Cool little free museum that's located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. The building itself has a cool history as it's the town's first schoolhouse and has also served as Scottsdale's City Hall, Justice Court, Public Library and many other rebirths.
The building's pretty small, but it's packed full of lots of old relics, posters and historical artifacts. The whole thing can be seen in 10-20minutes depending how thoroughly you read all the placards. The docents that were working in there were super-friendly, knowledgeable and all too happy to answer any questions you may have. There's also a small little gift shop that has some children's books, historical books and other touristy type stuff. Also, if you bring your kid in there, they can ring the old school bell!
Scottsdale Historical Museum is a fun little stop while you're milling about smartly through Old Town Scottsdale. It's definitely worth the 20-minutes you'll spend in there--and go ahead and bring the kids; that way you can say that you took them someplace educational instead of just shopping all day. Who knows, they may even nominate you for parent of the year.