The Best Cheap Date Ideas in Phoenix

Walk hand in hand through the galleries at ASU Art Museum in Tempe, where admission is always free. Check the museum's website for current visiting days and hours before you go.

Take an evening walk through the galleries at Phoenix Art Museum on a Wednesday from 3 to 8pm, when admission is pay-what-you-wish, or on a First Friday from 5 to 8pm, when admission is free or reduced.

The museum stays open until 8pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Roosevelt Row is within walking distance if you want to keep going afterward.

The Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail at Desert Botanical Garden looks over both the garden and Papago Park. Thursday Sunset Socials add an evening option, and fall brings glowing installations after dark.

The low-cost way in is Community Day on the second Tuesday of each month, when you pay what you can. Daily hours run 7am to 10pm through the end of December.

Wander past waterfalls and koi ponds at Japanese Friendship Garden, and feed the fish while you are there.

First Fridays from 5 to 7:30pm are free or pay-as-you-wish. The garden is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm from September through January, with early closings at 4pm on October 18 and 3pm on October 30.

Pick a game together from more than 1,000 board games at Snakes & Lattes in downtown Tempe, with food, drinks, and coffee on the side.

Happy hour, Monday through Friday from 2 to 5pm, discounts games, pints and signature cocktails.

Twelve galleries of American Indian art fill the Heard Museum, an indoor date idea.

A library card gets you an Act One Culture Pass, which covers free entry for two. Special exhibitions may carry a separate gate fee. The museum is open daily from 10am to 4pm.

Time your walk for sunset on the short Hole-in-the-Rock trail at Papago Park, which looks out over the city. The Hole-in-the-Rock trail is among the park's free sites.

A stroll around the park also makes a relaxing afternoon. Trails are open from 5am to 11pm, while the trailhead is open from 5am to 7pm.

Browse galleries, street performers, and food trucks around Roosevelt Row on the first Friday of every month.

The walk is free and runs from 6 to 10pm, though some vendors and venues stay open later. All ages are welcome, and the event stretches across dozens of blocks.

Go behind the scenes on a free tour of the Orpheum Theatre, which takes you through public and backstage areas of the restored 1929 atmospheric theatre and its Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

Tours run on select Tuesdays from September through May, with fewer in December, and last up to 90 minutes. Come back for a show if you want a date night here. For a couple, a show here is a romantic option.

Climb to the summit of Camelback Mountain for 360-degree views over the desert and downtown Phoenix. Start from the Echo Canyon Trailhead, and plan for a tricky hike.