Usually I recommend places to eat or drink, but with everything going on in the world right now, I wanted to share my favorite places to relax and engage in self-care. Most of these are free, or low-cost. If your New Year’s resolution is to be more mindful or check out new places in your community, these are some starting points.

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Phoenix Cat Cafe

If spending time with adoptable animals is your jam, this is the place. They’re a full-service coffee shop but they also host events like yoga and trivia.

Encanto Park

Phoenix is full of great parks, especially uptown and midtown, but Encanto is my favorite—a true oasis. It’s green and shaded with a lovely water feature and many sports amenities (tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts). It’s a go-to for picnicking.

Urban Yoga

Among all the places to work out in Phoenix, I find it especially relaxing to do their candlelight yin yoga class.

The Superstitions

There’s many great hikes around Phoenix, but when I’m in the Superstitions, I feel like I’m out in the wilderness, even more than in South Mountain.

Bat Cave

May through October, Mexican free-tailed bats roost in a curated area. If you come around sunset and wait quietly, you’ll be able to see them spill out of the cave to eat insects for the night. It can be tough to find, but directions are here.

Burton Barr Library

This is one of my favorite places to read quietly, take in a beautiful view, and just exist somewhere where there’s no cost. If you like getting even more involved, I recommend checking out the Friends of the Phoenix Public Library.

Phoenix library has many branches, but this one is also directly next to the beautiful Margaret T Hance park and the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Phoenix Art Museum

A lovely, peaceful indoor place to walk around no matter what the weather’s like outside. I recommend checking it out on pay-what-you-wish Wednesdays for a cheaper experience.

Downtown Mesa

Compared to downtown Phoenix, Tempe, or Chandler, Mesa’s space is a little quieter. Unlike Gilbert, there’s more to do. It’s also nearby a couple different venues and museums, not to mention some great restaurants and bars. I’d start with the coffee shop in the Nile Theater or the dinosaur exhibit at the science museum.

If Mesa is too far, check out Grand Avenue closer to downtown instead.

Volunteer opportunities

If you’re struggling to relax, I recommend getting entirely outside yourself and engaging with your community. Organizations around the valley are constantly looking for volunteers: the City of Phoenix, local shelters like St Vincent de Paul and Paz de Cristo, or the aforementioned Friends of the Phoenix Public Library.

Honorable mentions:

Arcosanti – a bit of a drive, but worth it

Phoenix Zoo – especially for Roars n Pours, which makes it more affordable

First Draft Book Bar – they host a lot of lovely community events, not always exclusively book-focused

Trivia at Greenwood Brewing, Six Byrd Cider, or Smith’s on 7th

MacAlpine’s Soda Fountain – for the nostalgia

Lotions & Potions – get crafty, shop local

Any local “really really free market”

Any local street fair (Melrose and Grand Ave are my favorite semi-annual events)