Over 60 ideas of things to do and places to see in the city of Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Tucson is Arizona’s second largest city. It is located within the Arizona-Sedona Desert, surrounded by mountains and for a city which is not a state capital, it certainly has a lot to offer.
The University of Arizona is based in the southern city of Tucson. In and around its main university campus there are many interesting and niche museums run by the different faculties and open to the public. This ranges from a Pharmacy Museum, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and the large-scale ecological science experiment of Biosphere 2. There are also campus tour available.
Tucson Overview:
State/Country: Arizona (AZ), USA
Currency: Dollar($)
Language: English
Population: 550,000
Time zone: Mountain Standard Time (MST/UTC-7hr)
www.visittucson.org
For further information about each attraction and details about opening times, prices and events, click on the attraction title for the external link to visit their website ...
SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Destination Guide - over 50 ideas of places to visit in the rest of Southern Arizona
History & Architecture
Arizona History Museum – history of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico
Arizona State Museum – local Native cultures and the region’s 13,000-year human history, with the world’s largest collection of American Indian basketry and Southwest Indian pottery (University of Arizona)
Museum of the Horse Solider – history of the US Military’s mounted services
Presidio San Agustín Del Tucson Museum – re-creation of 1770 fort, life of the early Tucsonans
Arts & Culture
Tucson Desert Art Museum – the art and history of the desert Southwest, paintings, Native American textiles and artefacts
Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (MOCA) – contemporary art from Tucson and around the world
Museum of Art – Renaissance through to contemporary, University of Arizona art collection
University of Arizona Libraries – special collections at five faculty campus libraries[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Center for Creative Photography – museum dedicated to history of photography (University of Arizona)
Sonoran Glass School – gallery, glass blowing demonstrations and workshops
Helen S.Schaefer Poetry Center – a poetry library, readings, lectures and classes
Degrazia Gallery in the Sun – museum/gallery located in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains
Madaras Gallery – colorful Southwest art and gifts
Tucson Symphony Orchestra – performances throughout the year, including children’s events
Fox Tucson Theatre – restored 1930s Southwestern-deco theatre – movies, performances and music[/expander_maker]
Science, Technology & Transport
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum – transportation history in Tucson
Reid Park Zoo – over 500 exotic animals, a haven for children and wildlife enthusiasts
PIMA Air and Space Museum - aviation and space museum, one of the largest in the world with more than 325 aircraft (also the AMARG “Boneyard Tour” storage of 4000+ aircraft)[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium – digital planetarium theatre and family-friendly exhibits
Pharmacy Museum – vast collection of pharmacy artefacts (University of Arizona)
Gem & Mineral Museum – minerals and meteorite collection, University of Arizona
Space Imagery Center – collection of NASA planetary photography, University of Arizona
Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill – science, history and archaeology combined, a National Historic Landmark (The University of Arizona)
Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum – history of over 100 horse-drawn vehicles, re-creating Tucson of 1900
Museum of Optics – collection of antique and historic telescopes, University of Arizona
Richard F. Carris Mirror Lab – the largest and most complex giant telescope mirrors in the world, University of Arizona[/expander_maker]
Religion & Faith
Mission San Xavier del Bac – colorful frescoes and Spanish colonial architecture
Jewish History Museum – first synagogue building in Arizona, history of the Jewish American southwest
St Augustine Cathedral – Roman Catholic church with beautiful stained glass windows
San Pedro Chapel – quiet chapel on the site of an abandoned fort
Shopping areas
Tucson Mall – large retail complex, dining and entertainment
Tucson Premium Outlets – shopping big named brands
Trail Dust Town – dining, shopping and a trip back in time
Student Union Bookstores – official University of Arizona campus bookstore
Main Gate Square – dining, shopping and entertainment area
Unusual Attractions
AMARG “Boneyard” Tour – tours of a large aircraft storage site, commercial and military plane and helicopters (must book in advance)
University of Arizona Visitors Center – weekly guided walking tours of the campus
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research – find out about the stories trees can tell us, University of Arizona
The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures – over 500 dollhouses and miniatures[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Postal History Foundation – history of the postal system and postage stamps
Rattlesnake Bridge – a pedestrian bridge and art work combined[/expander_maker]
Outdoor Activities, Sports and Walking Routes
Tucson Botanical Gardens – 16 different gardens, including a Zen Garden, Butterfly Garden, Pre-historic Garden and Children’s Discovery Garden
Sabino Canyon Recreation area – hiking and nature on the edge of Tucson, visitor’s center and nature trails
Tohono Chul Park – nature preserve, botanical garden and cultural museum
Campus Arboretum – home to hundreds of tree species from arid climates around the world (University of Arizona)[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Tumamoc Hill – a National Historic Landmark, walk to the top (3-mile round trip)
Kino Sport Complex – baseball and soccer
Jim Click Hall of Champions – 100 years of Arizona athletic history[/expander_maker]
Activities for Children
Children’s Museum Tucson – hands-on learning and play for under 10s
Reid Park Zoo – over 500 exotic animals, a haven for children and wildlife enthusiasts
Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium – digital planetarium theatre and family-friendly exhibits
Funtasticks Family Fun Park – miniature golf, laser tag, go-karts and much more…
Trail Dust Town – Wild West Stunt Shows, gold-panning, Ferris wheel and many more attractions …
Golf N’ Stuff – family fun center
Festivals & Events
Tucson Rodeo (February) – the largest outdoor winter rodeo in the USA
Tucson Rodeo Parade (February) – large non-motorized parade, music, dancers, family-friendly event
Tucson Jazz Festival (March) – live music from national and international jazz artists
Tucson Desert Song Festival (Jan/Feb) – performances from world-renowned classical singers
Tucson Festival of Books (March) – a free annual book fair held on the University of Arizona campus[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games (November) – dancing, bagpipes, music and Highland Games[/expander_maker]
Nearby Day Trips
Southern Arizona has lots of interesting places, some of which could be made into a day trip from Tucson. Have a look at the Global Sightseer guide to Southern Arizona, which includes the following:
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – world-class museum explores the plants and animals of the desert landscape
Kitt Peak National Observatory – panoramic mountain top views. Daytime tours and night-time star-gazing.
Biosphere 2 – site of an ambitious technology and science experiment, within a sealed mini-world (University of Arizona)[expander_maker id="2" more="Read more" less="Read less"]
Titan Missile Museum – tour the Cold War underground missile site and the launch control center, a National Historical Landmark site
Picacho Peak State Park – hiking trails, civil war re-enactments (March) and wildflowers in Springtime[/expander_maker]