Best Driving Range 2022 | Coronado Golf Course & Lighted Driving Range | Fun & Games | Phoenix
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Best Driving Range

Coronado Golf Course & Lighted Driving Range

They say that practice makes perfect. Odds are low that we'll ever have a top-level golf swing, but we do enjoy improving by hitting the driving range at Coronado Golf Course in south Scottsdale. The unpretentious facility is open from sunrise all the way till 9 p.m., and there's plenty of space to spread out and practice your swing. We recommend showing up between 4 and 8 p.m. during happy hour, when buckets and beer are both on special (cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon are only $1.50). Just remember to bring some folding money — the course is cash-only.

Best Golf Course

Las Sendas Golf Club

Metro Phoenix has what could be considered a glut of golf courses (nearly 200 by one count). And they've all got their benefits. But our pick is Las Sendas, a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course in far east Mesa, for several reasons. The views of the desert and mountains, including the iconic Red Mountain, are spectacular. The course is challenging without being frustrating for golfers (like us) who land way down on the amateur end of the skills spectrum. Speaking of skills, if you want to get better at golf, Las Sendas offers private and group lessons for kids and adults. And since our favorite part of playing golf is the refreshments afterward, we're glad the food and drinks at The Grille at Las Sendas are several notches above standard clubhouse fare.

Best Disc Golf Course

Fountain Park

Golf is a dominating feature of Arizona's recreational landscape, and it's a fun way to get hammered and still claim the title of "athlete." But the elitist sport takes skills, patience, and plenty of cash. Luckily, we were introduced to the world of disc golf — a more laid-back way to drink, smoke, and then chill the rest of the day knowing you got some kind of physical activity in, because hey, throwing a Frisbee qualifies as sports these days, and people take it seriously. The disc golf course at Fountain Park in the quaint Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills is quite well-maintained and features incredible, top-of-the-line baskets. The park and course wrap all the way around the lake and utilize it on most holes. Big circle tee boxes allow for alternate routes to baskets on this picturesque course, which is featured on the Disc Golf Pro Tour and the Professional Disc Golf Association tour. And maybe best of all, every hole features breathtaking views of the world-famous fountain in the center of Fountain Hills, a water feature that measures 560 feet tall at its full height.

Best Place to Watch the Sunset

Tempe Town Lake

On the second evening of Innings Festival in February, a lot of attendees found themselves suddenly interested in something besides the music. As the sun began to set, a particularly beautiful group of colors began to emerge: lemon yellow near where the water meets the sky, then a bold orange-pink, giving way to a blue-gray-purple. The paths near the side of the lake filled with people taking selfies and sunset shots. It was an unexpectedly lovely ending to a great weekend of music, but Tempe Town Lake is an excellent vantage point for sunsets even when there's not a festival going on. The surface of the lake, plus all the shiny buildings that line the water, means that one gorgeous sky gets reflected in countless surfaces, giving the viewer an impossibly beautiful eyeful of color every time.

Best Skee-Ball

The Little Woody

Luigi Richie

The two Baytek Beer Ball games at The Little Woody aren't as flashy or high-tech as the Skee-Ball machines found at garish family fun centers in the Valley, but that's sort of the point. The lo-fi game room at the Arcadia bar is a hipper spot for local Skee musketeers to roll for glory. Its old-school vibe fits the retro roots of Skee-Ball (which dates back to the early 1900s), the beer and libations menu is unrivaled, and there aren't any rugrats around to distract you. Plus, games are free every Monday night and local social sports group PHX Fray organizes Skee-Ball leagues throughout the year. And when you tire of ruling the ramp, there are darts, shuffleboard, a pool table, and board games to choose from. So if your aim is true, start limbering up your wrist and roll down to The Little Woody.

Best Carousel

Fun Zone Carousel

Carousels can be found spinning up quaint, innocent fun for the young, and the young at heart, at amusement parks and family-friendly attractions across the Valley. If you're looking for the best merry-go-round around, though, head for Mesa's Superstition Springs Center, where the double-decker Fun Zone Carousel is located next to the food court. Unlike other local carousels, it offers two levels of saddled beasts to ride, as well as twice the fun. Its menagerie of mounts includes such exotic and fantastical choices as a gorilla, dinosaurs, and dragons. There's also a proud bald eagle with its wings outstretched, talons extended, and perfectly posed if you want to pretend you're Gandalf rescuing Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom or stage some sort of humorously over-the-top patriotic selfie for social media. It's $4 per ride or four rides for $15, so pay up, hop up, and get ready to ride. Adventure and fun await.

Best Ferris Wheel

La Grande Wheel XL at the Arizona State Fair

It isn't difficult to pick out the La Grande Wheel XL amid the glowing, rainbow-colored spectacle of the Arizona State Fair's midway when the event occurs every fall. Living up to its moniker, the 164-foot-tall attraction is visible from miles away, towering over every other ride, the nearby Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and everything else in the immediate vicinity of the fairgrounds. As such, riders in each of its 36 air-conditioned gondolas get panoramic views of downtown Phoenix, the surrounding sprawl, and the various mountains dotting the horizon. La Grande Wheel XL is touted by its owners, local carnival ride operator Ray Cammack Shows, as the largest traveling observation wheel in the Western Hemisphere, while fair organizers tell Phoenix New Times it's one of the most popular rides at the event. It's also one the priciest, typically costing 20 tickets or more per person, but it's worth the expense for the chance to ride the biggest and best Ferris wheel in town.

Best Thrill Rides

Castles N' Coasters

When it comes to pulse-pounding attractions, family fun centers ain't got nothing on Castles N' Coasters. The long-running north Phoenix amusement park contains the Valley's biggest and most adrenaline-inducing thrill rides to get your heart racing. Case in point: the Skydiver, an enormous drop tower that plunges you 120 feet straight down while your stomach lodges in your throat. (The meek might want to steer clear.) Nearby, the Sea Dragon, a Viking-themed swinging boat, hurls its riders to and fro, and the Splashdown log flume attraction is guaranteed to drench you. The crown jewel of the collection is Desert Storm, the tallest and fastest permanent roller coaster in Arizona, which uses two loops, 360-degree turns, and a massive 80-foot vertical drop to extract as many screams as possible from its passengers. If you'd prefer rides that won't require a double dose of anxiety meds, the park also offers the smaller Patriot coaster, go-karts, a fun house, and bumper boats. Who needs a trip to a pricey SoCal theme park when you can stay home and get your fill of thrills at Castles N' Coasters?

Best Bumper Cars

Golfland Sunsplash

Under normal circumstances, willfully careening and crashing into other vehicles is a major no-no, likely earning you a swift revocation of your driving privileges and a spot on the insurance industry's blacklist. But if you're behind the controls of one of the bumper cars at Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa, the only thing you're getting is a good time. Patrons can hop aboard any of the circular-shaped rides, each ringed with doughnut-like neoprene bumpers, and engage in some chaotic, harmless fun. LED lights glow and flash as a soundtrack of rock and electronic dance music blares while the bumper cars bounce into each other in a 20-by-30-foot area that resembles a pinball game writ large. Best of all, the high-backed seats in each car prevent any whiplash-like injuries from occurring, so you won't have to visit the chiropractor afterward. It's $7 for a five-minute ride and worth every penny.

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