ASU's Tempe Campus
Arizona State University's Tempe campus is the school's original and flagship location, and it functions like a self-contained small city of academic buildings, dorms, and student services. Old Main, the university's original 1898 building, anchors the north end of campus, and Palm Walk -- a shaded, palm-lined pedestrian path running the length of campus -- is the closest thing Tempe has to a signature stroll, especially in the cooler months.
Two buildings reward a detour even without any university business. Gammage Auditorium, at the campus's southwestern edge, is one of the last major buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and hosts a regular season of touring shows and lectures. Mountain America Stadium — renamed from Sun Devil Stadium in a 2023 naming-rights deal and still nestled between two natural buttes the way it always was — seats tens of thousands for ASU home football games. You don't need a reason tied to the school to walk Palm Walk or see these buildings from outside -- campus is open, walkable public space on a normal day, though parking and crowds tighten considerably on football Saturdays.
Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake is a reservoir built into a stretch of the Salt River that runs dry the rest of the year elsewhere in the Valley — check the City of Tempe's own site for its current length and capacity figures. The Rio Salado path rings both banks for walking and cycling, and the historic Mill Avenue Bridge crosses the lake. Tempe Beach Park is a main access point for kayak, paddleboard, and pedal boat rentals.
See our full Tempe Town Lake guide for the lake's rebuild history, its annual events, and how to time a visit around the heat, and check the current rental-kiosk listings directly for pricing and hours before you go.
The Mill Avenue Historic District
Mill Avenue runs a few walkable blocks from the lakefront toward ASU's campus edge, mixing restored 1890s-to-1920s brick storefronts with a restaurant, bar, and live-music strip that is unmistakably built around the university next door. By day and early evening it reads as a normal, pleasant walkable district; late on weekend nights during the school year it skews heavily toward the college crowd.
The biannual Tempe Festival of the Arts turns the strip into a juried arts-and-crafts fair that draws a broader, all-ages Valley audience if a quieter visit is more your speed. Check the festival's official dates before planning a trip around it, since the schedule shifts year to year.
"A" Mountain and Papago Park
"A" Mountain, also called Hayden Butte, rises at the edge of ASU's campus, overlooking the university and Tempe Town Lake, and carries the large concrete "A" that ASU students have maintained as a tradition for generations. A trail climbs to the top for a view across campus, Tempe Town Lake, and the surrounding Valley -- a shorter and generally gentler climb than the well-known peaks over in Phoenix, though still a real hike with sun exposure, so bring more water than you think you need and check current trail conditions. Phoenix-area heat is not a minor inconvenience: know the difference between heat exhaustion (heavy sweating, weakness, cool clammy skin, nausea, headache -- get to shade or AC, sip water, and seek medical care if symptoms last over an hour or the person vomits) and heat stroke (confusion, slurred speech, hot dry or damp skin, a body temperature above 103°F, or loss of consciousness -- this is a medical emergency: call 911 immediately and do NOT give fluids to someone who is confused or losing consciousness). Check the National Weather Service's current alerts before you go, especially in summer -- NWS retired the old "Excessive Heat Warning" product in March 2025 in favor of "Extreme Heat Warning."
Papago Park is a City of Phoenix park sitting right along Phoenix's border with Tempe, a short drive from downtown, with the Hole-in-the-Rock sandstone formation, easy walking trails, and the Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo on its grounds -- a worthwhile add-on if you're extending a Tempe day toward Phoenix.
Family and Recreation Options
Beyond the lake and campus, Tempe has a handful of city parks with splash pads, playgrounds, and open lawn space that work well for a family break between sightseeing stops, along with public golf and multi-use paths that connect toward the broader Valley trail network. None of this is destination-level tourism on its own, but it fills practical gaps in a family itinerary without requiring a full day trip.
If you're traveling with kids and want destination-level attractions, the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden in nearby Papago Park, or OdySea Aquarium up in Scottsdale, are the more established options within a short drive of Tempe.
Beyond Tempe: Phoenix and Scottsdale
Tempe's location, a short drive from Sky Harbor and directly on the Valley Metro light rail line, makes it a genuinely useful low-cost basecamp for the wider Valley. Downtown Phoenix's museums and desert-peak hikes are a short drive or light-rail ride northwest, and Scottsdale's resort-and-golf corridor and Old Town district sit a short drive northeast.
See our 3-day Tempe itinerary for a practical day-by-day plan that folds in one of these Valley day trips.