AREA ATTRACTIONS
ARTS
De Grazia Gallery in the Sun
299-9191 Web Site: www.degrazia.org
Located one mile north of Sunrise Drive at 6300 N. Swan Road in Tucson. The
unique adobe building was designed and built by the late Tucson artist, Ted De
Grazia is widely known for his popular pictures of angels and Indian children. The
gallery houses many of his original paintings, bronzes, and ceramics. Next to the
gallery is the Mission in the Sun, an open-air chapel De Grazia built and decorated
with frescoes. The gallery includes a shop where reproductions, books and prints
are sold. No admission fee.
Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block
624-2333 Web Site: www.tucsonarts.com
Located in downtown Tucson at the corner of Main Ave. and Alameda St.
TMA features displays of its fine collections as well as traveling exhibitions. The
museum and its Historic Block are situated on the site of Tucson’s Spanish Presidio,
established in 1775. Featured on the block are five distinctive homes built between
1850 and 1907. Visit the Museum Shop and the Library and enjoy luncheons at
Café a la C’Art (Mon – Fri only) Admission fee Mon-Sat, free on first Sunday of
each month.
FAMILY FUN
Colossal Cave
647-7275 Web Site: www.colossalcave.com
Located 22 miles south of Tucson. I-10 east to the Vail/Wentworth exit 279, then
seven miles north. Considered to be the world’s largest dry cavern, its complex
lighted passageways, chambers, and myriad crystal formations were once a shelter
for prehistoric people. Take a guided cave tour. Picnic areas, campsites, and
Western trail rides are also available. Admission fee.
MOUNT LEMMON
Web Site: www.mtlemmon.com
Located 35 miles from Tucson. Take Tanque Verde Road east to Catalina Highway,
then north to Summerhaven or Ski Valley. With an altitude of 8,250 feet, Mt.
Lemmon provides winter skiing, a chance to see the leaves turn color in the fall, and
a place to cool off in the summer. There are about 150 miles of hiking trails, and
several gift shops and restaurants. Toll Road.
OLD TUCSON STUDIO
883-0100 Web Site: www.oldtucson.com
Located 12 miles west of downtown Tucson in Tucson Mountain Park at 201 S.
Kinney Road. Take Speedway Blvd. west and follow the signs. This replica of 1860's
Tucson is a theme park and movie set that has more than 300 films, TV shows and
commercials to its credit. It features staged gunfights, stagecoach rides, live
entertainment, restaurants and shops. Watch for special holiday events. Admission
fee.
REID PARK ZOO
791-4022 Web Site: www.tucsonzoo.org
Located on 22nd Street between Alvernon and Country Club. This small zoo has
carefully created natural habitats and multi-species exhibits for over 300 species of
mammals, fish, reptiles, and birds from all over the world. Limited number of strollers
and wheelchairs are available. Watch for special holiday events. Admission fee.
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
AMERIND FOUNDATION MUSEUM
1-520-586-3666 Web Site: www.amerind.org
Located 64 miles east of Tucson at 2100 N. Amerind Rd. I-10 to Dragoon Rd. exit
318 and proceed east one mile. This is an archaeological research facility and
museum devoted to Native American culture and history. The museum displays
jewelry, pottery, baskets, crafts, and other items unique to native people of the
American Southwest and Northern Mexico. Admission fee.
ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCITY MUSEUM
628-5774 Web Site: www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org
Located at 949 E. Second Street near the University of Arizona campus.
AHS has the world’s largest collection of Arizona history, artifacts, documents, and
photographs and offers a variety of experiences for children and adults. Follow the
exploration and development of Arizona from the first entry of Europeans in 1540,
through exciting times under the flags of Spain and Mexico, to territorial Arizona in
the 1800’s. Featured are period rooms, the Mining Hall mineshaft replica, and photo
exhibits. Admission is free with a donation requested.
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM
621-6281 Web Site: www.statemuseum.arizona.edu
Located on the University of Arizona campus in the first north side building just inside
the main gate, at Park and University Blvd. ASM, as the oldest and largest
anthropological museum in the Southwest, specializes in materials relating to the
prehistoric Hohokam, Mogollon, and Anasazi cultures, as well as the living American
Indian cultures of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. The excellent
collections of ASM are available for research, exhibitions, and education.
Admission: donation suggested.
MISSION SAN XAVIER DEL BAC
294-2624 Web Site: www.emol.org/tucson/sanxavier/sanxavier.html
Located nine miles south of Tucson. I-19 to exit 92, on San Xavier Road in the
midst of the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. Called The White Dove of the
Desert, the structure is an impressive example of Spanish mission architecture. This
northernmost mission of Father Eusebio Kino was established in 1629. Now
maintained by the Franciscans, San Xavier is an active Tohono O'odham church
and school. Taped 15 minute lectures are given every hour. Museum and gift shop.
No admission fee. Donations requested.
TUMACACORI NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
1-520-398-2341 Web Site: www.nps.gov/tuma
Located 48 miles south of Tucson. I-19 to exit 29 near Tubac. The park preserves
three 18th century Spanish mission ruins: Tumacacori, Guevavi, and Calabaza
missions, which were established by Father Eusebio Kino. At Tumacacori, visitors
find the adobe church, museum, mission garden, and other adobe ruins. Living
History Tours are available by appointment. "La Fiesta de Tumacacori", a free multicultural
celebration, takes place the first weekend of December. Admission fee.
TOMBSTONE
Office of Tourism: 1-888-457-3929 Web Site: www.cityoftombstone.com
Located 73 miles southwest of Tucson, Tombstone is known as “the town too tough
to die.” Now a National Historic Site, its attractions include the Bird Cage Theater,
Boothill Graveyard, Camillus Fly Studio, OK Corral, and Rose Tree Museum.
Tombstone Courthouse Museum exhibits recall the turbulent 1880’s period of
Arizona history. Admission fees to attractions.
TUBAC
Chamber of Commerce: 1-520-398-2704 Web Site: www.tubacaz.com
Located approximately 45 miles south of Tucson. I-19 to exits 40 and 34. Tubac
was once the site of a Spanish presidio built to protect nearby missions and
settlements. Take a tour of the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. Modern Tubac is
known as an artists’ community with more than 80 shops, galleries, and restaurants.
The town sponsors a multi-day art festival in February and Luminaria night in
December.
STATE PARKS
CATALINA STATE PARK
628-5798 Web Site: www.desertusa.com/azcatalina/azcatalina.html
Located at 11570 N. Oracle Road/Highway 77 at mile marker 81, the park is at the
base of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Hiking trails are accessible from the park
including the Romero Canyon Trail, which leads to a beautiful area with clear pools
shaded by sycamore and oak trees. Guided bird walks, wildflower walks, and nature
hikes are available weekly through winter and spring months. Horseback riding
trails, camping, picnic tables, and grills are also available. Admission fee (members
free).
KARTCHNER CAVERNS STATE PARK
Reservations: 1-520-586-2283
Web Site: www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html
Located about 50 miles southeast of Tucson between Benson and Sierra Vista.
Take I-10 east to exit 302, then take State Highway 90 about nine miles south.
Discovered under the Whetstone Mountains, Kartchner Caverns, a “live” cave,
features dramatically illuminated formations of indescribably intricate shapes and
sizes. The Discovery Center features exhibits on the Throne/Rotunda Room and the
Big Room. The auditorium has a six-screen multimedia presentation on the
discovery and development of the caverns. In addition to the caverns and the
Discovery Center, the park offers year-round campsites, hiking, picnicking, and an
amphitheater. Reservations are necessary for the caverns. No reservations needed
for entrance to the park. Separate admission fees for Kartchner Caverns and the
State Park.
ORACLE STATE PARK
Information 1-520-896-2425
Web Site: www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/oracle.html
Located on Mount Lemmon Road in Oracle, the park contains many hiking trails,
picnic and group use areas, the Center for Environmental Education, ramadas, the
Arizona Trail, and the historic Kannally Ranch House. Tours are conducted on
weekends. Call for current schedule. Admission fee.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
www.desertusa.com/sag/du_sag_index.html
Saguaro West: 733-5158 Go west on Speedway to Kinney Road, turn north.
Saguaro East: 733-5153 Go east on Speedway or Broadway to Freeman Road,
turn right to Old Spanish Trail, turn left.
Since 1933 the extraordinary giant saguaro cactus has been protected within SNP.
Preserved along with it are many other members of the Sonoran Desert
community….other cacti, desert trees and shrubs, and animals. Both Districts are
open daily sunrise to sunset except Christmas. And both have visitor centers with
stores, museums, programs, and guided walks. Admission fee.
NATURE AND ECOLOGY
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
883-2702 Web Site: www.desertmuseum.org
Located 14 miles west of Tucson in Tucson Mountain Park at 2021 N. Kinney Road.
Take Speedway west and follow the signs. This internationally famous “living”
museum houses over 1300 kinds of plants and 300 species of animals that live in
enclosures designed to replicate their natural habitat. Docents lead walking tours
and give live demonstrations with plants and animals. Wheelchair accessible.
Admission fee (members free).
DRACHMAN AGUA CALIENTE PARK
Web Site: www.co.pima.az.us/pksrec/parkpgs/agua/agua.html
Located on the northeast side of Tucson at 12325 E. Roger Road. Go east on
Tanque Verde past Houghton Road and north on Soldiers Trail. Mountain views,
towering palms, and a small lake are the centerpieces of this amazing oasis. Feed
the ducks and watch the fish that are at home in the hot spring for which the park is
named. No admission fee.
SABINO CANYON
749-2327 Web Site: www.sabinocanyon.com
Recorded Information: 749-2861
Located on the northeast side of Tucson, near the intersection of Sabino Canyon
Road and Sunset Drive. This picturesque site features a visitor center with exhibits
that explains the geology, history, and nature lore of the region, a marked nature trail,
hiking trails, narrated shuttle tram rides up and down the canyon, and picnic areas
along a tumbling stream. Admission fee.
TOHONO CHUL PARK
Administration: 742-6455 Restaurant: 797-1222
Web Site: www.tohonochulpark.org
Located west of Oracle Road and north of Ina Road at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
Tohono Chul is a 49-acre desert preserve established to promote the preservation of
arid regions and provide the public with an opportunity to learn about the desert.
Self-guided tours take visitors along nature trails, to display gardens, cactus
ramadas, and a greenhouse. A restaurant, art gallery with changing exhibits, and gift
shops are also on the grounds. Watch for special events. Admission fee.
TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
326-9686 Web Site: www.tucsonbotanical.org
Located at 2150 N. Alvernon Way. This collection of gardens includes a xeriscape
demonstration garden, an historic Tucson garden, spring wildflower garden, tropical
greenhouse surrounded by fruit and shade trees, and an iris garden. The gardens
are landscaped with more than 500 different native desert plants, herbs, and
flowers. Tours and classes are offered. Special events include Fiesta de los Chiles,
Luminaria Night, and Home Garden Tour. Call for dates. Admission fee.
SPACE, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY
ASARCO MINERAL DISCOVERY CENTER
Information Line 1-520-625-7513 Web Site: www.asarco.com/AMDC/
Reservation Line (Groups of eight or more) 520-625-8233
Located 15 miles south of downtown Tucson. I-19 to exit 80 at Pima Mine Road.
The center offers an inside look at an operating open-pit copper mine. Displays and
exhibits in the Discovery Center explain the history and process of mining.
Discovery Theater shows presentations related to mining and minerals. Admission
to the Center is free but there is a charge for the one hour bus tour which includes
views of the mining operations and a visit inside one of the copper mills. Admission
fee for tour. Senior (62) discounts.
BIOSPHERE 2 CENTER
1-520-838-6200 Web Site: www.bio2.com
Located north of Tucson on Oracle Road/Highway 77 at mile marker 96.5. The
center is an environmental research, teaching, and learning facility. Inside the
7,200,000 cubic foot glass and space frame structure, Biosphere 2 contains a
tropical rain forest, savanna, marsh, desert, a million gallon salt-water ocean
complete with a coral reef, and a human habitat, which now houses interactive
exhibits. The 3/4-mile tour includes the Biosphere Theater, Demonstration Labs,
Human Habitat, Climate and Earth Exhibit, Ocean Viewing Gallery, restaurants, and
gift shop. A Technical Tour is available at additional charge by reservation only. A
limited number of wheelchairs and strollers are available for rent. CALL for tour
times. Admission fee with AAA, college student, military, and senior discounts
available.
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE
AEROSPACE MAINTENANCE AND REGENERATION CENTER (AMARC)
574-0462 Web Site: www.dm.af.mil/tours.htm
Located at 6000 E. Valencia in Tucson. I-10 to exit 267. Davis-Monthan is home to
AMARC, a 2,600 acre open-air warehouse for aircraft, missiles, components, and
support equipment. Aviation enthusiasts will view, by bus tour only, the more than
5,000 aircraft currently stored here. The Pima Air and Space Museum conducts
tours. Reservations suggested. Admission fee.
FLANDRAU SCIENCE CENTER AND PLANETARIUM
621-STAR (7827) Web Site: www.flandrau.org
Located on the University of Arizona campus at N. Cherry Avenue and E. University
Blvd., the center has interactive exhibits dealing with sound, light, optical illusions,
magnetism, and astronomy. The planetarium theater presents science, cultural, and
laser light shows. In the public observatory a 16-inch telescope is available for night
viewing. The lower level of the Science Center, the Mineral Museum, displays fine
gems, meteorites, and mineral specimens from around the world. Admission fee.
KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY
318-8726 Recorded Information: 318-8200
Web Site: www.noao.edu/outreach/kpoutreach.html
Located 56 miles southwest of Tucson via State Route 86. Allow 90 minutes of drive
time from Tucson. Take I-10 to I-19 south. In less than one mile take the Ajo
Way/Hwy 86 exit 99. The observatory houses the world’s largest collection of
ground-based optical telescopes, conducts research in astronomy, and monitors the
sun and stars. There are 3 tours daily lasting 1 hour. The Nightly Observing
Program is available by reservation only and an admission fee is charged.
PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
574-0462 Web Site: www.pimaair.org