One of the nation’s finest museums dealing exclusively with Native American cultures, the Heard is an ideal introduction to the indigenous peoples of Arizona. The heart and soul of the museum is the permanent exhibit Home: Native People in the Southwest, which examines the culture of each of the major tribes of the region. Included in this exhibit are more than 400 Pueblo kachina dolls (in art circles generally now called katsina dolls), with fascinating explication of the ideas embedded in them and the ingenuity that goes into their creation. The Heard also shows a lot of spectacular contemporary Native American art. Guided tours are offered daily. The annual Indian Fair and Market, held on the first weekend in March, includes traditional dances in the museum’s grand dance circle on Central Avenue, along with the world’s top Native American artists showing off their wares. The museum’s cafe is a good place for lunch, and the bookstore is a sprawling affair with a superior collection of Native American art for sale. (A branch of the Heard in north Scottsdale closed in 2014.)