Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell
Special for arizonamoms.com
Apr. 30 2008 4:57 pm
Teens also need a place to be cool and keep cool. Here are 10 suggestions:
Netlans
3131 E. Thunderbird Road
# 53
Phoenix, AZ 85032
(602) 494-5450
www.netlans.com
Hours: 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Admission: Current specials include all-day play, from 1 to 10 p.m Monday through Thursday, for $15; two hours of play on Tuesday for $5; and a Friday-Sunday all-day pass for $20. A $10 membership includes three hours of play time. Call for hourly rates.
Get your game on, big time, at this Internet café and gaming center that boasts 21 high-performance gaming computers. Parties and private, all-night events can be accommodated.
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 257-1222
www.phxartmuseum.org
General Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; 6 to 10 p.m. on First Friday evenings.
General Admission: $10 for adults; $8 for senior citizens and full-time students with ID; $4 for children ages 6-17. Free admission for all on Tuesdays from 3 to 9 p.m., and free admission to all during First Friday evenings from 6 to 10 p.m.
Fashionistas of all stripes will enjoy "Chado Ralph Rucci," an exhibit that runs through Aug. 17 and focuses on the work of New York City-based fashion designer Ralph Rucci. He is only one of two Americans ever to be invited to be a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (the Parisian group, according to the museum web site, "that governs the world's highest level of fashion design and production."). Other not-to-miss exhibits include "Passport to Europe: Six Centuries of Treasures from Museo de Arte de Ponce" and "Human Nature: The Photographs of Barbara Bosworth." Make Tuesday night an inexpensive "date night" by spending a couple hours (for free!) at the museum and topping it off with a frosty treat at the ice-cream shop.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
7374 E. Second St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 994-2787
www.smoca.org
Regular Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday.
Summer Hours (May 28-Aug. 31): Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Admission: $7 for adults; $5 for students; free admission for SMOCA members and all children under age 15. Free admission to all on Thursday.
Gaze upon some of the best contemporary artworks in a building that once housed a movie theater (and some of us here at azmoms.com actually remember going to that theater eons and eons ago). Two upcoming exhibitions include "Pushing Paint Around: Selections from the Permanent Collection" and Pae White: "Lisa, Bright and Dark," an exhibit the artist named after one of her favorite novels from her teen years. Great inspiration for any budding artists.
Gameworks
(located in Arizona Mills Mall)
5000 Arizona Mills Circle
Ste. 669
Tempe, AZ 85282
(480) 839-4263
Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday; 11a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Check the web site for holiday hours.
Admission: Free, but game play cards must be purchased to play; they're available in $5 increments. Check the web site for more details, such as registering a game card online.
All ages are drawn to this gaming center that has everything from old-school faves (Galaga, anyone?) and billiards to new Dance Dance Revolution. Games are organized into zones, so fighting and war-type games are in one area, auto racing ones are in another and so on. Birthday party packages are available, too.
IMAX Theatre
Three Valley locations (excluding the one inside Arizona Science Center)
Gateway 12 IMAX Theatre
1935 S. Signal ButteMesa, AZ 85210(480)-354-8030
AMC Deer Valley 30 with IMAX
3033 West Agua Fria FreewayPhoenix, AZ 85027(602) 956-4262
IMAX Theatre Arizona Mills
5000 Arizona Mills CircleTempe, AZ 85282(480) 897-4629
Hours: Call for movie times
Admission: Call for prices
With some of the most interesting topics around (the Stones, dinosaurs . . . no, it's not the same movie! Just kidding. Keith Richard is our hero!), IMAX movies are always viewed as a treat. Add to that the larger-than-life screen, the voluminous sound and the dark, cool theater, and you've got a sweet escape for an afternoon.
As You Wish
Five Valley locations
www.asyouwishpottery.com
Hours at all five Valley locations: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
4905 E. Ray Rd.
#103Phoenix, AZ 85044(480) 753-9500
3009 W. Agua Fria Fwy.Phoenix, AZ 85027(623) 587-7700
21001 N. Tatum Blvd.Phoenix, AZ 85050(480) 585-0041
1649 S. Stapley Drive.
#101Mesa, AZ 85204(480) 539-8400
2000 E.Rio Salado Pkwy.
#1141Tempe, AZ 85281(480)557-9100
Admission: $7.50 for adults, plus the cost of pottery; $5.50 for kids, plus the cost of pottery.
Pick your favorite pottery piece and paint it - what could be a better way to while away a hot afternoon with friends or chat up that cute new crush down the street? Be sure to check the web site for specials, classes and more. Birthday party packages are available.
Phoenix Rock Gym
1353 E. University Drive
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 921-8322
Hours: 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Check the web site for holiday hours.
Admission: Day passes with gear cost $16 for anyone 12 and older; kids 12 and younger pay $13. Various other passes are also available.
No experience is needed at this rock-climbing wonderland but do keep in mind that anyone under 18 years of age must have a parent- or guardian-signed waiver of liability (waivers are required of all participants) and that children need to be supervised by a responsible adult at all times. Check the web site for more details about how many adults are needed to hold safety ropes and other related information. Classes and party packages are also available.
Tempe Paintball
1401 S. McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 966-1900
Standard Hours: Open play from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday for private parties; league play only from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday; open play 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday; open play from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday.
Admission: the summer field fee is $24.99 and there's an $8 fee for the rental of equipment such as a paintball gun, mask, hopper, all-day CO2 and 100-count paintballs. See web site for more specials and additional information.
Ready to get a little hardcore? Take your swagger on over to this 12,000-square-foot paintball arena and get your adrenaline rushing with a little "urban combat experience." Private parties and special events are also accommodated.
Cerreta Candy Co.
5345 W. Glendale Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85301
(623) 930-9000
Normal Factory Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; guests may take a self-guided tour anytime during regular factory hours, but there are also guided 30-minute tours at 10 and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday
Admission: Free, but bring some money for the store after the tour.or to make your own chocolate pizza after the tour! The chocolate pizza experience is $7 per person (pies may be split), and expect to add on an extra 20 minutes or so to your stay.
You might want to eat something filling (or not!) before heading on over to this family-owned chocolate factory. A free, 30-minute guided tour is offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, but you can also take a self-guided tour (or even a virtual tour online, if you can't make it over in person). A great experience for all ages, but you'll probably want to bring some extra spending money. There is, after all, a factory store full of goodies just waiting to go home with you.
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Camelback and Scottsdale roads
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 941-2140
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; restaurant and department store hours may vary.
Admission: Free (provided you have will power and a full tummy)
Is it lame to list a mall as a destination? Not if it's this one, and not if we're talking teens. With some 200-plus shops (like Abercrombie & Fitch, Anthropologie, Hollister Co., Jimmy Choo, Lucky Brand Jeans. Steve Madden . . . need we go on?), a food court, adjacent restaurants and a movie theater, it's easy to pass the hours in this airy, light-filled shopping haven. And though it's fun to drop a few dollars here and there, the divine window shopping is absolutely free. Be sure to check out the web site, too, for coupons and
sales.
