88 FUN & GAMES SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 e e e B E S T N I G H T T I M E E N C O U N T E R S W I T H W I L D L I F E DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN FLASHLIGHT TOURS 1201 N. GALVIN PARKWAY 480-941-1225 DBG.ORG Spotting a scorpion, tarantula or other night- crawler in your flashlight beam would normally send you sprinting. At the Desert Botanical Garden on summer nights, it’s just part of one of the Valley’s most-engrossing after-dark activities. On Saturday evening from June through early September, the garden comes alive for its annual Flashlight Nights. Visitors roam trails after sundown on self-guided tours, watching night-blooming plants unfurl and keeping an eye out for owls, lizards and bats. Along the way: live music, art installations, hands-on science stations, even a chance to stick your fingers inside a cactus (safely). And yes, you may come face-to-face with a scorpion or two. The popular event helps give new meaning to the word “nightlife.” e e e B E S T B AT C O L O N Y PHOENIX BAT CAVE CAMELBACK ROAD AND 40TH STREET Every summer, Phoenix gets an influx of temporary residents — a colony of about 10,000 to 14,000 Mexican free-tailed bats. They take up residence in a flood control tunnel behind Phoenix Country Day School, and if you want to, you can watch them leave the so-called Phoenix Bat Cave each night between May and October. Park near 40th Street and Camelback Road before sunset, then follow the Arizona Canal until it veers off onto a parallel trail. Hop onto the other path and you’ll soon find yourself at the tunnel. You won’t have to wait long before one, then 10, then thousands of bats come streaming out of the tunnel for their nightly feed. It’s a beautiful, awe-inspiring spectacle that never fails to remind us of the countless animals we live alongside in the Valley. e e e B E S T U R B A N B I R D I N G RIO SALADO HABITAT RESTORATION AREA 2439 S. CENTRAL AVE. 602-262-6863 Arizona is a renowned birding destination, particularly for its many migratory hotspots. But you don’t have to leave Phoenix to enjoy the thrill of viewing an array of avian attrac- tions. The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area includes six mostly flat, easy-to- traverse trailheads along the river for some of the best birding you’ll find in the state. This 5-mile stretch of the Rio Salado was used as a de facto dump for decades, filled with tires, trash, appliances and old cars. A partnership among the city of Phoenix, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maricopa County Flood Control District and the Arizona Water Protection Fund started the cleanup in 2000, digging out 1,185 tons of tires and 138,572 cubic yards of trash. They created a riparian area that attracts more than 200 species — ducks, herons, hawks, woodpeckers, kestrels, owls and many more, including migratory birds in the spring and fall. The field trip leader for the Maricopa Bird Alliance has stated that it’s “proof that cities and wild spaces can coexist.” e e e B E S T D O G P A R K COSMO DOG PARK 2502 E. RAY ROAD, GILBERT 480-503-6200 GILBERTAZ.GOV Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take much to please dogs. They’re excited by the smallest gestures, like when we return from getting the mail after 20 seconds. So when it’s time to take a field trip to the dog park, that excitement that comes so easily gets ramped up. Say the words “dog park,” and Fido goes from zero to 60 in one second flat. Now, try saying “dog beach” and see what happens. Some pups will even grab their own leash to speed up the process. Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert makes a welcoming outlet for that canine energy. More than just a spot to run around, this fenced park has a lake where the doggos can run free and jump in and out of the water as they please. If your dog is small or timid,
