-5600
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/STAGES/orpheum.html
The Orpheum Theatre, built in an elaborate Spanish Baroque style in 1929, was underutilized and in serious disrepair when the city of Phoenix purchased it in 1984. The Junior League of Phoenix spearheaded a community effort to retain the architectural and historical integrity of the last historic theater in downtown Phoenix. The Orpheum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. An $11.4 million restoration, funded through city bond funds authorized by Phoenix voters in 1988 and private sector donations, transformed the theater into a technically-modern, but architecturally and historically-preserved, 1,400-seat venue for performing arts, community and civic events as well as a location for visitor and convention use in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Reopened in January 1997, the Orpheum can accommodate local, regional and national touring productions, performance companies and nonprofit performing arts groups.

14. Papago Park/Hole-In-The-Rock
Galvin Parkway and Van Buren Street, (602) 256-3220
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/hikpafac.html
The history of Papago Park begins back in 1879 with the area being designated as an Indian reservation for the Maricopa and Pima tribes. During World War II, Papago Park housed a German prisoner of war camp. The camp was occupied from 1943 to 1946 by over 400 prisoners of war. After the war, the camp was used as a Veterans Administration Hospital from 1947 to 1951 and the District Headquarters for Arizona’s largest Army Reserve unit from 1953 to 1966.This fabulous park, located on 1,200 acres of rolling desert hills and rugged mountains, features a golf course, museums, picnic areas, fishing lagoons (urban fishing license required), hiking trails and the Hole-In-The-Rock landmark.

15. Patriots Square Park
Washington Street and Central Avenue, (602) 262-4627
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/patriots.html
Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Patriots Square Park features two-and-a-half acres of open space with grass, trees and benches, an outdoor performing arts stage and two food kiosks. This is a favorite spot for brown-bag lunches featuring the city concert series "Sights-N-Sounds" offering live entertainment in the park Monday - Friday, noon - 1 p.m. The park also serves as a decorative "cover" for a large underground parking garage.

16. Phoenix Art Museum
Central Avenue and McDowell Road, (602) 257-1222
www.phxart.org
The largest in the Southwest, the Museum features over 16,000 art works in its collection of American, European, Asian, Latin American, Contemporary and Western American art and fashion design, and hosts half a million visitors each year. Enjoy international exhibitions and the work of renowned artists. One of my favorites is the Thorne Miniature Rooms of historic interiors. Take advantage of the audioguide to the collection, terrific shopping in the Museum Store for unique gifts, great food in the Art Museum Cafe, art classes, gallery talks and family programs.

17. Phoenix Symphony Hall and Terrace
225 E. Adams St., (602) 534-5600
http://www.phoenix.gov/STAGES/symphall.html
In the heart of downtown Phoenix lies Phoenix Symphony Hall and Symphony Hall Terrace, home of both the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Opera. This cultural center features myriad theatrical and musical events ranging from touring Broadway shows to appearances by top performers such as Jay Leno, Tori Amos, Yanni and Doc Severinson inside Symphony Hall, as well as a variety of popular festivals and special events outside on the terrace. Gracing the terrace is one of the most photographed attractions in Arizona, the beautiful Peacock Fountain.

18. Phoenix Zoo  
455 N. Galvin Parkway, (602) 273-1341
www.phoenixzoo.org
The Phoenix Zoo is the nation's largest privately-owned nonprofit zoological park. The Zoo is home to more than 1,300 animals, including 150 endangered or threatened birds, mammals and reptiles from around the world. Each lives along one of four distinctive trails. The Arizona Trail features plants and animals of the American Southwest; the Africa Trail presents meerkats, lions, warthogs and more; the Discovery Trail brings young visitors together with small mammals from around the world, and includes a barnyard petting area; the Tropics Trail highlights plants and animals from the rain forests of the world. Visit the Zoo's newest exhibit, Desert Lives, showcasing the Zoo's signature Arabian oryx and native Arizona bighorn sheep.

19. Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
4619 E. Washington St., (602) 495-0901
phoenix.gov/PARKS/pueblo.html
Pueblo Grande is the only National Historic Landmark in the city. The park includes an actual Hohokam culture ruin and an on-site museum featuring exhibits of the Hohokam and other cultures of the Southwest.

20. Shemer Art Center and Museum
5005 E. Camelback Road, (602) 262-4727
phoenix.gov/PARKS/shemer.html
Near the base of Camelback Mountain is the Shemer Art Center and Museum, a reminder of the early days of Phoenix. Built between 1919 and 1928, the Santa Fe-mission-style residence has become a family cultural center offering classes, special events and art exhibits showcasing Arizona and nationally known artists. Also on display is the Howard House, a miniature replica of an 1890 Colonial mansion.

21. South Mountain Park
10919 S. Central Ave., (602) 495-0222
phoenix.gov/PARKS/hikesoth.html
Serving as the "exclamation point" of pride, South Mountain is the largest municipal park in the world. The 16,500-acre park is home to more than 300 species of plant life and a variety of fauna, including rabbits, foxes, coyotes, snakes, lizards and birds. The park features picnic areas and ramadas, hiking trails and spectacular lookouts. In 1924, President Coolidge made available 13,000 acres of South Mountain to the city of Phoenix for $17,000. Over the years, the park has increased by 3,500 acres saving the scenic and natural features for the benefit of the entire community, protecting wildlife and natural ecological communities, preserving historic and archaeological sites and providing outdoor recreation opportunities. South Mountain Park Central Ave. gate is closed at 8:00 p.m. until mid-August for road repairs. The Park is the home of the 10,907-square-foot South Mountain Environmental Education Center, (602) 534-6324.

22. Squaw Peak Recreation Area
2701 E. Squaw Peak Drive, (602) 262-7901
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/hiksqfac.html
A sentinel in the center of metropolitan Phoenix, Squaw Peak dominates the skyline from almost any direction. Squaw Peak, part of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, is one of the city's best-known landmarks. The park features a 1.2-mile trail to the peak's summit, which offers a spectacular view of the Valley of the Sun. The Summit Trail has an average grade of 19 percent and probably has more stairs than most people climb in months. You hike from about 1,400 to 2,600 feet. Yet it has been the most popular Phoenix trail for more than a decade, because it's so convenient to get to and because of the views from the top. When you stand on the peak, vehicles on the Squaw Peak Parkway are as little as ants, and airplanes seem closer and louder.

23. St. Mary's Basilica
Third and Monroe streets, (602) 252-7651
Founded in 1881, this is the oldest Catholic church building in Phoenix, and in September 1987, the basilica received an historic visit from Pope John Paul II. St. Mary's is still an active Roman Catholic church where Mass is said on a daily basis. The basilica is noted for its carillon tower and for its magnificent stained glass windows, which were executed by the Munich School of stained glass art. This church presents a stunning facade, its pink stucco and twin towers a pleasant anomaly among the modern concrete of downtown. Mass is held daily, but call the parish office for visiting hours

24. Telephone Pioneers of America Park
1946 W. Morningside Drive, (602) 262-4543
A park of a very different kind, Telephone Pioneers of America Park in northwest Phoenix is a unique point of pride. It opened in 1988 and is the nation's first barrier-free park for physically challenged individuals. The park, which was built by volunteers on land donated by the city of Phoenix, was funded entirely through donations. The $2.5 million facility features two beep baseball fields, a therapeutic heated pool, wheelchair accessible playground equipment, handball, volleyball, tennis, basketball, shuffleboard and an activity room. There also are ramadas, grills and picnic facilities. The park offers a variety of special social and recreation programs and special events for people with disabilities.

25. Tovrea Castle
5041 E. Van Buren St., (602) 262-6412
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/tovrea.html#CASTLE
Another familiar Phoenix landmark, Tovrea Castle sits atop a cactus-covered hill like a giant tiered wedding cake. This one-of-a-kind castle was built in the 1920's by Alessio Carraro and sold shortly thereafter to cattle baron Edward Tovrea. The castle reflects the rustic elegance of 1900 Arizona. Now owned by the city of Phoenix, the castle is an historic preservation project of the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office and the Parks, Recreation and Library Department. The city recently completed a garden restoration project on the grounds. The castle currently is not open to the public.

26. Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza
1700 W. Washington St., (602) 542-4581
About a mile and a half west of downtown Phoenix, in the shadow of the State Capitol, the Capitol Museum and the government mall, is Wesley Bolin Plaza, honoring the late governor who was better known as the perennial Secretary of State. The plaza covers two square blocks of the State Capitol grounds and is the site of 23 memorials commemorating the achievements of Governor Bolin and other prominent Arizonans. On the eastern tip of the plaza rests the anchor of the USS Arizona, sunk during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor in 1941, as a memorial to the men who died aboard the battleship.

27. Wrigley Mansion
2501 E. Telawa Trail, (602) 955-4079
www.wrigleymansionclub.com
Dominating the crest of a 100-foot hill and presiding over the magnificent neighborhoods of the Biltmore area, sits the elegant Wrigley Mansion. Completed in 1931, the mansion was built by chewing gum mag-nate William Wrigley Jr. as a 50th wedding anniver-sary present for his beloved wife, Ada. Currently, the mansion operates as a private club featuring world-class cuisine with polished service and personalized attention for all guests. Public tours are available.