Two Cactus League games, a resort pool day, and one desert scramble, built for kids 6 to 15.
Four late-March days from the Westin Kierland: land, lunch at a 1958 ice cream parlor in Old Town, the Musical Instrument Museum, and Hole-in-the-Rock at sunset; a Diamondbacks or Rockies game on the lawn at Salt River Fields with the Kids Fun Field before first pitch; OdySea Aquarium, a dinosaur lunch in the same building, the resort pool, and Rustler's Rooste, where the kids slide into the dining room; then Sloan Park on Sunday, when kids 13 and under run the bases after the Cubs game, and Organ Stop Pizza's Wurlitzer to close. 2027 game dates and prices are PENDING until the Cactus League schedule publishes.
A trip planned with you, not for you.
This is a read-only preview of Rosie's builder. Switch between list, map, and calendar to explore the trip. In your own, every stop is yours to move, swap, or rebuild.
Each day, told as a story
Two games, one pool day, one sunset hike, and dinners the kids will still be talking about in July.
Old Town lunch, an indoor museum, a sunset scramble.
Pancakes, a full ballgame on the lawn, pool, dinner with a splash pad.
Aquarium morning, resort pool afternoon, cowboy dinner.
Mesa breakfast, Sunday game with Kids Run the Bases, organ pizza.
Best for your kid's age
Family Score rates each venue 0–100 based on age-appropriateness, safety, and fun factor.
If your youngest is 0–3
Pangaea Dinosaur Grill
Animatronic dinosaurs, a kids' menu, and a free dino toy, one elevator ride from the aquarium.
OdySea Aquarium
Otters, a touch pool, and a slow carousel ride, indoors and stroller flat.
Butters Pancakes & Cafe
Pancakes bigger than the plate and a kids' menu at 6:30 a.m.
If your youngest is 4–8
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
Wiffle ball on the Kids Fun Field before first pitch, then the lawn.
Sloan Park
Kids Zone mini diamond, then run the bases after a Sunday game.
Rustler's Rooste
A tin slide into the dining room and a $9 Li'l Wranglers menu.
If your youngest is 9–12
Musical Instrument Museum
Headsets that play as you walk up; the Artist Gallery guitars.
Hole-in-the-Rock Trail at Papago Park
A 20-minute scramble to a sandstone window at sunset.
Organ Stop Pizza
A theater organ rising out of the floor and a game room.
What it costs
A typical 4-day spring training trip for a family of 4
Estimated total
$2,700 - $3,600
ex. lodging · family of 4 · 4 days
Hotel (Westin Kierland, 3 nights, $50 resort fee and $30 self parking per night)
$1,200-$1,650
Games (two, lawn to reserved, 2026 pricing) + parking, MIM, OdySea
$500-$800
Restaurants (Rustler's, two ballpark meals, four sit-downs)
$550-$700
Rental car + gas + game parking
$250-$350
Buy lawn or berm tickets: 2026 Diamondbacks lawn started at $23 and Cubs berm at $24.50, versus $68 in the seats. Kids 2 and under are free at Camelback Ranch if you swap a game.
Great Wolf Lodge next to Salt River Fields sells water park day passes from $30 (2 and under free) if you would rather not pay resort rates for a pool day; they sell out, so book ahead.
Rustler's Rooste's Slide Rider Kids Club feeds kids 10 and under free with an adult entree (small annual fee, VERIFY), and Organ Stop's 8-inch pizzas are under $9.
Five things we wish we'd known
The 2027 Cactus League schedule had not published when this was written and the MLB labor agreement expires Dec 1, 2026. Confirm game dates and first pitch on cactusleague.com and the team sites before booking flights; the itinerary's Friday and Sunday games are the 2026 pattern.
Sloan Park: blankets only on the lawn, bags 16 by 16 by 8, no aerosol sunscreen, no re-entry. Salt River Fields: gates about 90 minutes before first pitch, Kids Fun Field 70 minutes before, lots fill early. Camelback Ranch, if you swap it in: free parking, kids 2 and under free, re-entry after the first inning.
Kids run the bases after Sunday games at both Salt River Fields and Sloan Park (13 and under at Sloan). If your dates shift, keep the Sunday game.
Kierland to Salt River Fields is 15 minutes, to Old Town 15, to Papago 20, to Sloan Park 30, to Rustler's Rooste 30. Nothing on this plan is over half an hour.
Late March runs mid 70s to mid 80s with mornings in the 50s. Third-base side for afternoon shade at Salt River Fields, hats and non-aerosol sunscreen at both parks, and Hole-in-the-Rock only at sunrise or after 4 p.m.
Make this your Phoenix trip in about 8 minutes.
Swap stops, change dates, add your own picks. Rosie keeps the rhythm intact.