Arizona’s largest hands-on outdoor expo is less than 2 weeks away. And it’s FREE!

The Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo, presented by Shikar-Safari Club International, will be held on Saturday, March 30, and Sunday, March 31, at the world famous Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. The event offers loads of activities, presentations and exhibits for everyone from novices to seasoned outdoor recreationists.

The Expo has come a long way since its inception, growing from a small occurrence with a handful of attractions and exhibitors in 2004, to one of the north Valley’s biggest and best-attended annual events.

Some of the things attendees can do include:

• View live wildlife (hawks, reptiles, small mammals, more) in the expanded amAZing Wildlife tent.
• Give kayaking a try at the “Lake Paddlemore” kayaking pond.
• Hike a field course and learn cool camping tips.
• Take the kids to two huge catch-and-release fishing tanks.
• Learn target archery.
• Try out different firearms in a safe, controlled environment on the shooting range, or learn specialty shooting disciplines such as clay target, cowboy action, practical pistol, black powder, air gun, and more.
• Learn from informative talks on topics on wildlife, conservation and outdoor recreation.
• Attend exciting cowboy mounted shooting competition at the Royce W. Anderson Family Arena.
• View off-highway vehicle exhibits, rock crawler demonstrations, and learn about responsible riding.
• View boating exhibits and learn about watercraft safety.
• Visit with more than 160 exhibitors, including outdoor organizations, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.

The Title Sponsor for the event is Shikar-Safari Club International. Gold sponsors are OneAZ Credit Union and Sig Sauer.

Admission and parking are free, but people might want to bring a little cash for the variety of food and beverage concessionaires and other vendors. ATMs will be on-site.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30. To get to the Expo, take I-17 to Carefree Highway, turn west, and watch for the signs.

See more information.