Cool off with 3 for Free in Mesa

July 5, 12:06 PMPhoenix Travel ExaminerJay Hammond

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Arizona Natural History Museum by J Hammond Copyright 2007

After spending yesterday, cool off by spending the day indoors enjoying three of Mesa's top arts and culture destinations – for FREE. That's right, admission to the Arizona Museum of Natural History (AZNMH), the Arizona Museum for Youth (AMY) and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (MCA) is FREE for everyone from noon to 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month, all summer long!

Arizona Museum of Natural History

This is the place to go in the Valley for dinosaurs! See how Arizona has changed through the millenniums, watch replicas of dinosaurs come to life on the three-story Dinosaur Mountain and learn more about these amazing creatures from skeletons and fossils, many discovered in Arizona! All of these are continuing exhibits, so families can always count on AMNH for dinosaurs.

The Door's Open at MCA by J Hammond. Copyright 2008

Speaking of walking through Arizona's history, the Hohokam! Ancient Monuments of the Salt River Valley, gives visitors the chance to look beneath the surface of modern Mesa. The Hohokam created the largest irrigation systems in the prehistoric New World, laying the groundwork for the survival of future civilizations like the O'odham and even our own.

If that wasn't enough, visitors can go out of this world with the Mars! Exhibit which opened in late 2008 and has been the scene of several special events. Visitors can get a taste of life on the Red Planet from a dune machine, a dust devil generator, a working model of rifting and more.

The Arizona Natural History Museum is located at 52 N. Macdonald in downtown Mesa. That's one block North of Main St. and a half mile East of Country Club Dr.

Arizona Museum for Youth

Creative kids are in their element at AMY. Artville offers visitors under age 5 the opportunity to explore a world full of color, shapes, giant crayons, lines, glitter glue and much more!

Three current exhibits, Every Bead Tells a Story: Christy Puetz & Beads of Courage, Little Lands in Fiber and My Favorite Monster spark the imaginations of older children in a variety of media. Originally from northern Minnesota, bead and fiber artist Christy Puetz now calls Phoenix home. Her work has been exhibited in many museums around the Valley and the beyond. This exhibit is different, however, because children hold a bead in their hand and asked to tell its story.

The Arizona Museum for Youth is located at 35 N. Robson in downtown Mesa. Just north of Main Street and East of Country Club Dr.

Seated Statue by J Hammond Copyright 2008

Mesa Contemporary Arts Center

MCA blends of performing arts, art studios and contemporary art exhibits into one eclectic whole. Through exhibits like Androgeny: New Work by Sergei Isupov and Parallel Universe: The Art of Paula Wittner offer visitors unique perspectives on contemporary life and issues. Androgeny includes 20 large-scale heads and numerous drawings in the first solo museum exhibition by surrealist sculptor and painter Sergei Isupov. Paula Wittner interprets family and aging themes in paintings that are also full of whimsy or at least humor.

Two other exhibits, Archaeologica: the Disposable Museum of Jessica Drenk and Resurrect: The Art of the Reclaimed Object, look at the transitory nature of modern art and life from different perspectives. Jessica Drenk created an exhibit which elevates the mundane to scientific beauty through commonly used and disposable objects. A national juried show, Resurrect focuses of the beauty of reclaimed or found objects. A total of 55 works from 51 artists are presented.

The Mesa Contemporary Arts Center is located at 1 East Main St. in downtown Mesa.

Many of the exhibitions at all three museums close this fall. Some conclude as early as early August, making this one of the last opportunities visitors will have to experience them for FREE!