The Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre, about 3km from the town centre on the Dodoma Road, functions as a high-quality craft market and cultural showcase combined. The complex is large and air-conditioned, which is a welcome relief. It carries a serious collection: Maasai jewellery and beadwork, Makonde carvings, Tinga Tinga paintings, Zanzibar chests, and an extensive range of gemstones — Tanzania produces tanzanite, ruby, and garnets in quantity, and the prices here, while not cheap, are competitive and the quality reliable.
The museum section upstairs covers Tanzanian tribal traditions, colonial history, and the wildlife of the northern circuit. It is well laid out and takes about an hour. The centre is popular with safari groups, which means the salespeople can be persistent, but the goods are genuine and the fixed-price policy on the upper floors reduces the negotiation burden. Worth a stop if you are buying crafts or want to understand Tanzania's tribal diversity.