We’re always looking for fun outings and Senior activities around Surprise. Lots of families who have their parent in our assisted living facilities ask ‘what things are there for seniors to do near me in Surprise Arizona? The might also ask ‘what senior events near me are fun as well?’ They ask the near me so much that we thought we would continue that theme through this article.
Surprise, AZ is a rapidly growing town up in the Northwest corner of the Phoenix metro area. It is located near the cities of Sun City, Goodyear and Sun City West. Our assisted living residents love a chance to:
- Go out into the beautiful Arizona weather
- Meet new people
- Create new experiences
- Have Fun!
We compiled a list things for seniors to do near me and senior events near me. And we thought other families would really enjoy knowing places where they could take a grandparent or two. Or maybe some elderly friends could go together?
Many seniors unfortunately have trouble leaving their homes. There may be transportation issues. Many elderly people no longer are able to drive. Or they may just feel isolated. That’s why it’s so important that family and friends go with them. A lot of these places don’t require a huge time commitment to have a whole lot of fun.
Our Assisted Living Home’s ‘Senior Events Near Me’
You should be able to see our assisted living home residents participate in lots of senior events near me if you live in Surprise. Just take a look at our activities page. Even just going out into the Arizona sun improves their health (remember that Vitamin D!) and mood. We just love it when they call their families and tell them what a good time they had.
If you have some other ideas about other things for seniors to do near me in Surprise, we’d love to hear about them. If they would be appropriate for our assisted living residents, we could definitely schedule a visit. Please let us know by leaving a comment after the post below.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
The List of Things for Seniors to Do Near Me in Surprise AZ
Play Ball!
Surprise is home to the Spring Training stadium for the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Surprise Stadium is a wonderful venue to catch these major league stars in a relaxed atmosphere. Many of the stars are more than willing to chat with fans and sign autographs before or after a game. One of the biggest senior events near me in Suprise is when the MLB ballplayers come into town!
The stadium is located at 15930 N. Bullard Ave. There’s a nice parking lot just beyond left field and a grass parking lot just beyond it to handle any overflow. Built on the grounds of a former World War II pilot training base, the stadium is right in the middle of Surprise.
The games start at the end of February and run through the end of March. You can download the 2019 schedule here. The schedule will also tell you which games are considered a ‘Premium’, which cost a little more.
Tickets are pretty reasonable. You can pick up a seat on the lawn in the outfield for as little as $8. Or go for the best seating behind home plate for up to $45. There are handicap seats in most sections as well if anyone needs it.
The Hub of Things for Seniors to Do Near Me in Surprise
The town of Surprise operates a senior center for anyone over age 50. Membership is really inexpensive (as of the beginning of 2019, $12 annually for residents and $15 for non-residents).
The center is located at 15832 N. Hollyhock Street in Surprise.
For your membership, they include a whole slate of activities each day. You can check out the calendar here. It’s a great way for seniors to meet other seniors and make new friends.
The senior center also serves delicious lunches as a break from all the activities. Lunch is only $2.50 for seniors 60 and above. Seniors between the ages of 50-50 can enjoy lunch for $5.00. The amounts are suggested contributions. Seniors who might not be able to afford this can pay less.
Into fitness? The senior center also has a gym open from 8:15-4 on weekdays. There is an additional annual charge of $30/year for residents and $35 for non-residents. Try finding another gym with that low a rate!
Located at 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, the West Valley Arts Headquarters is the center senior events near me in Surprise if they are into art. They have 2,500 square feet of gallery space for local artists to show off their talents. There is also an outdoor courtyard you can reach by walking through their covered breezeway. They have a robust schedule of not only showing the art. They also have local artists come in and give presentations.
The headquarters puts on musical concerts, plays, operas and even host stand-up comedians. You can see their schedule here.
You can also stay up-to-date with everything going on at the headquarters by signing up for their newsletter. Just add your email address to the bottom of their welcome page.
The Mad Platter Pottery
Of all the things for seniors to do near me in Surprise AZ, this one will make your hands the dirtiest. Roll up your sleeves and dig into pottery making. The Mad Platter is located at 15341 W. Waddell Road Suite 101 in Surprise. People of all ages can have a lot of fun taking classes in making pottery, and painting their creation.
Update: It looks like the Mad Platter is expanding and moving to a larger location. They will be opening up their new studio at 8643 W Kelton Lane in Peoria. Still very close to Surprise, they are now able to handle more people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJFwv1twQM
Justice Brothers U-Pick
There’s just something about fresh food right out of the ground or off the tree. You really notice a difference between fresh and store bought. That’s why Justice Brothers is such a wonderful place to go.
Longtime Surprise residents might recognize this citrus farm as Truman Ranch II. Bring the whole family and pick your own fresh food. You can choose between 75 different types of different fresh citrus. I didn’t even know there were 75 different types!
Driving to Justice Brothers goes right by our assisted living homes. Take West Greenway past the 303 to about 188thAvenue and Perryville Road. Don’t worry about the asphalt ending. You’ll have to drive on the dirt a bit. It’s well worth the trip!
Uptown Bowling Alley
One of the best senior activities around Surprise is bowling. Seniors can be up and moving about, lifting heavy objects, and meeting new people all at once. The Uptown Bowling Alley located at 13525 N. Litchfield Road in Surprise can provide all those benefits.
Besides the lanes, there is the Red Embers Bar and Grill serving great food and drinks. Work up your appetite with a few frames and quench it within a few steps.
You’ll see from their website that the Uptown Alley has a whole bunch of leagues. On Thursdays at 10am in particular, they have the Trailblazer’s League for people over 50. The League has teams of 4 (great way to meet people). For $12, you’ll be able to bowl 3 games and drink as much free coffee as you want.
Feel Like Shopping?
The Arrowhead Town Center is another great spot for senior activities around Surprise. Although located in Glendale, it’s less than 10 miles away from downtown Surprise.
With 180 stores to visit and nearly 1.2 million square feet of retail space, there’s something for everyone. Arrowhead is the only enclosed shopping center in the West Valley. Perfect for shopping in air-conditioned comfort on those hot Arizona summer days. Or seniors may want to do some fitness walking without dealing with the Arizona heat. Either way, Arrowhead is ideal.
The main ‘anchor’ stores of the mall include:
There used to be a Sears at the Mall as well, but unfortunately it suffered the same fate as many other Sears stores around the country.
Feel like taking in a movie after some shopping? There is a large AMC Theater complex that makes another great way to cool off on a hot summer day.
Speaking of Movies
We would be remiss in our list of senior activities around Surprise if we didn’t take a trip down Memory Lane. Believe it or not – there are still a few drive-in movie theaters around the country. And we have one right near Surprise, Arizona!
Just about 15 miles from downtown Surprise at 5650 N. 55thAvenue in Glendale sits the West Wind Drive In movie theater. Movie-goers can enjoy either a single movie or a double-feature from the comfort of their cars. The double features are generally the same type of movie genres. You won’t feel like you would like one movie and not the other. The theater is open 365 days a year, no matter what the weather.
Fortunately, in Phoenix we don’t have to worry about being rained out too much.
Tickets are only $8 for adults, $1.50 for kids 5-11 and free for 4 and under. Are you available to go on Tuesday nights? Adult tickets on Tuesday are only $5.50. Try to find a regular movie theater with those kind of ticket prices. Or a view of the stars!
More Into the Theater than the Cinema?
Great. There’s a local theater in Sun City West that provides multiple senior events near me around Surprise. You can always go catch local acting talent performing a play at the Ghostlight Theater. Located at 13541 West Camino Del Sol, the Ghostlight started in 2010 with just some volunteers who loved acting.
They opened the theater in 2013 and have been there ever since. The neat thing about Ghostlight, is that you can also contribute to their productions. Whether financially, or donating your time, you can be part of the shows. The Ghostlight is always looking for people who can act or support the shows.
If you love the theater and acting, the Ghostlight would love the experience of any seniors who have some experience in theater.
Just want to see the show? You can find the schedules here, along with links to buy tickets. Show tickets are only $20 and you’ll be helping a very worthy cause. If you want to donate more, your donations will be tax-deductible. Ghostlight is a 501(C)3 organization.
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
We really encourage our assisted living residents to go outside and enjoy the Arizona sunshine. It’s even better when they can enjoy the beautiful Arizona scenery as well.
Outdoor senior activities around Surprise should include the White Tank Mountain Regional Park at 13025 N. White Tank Mountain Road in neighboring Waddell Arizona. The White Tank mountain range runs from Buckeye in the South all the way to Surprise. You can find anything from beautiful hikes, to Ancient Indian Petroglyphs, and even waterfalls after it rains in the area.
There a lots of picnic areas with barbecues for day trips and even RV campgrounds for those who want to stay overnight. There are various events throughout the year including:
- Stargazing
- Nature walks
- Photography classes
- Health walks
The park also offers a White Tank library and nature center that has a beautiful view of the park. Inside the nature center you can see some live reptiles from the park, participate in a nature education program, or stroll through the gift shop.
Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium
Want your nature up close and personal? Go visit the Wildlife World Zoo just South of Surprise at 16501 W. Northern Avenue in Litchfield Park. It is located right in between our assisted living homes in Surprise (here and here) and our home in Goodyear just off the 303.
The zoo has the largest collection of exotic animals in Arizona. You can also go through the aquarium and be very close to all kinds of sea life by walking through the acrylic tunnel. They also have some senior events near me at the zoo that are a lot of fun. Check out their YouTube Channel to see all kinds of videos of the animals they have on display.
Here is a good overview of the zoo and aquarium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWS1_JnxZPQ
Tickets are $39 for adults and $19 for children. There are no senior discounts. However, if you go to their coupon page, you can save $5 off admission for up to 4 people.
As you can see, there are a whole lot of things for seniors to do near me and senior events near me in Surprise AZ. We are blessed to have our assisted living homes located in Surprise and Goodyear. Our residents love participating in activities either in our homes, or around town. If you would like more information about the Surprise area, please feel free to contact us.
You can fill out the form on our website’s home page, email us, or call 623-295-9890. Now go out and have fun!
