Things to Do in Scottsdale with Kids: A 2026 Family Guide
Resort-pool family heaven with desert backdrops. Everything you need to plan a Scottsdale with kids trip — best activities, where to stay, and honest tips from parents.
Pack the perfect travel companion
A Sunlight Kids activity book made for travel days. Ships from Amazon.
Why families love Scottsdale with kids
Scottsdale is winter Phoenix done luxuriously: massive family-resort pools, kid-shape activities, and a string of resorts that treat family vacations as their main business.
If your family vacation thesis is 'pool 70% of the time, attraction 30%, eat well, sleep well,' Scottsdale is the destination.
Best things to do in Scottsdale with kids
Massive kid-pool complexes with slides, splash zones, lazy rivers.
Indoor aquarium with shark tunnel. Excellent for hot afternoons.
Butterfly Wonderland
Best for ages 2-4Best for ages 4-6Indoor butterfly conservatory next to OdySea.
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Best for ages 2-4Best for ages 4-6Free park with kid-train rides and a carousel.
Pinnacle Peak easy section
Best for ages 4-6Best for ages 6-8Short, doable kid hike with great views. Best in winter.
Walkable shopping district with mid-week kid-friendly dinners.
Each attraction links to Google Maps for directions and reviews.
Free things to do in Scottsdale with kids
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park has a free park with kid-train rides ($3 each), carousel ($3), and a free playground — toddler magic. Old Town Scottsdale is free to walk; the free Scottsdale Trolley loops the area. Most resort lobbies are free to wander. Pinnacle Peak Park has free hiking. The Saturday farmers market in Old Town is free to browse.
Keep them busy on the plane, in the car, at the hotel
The Sunlight Kids books were made for exactly these moments.
Where to stay in Scottsdale with kids
North Scottsdale resorts
Biggest kid pools. Best for resort-focused trips.
Old Town Scottsdale
Walkable, dinner-friendly, smaller hotels.
Restaurants in Scottsdale with kids
Mexican everywhere. Citizen Public House and FnB are dressier date spots. Resort restaurants are typically excellent.
Day trips from Scottsdale with kids
Phoenix attractions
All within 30 minutes — zoo, museums, science center.
Sedona
Two hours north — easy family day trip.
Wildlife World Zoo (Litchfield Park)
Bigger than Phoenix Zoo; west of Scottsdale.
Scottsdale with toddlers
Scottsdale with toddlers is resort-pool heaven from November through April. The big family resorts (Hyatt Gainey Ranch, Fairmont Princess, Westin Kierland) have lazy rivers, splash zones, and slides built for under-8s. Pick the resort, not the city.
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is the universal toddler-magic — old steam train, carousel, playground, splash zone, all $3 or free. OdySea Aquarium is the best rainy-day rescue. Butterfly Wonderland is a 30-minute toddler delight.
Old Town Scottsdale has stroller-friendly walking with kid-friendly Mexican restaurants. Skip summer (May–September) entirely with toddlers — too hot. Pack a sun shirt; desert sun is brutal even at 70°F in February. Reserve a resort with kids' club for one parent dinner.
Best time to visit Scottsdale with kids
November–April. Summer is brutally hot.
Tips for visiting Scottsdale with kids
- Resort lazy rivers are the kid-magic experience — book resorts that have them.
- Pack a sun shirt for kids — desert sun is intense even in February.
- Reserve a resort with a kids' club for sit-down parent dinners.
- Old Town has a free kid-friendly trolley.
- Stay 5+ nights — daily room rate drops with longer stays.
Scottsdale with kids: FAQs
Is Scottsdale good for kids?
Yes — it's one of the most family-resort-focused destinations in the country, especially in winter.
Best Scottsdale resort for families?
Hyatt Gainey Ranch, Fairmont Princess, and Westin Kierland all have kid-magic pool complexes.
How many days in Scottsdale with kids?
Four to seven nights — long enough to settle into resort life with day trips.
Phoenix or Scottsdale with kids?
Scottsdale for resort-focused family trips; Phoenix for a more urban base with museum focus. They're 20 minutes apart and easy to combine.
When to visit Scottsdale with kids?
November through April. May–September is dangerously hot.
Make the trip even better
Travel days are long. The Sunlight Kids activity books make them feel short.