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If you blink, you might drive past the Irish Cultural Center. Located just south of Margaret T. Hance Park on Central Avenue, this little piece of Ireland occupies two acres of land in downtown Phoenix.
An Gorta Mor (The Great Hunger ) Memorial dedicated Sept. 25, 1999.
Passing through the iron gates visitors see the An Gorta Mor (The Great Hunger) Memorial dedicated on Sept. 25, 1999 by Arizonans in memory of those who suffered through The Great Hunger. The memorial’s inscriptions describe the starvation and disease that claimed the lives of 1.5 million Irish people between 1845 and 1850. Over 2 million Irish people emigrated in coffin ships to America and other places of refuge, but many died along the way.
An Halla Mor (The Grand Hall) a replica of the Town Hall in Ennis, located at the Irish Cultural Center.
An Halla Mor (The Grand Hall) rises on the west side of the Irish Cultural Center. Used as a hall for lectures, meetings, weddings and dances, An Halla Mor is a replica of the Town Hall in Ennis. As the sister city of Phoenix, Ennis donated the Hall’s cornerstone on July 1998.
The cornerstone of An Halla Mor donated by Ennis in July 1998.
The Irish Cultural Center also conducts programs for the Academy of Irish and Celtic Studies.
A replica of an Irish cottage stands on the east side of the Irish Cultural Center.
On the east side of the Irish Cultural Center, a replica of an Irish cottage stands with stone walls erected to contain a rose garden and benches for visitors to relax and soak in the atmosphere. The cottage opened in the spring of 2004 and the main room shows original photos of the 1800s County Claire farmhouse used to design the replica.
A room to the right of the main room houses the Gift Shop, which sells tax free Irish items including Irish foods, Irish and Celtic jewelry such as Claddagh rings and pendants, Bellek china and Galway crystal, greeting cards, books and more.
The room to the left of the main room holds a copy of the original Book of Kells and related wall plaques. In 1990, 1,480 copies of the Book of Kells were issued and Sean Lee, Irish Cultural Center member, purchased a copy and put it on display in the Irish cottage.
Outside, the buildings and memorial surround a brick and stone Heritage Clos (courtyard), which contains an engraved map of Ireland and its 32 counties and four provinces.
This statue honors Herb Drinkwater, the late Scottsdale mayor.
Early on a Saturday or Sunday or better yet Christmas day, the silence of Old Town Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza greets visitors and offers them a serene place to unwind from the stresses of the week before the hustle and bustle begins. Colorful flowers line the walkways and statues of horses and heroes of Scottsdale mingle with contemporary art.
One of the fountains at the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza.
The fountains unexpectedly bubble up from the sidewalk or from their watery enclosures. Restaurants and galleries dot the perimeter of the plaza and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art anchors the south end of the plaza.
Shade trees protect the area from the sun and create a haven for the waterfowl by the lake. A mama duck escorts her tiny babies down the middle of the sidewalk with no fear that anyone will disturb them. Winnie and Pooh, two mute swans, glide on the lake and Pooh, the camera hound, comes close for some excellent photo shots.
Pooh, a mute swan, swims in the lake at the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza.
Visitors enjoy a shady, isolated area.
Steps lead down to a shaded area with a pond and an ice cream cone shaped water fountain in the middle sends out sparkling drops of water. Bricks cover the walkways and the cubes for sitting around the perimeter. Rose bushes bloom in small gardens around the pond and along the stairs. One can feel free and isolated in this serene area.
The LOVE statue located in the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza.
Statues inhabit the plaza with the large red LOVE statue perched on a rise overlooking the plaza. In the middle of it all, a handsome statue of Herb Drinkwater, the late Scottsdale mayor, keeps an eye on passersby and looks so life-like you expect him to bid you the time of day.
Dale Chihuly's "The Sun 2008"
“The Sun” greeted visitors as they entered the Desert Botanical Garden, but no more. Oh, the Arizona sun still shines, but Dale Chihuly’s sculpture “The Sun” no longer shines in the Ottosen Entry Garden among the cacti. Chihuly: The Nature of Glass ended May 31 after exhibiting at the garden since November 22, 2008.
Garden staff and volunteers began disassembling the sculptures on June 1, 2009 to ship back to Dale Chihuly. The pieces of glass were taken apart piece by piece and safely packed into containers. The Desert Botanical Garden says the piece contained more than 1,200 separate pieces of glass and the armature that held them weighed thousands of pounds.
Dale Chihuly's "Chiostro di Sant' Apollonia Chandelier, 2008"
Another vibrant Chihuly sculpture, “Chiostro di Sant’ Apollonia Chandelier,” hung at the east end of the Sybil B. Harrington Succulent Gallery among the green succulents. The sculpture glistened in the sunshine and glimmered in the rain while the blue imitated the color of an Arizona sky.
Team Chihuly carefully took apart the chandelier piece by piece and safely packed it up for transport back to the Chihuly Studio in Seattle. A total of 17 Chihuly sculptures graced the garden and fascinated garden visitors. Chihuly certainly knows how to mingle his gorgeous glass art with the natural art of nature.
Even when triple digits arrive, the Phoenix Zoo opens early in the morning so visitors can enjoy their day. The zoo contains a variety of different trails for visitors to explore with different animals who always entertain and delight kids of all ages.
The Arizona Trail shows off Arizona animals like mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, bald eagles, pronghorn and collared peccary or javelina. The animals roam in desert environments with cacti and other native plants.
MAdagascar hissing cockroaches
The reptile house contains many different species of snakes and the Madagascar hissing cockroaches. All of the creepy crawlers safely reside behind glass, so visitors can closely inspect their every move without fear of attack.
Native birds like Gambel’s quail and burrowing owls roam the trails outside the reptile house. Prairie dogs sit on mounds and feast on lettuce and carrots while peering at onlookers or scamper into their burrows.
The reticulated giraffes hang out on the Savanna and come down to the keepers for their morning feeding. Ostriches and Eland Watusi cattle also roam the Savanna under the tall trees and palm trees or relax by the water’s edge.
Giraffes on the Savanna
Further along the trail, two grevy zebra graze under tall palm trees and by boulders oblivious to the gaze of visitors. Pink, Chilean flamingos stand on one leg sleeping or pick the ground and watch the pigeons along the zoo’s main lake. Otters swim on their backs and play.
White Rhinos
Along the African Trail, baboons patiently sit and groom each other. Some delicate brown and white Mhorr’s gazelles take time from play to see who’s passing by their area. A couple of powerful white rhinos stand in the shade of some trees like statues. One rests his massive horn on a fallen tree trunk.
An African lioness lays by a boulder in the shade of a tree while a prone African lion snoozes just yards away. A Sumatran tiger only visible in the tall grass because of his orange and black stripes takes his afternoon siesta in the heat of the day.
African Lioness
Children and adults climb up on camels and sit on Mexican blankets and hang onto bars on the apparatus on the camel’s back as a zoo worker guides them down a trail. The safari train takes visitors on a tour of the zoo, and children can ride elaborately decorated animals on the carousel in the plaza area.
The Children’s Trail features wallabies, raccoons and the Harmony Farm with the petting zoo. Children pet goats or laugh at their antics as they climb on old vehicles and get into mischief.
On the Tropics Trail, visitors see the huge Galapagos tortoises along with radiated and aldabra tortoises. They lumber along and occasionally munch on a green snack. This trail also contains bears, monkeys, a jaguar and Asian elephants. Cages along the trails house different species of birds such as macaws and king vultures.
Bornean Orangutangs
One of the most entertaining exhibits is the Bornean orangutans. The exhibit features grandmother, mother and daughter. The mother hides under a quilt as the young daughter makes mischief. They provide an entertaining show.
The zoo provides shaded benches and picnic tables by the lake to enjoy purchased food and cold drinks. The animals, the scenery and the environment let visitors relax, unwind and enjoy their day at the zoo.
Arizona Destinations 