The Museum of Northern Arizona shows Hopi katsina dolls, a Dilophosaurus skeleton and two billion years of Colorado Plateau history in a 1936 lava-rock building on Fort Valley Road, three miles from downtown. It's open every day from 10 am, and children 9 and under get in free.
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Tickets and hoursMuseum of Northern Arizona · Photo: Jllm06 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Credits
A group of Flagstaff residents founded the museum in 1928 to study and protect the natural and cultural heritage of northern Arizona. It's still a private, non-profit museum, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The main building, built during the Depression from local malpais lava rock, opened in 1936 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It sits on a 200-acre campus at the foot of the San Francisco Peaks, with gardens and trails open to visitors.
Native art and culture, archaeology, geology and the region's travel history. For kids: the dinosaurs and fossil footprints in the Geology Gallery.
On December 5 and 6, 2026, the museum holds its free Winter Market and Open House, from 10 am to 5 pm.
Every June, the Heritage Festival of Arts and Culture brings Indigenous artists, dancers and cultural representatives from across the Colorado Plateau. In 2026 it ran June 26–28, with the art market, dances, music and food on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm and shuttles to the museum.
The museum is on the road to Snowbowl, Lava River Cave and the snow play areas, so it fits a cold or rainy afternoon.
Adults
Price$18Seniors 65+
Price$16Native Americans
Price$13Youth 10–17
Price$13Children 9 and under
PriceFreeThe museum is three miles up Fort Valley Road from downtown, so any downtown or Milton Road hotel is a few minutes away.
Photo: ExpediaBreakfast and parking freeMilton Road and NAU 9.6/10 on Expedia
Free parkingPets: dogs and cats, up to 2, up to 40 lb eachBreakfast included
A few minutes' drive from the museum, with breakfast and parking included and an indoor pool for a cold afternoon.
Bespoke Inn FlagstaffDowntown and Southside 9.8/10 on Expedia · 426 reviewsFree parkingPets: dogs only, up to 2Check prices
Hotel Monte VistaDowntown and Southside 8.0/10 on Expedia · 1,057 reviewsParking $50 a day in a nearby lot; limited spaces at the hotelNo petsBreakfast extraCheck prices
Residence Inn by Marriott FlagstaffDowntown and Southside 9.6/10 on Expedia · 1,002 reviewsParking $10 a dayPets: up to 2 petsCheck prices$18 for adults, $16 for seniors 65 and over, $13 for youth 10 to 17 and for Native Americans. Children 9 and under are free.
It's open every day from 10 am to 5 pm, last entry 4 pm, except New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and December 24 and 25.
At 3101 N Fort Valley Road (US 180), about 3 miles north of downtown on the way to Snowbowl.
Yes. The Geology Gallery has a cast skeleton of Dilophosaurus, a meat-eater that lived in northern Arizona about 200 million years ago, and the small armored Scutellosaurus.
Every June. In 2026 it ran June 26–28, with an art market, dances and music on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
