The best summers, in my opinion, include at least one vacation or two. You can also take a break from your daily schedule and vacation closer to home. Try being a visitor in your own city. If you live in or near Tempe, Arizona, summer is a great time to check out a new restaurant, visit an attraction that you haven’t been to (or you don’t go to often enough) and stay one of the city’s comfortable, and even chic, hotels and relax by the pool.  Here’s are a few ideas on how to create the perfect staycation weekend in Tempe this summer.   Day One  Morning  Is there a better way to start your day than with a plate piled high with fluffy pancakes or an omelet filled to the brim with cheese, veggies and whatever your heart desires? I think not my friends. Your most difficult decision may be deciding where to go. Breakfast is Tempe’s jam. Check out Ncounter, Snooze or Morning Squeeze in Downtown Tempe. Or head to south Tempe and check out U.S. Egg on Mill and Baseline, the trendy Crepe Bar or community hang out, Tempe Public Market Café.    After breakfast, indulge in a little culture at ASU Art Museum. Admission is free. Here, you’ll find contemporary art exhibits that will make you think and even crack a smile. If you have kids in tow, check out the Family Day at the museum on July 8. Kids can make crafts that are related to museum exhibits and participate in […]

Tempe events include the Phoenix Amplified Jazz Experience featuring smooth jazz, soul and funk music at Tempe Center for the Arts on May 25th and 26th, 2018. Nationally acclaimed recording artist and urban/contemporary jazz trumpeter Willie Bradley will perform on May 25th at 8 p.m. His music brings together many varied styles, but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level. Willie is the favored musician for many of soul music’s greats and has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gerald Albright, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws, and Marion Meadows. He is also known for performing in the brass section with RJ & The Original James Brown Band touring worldwide in France, Osaka and Tokyo Japan’s Billboard Live and Summer Sonic Music Festival. On May 25th, plan on arriving early to attend the draw exhibition opening reception at 6 p.m. The draw exhibition highlights a variety of “mark-making” drawing styles and media from traditional pencil, ink, paint and charcoal to computer drawings and robotic designs. It will be on display in the Gallery at TCA through September 1st, 2018. The Phoenix Amplified Jazz Experience continues on May 26th with saxophone player, vocalist and songwriter Paula Atherton. Paula  has shared the stage with such contemporary jazz notables as The Rippingtons, Nick Colionne, Chuck Loeb, Cindy Bradley, Gail Jhonson and Karen Briggs. Her performances in the traditional jazz field include a week long engagement at the Blue Note NYC with pianist and jazz legend, Hank Jones. Paula also […]

Summer fun is closely associated with water wherever you happen to be.  That’s especially true here in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, where we love our swimming pools as much as we love bragging about our dry heat. We also thoroughly enjoy driving, in the comfort of our air-conditioned autos, to other fun watery spots where we can plunge, paddle, swim, surf, slide and splash to our hearts content. Grab your hat and sunscreen and check out some of our favorite places to enjoy some refreshing, fun H2O time. Catch a wave at Big Surf Waterpark and Kiwanis Wave Pool. Big Surf Waterpark, America’s original wave pool is open again for the summer season. Big Surf has lots of activities to choose from – for little kids and those seeking more than a little adrenaline rush. There are calm play areas just for toddlers and food and beverage options on site. The waves at the “Waikiki Beach” come every three minutes and they even offer surf lessons. Visit the Big Surf website for hours of operation, special offers and more details. Tempe is home to what might be the ultimate swimming pool: the Kiwanis Wave Pool. Tickets are inexpensive, $7 for ages 13 and up and $5 for kids from 2-12. For a few extra dollars you can rent tubes and rafts for the water slides or just to use for floating in the water. No need for sunscreen – this water fun is completely indoors. Check the Kiwanis Wave Pool website for hours […]

Tempe events feature LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Arizona’s first-ever MEGA Mosaic Build at Tempe Beach Park on May 19, 2018 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Everyone, from the budding builder to the brick extraordinaire, can pitch in and lend a hand. Together, countless talented townspeople of all ages will join in the fun to create three 60″ x 60″ mosaic billboards using truckloads of LEGO® bricks. Each participant will create his or her own personal mini square to add to the large-scale billboard mosaic. Watch this short video about a similar event held in Toronto, Ontario in 2013 and you’ll have an idea of what to expect at Tempe Beach Park on May 19. Once completed, the LEGOLAND ® Discovery Center billboards will depict exciting scenes from the ultimate indoor LEGO playground itself plus a special addition of local landmark Tempe Town Lake Bridge. The mosaic billboards will remain on display during the day, giving park visitors and the public an opportunity to see the beauty that can result when the entire community comes together. Don’t miss out!  Come to Tempe Beach Park this Saturday for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona’s Mosaic Build: A Community Building Experience. Whether you participate or observe, it’s guaranteed to be a colorful, fun experience. Tempe’s calendar is full of exciting events this week. See what’s happening below and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call (480) 894-8158 for more information. May 15-20: LES MISÉRABLES ASU Gammage May 17-19: Stray Cat Theatre presents Silence! The Musical Tempe Center […]

Stroll along with Hipstorian Marshall Shore in our video tour and learn about some of ASU’s history through a sample of architectural highlights. A walk through the ASU Tempe campus reveals an architectural survey of the many styles and periods that reflect the university’s expansion, growth and setting in the Sonoran Desert. You won’t see the traditional vine covered halls associated with the colleges and universities in other parts of the country. No way! Here you’ll find stately palm trees lining the iconic, one hundred year-old Palm Walk. ASU’s architecture is a tangible link between its start as a small teachers college in Tempe in the late 1800s up to its present stature as one of the largest the multi-disciplinary educational institutions in the U.S. today. Your tour with Marshall Shore starts at the beginning with Old Main, which was dedicated in 1898 when ASU was the Territorial Normal School, for teachers. Next he’ll take you through the decades with distinctive structures and architectural features from the 30s and 40s. Marshall ends his tour about midway through the campus with a striking example of mid-century magnificence, ASU Gammage, the beautiful performing arts theater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1960s. So, take a few minutes to view our video tour with Marshall Shore and then put on your comfy walking shoes and head to ASU’s original Tempe campus to see these examples and more of this university’s distinctive architecture and history.    

Tempe events include Childsplay’s production of Flora & Ulysses at Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA), May 12-20, 2018. It begins, as many superhero stories do, with a harrowing accident that has an unexpected outcome. After being sucked up into a vacuum cleaner, the now hairless squirrel is rescued by Flora Bell Buckman, a 10-year-old-selfproclaimed cynic. Flora Bell names her new friend Ulysses and discovers he has been reborn with powers of strength, flight and misspelled poetry. In this delightful adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s Newberry-Award winning story, Flora and Ulysses embark on an adventure full of quirky characters and bursting with heart. Flora & Ulysses will be on stage at the Tempe Center for the Arts on Saturdays and Sundays from May 12-20. For performance times and to purchase tickets, visit www.tempecenterforthearts.com. Tempe’s calendar is full of exciting events this week. See what’s happening below and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call (480) 894-8158 for more information. May 10-20: Stray Cat Theatre presents Silence! The Musical Tempe Center for the Arts May 12-20: Childsplay presents Flora & Ulysses Tempe Center for the Arts May 9: The Progressive Comedy Tour with Graham & Ron Tempe Improv Comedy Club May 9: Echosmith The Marquee May 10-12: Bert Kreischer Tempe Improv Comedy Club May 10-20: Stray Cat Theatre presents Silence! The Musical Tempe Center for the Arts May 11: The Atomic Punks The Marquee May 11 – KansAZ Tempe Marketplace May 11: Lois Roma-Deeley: The Short List of Certainties Changing Hands Bookstore May 11: […]

Tempe events include Stray Cat Theatre’s production of Silence! The Musical at Tempe Center for the Arts, May 4-19, 2018. Silence! The Musical is an award-winning 2005 show written by Jon and Al Kaplan as a parody of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film, The Silence of the Lambs. You’ll find all the same characters who made The Silence of the Lambs such a fascinating and creepy, but enormously entertaining movie.  They are all there in full force and full voice. There’s rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling, the brilliant but insane and very scary cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter and the equally creepy serial killer Buffalo Bill, who murders overweight women so he can remove their skin to create a “woman suit” for himself. Fueled by a rabid cult following since the songs debuted online in 2002, Silence! has been expanded into a live stage show. Winner of the NYCFringe’s Best Musical Award, Silence! The Musical combines smart dialogue and shocking songs to make a raunchy musical parody of The Silence of the Lambs that’s a purrrfect Stray Cat season closer. To purchase tickets to Silence! The Musical, call 480-350-2822 or visit https://www.tempecenterforthearts.com/events-tca. Tempe’s calendar is full of exciting events this week. See what’s happening below and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call (480) 894-8158 for more information. May 3: Roars and Pours Phoenix Zoo May 3-5: Joey Diaz Tempe Improv Comedy Club May 4: Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular The Marquee May 4: Music in the Garden: Cinco de Moio Desert […]

The days when a hotel room is just a hotel room are in the past. Today, hotels are looking at creative ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. One great example of this out-of-the-box thinking is the Moxy Phoenix Tempe. One of the first hotels to launch in the U.S. under Marriott International’s spirited Moxy brand, the Moxy Phoenix Tempe has quickly become a very cool gathering spot for out of town guests and locals alike. This spring and summer, the Moxy team has developed a weekly calendar full of fun-loving activities that will give you more than enough reasons to visit on a regular basis. The new programming line-up, starting on April 9, 2018 and continuing through the summer, includes the following fun themes: • Fried Mondays serve up your favorite bites, such as fried pickles, zucchini, mushrooms, mozzarella sticks and onion rings from 6-9 p.m. Pick one item for $7, two for $10 or three for $13. • Taco Tuesdays from 5-10 p.m. with 3 for $10 tacos, $5 Margaritas (or $15 pitchers!) and $5 chips and salsa. • Wing Wednesdays promises live performances and half dozen wings for $7 and a full dozen wings for $12. • Blacklight Bingo on Thursdays, from 8-10 p.m., is a fast-paced, fresh twist on this classic game. Clearly not your grandmother’s bingo, Thursdays will be home to neon-inspired snacks and glow-in-the-dark lemonade, which can be spiked for $5. • End your workweek with ever-popular Karaoke, as only the Moxy can do […]

Tempe events include Halau O Kehuh at ASU Gammage at 7 p.m.  on April 28, 2018. Led by Kumu hula Nalani Kanakaole and Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, Halau O Kekuh is celebrated for its mastery of the aihaa style of hula (dance) and oli (chant). The aihaa is a low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that is inspired by the eruptive volcano persona the Fire Goddess Pele and her sister Hiiaka, characteristic of Hawaiian creative forces. Halau O Kehuh is one of several performances in the ASU Gammage Beyond series which showcase internationally acclaimed artists from various cultures that go beyond the typical theater experience usually offered at ASU Gammage. To purchase tickets to Halau O Kehuh, call 480-965-3434 or visit www.asugammage.com. Tempe’s calendar is full of exciting events this week. See what’s happening below and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call (480) 894-8158 for more information. April 25: The Expo: Urban Arts and Hip-Hop Gathering ASU Nelson Fine Arts Center Plaza April 25: ASU Latin Jazz Night ASU Evelyn Smith Music Theatre April 26: ASU Symphony Orchestra & Choirs present Mahler Symphony No 1 ASU Gammage April 27: Valerie Bertinelli: Valerie’s Home Cooking Changing Hands Bookstore April 27: DL Hughley Tempe Improv Comedy Club April 27: Manic Monkeys Tempe Marketplace April 27-28: Movement Source Dance Company: “Alone, Together” Tempe Center for the Arts April 28: Halau O Kekuh ASU Gammage April 28: Beth Stelling Tempe Improv Comedy Club April 28:  Spar Afar Tempe Marketplace April 28: Chalk Art Festival Tempe Marketplace […]

Tempe, Arizona is an excellent choice for a summer meeting or conference. Located in the heart of metro Phoenix, Tempe is a fun-loving city known for great dining and nightlife options, Arizona State University, Broadway shows and other activities that event attendees can enjoy once the meeting day is through. Outside temperatures are warm in the summer, but planners will discover that many hotels and venues offer a great value with cost saving deals for meeting planners. Tempe is home to a variety of meeting venues that are perfect for groups of 10 to 500 attendees. And with more than 6,000 guestrooms, a dynamic downtown, Tempe Town Lake, Tempe Beach Park and a number of attractions, Tempe provides a variety of options for on-site and off-site meetings. Tempe is less than 10 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Sky Train connects visitors to Downtown Tempe and Downtown Phoenix via Valley Metro Rail. Summer Meeting Specials Contact the property sales team for more information about the following specials for meeting planners.  The AC Hotel by Marriott Phoenix Tempe/Downtown is offering an Extend Your Summer, AC Style promotion offering planners the chance to win a $250 American Express Gift Card with a Two Night Stay. Increase your chance to win by contracting more groups and experience the European-inspired design and luxury amenities provided at AC Hotel Tempe. Filled with an array of stylish artwork and a rooftop pool, the hotel reflects the soul of Tempe. Contracts must be signed by […]