Sun City, Arizona, is considered the original 55+ community…and arguably also the best! It’s 21 miles of clean and orderly streets, golf courses, parks, trails, and recreation centers–along with Stellar’s The Palms at Sun City Independent and Assisted Senior Living Community, of course. You can ride a golf cart anywhere in Sun City, which makes getting around easier than ever. Sun City is also conveniently located close to Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale. This means you can access endless educational, recreational, sports, and entertainment venues. Don’t forget theaters, museums, restaurants, casinos, bars, nightclubs, concerts, and baseball stadiums! There are so many things to do in Sun City near The Palms, it’s hard to narrow it down. Read on to learn about just a few of your many options.
Sun City Community Events
As a community, Sun City offers many events, often hosted at The Sundial Center, which also houses indoor pools, a gym, club rooms, and the Sun City Mineral Museum. There’s also the Sun Bowl Amphitheater, a 9-acre outdoor entertainment venue. Here are just a couple recent community events:
- Concerts by local musicians and bands
- Magician performances
- Trivia Night
- Game nights
- Food truck festivals
- Juggling & comedy events
Check out more upcoming events here.
Things to Do Indoors in Sun City
Sun City can get hot–as in, 115 degrees hot. This means summer is often a great time for indoor entertainment, and thankfully, Sun City has plenty of options! There are also endless things to do in nearby Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Glendale.
- Bowling centers. There are 2 bowling centers in town, as well as bowling clubs and leagues.
- Clubs. With over 100 clubs, you’re sure to find “your people” here.
- Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix features a performance space, cafe, and store, as well as many galleries and exhibits with an included audio tour.
- Phoenix’s Heard Museum showcases art from American Indians and indigenous peoples.
- Get the feel of outdoor baseball indoors at Chase Field, a massive indoor stadium and home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- Don’t miss the Phoenix Art Museum, especially the new Barbie exhibit!
- For a quirky way to spend an afternoon, check out the Rosson House Museum. It gives you a unique guided tour of the history of Phoenix, inside a historic Queen Anne Victorian.
- It’s just a 30-minute drive to Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, the largest indoor butterfly sanctuary in America.
- Visit OdySea, the largest aquarium in Arizona, and see all types of aquatic wildlife as well as penguins, seals, and otters.
- Check out the Orpheum Theater, an opulent and historic theater that offered its first show in 1929. They host tons of live entertainment, from comedians to stage plays to puppet shows.
- Shop for unique collectibles at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall, featuring every type of antiques and collectibles. Many of them have historical importance and background, which seniors might find especially interesting. You can spend at least a few hours wandering around here!
Outdoor Entertainment in Sun City
On the flip side of hot summers, Sun City also has extremely mild winters. December and January are the only months that you might not see daytime highs above 70 degrees. So, September through May is a great time for outdoor entertainment!
- Golf courses. Sun City boasts a variety of golf courses to suit any mood.
- Cave Creek in nearby Scottsdale takes you back in time to the Wild West with old-style saloons, distilleries, and other cowboy attractions.
- Visit Old Town Scottsdale, with 9 walkable neighborhoods featuring shops, restaurants, museums, historic sites, galleries, and nightclubs.
- The Phoenix Zoo is the largest privately owned zoo in the United States, and it lets you get up-close and personal with over 140 animals.
- Tube down the Lower Salt River, located in downtown Phoenix and the Tonto National Forest. It’s a real-life lazy river experience! If you choose to bring your own tube and go down the river independently, make sure you have a car parked downriver or someone to pick you up at your destination.
- Get a guided horseback tour through the Sonoran Desert. Cake Creek Tours operates during the winter months, or check out Koli Equestrian Center for private rides.
Hiking and Biking
If hiking and biking is more your speed, Sun City has you covered. Here’s a few of the best places to hike, walk, or bike in the area.
- Lake Pleasant Regional Park features quite a few trails, from easy 0.5 miles to more difficult 4.4 mile loops. If you’re into water sports, the lake is great for boating, jet skis, water skis, and more.
- Enjoy the North Mountain and Shaw Butte trails, which includes short and easy nature walks, as well as a visitor center and educational signage about local plants. If you’re visiting between February and April, you’ll see amazing wildflowers. In the summer, aim to hike in the early morning to beat the heat.
- Have you ever heard of Night Biking? Phoenix has clubs that organize regular Night Right Riding events, where you can beat the heat and see a new side of the desert. Check here for night biking events, as well as sunset hikes, night hikes, and early morning walks.
- Check out a huge variety of trails at the Sonoran Preserve, which features a few paved accessible trails. These trails don’t include any steep areas, stairs, or obstacles, and are wheelchair-accessible and good for those with walkers.
As you can see, there’s so much to do near The Palms at Sun City. Choose from in-house community activities, to endless recreation opportunities both indoors and outdoors in Phoenix and the surrounding areas. It’s truly an amazing place for seniors and their families to see, visit, do, and live!
