Visiting Tempe, United States: Top Sights on Foot

The best things to do in Tempe include exploring Arizona State University, visiting unusual museums, seeing distinctive architecture and discovering the city’s lively cultural venues. Tempe is a university city in Arizona, with attractions ranging from meteorites and contemporary art to a historic church and an immersive visualization theatre. Neywo also offers a free audio guide for Tempe with 10 narrated places.

What to See in Tempe

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is one of the largest public universities in the United States and a major research institution. Its history began in 1885, when it was founded as the Territorial Normal School to train teachers for Arizona’s growing public-school system.

Today, the university is classified as an R1 doctoral university with very high research activity and is a member of the Association of American Universities. Its Tempe campus gives the city much of its energy and provides the setting for several of its most distinctive cultural attractions.

Arizona State University Art Museum

The Arizona State University Art Museum has a permanent collection of around 12,000 objects, with a strong focus on contemporary art, new media and innovative forms of presentation. The collection also includes American ceramics, historic and contemporary prints, art from Arizona and the Southwestern United States, and works by Latino artists.

Its holdings extend across the Americas, from historic American art to modernist and contemporary Latin American works. The collection has been growing since 1950. The museum occupies two buildings: the main exhibition space is in the Nelson Fine Arts Center, designed by architect Antoine Predock, while the Ceramics Research Center is located in the Brickyard Engineering Building on 7th Street and Mill Avenue. Admission is free.

Gammage Memorial Auditorium

ASU Gammage is one of the most architecturally significant buildings on the university campus. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it was built between 1962 and 1964 and named after former ASU President Grady Gammage.

The building is a multipurpose performing arts center and one of the largest exhibitors of performing arts among university venues in the world. Its programme covers a wide range of genres and events. The auditorium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

St. Mary’s Church-Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church

Known as both St. Mary’s Church and Old St. Mary’s Church, this building on East University Avenue is the longest-standing church in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It was designed by Father Severin Westhoff in the Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1903.

The church is the only example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the Tempe area and one of only a few in Arizona. It served as a Catholic parish until 1968, after which it became home to the Arizona State University Newman Center. Today, it houses Mary College at ASU, a centre for Catholic Studies. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Center for Meteorite Studies

The Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies holds the world’s largest university-based meteorite collection. Founded in 1960, it now contains specimens from more than 1,600 separate meteorite falls and finds.

Researchers from around the world study the collection for planetary, geological and space science research. The centre also operates a meteorite museum open to the public, making it possible to see rocks from space without being a researcher.

Decision Theater

Decision Theater at Arizona State University is an immersive environment for exploring complex problems through data, simulation and visualisation. The space covers about 8,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 30 participants.

Its centrepiece is the “drum”, a 260-degree faceted screen that wraps around the room. Seven rear-projection passive stereo sources, tracking devices and surround sound create a panoramic setting for 2D and 3D stereoscopic video. The space is designed for collaboration, allowing participants to work with geospatial visualisation, simulation models, system dynamics and computer-assisted decision-making tools.

Marquee Theatre

The Marquee Theatre is a live music venue in Tempe’s main entertainment district, at the corner of Mill Avenue and Washington Street. It originally opened under another name, the Red River Opry, also known as the Red River Music Hall, before becoming the Marquee Theatre.

Its location makes it a useful stop for experiencing the city’s performance and nightlife scene alongside the university’s cultural attractions.

Tempe Mosque

Tempe Mosque, formally known as the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, is a place of worship and an important spiritual and community hub for Muslims in the area. Both names refer to the same mosque.

Sea Life Arizona

Sea Life Arizona is an interactive aquarium inside Arizona Mills mall. The 26,000-square-foot attraction contains thousands of aquatic creatures and includes interactive touch pools where visitors can get hands-on with some animals.

A 360-degree ocean tunnel provides an underwater view from all sides, creating one of Tempe’s most distinctive indoor attractions.

American Museum of Nursing

The American Museum of Nursing preserves the history and heritage of the nursing profession. It was formerly part of the Arizona State University College of Nursing and held nursing memorabilia including historic uniforms, vintage posters, medical-care items and photographs.

The museum also housed a research library, a rare document room and an archive, making it a resource for people interested in the history of healthcare.

Explore Tempe with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

A Tempe self-guided walking tour is a practical way to connect the city’s university buildings, museums, places of worship and performance venues. Neywo’s walking route, “Frank Lloyd Wright, Rocks from Space and a Desert Church,” covers 5.34 km in 111 minutes and includes seven narrated stops:

• Marquee Theatre
• Tempe Mosque
• Arizona State University Art Museum
• Gammage Memorial Auditorium
• St. Mary’s Church-Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church
• Center for Meteorite Studies
• Arizona State University

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. The narration is available in 11 languages. For more ideas in the area, you can continue exploring Phoenix, Mesa or Tucson.

Download Neywo and Explore Tempe at Your Own Pace

Download Neywo to explore Tempe with a free audio guide covering 10 narrated places. The city has one walking tour: a 5.34-km route lasting 111 minutes, with seven narrated stops.

Each story starts as you reach the place it describes, so you can explore independently and follow the route at your own pace. There is no group and no schedule—just the city, the route and the stories that bring Tempe’s museums, architecture and university landmarks to life.