7 Free Things to Do in Scottsdale

You can see public art around Scottsdale’s Civic Center, browse galleries and explore Sonoran Desert scenery without paying admission. Choose downtown for art and historic streets, or make a separate outing for family play and desert walking.

These seven choices include the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), where indoor exhibitions qualify only during particular admission windows. Purchases and railway rides are optional extras, not part of the free experience.

Choose your free activity

Experience	Free portion	From Civic Center	Mode / reference point
Old Town and public art	Outdoor sights	about 0.3 miles	Walking / Old Adobe Mission
ArtWalk	Gallery admission	about 0.2 miles	Walking / Main Street Arts District
SMoCA	Qualifying exhibitions / courtyard	about 0.2 miles	Walking / museum entrance
Farmers market	Entry	about 300 feet	Walking / Drinkwater Boulevard site
Railroad park	Playground / model displays	about 3.5 miles	Driving / park entrance
Xeriscape Garden	Garden entry	about 2.9 miles	Driving / garden entrance
McDowell Sonoran Preserve	Desert walking	about 15 miles	Driving / Gateway Trailhead

The downtown choices suit art lovers and market browsers. Families can choose the railroad park, while the garden offers a plant-focused stroll and the preserve a desert walk. For heat or rain, choose qualifying indoor museum exhibitions or the Model Railroad Building when open. Transport, shopping and rides can cost money.

For ticketed art and architecture alongside these free outings, explore more things to do in Scottsdale.

Old Town and Civic Center public art

Old Town’s historic streets and Civic Center’s public art give you a first look at Scottsdale without needing to shop. Look at the Old Adobe Mission from outside, where its adobe construction and church façade offer a historic contrast to the surrounding commercial streets.

At Civic Center, seek out Robert Indiana’s LOVE, with its stacked letters and tilted O, and The Yearlings by Donald Lipski, which places horses above tall columns. The Yearlings is a rewarding less-obvious public-art stop, especially if you pause to look at the unlikely relationship between the animals and their supports. These artworks belong to the civic grounds, so you can enjoy them without a museum ticket.

In hot weather, take this outdoor stroll early and leave time to stop rather than trying to cover every street. SMoCA beside Civic Center offers a separate indoor art choice during its qualifying admission windows. For a later outing, return to the Arts District for the evening gallery walk.

ArtWalk on Main Street and Marshall Way

Scottsdale ArtWalk turns the galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way into an evening art outing. After an Old Town stroll, step inside participating galleries to look at exhibitions rather than just their windows. Take time to compare different artists and media.

ArtWalk runs every Thursday, 7–9pm. Gallery admission is free, no purchase is required and ordinary visitors do not need advance registration. Outside the event, ordinary gallery browsing is another option when individual galleries are open, though it does not offer the same shared evening window.

Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA)

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) is the downtown choice for contemporary exhibitions. James Turrell’s Knight Rise offers a different encounter with art: an opening frames the sky so that you can sit and pay attention to light and colour. Knight Rise has independent, free courtyard access, without paying for the indoor exhibitions.

Visitor hours are 11am–5pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 11am–7pm on Thursdays. Advance booking is optional, and reserving online can speed admission. The indoor exhibitions make a useful alternative to outdoor time in heat or rain, while the courtyard remains an outdoor experience.

Old Town farmers market

Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market brings Arizona growers and speciality food stalls beside Civic Center. Browse for the produce and foods, not for a free meal: purchases are optional, so you can take an interest in what is grown and made locally without buying anything. It is a natural companion to the downtown public-art choice rather than a separate cross-town journey.

The market runs on Saturdays from October through June. Hours are 8am–1pm from October–April, 8am–noon in May and 7am–10am in June. Arrive towards the start of the session for a cooler outdoor visit, especially towards the end of the season.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is a separate family outing centred on playground time and miniature railway displays. The Model Railroad Building gives children and adults small-scale railway scenes to study, so it is worth including even if nobody wants a ride. Choose the building for indoor time in heat or rain, and keep outdoor play shorter in peak heat.

The Model Railroad Building is free to enter, and ordinary visits need no advance booking. The Paradise & Pacific Railroad and Charros Carousel are separately ticketed extras. A miniature train ride may appeal to children who want to move from watching railways to riding one, but neither ride is necessary for the free outing.

Months	Park and Model Railroad Building hours
January, September–December	9am–5pm
February	9am–6pm
March	9am–6:30pm
April–May	9am–7pm
June–August	8am–1pm

In hot weather, favour morning playground time followed by the model displays. This keeps the visit focused on the free attractions rather than making rides the centre of the plan.

Xeriscape Garden at Chaparral Park

Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden at Chaparral Park is a short, plant-focused outing rather than another downtown stop. Xeriscape means landscaping suited to dry conditions, and the garden shows how regionally appropriate plants can be used with water-conscious design. Pause at the interpretive signs to understand the planting, not just to look at it.

Allow about 15–30 minutes for a casual stroll, leaning towards the longer end if you read the signs. It suits visitors who want outdoor time without choosing a desert hike. Go on a cooler morning in hot weather, even for a short visit.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

McDowell Sonoran Preserve offers Sonoran Desert scenery beyond the downtown and park choices. Gateway Trailhead gives access to the Bajada Nature Trail, a natural-surface walk that lets you focus on the desert rather than aim for a long hike. Brown’s Ranch Trailhead is an alternative starting point where you can choose among marked trails. Choose a short marked route suited to your ability and the weather, rather than making distance the goal.

Start early and reduce exposure in peak heat. Carry water, a route map and a fully charged phone. Sturdy footwear, a hat, sunscreen and light-coloured clothing that covers your skin help you prepare for exposed walking. Drink at least 2 cups of water 2 hours before activity and 5 ounces every 15 minutes during it.

Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke before setting off. Dizziness, headache, nausea or weakness mean you should stop, cool down and seek help. Confusion or collapse can indicate heat stroke, which needs emergency help. Choose SMoCA’s indoor exhibitions during a qualifying admission window instead if the weather makes an exposed walk unsuitable.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, services, opening hours, and closures.

• Scottsdale Arts District — fares and charges
• Scottsdale Gallery Association — service
• City of Scottsdale — service
• City of Scottsdale — fares and charges
• Old Town Scottsdale — fares and charges
• Scottsdale Arts — fares and charges
• Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) — opening hours
• Scottsdale Arts — closures
• City of Scottsdale Parks and Recreation — fares and charges
• McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park — opening hours
• McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park — service