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When are you traveling? Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info. There are no pins in your viewport. Try moving the map or changing your filters. Thank you for your interest. This feature is coming soon. Types of Things to Do. Tucson Intl Airport 4. Good for a Rainy Day.
Good for Big Groups. Good for Adrenaline Seekers. Kitt Peak National Observatory: World renowned public stargazing program. Open daily, tours, exhibits, gift shop. Kitt Peak National Observatory. Tucson weather essentials Month. More weather for Tucson. Powered by Weather Underground. Top Things to do Tombstone Arizona and San Xavier Tucson Scavenger Hunt Adventure.
Carnival of Illusion in Tucson. Visit Tucson is also the best source of discounts and deals for Tucson visitors. See the full list here. Many are explained in greater detail below.
You need one passport for every two visitors. Arizona might have been part of the last crop of states to join the contiguous U. These historic sites and museums offer a taste of life in long-ago Tucson, from the Western film era all the way back to prehistory. Today, you can tour a well-preserved outdoor set that occasionally erupts in staged gun battles and stunt shows. Living history presentations provide more sober takes on various facets of frontier life, from law enforcement to cattle herding.
Revolutionary War were fired on the other side of the continent. The fort displaced a far older settlement: Marvel at the spare touches in the cool central hallway, then make your way into a shady central courtyard dominated by a majestic fig tree. Independently owned and operated by the same family since , its sprawling courtyards and lush lawns harken back to those heady pre-air-conditioning days when anything seemed possible and all it took to make the desert bloom was a deep well. As the city grew up around it, the Arizona Inn has remained stubbornly frozen in time.
For best results, book a room there for a night or make friends with a guest.
The shaded pool area is amazing on hot days. Check out as many of these museums and institutions as you have time for. The centerpiece is an acre outdoor exhibition area featuring more than aircraft. The collection spans the full breadth of the air age, from the days of the Wright brothers to the cutting edge of commercial aviation. Free and ticketed events, including kid-friendly demonstrations and shows, round out the offerings here. If you have time, check out the 2,acre military boneyard out in the desert. For a slightly cooler evening experience, visit on Thursday or Friday.
When I visited, one of the exhibitors was named Tucson John. Its collection spans centuries, from the late Renaissance through the modern and postmodern periods. Some temporary collections are downright challenging: The Native American portraits exhibit is sure to stick with you long after you leave. Standard admission includes one free planetarium show, which is rare for a first-rate science museum. Highlights include complimentary tours, two miles of walking paths through native habitats, a seasonal raptor demonstration show, a stingray touch tank, an extensive geology exhibit, a controlled show featuring free-ranging venomous reptiles, zoo-like animal habitats, and an impressive art gallery with rotating nature-themed exhibits.
From tiny, colorful birds to charismatic megafauna like rhinos and lions, Reid Park Zoo has it all. Tucson city parks generally open at sunrise and close before midnight. Regional parks may be open 24 hours. Observe all posted signs and camp only in designated areas.
Use caution here after dark. Himmel Park is a medium-sized parcel in central Tucson. The traditionally landscaped areas are nice on temperate days, but the pool is the main attraction here. Its odd miles of trail wind through scrubland, scree, and vibrant saguaro forests — classic Sonoran Desert landscapes within sight of downtown Tucson. Some native critters, like coyotes and cougars mountain lions , are pretty cute.
Study trailhead signage and mid-trail warning signs carefully for advice on protecting yourself in the relatively unlikely event that you encounter a dangerous critter. Also, watch where you step and reach. Scorpions and rattlesnakes love rocky desert areas. A good rule of thumb: As a symbol of Arizona, the majestic saguaro cactus is right up there with the Grand Canyon. The park is divided into an east and west unit, with the Tucson metropolitan area in the middle.
The east unit stretches well up the slopes of the Rincon Mountains, into the cool pine forests. During the summer, arrive early to snag a spot at Manning Camp, elevation 8, feet. Bring plenty of water, as potable supplies are scarce within the park. Allow 30 to 45 minutes from downtown Tucson.
From the lot, you can access the whole east unit on foot here via the Douglas Spring trail and its tributaries. Download a trail map ahead of time in case you lose cell service in the steep foothills. Vehicle break-ins occur with some regularity at the Douglas Spring Trailhead. If you want to experience that majestic eight-mile drive, which traverses stunning desert scrubland and mature cactus forests, you have to drive through the main gate and pay the entrance fee. Topping out above 9, feet, Mount Lemmon is the high point of the Santa Catalina Mountains, which tower over Tucson to the north and east.
Reliably 20 degrees cooler than Tucson, the alpine village of Summerhaven is appropriately named, and the local general store is worth a quick stop. Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is the southernmost operational ski area in the continental U. Colossal Cave, a bit farther east, is worth a side trip. When I visited in early June, daytime highs ranged from to I strongly recommend scheduling outdoor physical activity in the early morning or evening, shortly after sunup or before sundown.
Mornings are cooler; I went for a run one day at about 6: Stop exercising or turn back on the trail if you notice signs of dehydration, like dry mouth, headache, confusion, or cessation of sweating. Ventana Canyon is a picturesque ravine in the Santa Catalina foothills. Be sure to park in the fenced-off parking area closest to the trailhead.
The trail climbs relentlessly up the canyon toward Mount Kimball a worthy destination for ambitious day hikers and eventually connects to other trails in the heart of the Santa Catalina Mountains. With camping gear and food, you can easily spend several days exploring up there. Tucson is a big place. This is by no means an exhaustive list of neighborhoods and districts worth visiting — merely a collection of spots around town with historic architecture, vibrant street life, great views, or all three.
First platted in the s and 80s, and designated a National Historic District about a century later, Barrio Viejo is one of the best-preserved corners of town. Developed at the turn of the 20th century, West University was a streetcar suburb without the streetcar — until the s, when the SunLink modern streetcar finally started rolling down 4th Avenue. Strategically located between downtown Tucson and the U of A, West University is vibrant — especially in the evenings, when the 4th Avenue corridor gets downright rowdy.
If hole-in-the-wall restaurants, dive bars, and cute shops set against a semi-historic backdrop sound appealing to you, West University is your speed.
Built around Presidio San Agustin del Tucson and basically frozen in time since then, El Presidio is another immaculately preserved historic district in the heart of Tucson. So quintessentially Tucson is El Presidio that our bride and groom chose it as the backdrop for their solo wedding photos. After a multi-decade growth spurt punctuated by World War II, it subsumed into the rapidly growing city.
Blenman-Elm is decidedly residential. How about an early morning walk along its leafy side streets? Studded with five-star resorts and unabashedly self-assured, Catalina Foothills is a stunningly beautiful suburb just north of Tucson proper. For a lark, check out La Encantada, a comically upscale shopping mall with great views of central Tucson. Feel free to squeeze in a quick and free hike through Pima Canyon, a picturesque natural landmark at the base of the mountains. Tucson is the de facto gateway to southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora. I regret not having more time to explore this region, whose unexpected ecological diversity and frozen-in-time settlements are perennial sources of pleasure for those who know it well.
Anyway, you can do it for me. The visitor center is free and open to the public from 9am to 4pm daily, though hours are less reliable during the summer. In the s, prospectors discovered gold and copper at nearby Montana Peak, and the rush was on. Within a generation, Ruby was thriving. Then the mine went belly up.
Less than a decade later, Ruby was abandoned, save for a few stubborn holdouts. Today, the town has about two dozen buildings in good condition, plus a slew of mine machinery and some old artifacts. Call ahead during the monsoon season, when the mountain road leading up to town turns to impassable sludge.
Tucked in the high desert of the Mule Mountains, a few miles north of the Mexican border, Bisbee claims to be the prettiest town in Arizona. Like Ruby, it began life as a lateth century mining camp, swelled to become the largest settlement between San Francisco and St. Spanning dozens of blocks, the handsome downtown is alone worth the drive.
Established in , Fort Huachuca was a critical beachhead for the U. Until , when Apache forces surrendered, it was the main source of firepower against a fierce native insurgency. Today, Fort Huachuca is an active Army base like any other in the American interior.