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We are going to Tucson in March, what should we do? It will be my wife, youngest daughter - 25, grandson - 6, and myself. My wife is going with another other daughter and her family the week before to Sedona.
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We spent two winters in Tucson area, plus several shorter trips to Arizona. I can't remember exact names but some of the things we did: We did a trip to Kitt Peak observatory and a separate trip to the observatory on Mount Hopkins, south of Green Valley (on that trip they took you up the mountain on a small bus, you had to make reservations in advance, and you got a tour.
There is a great Cave tour , Karchner Cavaerns, near Sierra vista, and you can visit Tombstone and Bisbee.
Go south and see Madeira Canyon (Sabina Canyon in Tucson is great, but part of it is closed now). Go to Tubac, and see the Historic Park, and there is an old mission further south, can't recall name, it is anational historic park. Also on the way south visit the Mission de San Xavior De Balzac, the White Dove of the Desert (we went to mass there on Christmas morning).
Visit the Arizona Pima County Air Museum; when we were there World War Ii veterans were on hand to talk about their missions in the planes that were on display.
Visit the Biosphere north of Tucson, in Oro Valley. There is the Saquaro Cactus national Park and also th Arizona sonora Desert Museum, really nice, museum with a paid admission.
The university of Arizona is interesting, there is a museum and a planatarium. there is a small park east of Tucson, we went on a cave tour there and they had interesting nature trails, can't remember name.
WE went on a tour of a silo from the cold war days and my husband remembers a copper mine tour near that. These were south of Tucson.
Also in downtown Tucson there is the Fremont House, a historical museum, an art museum. and El Presidio Park . -
rapmarks has made some great suggestions above.
Kartchner Caverns is a must do for an experience that is informative, magical and for us, almost spiritual. They have 2 tours open in March...the Big Room is not open during the summer months, and I highly recommend seeing it! The Rotunda/Thone room is open year round, and since you will be about an hour's drive from the place you should try to see both rooms. The caverns are so wonderful, it is hard to describe. There are tickets available by phone or online...look in the links for AZ above, I think the website is listed there.
Tombstone is a great place for its history and for getting a feel for the "days gone by". That is an easy drive and you can easily spend a day enjoying the sights.Life is short, live it with this awareness.Comment
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Another suggestion
Good stuff suggested by both Rapmarks and Katie Mack. Karchner Caverns is about the best we have ever visited, and we have visited quite a few.
Past Tombstone to the south is the town of Bisbee, an old copper mining area and one of Arizona's treasures. It is full of winding, steep streets and has a main street full of shops, galleries and restaurants. The Copper Queen is the venerable old hotel here, and worth a look, or a reasonable overnight stay. A number of B & B's here as well.
There is a very neat copper mine tour which takes you underground in ore cars. You put on a hard hat and a slicker and get a real feeling for an underground mine.
A couple of miles southeast of Bisbee is Warren, which was where the mine owners and administrators lived. Not a tourist spot, just a pleasant community of some nice (and not so nice) homes that we enjoyed looking at. We were there on 4th of July a couple of years ago, and their parade was small-town America come to life.
Back to Tucson, there is the Sonoran Desert Museum, a half-hour west of Tucson. (Did Rapmarks or Katie Mack already mention this?) It will be a highlight of any trip to Tucson, if you like live animals and natural history displays. Also, on the U of A campus is a museum of creative photography, started by Ansel Adams. Very nice displays depending on the month. One other place that is a real treat is the former studio of the artist DeGrazia, which is up in the foothills. A garden setting, and many rooms with DeGrazia featured, but other artists as well. Google for the address.
Plenty of stuff to see and do and keep you busy around Tucson for a week.Comment
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Riverdees, where will you be staying in Tucson?Originally posted by riverdees05 View Post
And DDI gave some great ideas here too....as you can see, there is plenty to enjoy in Southern AZ.Life is short, live it with this awareness.Comment
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Yes, we are staying at the Varsity Club in Tucson, We got a two bedroom unit about 6 months ago. From the information I had gotten, it that is is an OK place, not the greatest. Sounds like a lot to do in the area, we will probably have to pick and choose since we will be there only five days. Thanks for all the help.Comment
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only 5 days, too bad
definitely do the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and take a ride through the Saguaro National Park, you won't believe the giant saguaro cactus.
Definitely head to Kartchner Caverns and then take a ride through Tombstone and Bisbee.
Perhaps go south to visit Tubac and other sites along the route to Mexico.
don't do what we did. We were coming from sierra Vista to Tucson in a borrowed car. We had to stop to meet someone in Green Valley. We saw two roads on the map connecting us to Green Valley. We took the first road. We then drove for over two hours at 5 miles per hour on a dirt road at the edge of a canyon with a steep drop. We thought we would never see civilization again and didn't appreciate Madeira Canyon again after that.Comment
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Wow! You were fortunate to get thru that! Yes, a word of caution about maps and roads in AZ....it is best to opt for main highways and be sure that the road is paved, and is not something that ends up at a mountain or wash! Talk to the locals to find the best and safest ways to get around!Originally posted by rapmarksLife is short, live it with this awareness.Comment
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