Mesa Arts Center
Rating
Family of 4
You can spend an afternoon here for nothing.
Duration
About 45 minutes to 90 minutes for the galleries and a wander around the plaza, and 2 to 3 hours for a ticketed performance once you add parking and arrival time
Best Ages
4-17 years, though the open plaza works for toddlers on a mild day
About
Mesa Arts Center takes up a full block at 1 E Main St in downtown Mesa, and it is one of the few arts campuses in the Valley where you can have a good afternoon without buying a ticket to anything. The campus is laid out as an open, walkable set of shaded pathways, courtyards, and plazas connecting the theaters, the galleries, and the art studios. Kids do what kids do with that kind of space, which is run the length of it.
On a mild day in October or March, letting them burn off energy on the plaza before or after something indoors is half the reason to come.
There are really three different visits packed into one address. The first is the performance side, with multiple theaters ranging from a large hall down to smaller, more intimate rooms. Programming spans touring shows, concerts, dance, and family productions, and the family shows tend to run shorter and are usually pitched at a stated age range, so check the calendar at mesaartscenter.com and read the age guidance before you buy.
The second is the visual arts side, where the contemporary galleries rotate exhibitions regularly. A gallery stop works well as a 45 minute piece of a bigger day with school-age kids, and it works far better if you give each kid a job, like picking a favorite piece and defending the choice at dinner. The third is the studio side, where the center runs classes and camps in things like ceramics, painting, drawing, and printmaking for kids as well as adults.
Those require registration, and school-break camp weeks fill early.
Practically, this is an easy campus for families. The outdoor walkways are flat and paved, so a stroller rolls fine, though strollers generally cannot go into theater seating, so ask an usher where to park one. The buildings are air conditioned, which makes this a real option during summer and monsoon season when outdoor plans collapse.
Water elements are part of the architecture, so expect a toddler to make a run at one and watch for signage about what is off limits.
The location is the sleeper advantage. Downtown Mesa puts you within a few blocks of the i.d.e.a. Museum and the Arizona Museum of Natural History, so you can stack two kid-focused stops into a single parking spot, and Main Street's coffee, ice cream, and casual restaurants are close enough to walk with a five year old.
Confirm current admission, ticket prices, class schedules, and parking on the center's website or at (480) 644-6500 before you go, since all of those shift by event.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Yes
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
Limited
Setting
Indoor & Outdoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Weekday late mornings are the quietest window for the galleries. For the outdoor campus, aim for the cooler months or an early evening, since the plaza is the best part of the property and it is unusable at 4pm in July. Free community festival days are the single best family visit of the year, so watch the events calendar at mesaartscenter.com.
Wait Times
Effectively none for galleries and plaza wandering, even on weekends. For a ticketed show, arrive 30 to 45 minutes before curtain, and for a popular family production expect a real line at the theater doors when the house opens.
Nearby Food
Downtown Mesa's Main Street is right outside, and it has turned into a legitimately good food strip with coffee shops, ice cream, bakeries, and casual sit-down restaurants within a short walk of the campus. That walkability is a genuine advantage over most Valley arts venues, since you can leave a show and be eating in five minutes without moving the car. On-site food service at the center varies by event and time of day, so do not count on it as your meal plan without checking first.
Why Kids Love It
The building is the first thing that gets them. It is big, angular, and colorful in a way that looks nothing like the rest of Mesa, with long shaded walkways that kids immediately treat as a racetrack and water elements built right into the architecture. Then there is the making side, since the studios here mean a kid can leave having actually thrown a pot or printed something rather than just looking at other people's work behind glass.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Check mesaartscenter.com before you go. This one address covers multiple theaters, contemporary art galleries, and a full studio school, and what is open and what is playing changes week to week.
- For family performances, read the recommended age on the specific show. The center programs across a huge range, and a show pitched at 4 to 8 year olds is a completely different experience from a touring act aimed at adults.
- School-break art camps and popular ceramics and painting classes fill early. Register when the session opens rather than the week before.
- Strollers roll easily across the outdoor campus, but plan on parking one before entering theater seating and ask an usher where.
- Stack your trip. The i.d.e.a. Museum and the Arizona Museum of Natural History are both within a few blocks in downtown Mesa, which makes this one of the strongest one-parking-spot family days in the East Valley.
What to Bring
- Water bottles, since the outdoor portion of the campus is exposed for part of the year
- A light layer for indoor theaters and galleries, which run cold
- Clothes that can take paint or clay if you are doing a studio class
- A stroller for the outdoor campus if you have a toddler, plus the willingness to park it before a show
- Sun hats and sunscreen between roughly April and October
Cost Info
Partially free — some areas or times are free
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
You can spend an afternoon here for nothing.
Walking the plaza, the shaded walkways, and the courtyards costs zero, and free community events happen through the year.
Costs appear when you add a ticketed performance, which is priced per person by show and seating section, or an art class or camp, which is priced per student and per session.
Parking in downtown Mesa is generally far cheaper and easier than downtown Phoenix.
Confirm current gallery admission, ticket prices, and parking on mesaartscenter.
com or by calling (480) 644-6500, since all three vary by event.
Tips to Save
- Build the visit around the free layer first.
- The plaza, the architecture, and the center's free community events give you a real outing at no cost, and you can add one ticketed thing rather than making the tickets the whole plan.
- Ask about family or youth pricing on performances, and ask whether art classes offer sibling or multi-session rates.
- Light rail runs through downtown Mesa, which turns the ride itself into part of the day for younger kids and removes any parking question.
- Pair the trip with the nearby downtown Mesa museums so one drive covers two or three stops.
Hours & Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
Some links below are affiliate links. KidPaths may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
