Phoenix has a hiking reputation, but the city works just as well for travellers who never lace up boots. A handful of genuinely odd attractions sit within a short drive of Sky Harbor Airport, and most of them cluster around Papago Park.

Start with Tovrea Castle, a tiered white building that looks like a wedding cake dropped into the cactus. Italian immigrant Alessio Carraro built it in 1930 as the centrepiece of a resort that never took off; the Tovrea family bought it a year later and lived there. You can't wander in on your own — visits run as guided tours that loop through the cactus gardens by tram before covering the main floor and basement. Tickets are allocated by lottery, with the odd cancellation released separately, so sort your slot before planning the morning. One practical trap: GPS searches for the castle's name can route you to Washington Street, where there's no entrance. Use the visitor centre address, 5025 East Van Buren Street.

A short drive away, Hole-in-the-Rock is a sandstone butte with a broad window eroded clean through it, formed 6 to 15 million years ago. The Hohokam people appear to have used it as a solar calendar, tracking light through a ceiling opening to mark equinoxes and solstices. The climb is brief but uneven, so wear grippy shoes, and note that parking gates close earlier than the trail itself if you're chasing sunset views.

Also near the airport, the S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly Pueblo Grande) preserves an ancient village occupied from around 500 AD for over a thousand years. A two-thirds-of-a-mile outdoor trail passes a platform mound, reconstructed houses and a demonstration garden, with exhibits linking the Hohokam to today's O'Odham communities. Allow about ninety minutes.

For indoor options, the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting holds more than 130 wheeled vehicles across six galleries, from 1725 hand-drawn pumps to horse-drawn steam engines and parade carriages from the US, England, France and Japan, plus over 10,000 helmets, alarms and tools.

Farther north, the Musical Instrument Museum deserves its own trip. Five geographic galleries pair instruments with videos you hear through automatic headphones, and the Experience Gallery lets you actually play — gongs, harps, even a theremin. The Artist Gallery has pieces from Elvis, Johnny Cash and Prince.

Round it off at the Desert Botanical Garden, open since 1939 with more than 50,000 plants across five trails. Spring brings the Desert Wildflower Loop into bloom, while the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop climbs to an overlook of the buttes.

This list suits anyone with a layover, a non-hiking partner, or a Phoenix trip in the hotter months when trails lose their appeal. Pick two or three rather than rushing all six — the city rewards the unhurried.

Story via Unusual Places.