Looking for a fun getaway, romantic escape or family fun? Think Tempe First!

Arts & Culture

• In Tempe, the spirit of the arts is everywhere you look. Get your creative juices flowing, lift your spirits and be immersed in creative expression.
• ASU Gammage, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, hosts the Progressive Broadway Across America-Arizona series which showcases blockbuster stage productions. The BEYOND Series presented by ASU Gammage brings an incredible array of music, dance and groundbreaking theater throughout the year to Tempe.
• The Tempe Center for the Arts showcases the work of Childsplay, A. Ludwig Dance, Arizona Renaissance Theater, Desert Dance and others. The building itself, designed collaboratively by Barton Myers Associates and Tempe's own Architekton, is an interactive work of art on the shores of Tempe Town Lake.
• The Tempe Performing Arts Center is home to Stray Cat Theatre.  Their productions are known to be fun and
  thought provoking with a little bit of an edge.  Willing to take risks, Stray Cat promises a great night at the theatre.
• At the ASU Art Museum and Ceramics Research Center, contemporary fired pieces ignite the imagination, while the renowned, cutting-edge design of Antoine Predock blurs the line of where art ends and architecture begins.
• Don't forget to take in these cultural events when you're out and about:
  • Arizona Gay Rodeo Association Road Runner Regional Rodeo
  • Gay Days at the Arizona Renaissance Festival
  • Phoenix Pride Parade and Festival
  • Saguaro Cup Annual Softball Tournament
  • Rainbows Festival Urban Street Fair

Dining

• Got a taste for adventure, or just a really good hamburger? With scores of unique dining experiences, your hunger pangs will be satisfied in short order. From innovative Irish to mighty spicy Mexican to all-American microbreweries, a meal in Tempe is more than just good eats, it's food for the soul.

Nightlife

• After satisfying your appetite, burn off those calories during a night on the town. Take a stroll through the Mill Avenue District or Tempe Marketplace and take your pick from numerous exciting entertainment venues.
• Just a 15 minute drive from Tempe, you'll find a host of gay and lesbian hot spots that dot the central Phoenix area including dance clubs, leather bars, drag shows and local hangouts.

Outdoor Activities

• Easy or extreme, wet or dry, there are endless outdoor activities available in Tempe. Home to world-class sporting events like Ford Ironman Arizona and P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon, you'll find a variety of ways to get toned and tanned. Hike or bike miles of trails amid the sandstone buttes of Papago Park, climb to the top of "A" Mountain or set sail on Tempe Town Lake.

Shopping

• Skimp on shopping? Not on your life! Tempe is teeming with every type of boutique, shop and store under the rainbow. Formal or frilly, chic or cheeky, you'll find it in Tempe.

Family Activities

• There are endless opportunities for family fun in Tempe, from the watery adventure of Big Surf and Cox Splash Playground at Tempe Beach Park to a wild time at The Phoenix Zoo in beautiful Papago Park. Or, experience children's stories brought to life at a performance by Childsplay, Tempe's professional theater company for young audiences.