Mesa Southwest Museum

Address:53 N Macdonald
Mesa, Arizona
Tel: (480) 644-2230

The Mesa Southwest Museum (also known as the Arizona Museum of Natural History), holds about 58,000 objects entrusted to the people of Mesa and the state of Arizona. The history of this people and great state come alive as you step into the museum. You will love exploring the fine exhibits on archaeology, art, ethnology, geology, history, natural history, and paleontology. This one-of-a-kind collection is simply surreal.

Visitors enter the Mesa Southwest Museum to be greeted by animals dating from the Pliocene-Pleistocene Epochs, approximately 3 million years to 10,000 years ago. These include mammoth, mastodon, American lion, one-toed horse, the armadillo-like Glyptotherium, and four species of fossil turtles.

Exhibits at the Mesa Southwest Museum include a Native American village and pottery collection along with exhibits on dinosaurs, ancient cultures of Mexico, Spanish conquistadors, plant life, and rocks. Three changing exhibition galleries offer a variety of interesting subjects. Don't miss the special Hands-on Adventure Center with interactive exhibits for children that are so entertaining, you will want to come back for more.

The museum store features Native American Jewelry, dinosaur toys, posters, t-shirts, books, DVDs, and many more excellent gift items.

To get to the Mesa Southwest Museum, take US 60 or 202 to Country Club Drive, go to Main Street, and proceed one-half mile east to Macdonald.

The Mesa Southwest Museum is Arizona's premier museum of cultural and natural history. See the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the state, visit a Spanish mission, search for the Dutchman's lost treasure, pan for gold in the History Courtyard and more.