Arizona State Museum

I went here with my boss. We both really liked it. They had alot of gold samples and other minerals and semi precious and precious stones. The astronomy room was cool they had a very interesting ceiling with the soloar system on it. The guide was very informative and knowledgeable.

Pros: Very interesting ancient pottery section, interesting section on basket weaving Cons: Very small, only a portion of the pottery section is dedicated to ancient pottery. I was very excited to visit this, but ended up feeling disappointed and that the $10 entry fee was not worth it. Even though I took my time, I was in and out in less than 1hr. It didn't help that one of their rotating exhibits was closed for rotation out. It would have really helped if they had some kind of notification about this on their website so I would have known to visit at some other time.

Currently have 3 exhibits available for viewing (jewelry, woven material & ceramics). The largest collection of Native American history in the country. Their archive consists of both old and newer pieces. Good spot to beat the heat for a few minutes & free for catcard holders ($5 regular admission).

One of the great museums to visit in the state, AZ State Museum is situated right at the UA campus in Tucson. I can only imagine how fun this building must have been as a library, back in the day. I would recommend as an escape on a hot day. Nice exhibits, and a few occasional chances to peek 'behind the curtain' when it comes to the work done at a museum.

What a great museum! Beautifully designed displays of archeological artifacts. Wonderful maze designed display of local indigenous cultures. Very friendly and informative student docents. Katsinas, basketry, and a large collection of pottery. Handicap accessible.

I only wish it was bigger but it is inexpensive! The museum contains many new and old native American art and pottery. Good place to for a quick walk through. Takes roughly 30 mins to go through the exhibits if you read everything.

The campus at UofA is nice to walk around, but considering it is hot as hell that only lasts so long. The museum is a nice respite from the blazing temps. The museum was also a participant in the Blue Star Museum initiative to allow military members access to select museums. Active duty military members need culture and this program provides an avenue for the defenders of our nation. The museum is centered around a maze of hallways depicting all the tribes of native cultures from Arizona extending south. The meticulous detail provided to explain the cultures was above reproach. There were multiple different media presentations about the different tribes. If you like pottery this is the place for you. They have an extensive collection of priceless pottery on display. The many different varieties and handiworks are on display.

University/state research museum features lives and lifestyles of the southwest native Americans. Ten nations depicted in walk through display. Largest collection of native American pottery in the world. Permanent and temporary exhibits. Library available for research. Great gift shop full of arts and crafts. Serious rugs, jewelry, katsinas, books, reference materials. $5 entry fee well worth it. Entry free to gift shop. 17 and under, free. Memberships available offering lots of benefits.

Really enjoyed our visit to the Arizona State museum on the campus of ASU. This is an anthropology museum focusing on Southwest indigenous cultures. Considering the nature of the displays (delicate and a lot of reading), the exhibits may not be that interesting for young children. All exhibits were on the first floor. The museum houses an extensive collection of southwestern indigenous pottery, with over 24,000 pieces spanning 2,000 years. Although most of the pottery collection is kept in a controlled vault to protect from humidity and temperature, there are still many pieces on display and lots of opportunity to learn. There's also a virtual tour option for the pieces in the vault. There's also a wonderful collection on the art of Native American basket making, and according to their website they house the "world's largest and most comprehensive collection". Two temporary exhibits were on Native American jewelry making and a photography exhibit on the Sámi indigenous people in Northern Europe. In the hallway, there was information on the 19th amendment, which although I appreciated, I felt that it was out of place. Overall, I learned a lot during the visit and appreciated that the museum respected the history of past and present indigenous cultures.

I loved it!!! I had not been in years and they had really updated it. The exhibits are well curated and all the descriptions are informative and interesting. I could not believe the amount of artifacts were on display. The flow of the museum was easy to follow and it took about 2 hours to see the whole place. You could take longer or just hit a few of the exhibits. I believe everyone who lives here should go, and it's a great thing to take visitors to. It's always good to know where you live.

Nice museum, $5 to enter, beautiful displays. They say they hold over 30k pieces in a vault and the museum is quite small so I'm assuming the rest of the building must be the vault. Worth the $5

Awesome place to learn about native America Pottery and basket weaving. The people working there are very chill and helpful

They don't tell you when you buy your ticket that nearly 3/4 of the museum is closed for "renovations". Also the bookstore is closed apparently due to COVID.

I was kind of "meh" about this museum until I went into the pottery room and (like every other person) said "WOW." Yes.... wow.... the pottery room is amazing. The rest of the museum is quite interesting in a kind of totally 80's museum sort of way (the exhibit in the front room is more 2000's-ish and actually very fun). Also, the gift shop, while small, was impressive. It has really lovely pottery. Finally, I went on a day when the upper floors were open. The faculty are AMAZING. Super smart and funny and just lovely.

This is a very good museum in some ways, the pottery collection and the history of pot and basket making is very fine. But the cultural history side is really lacking and the day that I was visiting I was deeply shocked to hear the docent talking about the 'lazy Indians," or how 'those people' do nothing but just collect casino money. She went on for the entire tour talking in these kinds of comments, and even encouraged the tourists to join in with their own slights and slurs on Native Americans in general. People laughed and joked at these comments. The docent was an older white woman and the crowd was entirely white tourists. I was not part of the group with her, but as a fellow museum goer I could not help but hear these awful, hurtful comments. It made me very angry. I am also white but I guess my skin color did not reveal my true feelings, which is that racist and demeaning comments about Native peoples should be unwelcome anywhere - but most of all in a museum that celebrates their work. Maybe she felt comfortable saying what she did because she assumed that I also, would agree with her and there were no non-whites around? I guess that it is ok to like their beautiful and valuable pottery, but the people themselves are "dirty and lazy." Honestly, a docent who leads tour groups talking like that? Please make sure that doesn't happen, please educate your docents to be respectful of all people, particularly Native people. When we put down one group of people, we are all brought down by the insult.

Wow! Lots of Native American pottery! This place is OK, I have been here on two occasions, and the previous time a few years ago it seemed better. Not sure, but maybe they rotate some of the exhibits. All right if you happen to be in Tucson looking for things to do, or you are really into archeological stuff & pottery.

Summary based on one visit: --didn't have high expectations, but found the exhibits quite interesting --reasonable entry fee --parking in fee lot nearby --some very nice items in the store, especially better quality Hopi silver. Prices seemed lower and variety of higher quality pieces greater than some other places. If you're making a significant purchase, inquire whether it makes financial sense to join the museum for the discounts. I'd make a return visit.

Excellent museum. There is an amazing detailed display and dierama regarding Native American Life in Arizona. The pottery collection is incredible. The collection is very expensive and a rich advocation all resource. Currently there is a display of Curtis photographs that capture some of the turn of the century Native Americans in the southwest and Arizona.

An excellent way to pass a morning or an entire day. Currently there is a comprehensive exhibit on the regional native cultures.

I have a deep interest in Native American people and found a tremendous amount of information, both historical and cultural, in the exhibit called Path of Life, covering indigenous peoples in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. It was at the same time both overwhelming and shallow, in that the amount of material was large but the scope limited. This is not meant as a criticism. The exhibit was ambitious and extensive; the visual impact was tremendous, and I can follow up with further reading. I spent several hours at the museum and would return but for the distance involved (I live in Tacoma, WA.) I recommend it highly.

As a history major I have mixed feelings about this museum. It is a huge building, but disappointingly only the main floor is the museum (small area); the rest is office space. They have an awesome collection of kachina dolls, basketry, and pottery! But, it is as if the Native American peoples didn't exist until the Spanish arrived. The only signs, quotes, pictures, and stories are between 1600's and 1930's and mostly Mexico. No mention of the horrible atrocities by the Spanish conquistadors and their priests. Any that WERE mentioned were only blamed on American settlers (who were guilty of plenty). I would have liked to see more of pre 1600 native artwork and culture, but what they did have was interesting.

Great museum. I loved the Native pottery exhibit. The gift store is worth browsing in, too.

I would come here just for the pottery display! Museum is smallish. It has a nice display of early people I'm the area.

I got gouged for 8.00 for parking for less than 15 minutes because I accidentally turned into the museum parking lot. What a ripoff - you charge folks 8 bucks for parking - to spend an hour in the museum? How much do you charge to get in to the Museum?

Oops, missed the gift shop. Guess this requires another visit. Wonderful museum! Found the format informative and easy to follow. Pottery exhibit is second to none.