Chandler, AZ Road Trips

The Sonoran desert and a beautiful residential area. 1 Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N Arizona Ave, ☏ +1 480-782-2680, [email protected]. Box office and gallery: M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa noon-5PM, 1 hr prior to all events. A small venue with seating capacity of 1,500. A gallery hosts rotating exhibits of regional and local artists' work. Free (gallery). 2 Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery of Western American and Native American Art, 22402 South Basha Rd, ☏ +1 480-895-5230 (option 2). M-F 9AM-4PM (call ahead to make sure the gallery is not closed for the occasional company function). Free art gallery with over 3,000 pieces of contemporary Native American and Western American art including paintings, sculptures and pottery. Groups of 25 or more are asked to make an appointment in advance. Free.

1 Historic Downtown Chandler (Chandler Boulevard & Arizona Avenue, just south of Chandler Boulevard). Full of delightful shops and amusements. (updated Sep 2018) 2 Lone Butte Casino, 1077 S. Kyrene Rd (Santan 202 & Kyrene Road), ☏ +1-800-946-4452. Open 24 hours. Gila River Indian Community Casino features 850 slot machines, 24 table games (Blackjack, Pai Gow, 3 Card Poker, Let-it-Ride), 750 Seat Bingo Hall, and a High Limit Room. Also offers high-end and casual dining. (updated Sep 2018) Ostrich Festival, 2250 S. McQueen. A festival at Tumbleweed Park with an ostrich theme: ostrich races, parade, food, and arts and crafts. Festival takes places in early March annually. Chandler Jazz Festival. Annual outdoor Jazz festival in downtown chandler featuring a variety of renowned jazz performers. Admission is free. Chandler Innovation Fair. Yearly science festival which shows scientific discovery’s to all ages. Part of the state-wide Arizona SciTech Festival. (updated Jun 2023)

There are many fine, well-known establishments in the vicinity of Chandler Fashion Center and in downtown Chandler. 1 Rawhide (aka Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse), 5700 West North Loop Rd (exit 162 of Interstate 10 at Wild Horse Pass Boulevard), ☏ +1 480 502-5600 ext 1141, [email protected]. Hours vary by season. Authentic western-style dining with large "cowboy size" portions, accompanied by live Country Western music and dancing. "Old West" shows and activities available before and after meals. Contingent on good weather, most Saturdays they also offer chuck-wagon cookouts out onto the property; the hay wagon to the desert cookout area leaves at 6PM sharp, so you'll want to make sure you're early if you have reservations for this. $20-50. (updated Sep 2018)

1 SanTan Brewing Company, 8 South San Marcos Pl, ☏ +1 480-917-8700. Microbrewery in downtown Chandler that brews beer on site and serves good food. Listed in the Phoenix New Times as the Best Happy Hour in the Southeast Valley in 2010. 2 The Brickyard Downtown, 85 W Boston Street, ☏ +1-480-963-1373. Where Electro-swing meeting global flavors, approachable dishes, well-crafted cocktails, sharing plates & tapas, welcoming atmosphere & an unpretentious experience. (updated Sep 2018)

San Marcos hotel is an old and luxurious hotel in downtown Chandler. Otherwise, many well known hotel chains have hotels in Chandler. There are however, few resorts in this area compared to Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe. 1 Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, 5594 West Wild Horse Pass Blvd, toll-free: +1-866-716-8134. The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Arizona’s premier Native American-owned luxury resort, boasts 500 culturally-themed rooms, 36-holes of Troon Golf, the Aji spa, four pools, a 111-foot waterslide, Koli Equestrian Center and Rawhide, an 1880s Western Town. Located on the Gila River Indian Community, this unique property offers a recreational, educational and inspirational experience never before available in a resort setting. (updated Sep 2018) 2 Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix Chandler/Fashion Center, ☏ +1 480 917-9500. 1231 S.Spectrum Blvd. Close to Fashion Square Mall. Free hot breakfast buffet, free hi-speed Internet access, business center, outdoor pool & whirlpool and fitness center. (updated Sep 2018) 3 Crowne Plaza Phoenix Chandler Golf Resort, 1 N San Marcos Pl, ☏ +1-480-812-0900. On one of the prime corners of the original 1912 Chandler Townsite, at the northwest corner of San Marcos Place and Commonwealth Avenue. It faces east onto San Marcos Plaza, the center of Chandler, Arizona. The resort was conceived as a winter getaway for celebrities, dignitaries, and luminaries. $100+. (updated Sep 2018)

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX IATA) is the main air gateway to Arizona. It is in East Phoenix 3 miles from downtown. All major U.S. carriers serve Phoenix Sky Harbor with extensive flights to major cities across the country. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have hubs at Sky Harbor. It is approximately 25 minutes from Chandler. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA IATA) is east of Phoenix, in neighboring Mesa. It is served mainly by Allegiant Air, although Vision Airlines also offers service from North Las Vegas. It is a small airport but is being redeveloped into a major regional airport. To reach Chandler head on I-10 until it reaches the Santan Freeway. Also, the loop 101 runs down the west side of Chandler near the mall and connects to all other major freeways in the area.

Car and bus are the easiest ways to get around Chandler. Rideshare services Uber and Lyft also operate in the city as well as Chandler Flex, a joint initiative between Via and City of Chandler. Google's Waymo autonomous car service is also available in parts of the city.