The Best Things to Do in Melrose District

A neighborhood dive bar that fully commits to the bit: vintage furniture with backstories, a cigarette machine, free arcade games, and a jukebox that always has Marty Robbins on deck. The drinks are cold, the Old Style is colder, and the backyard patio with lawn games fills up with the kind of crowd that looks like they've been regulars for years, even if they just discovered it last week.

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A fine natural history emporium in the Melrose District where the inventory runs from entomology specimens and coyote vertebrae to, if you have three grand lying around, a human skull, all ethically sourced. The shop also carries books, crystals, and botanicals for those who prefer their curiosities still living. The event calendar is where it gets interesting: taxidermy classes, Victorian seances, and the occasional chat with a coroner.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Bones · Best of Phoenix
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Tucked behind a well-known restaurant in the Melrose District, this midcentury antique shop packs teak dining chairs, Eames loungers, boomerang coffee tables, and a rotating cast of kitschy lamps into a showroom that rewards slow laps. Everything is properly restored and priced accordingly, though a more affordable layer of vintage clothing, jewelry, and bric-a-brac runs underneath. Somewhere in there might be a 1970s Thomas electronic organ, unless someone got there first.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Antique Store · Best of Phoenix

The large metal tubs with fold-down side flaps are the key detail here: getting a reluctant dog into a bath is half the battle, and someone thought it through. Bark If You're Dirty is a self-serve dog wash and pet shop where you pick your level of clean, from a quick rinse to a full conditioned shampoo, then follow a staff member to the back and handle the scrubbing yourself. Brushes, flexible shower heads, towels, and brave-dog hair dryers are all supplied.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Dog Wash · Best of Phoenix

Once a month in the Melrose District, vendors spread out midcentury color across an outdoor vintage market, fall through spring. Clothes, jewelry, vinyl, and house decor carry the neighborhood's funky retro energy, and a few snack booths keep you going through the browsing. Dogs are welcome, which matters more than you'd think when the find of the morning turns out to be nothing.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Outdoor Vintage Market · Best of Phoenix

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