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Gilbert is Arizona’s Best City for Things to Do, Here’s Why

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Gilbert, Arizona is a suburban paradise southeast of Phoenix. This safe haven is a great place to live and have fun. Gilbert offers something for everyone. If you’re a nature lover, an avid shopper, a fine diner, or an art lover, Gilbert offers many things to do. So, the next time you’re in town, check out some or all of these 7 things to do in Gilbert.

1. Discover the Community Farm in Agratopia

Photo credit: SlowLivingToday.com

Agritopia is a unique community of farmers and artisans who live off the food they grow and wear the clothes they make. This peaceful community shares everything and everyone who lives there is treated equally.

Agritopia also opens its doors to visitors where you can partake in a free tour of the community’s grounds. Agritopia’s farm consists of 40 20X20 plots featuring a variety of crops. Multiple pathways and beautiful sitting areas abound as you make your way around. The smell of citrus in the air coming from the rows of orchards will consume your senses. Agritopia is an experiment that is working out wonderfully.

2. Walk the Streets of the Vibrant Heritage District

Gilbert Heritage District in Gilbert, AZ.

The Heritage District is what Gilbert locals call the main downtown area. You can’t miss the Heritage District because Gilbert Rd is the main street that runs through it.

This historical area has been around since the early 20th Century and has been offering a variety of excellent things to do in Gilbert, Arizona. In recent years the city of Gilbert has conducted a series of renovations to the old buildings. Today, it is a unique shopping and dining location in the heart of the city. The Old West and brick wall designs are still prominent but with a modern urban twist. In other words, the Gilbert Heritage District is a hipster paradise.

3. Dine Out at One of Gilbert’s Diverse Collection of Restaurants

Let’s now explore the restaurants in the Gilbert Heritage District. There is a huge variety of places that offer a unique dining experience. Here are a few of the restaurants that stand out the most:

SoCal Fish Taco Company

A SoCal-inspired restaurant serving fish tacos, wraps, fresh salads, crab cakes, jumbo shrimp and much more. This one is unique because it differs from the usual Western-themed restaurants in the area.

The White Rabbit Bar

Go back in time to the roaring twenties in this fascinating bar. Lit by fancy chandeliers, the restaurant’s ambiance is truly a speak-easy. This is a must for those wanting to experience something completely different than the usual bar.

Romeo’s Euro Cafe

This is the Mediterranean restaurant in the Heritage District. Serving delicious traditional Greek cuisine, this is the place to eat healthy delicious foods.

Joe’s Real BBQ

Joe’s Real BBQ is housed in one of Gilbert, Arizona’s oldest buildings. It was constructed in 1929 and still stands strong. For delicious and hearty barbecue, you can’t go wrong with the real deal.

Liberty Market

Liberty Market is a very popular joint in the Heritage District. At first, it was a grocery store serving Gilbert residents starting back in the 1930s. Today it has become a popular hipster hangout and bistro. Liberty Market best represents what modern-day Gilbert is all about. Therefore, this is one of the best locations for experiencing things to do in Gilbert, Arizona.

Joyride Taco House

Joyride Taco House is a super popular outdoor seating restaurant that has become a Gilbert favorite. Fresh food, brews, and great tunes, the atmosphere here is one-of-a-kind.

Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row

The famous country music star Dierks Bentley is from Arizona. After winning multiple awards and appearing on many country music records, Dierks decided to open his own restaurant in his home state. This place offers a large variety of spirits – especially whiskey – and provides a friendly atmosphere.

4. Explore the Desert Nature at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

Photo credit: Discover Gilbert

The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a unique desert oasis. The idea behind the preserve was to find a way to combine water conservation, wildlife preservation, community education, and outdoor recreation.

Seven aquifer recharge basins make up the preserve. Each is at a different water level to support and attract different wildlife. Approximately 300 species of birds call the preservation home, which has motivated the National Audubon Society to honor it as an Important Bird Area.

The preserve also has 4.5 miles of hiking and running trails for those looking to exercise in a beautiful natural setting. But wait… there’s a lot more. There is also a fishing lake, covered picnic areas, a dinosaur dig site, several campsites, and even an observatory.

One note about the observatory is that it’s the only free public observatory open every Friday and Saturday from sunset until 9:30 p.m.

5. Go Back in Time at the Gilbert Historical Museum

The Gilbert Historical Museum is located in the oldest standing building in the entire city. At first, the building was erected in 1913 and served as an elementary school.

Today, it serves as a museum that exhibits a large variety of unique artifacts from Gilbert, Arizona’s past. This is a must-visit place for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the rich and wonderful history of the city of Gilbert.

Museum Hours

Open Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Closed Sundays, Mondays and Holidays

Admission Into the Museum

  • $6 Adults
  • $5 Seniors 60 years and older
  • $3 Children 5-12
  • Children under 5 years are free

6. Stroll Through the Gilbert Art Walk

Photo credit: Gilbert Art Walk

The Gilbert Art Walk is an open-air bi-weekly artist gathering and market that showcases local and up-and-coming artists’ work to purchase and admire. The Art Walk occurs on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from October through March.

The Art Walk is always located under the historic Gilbert water tower in the Water Tower Park.

7. Check Out Gilbert’s Many Great Shopping Destinations

San Tan Village | Photo credit: Justin McNeil via Flickr

Shopping is exciting and is one of the easiest things to do in Gilbert, Arizona. This is because Gilbert is an excellent shopping city, even rivaling the shopping in Sedona. From antique shops to bike shops, to shopping malls, Gilbert serves every kind of shopping enthusiast.

Here is a list of some of the biggest shopping areas in Gilbert:

San Tan Village

Featuring an open-air style walking mall that allows vehicle traffic and parking throughout, this mall is the perfect mall for every kind of shopper. Many name-brand stores and unique dining experiences abound as well as a Harkins movie theater.

San Tan Village Marketplace

From fancy to chain restaurants and over 25 different stores. This is the one-stop-shopping place in the city of Gilbert.

Gilbert Town Square

This place has it all: offices, stores, restaurants, a movie theater, and even a bowling alley. That’s right, a bowling alley. If you’re looking for fun things to do in Gilbert, Arizona, you can’t go wrong coming here.

Crossroads Town Center

Like the Gilbert Town Square, this shopping center also has a movie theater, tons of shopping destinations, and multiple restaurants ranging from fine dining to fast-food chain restaurants.


It’s a fact, there are many awesome and exciting things to do in Gilbert, Arizona. This quiet town in the southeastern Phoenix suburbs is a unique treasure that must be explored.

John Ghost is a professional writer and SEO director. He graduated from Arizona State University with a BA in English (Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies). As he prepares for graduate school to become an English professor, he writes weird fiction, plays his guitars, and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters. He lives in the Valley of the Sun.

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