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Destination Tucson! What to See and Do When Visiting Tucson, AZ!
Tucson Arizona is a great place to live, vacation, or visit. With wall-to-wall sunshine and year round comfortable temperatures (except, well you know that summer thing), Tucson is a prime destination city.
This website is dedicated to providing visitors with great ideas of things to do while in Tucson or destinations within a days drive of Tucson.
Any time of year is a great time to visit but I would recommend February to March for ideal weather and conditions. These ideas are aimed more toward the outdoor active type:
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The very scenic Santa Catalina Mountain Range and Pusch Ridge |
Click to Enlarge, Pusch Ridge, The Santa Catalina Mountains from Oro Valley |
The Santa Catalina Mountain Range is the largest mountain range that surrounds Tucson to the north. They provide a host of great things to see and do and make Tucson a hikers and climbers vacation destination. I highly recommend a day at the Catalina State Park. There you can camp, hike, picnic, bicycle, go horseback riding, and do some plant and wildlife viewing. Another idea is to make a trip way up to the nearly 9,200 foot summit of Mt. Lemmon where you can actually Ski in the winter. You can get there by car too by driving up the scenic Catalina Highway! |
The Chiricahua National Monument |
A great day trip from Tucson is The Chiricahua National Monument.
These rock formations are awe-inspiring and like nothing you have ever seen.
You will see hundred ton rocks the size of buses precariously balanced on and area the size of a dinner plate and rock towers that rise up in stringy formations hundreds of feet tall.
Bring your camera because you will not want to forget this destination.
Read More and See More Pictures
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Chiricahua towering rock formations |
Casino Del Sol |
Casino Del Sol |
The Casino Del Sol is just 5 mile outside of Tucson and is a great place to spend an evening of gaming or entertainment. Owned and operated by the native Pascua Yaqui Indian Tribe, this casino offers the flavor of the Southwest in a warm friendly comfortable environment. All the gaming action you can ask for too!
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San Xavier del Bac Mission |
San Xavier del Bac Mission
is a historic Spanish mission located about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona on the Tohono O'odham San Xavier Indian Reservation. Named for a pioneering Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order), the Mission is also known as the "place where the water appears" as the Santa Cruz River (which runs underground) surfaces nearby. The Mission is situated in the center of a centuries-old Papago Indian settlement, located along the banks of the Santa Cruz River.
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San Xavier Mission |
Picacho Peak State Park |
Picacho Peak |
The Picacho Peak State Park
is located less than an hour north of Tucson and makes for a great day trip. This giant rock formation is the remains of an ancient volcano and is awe-inspiring to see.
You can actually climb to the very top although as you approach by car, you will wonder how on earth you can.
The park staff has made it accessible for climbing with marked trails and safety railings. Ropes are not required but it is definitely for the experienced climbers only.
Read More and see pictures of Picacho Peak
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Golf Tucson |
If you're a golfer, Tucson is your city!
Tucson offers dozens of great golf courses for all skill levels from pro to beginner, all available to the public.
Tucson has been the host of numerous PGA tour events including the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2007. Occasionally there are LPGA events as well such as the Welch Fry Tournament.
Tucson also has five city municipal courses located throughout the city that are top notch and affordable courses. The golf is great but a little advice: don't chase your ball into the desert during the summer!
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Great Golf in Arizona |
Pima Air and Space Museum |
Pima Air and Space Museum |
The Pima Air and Space Museum
is the mother of all aircraft museums. If you are an aircraft enthusiast this is a must see destination. SR-71 Blackbird, B-52s, Air Force One, Hall of Fame Gallery, V-1 Buzz Bomb, and hundreds of other displays. Visit their website to see all the aircraft on display. Plan for at least a half day here to insure you see all the planes.
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The San Francisco Peaks |
The San Francisco Peaks
The San Francisco Peaks are actually located a 4-hour drive from Tucson but its totally worth the trip to see these majestic beauties.
The Peaks are a volcanic mountain range located in north central Arizona, United States, just north of Flagstaff. The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,633 feet. The San Francisco Peaks (known locally as simply "the Peaks") are the remains of a once-higher group of extinct volcanoes.
An aquifer within the caldera supplies much of Flagstaff's water while the mountain itself is located within the Coconino National Forest and is the site of much outdoor recreation.
See larger Pictures of the San Franscisco Peaks
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The San Francisco Peaks |
The Red Rocks of Sedona Arizona |
The Red Rocks of Sedona |
The Red Rocks of Sedona.
Sedona is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona.
Founded in 1902, it has become a gathering place for mystics, who believe some of the earth's energy, as it flows around the rocks is concentrated into power spots some call vortices.
One of Sedona's main attractions is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun.
The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the myriad of incredible hiking and mountain biking trails.
Read More and See Lots of Pictures of Sedona Arizona
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Kitt Peak Observatory |
The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)
is a United States astronomical observatory located on a 2,096 m (6,880 ft) peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, 55 miles southwest of Tucson.
The observatory is considered to be part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), although some of the telescopes located here, like those at the MDM Observatory, belong to other groups such as the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. With 23 telescopes, it is the largest, most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the world.
For tourist information visit their website.
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Kitt Peak |
The Finger Rock Trail |
Finger Rock |
The Finger Rock Trail is a great day hike and is conveniently located right in Tucson itself at the foot of the Catalina Mountains.
The Finger Rock is a neat rock formation that looks like a little hand with its index finger pointing up.
It is a classic image in the Tucson skyline.
Awesome desert scenery and magnificent city views abound throughout this hike.
Although most of the trail is easy, if you plan to reach the finger, I would suggest that you be an experienced climber.
The last 300 feet of climbing is a little hair-raising and you definately do not want to loose your footing near the top.
No ropes are required however and when you reach the top you are rewarded with one of the most magnificent spanning views of Tucson.
The lucky people who make it to the top are rewarded with a face-to-face view of the finger.
I highly recommend this hike but it is definitely only for the experienced climber.
For those that cannot make this hike I have included a picture of the Finger Rock Up Close.
It almost blends in with its environment when you are this close to it but you can see it in the center.
Bring lots of water if you are going to make this climb.
Read More About this Climb Here
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Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument |
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument |
The Sunset Crater Volcano
is located just outside Flagstaff so it's a half day drive to get to but makes a great family trip if your going to the Grand Canyon or Flagstaff.
The park has massive lava flows hundreds of feet across that are shocking to see.
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Swimming! |
Go Swimming
Anytime of year its OK to swim but if your there in Summer it's REALLY NICE. If you are there in the Winter swimming is still great but you'll want a heated pool, as the nights get pretty cool. Enjoy a day by a pool soaking in the sun, reading a good book, sipping tea, and enjoying the fresh desert breezes.
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Tucson Swimming |
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum |
The Arizona-Sonora Desert |
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
For a half-century the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has enchanted millions of visitors with its exhibits of live animals in astonishingly natural settings, while intriguing and instructing them with fascinating educational programs. At the same time, the Museum has gained a worldwide repute in the scientific community as an institution committed to researching and protecting the land, plants, and the animals of the Sonoran Desert region.
The mission of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.
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Home Viewing |
Home Viewing |
Home Viewing
sounds like a crazy thing to do but the southwest architecture is so fascinating and different than what many are used to that it makes for a lot of fun to go out and observe.
Plan a day driving through the Catalina Foothills region up close to the Catalina Mountains. Million dollar homes abound up here and their architectural designs and lush desert landscaping are truly fascinating to observe.
If you are really lucky you may come across an open house for sale that you can stroll through.
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Baseball Spring Training |
Baseball Spring Training.
Ahh yes Spring at last, Spring at last. Nothing better than taking an afternoon off and going to a Spring training ball game at the Tucson Electric Park.
Take in the warm Spring sunshine and watch a great game with one of the local teams that do their Spring training in Tucson (Diamondbacks and Whitesox).
Located right in the heart of Tucson T.E.P. is very fan friendly and with lawn seating available for under $5, price is never an issue.
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Baseball Spring Training |
Sabino Canyon |
Sabino Canyon |
Sabino Canyon
is a significant canyon located in the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, USA. Sabino Canyon is a popular recreation area for residents and visitors of Southern Arizona, providing a place to walk, hike or ride. Minutes away from the desert are large waterfalls with minor bridges constructed over them. Wildlife in the canyon includes deer, javelina, skunks, tortoises, rattlesnakes and mountain lions.
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Madera Canyon |
Madera Canyon.
Madera Canyon is a really great place to spend a day. It is located about an hour south of Tucson in the Santa Rita mountain range.
This Canyon is a beautifully forested area that looks nothing like the dessert you drove from.
With a higher altitude, shading, and a river, it tends to be much cooler than Tucson which can make it a great summer escape.
There is a great 10 mile hike to the summit of Mt. Wrightson with an elevation of 9453 ft.
Mt. Wrightston is the highest mountian peak you see when looking south from Tucson.
Birding and nature hikes make this place a great place to see.
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Madera Canyon |
Biosphere 2 |
Biosphere 2 |
Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2 is a glass structure almost like a terrarium located 15 miles north of Tucson in Oracle, Arizona.
Constructed in 1987, it has been used as a science testing facility to see if and how people could live and work in a closed biosphere where they could carry out various scientific experiments.
The Biosphere is open for daily tours and you can find out more information by visiting their website.
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