American Indian art since 1929.
Central Avenue.
The Heard Museum has been on Central Avenue since 1929, with 12 galleries, a courtyard and an outdoor sculpture garden, and the light rail stops at its entrance. Hours, parking, tours, bags, food and the two big weekends of the year, from the Heard itself.
The Heard, Central Phoenix
- Where it is.2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 85004. Main line 602-252-8840. Plan your visit
- What is in it.Twelve galleries, an outdoor sculpture gallery, the museum shop and an outdoor café. The long-running HOME: Native People in the Southwest holds nearly 2,000 objects, including 500 Hopi katsina dolls and a full-size Navajo hogan. The SkyDome video runs about 16 minutes on a loop. Mission and history · HOME · FAQs
When to go and how to get in
- Hours.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every day from September 1 to May 31; Tuesday through Sunday from June 1 to August 31. Closed Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Plan your visit · FAQs
- Admission.Tickets are sold at heard.org/tickets. American Indian adults and children are free with a valid Tribal ID or CIB, members are free all year, and school groups are free. A gate fee may apply to some special exhibitions; Substance of Stars is included with admission. Tickets
- Ways to save.Museums for All: $5 a person, up to four, with a SNAP EBT card. Bank of America Museums on Us: one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month. Act One Culture Pass from participating libraries admits two. AAA takes $1 off adult or senior admission, and groups of 10 or more get $2 off each ticket. Tickets · FAQs
Parking and the train
- Parking.Free on site. During big events it is often off site. Free bus and RV parking for groups. FAQs
- Light rail.The Encanto/Central Ave station sits at the entrance. On Maricopa County's Valley Metro map it is at 2325 N. Central Ave. Plan your visit
Bags, photos, tours and food
- Bags.No backpacks, umbrellas or selfie sticks. Lockers are free. Plan your visit
- Photos.No flash, no tripods, no selfie sticks and no commercial photography in the galleries.
- Tours.Free docent tours daily at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., about 45 to 60 minutes, from the Information Desk past Admissions. Tours in Spanish and French are offered. Private group tours for 10 to 40 need two weeks' notice. The free Heard Museum app is the audio guide, and iPads with headphones are lent at Admissions. Plan your visit · Here
- Food.Courtyard Café 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Coffee Cantina 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the Museum Shop and Books & More are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All are closed Mondays in summer. No outside food or drink. FAQs
- Accessibility.Free wheelchairs, first come, first served. Elevators reach the second floors, with a wheelchair lift in the Jacobson Gallery. Noise-canceling headphones, weighted lap pads, sensory bags, color-correcting glasses and assistive listening devices are available, and ASL for group tours needs 10 business days' notice. Service animals only. Accessibility
Two big weekends and what is on view
- November 11, 2026.American Indian Veterans Day Art Market and Sunset Tribute, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Events
- November 27 to 29, 2026.Ornament Marketplace, free, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holidays at the Heard follows December 26 to 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- February 6 and 7, 2027.The 37th World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., gates at 8:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. for members, $25,000 in prizes, rain or shine. Ticket prices are listed as coming soon. Hoop Dance Contest
- March 6 and 7, 2027.The 69th Indian Fair + Market, with more than 600 Native artists. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (members from 8:30), Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and children under 12 are free on Sunday. Ticket prices are listed as coming soon, and the Culture Pass is not valid. Indian Fair + Market
- April 10, 2027.Katsina Marketplace, free, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Exhibitions.Milestones: The Hope and John L. Furth Collection opens November 20, 2026; the Pacific Northwest Coast expansion of Substance of Stars opens December 11, 2026; and Simply Beautiful: Perry Shorty and the Art of Navajo Silversmithing opens January 29, 2027. Twilight: Trading Posts and Creative Legacies runs through August 1, 2027, Blue Bird through February 14, 2027, and Wisdom from the Future through January 3, 2027. Exhibitions
Where it sits
1 Heard Museum · 2 Encanto / Central Ave station. Pin 1 is the Maricopa County Assessor's point for the parcel at 2301 N. Central Ave., owned by the Heard Museum; pin 2 is from Maricopa County's Valley Metro map layer. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The Heard, answered
What are the Heard Museum hours?
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From September 1 to May 31 it is open every day. From June 1 to August 31 it is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays.
Is the Heard Museum open on Mondays?
Yes from September through May. It is closed Mondays from June through August.
What holidays is the Heard Museum closed?
Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Is parking free at the Heard Museum?
Yes, on site. During big events parking is often off site.
Can you take the light rail to the Heard Museum?
Yes. The Encanto/Central Ave station is at the museum's entrance.
Is the Heard Museum free for Native Americans?
Yes. American Indian adults and children get in free with a valid Tribal ID or CIB.
Does the Heard Museum have free days?
Bank of America cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month, and Museums for All admission is $5 per person, up to four people, with a SNAP EBT card. Members and school groups are free.
When is the 2027 Heard Indian Fair and Market?
March 6 and 7, 2027, the 69th year. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 600 Native artists.
When is the 2027 World Championship Hoop Dance Contest?
February 6 and 7, 2027, the 37th year, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.
Are there free tours at the Heard Museum?
Yes. Docent tours run daily at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., last about 45 to 60 minutes and are included with admission.
Can you take pictures in the Heard Museum?
Yes, without flash, tripods or selfie sticks, and not for commercial use.
Can you bring a backpack into the Heard Museum?
No. Backpacks, umbrellas and selfie sticks are not allowed in, and lockers are free.
Is there food at the Heard Museum?
Yes. The Courtyard Café is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Coffee Cantina 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outside food and drink are not allowed.
When was the Heard Museum founded?
1929. It is a private nonprofit museum.
Central Avenue is closer than you think
If living near the Heard, the light rail and the Central Avenue museums matters to you, I can walk you through the neighborhoods that put you there.
Checked 28 October 2026, all from the Heard Museum unless named. Address, hours, light rail, bags, photos and tours: plan your visit and visit. Holidays, parking, cafés, SkyDome and AAA: FAQs. Admission and programs: tickets and the ticket portal. Accessibility: accessibility. Founding and galleries: mission and history. HOME: exhibition page. Audio guide: here. Events and exhibitions: events, exhibitions, Hoop Dance Contest and Indian Fair + Market. Map: the Maricopa County Assessor parcel point and Maricopa County's Valley Metro map layer. Left off: general admission prices (not published on the Heard's pages; the ticket page shows them at checkout), the accessible parking lot (pages name different lots), whether First Friday is free every month (only single-date pages exist), and the 2027 Fair and Hoop Dance ticket prices (coming soon). Photo: courtyard water feature at the Heard Museum, Carol M. Highsmith (public domain, Library of Congress). The questions answered are ones people search on Google, each answered only from the pages above.