Family Days in Scottsdale, Season by Season

Scottsdale families plan their year around the weather. From November into spring, the days are made for parks, trains and evening festivals. When summer heat arrives, the same families head for the library, the museum and the pool. Here is a season-by-season guide to where Scottsdale kids spend their days, built from the city's own calendars.

Cool months: trains, trails and open air

For many Scottsdale families, the first stop of the season is McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park on Indian Bend Road. The city park covers about 30 acres, with rides on the Paradise & Pacific Railroad, a 1950s Allan Herschell carousel, playgrounds, a splashpad and a Western Town play structure. There is also a 10,000-square-foot model railroad building and the Scottsdale Railroad Museum, with historic train cars and exhibits. The museum is open from October through May and closes for the summer, so the cooler months are the time to go. Rides are paid by ticket, and the park's own page lists current prices and seasonal hours.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve opens up in fall as well. Entry is free every day from sunrise to sunset, and guided hikes led by city staff and the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy resumed in October, a gentle way to introduce children to desert plants and wildlife. Families with older kids might try the Pinnacle Peak Park trail, which runs two miles one way with real climbs; the city also offers interpretive and full moon hikes there in the cooler months.

Each November, Canal Convergence lights up the Scottsdale Waterfront for ten evenings. The city lists the festival as free, and Scottsdale Arts' program includes family workshops alongside the light art, live music, dance and nightly fire shows.

Hot months: libraries, museums and water

When the thermometer climbs, the Scottsdale Public Library becomes a second living room. Its branches, including Civic Center, Appaloosa and Mustang, run storytimes for different ages, such as Baby Cuddles for children up to 24 months and Twos & Threes Together for toddlers, with space limited at some sessions. In summer, the library runs its Summer Reading Challenge. Check the library's events calendar for the current week's storytimes at each branch.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West on Marshall Way is a cool, quiet way to spend a hot afternoon. Its galleries cover Navajo textiles, bronzes, Hollywood Westerns and The West in Miniature, a collection younger visitors may enjoy. The museum closes on Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so plan around that in summer, and from November through April it stays open into the evening on Thursdays.

For water play, the city's Chaparral Aquatic Center opens a separate free-form play pool with zero-depth entry and a water feature in summer only. If you want to swim outside of summer, the city points families to Cactus, Eldorado and McDowell Mountain Ranch, which offer year-round lap swimming. The railroad park's splashpad is another summer favorite for younger children.

Free and low-cost outings

Plenty of family days here cost nothing. Entry to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is free. The Scottsdale Gallery Association says Thursday evening ArtWalk in Old Town is always free, and strolling Main Street with children to peek into galleries can be a fun way to end a cool evening.

Seasonal traditions

Holiday Lights is a long-running Scottsdale family tradition. This year it runs at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park from November 27 through December 30, in the evenings. Tickets are sold through the park's website. The park closes the year with Noon Year's Eve on the late morning of December 31, a countdown timed for children who won't make it to midnight.

Scottsdazzle, the city's holiday celebration in Old Town, returns each holiday season. Its organizers haven't announced this year's dates or events yet, so sign up for their updates or check back as December approaches.

In February, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show returns to WestWorld from February 11 to 21, 2027. Alongside the competition, the show lists family-focused events, educational seminars, an international food court and a large shopping expo.

Treats along the way

Every family day needs a reward. In Old Town, the Sugar Bowl has been serving ice cream, sundaes, floats and banana splits since 1958, along with soups and sandwiches; look for the pink building. On Main Street, Craft 64 makes wood-fired pizzas, an easy dinner after an ArtWalk or a museum visit. And a few doors away, Růže Cake House, a mother-daughter bakery that started in a home kitchen, sells cupcakes, macarons, cookies and custom cakes for birthdays and celebrations.

Whatever the season, Scottsdale offers a place to spend the day together. Keep the city's calendars handy, and you'll always know where to go next.