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Chandler is a fast-growing city of about 275,000 people in the southeast Phoenix area, best known today for its tech campuses but with a small-town heart. It was founded in 1912 by Dr. Alexander Chandler, a veterinarian and rancher who planned the town around a central square, and the historic San Marcos hotel he built in 1913 still stands downtown.
Downtown Chandler surrounds Dr. A.J. Chandler Park with restaurants, breweries, cocktail bars and boutiques, and the square fills up for concerts, markets and the city's quirky Ostrich Festival, a nod to the ostrich ranches of the early 1900s. The Chandler Center for the Arts hosts touring shows and concerts, and the Arizona Railway Museum displays historic locomotives and railcars.
Families head to Tumbleweed Park and Desert Breeze Park, which has a lake and playgrounds, while Veterans Oasis Park is a favorite for birdwatching and walking trails around its ponds. Chandler Fashion Center is the area's big shopping mall, and the desert trails of South Mountain and the San Tan Mountains are a short drive away.
Chandler's historic downtown grouped around Dr. A.J. Chandler Park and its covered arcades, with restaurants, craft breweries, bars and boutiques in early 1900s buildings. Murals and public art appear throughout. It is busiest on weekend evenings; visit during a festival to see it at its liveliest.
A historic resort hotel opened in 1913 by city founder Dr. A.J. Chandler, designed in Mission Revival style and once a winter retreat for wealthy travelers and celebrities. It is still a working hotel with a golf course. Walk past its arcaded front on the edge of downtown Chandler and see the lobby.
A free city history museum telling the story of Chandler from its farming and ranching roots to the modern tech hub, with rotating exhibits and the historic McCullough-Price House nearby. The grounds include a small heritage garden. Check the open days, as hours are limited.
An outdoor museum in Chandler with restored locomotives, passenger cars, cabooses and freight cars, plus a small depot with railroad artifacts. Volunteers explain the history of rail in Arizona. It is open mainly in the cooler months, typically on weekends, and closes in summer, so check the schedule.
A performing arts center in downtown Chandler with a main stage that hosts touring concerts, comedy, dance and family shows, plus a gallery with rotating art exhibits. Its unusual stage can rotate to serve different spaces. Check the calendar for shows and grab dinner in downtown before a performance.
A 113-acre park built around recharge basins that attract herons, egrets, ducks and hawks, with trails, a fishing lake and a solar system walk. The Environmental Education Center offers programs. It is a favorite for birdwatching; come in the cooler morning hours and bring binoculars.
A popular city park with a lake for fishing, shaded playgrounds, picnic ramadas, sports courts and paths around the water. Ducks and geese are plentiful. It is a good family stop in the mornings, and it sits next to a large shopping area on Chandler Boulevard.
A large park with a big playground, sports fields, a recreation center and the Tumbleweed Ranch, a historic farm area with old buildings showing early Chandler life. It hosts the annual Ostrich Festival. The playground has shade, and the ranch is open on certain days only.
A big regional mall in Chandler with department stores, many national brands, restaurants and a movie theater, set around an outdoor village area with dining patios. It is a good indoor escape on hot summer days. Visit in the evening when the outdoor plaza is cooler.
An annual spring festival honoring Chandler's history as an ostrich ranching center, with ostrich races, carnival rides, live music, food stalls and family entertainment, usually held at Tumbleweed Park in March. Buy tickets ahead and come in the late afternoon to enjoy the cooler hours.
A holiday tradition since 1957, a towering Christmas tree built from more than 1,000 tumbleweeds, sprayed white and decorated with lights in Dr. A.J. Chandler Park. It is lit each December during a festive community celebration. Visit in the evening to see it lit, and enjoy the downtown restaurants.
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