Top Ten Things To Do in Tucson
Pima Air & Space Museum
The museum features a display of nearly 400 aircraft spread out over 80 acres on a campus occupying 127 acres. It has also been the home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991.
The Pima Air and Space Museum has lots of history and educational exhibits including hundreds of retired military planes, NASA aircraft, commercial aircraft, art exhibits, weather and geography exhibits as well as war exhibits. It is one of the largest non-government-funded air and space museums in the world and suitable for all ages.
Culinary Delights
Tucson is famous for its Sonoran-style Mexican food and serves up culinary experiences to remember. Indulge your desire for authentic Arizona staples like nopales cactus tacos, Indian fry bread and the famous Sonoran Hot Dog. The desert's menu is vast including fruit from saguaro, prickly pear and cholla buds. Award-winning chefs combine ingredients to give a twist to contemporary Mexican dishes to great a cuisine all its own.
Head to local breweries for a craft draft, or take a sip of an Arizona wine. Southern Arizona wine country growing conditions are comparable to those of Burgundy, France. Plus, at watering holes across the state, mixologists are raising the bar with creative, local cocktails. Ever tried a tamarindo margarita? Take a seat and taste!
Golf
Desert mountain ranges surround Tucson and dominate the vibrant golf scene that stretches from Marana to Rio Rico.
The Santa Catalina Mountains loom over the La Paloma Country Club. Set high in the Tucson Foothills, the view takes in the city then stretches over all of southern Arizona.
No list of Tucson-area courses would be complete without mention of The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. At the highest point of their Tom Fazio-designed Mountain Course is their signature third hole, tucked amidst the Santa Catalina mountains and a canyon of cacti. The Lodge's Canyon Course slopes down through the Esperero Canyon, whose washes frequently fill during summer monsoon rains.
Legend Jack Nicklaus took inspiration from the Sonoran Desert when creating his 27-hole course for The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which blends among the saguaros surrounding Tortolita Mountain Range in Marana, north of Tucson. With elevations ranging from 2,300 to 3,200 feet, the course gives even the most seasoned a welcome challenge.
Street Art
The artwork of local, national and international muralists has invested Tucson's urban environment with style and dynamism. Throughout these works, the region's natural landscape, heritage, and resilience are prominent. Mountain vistas and desert flora set the stage for defining events in the city's cultural history. Elsewhere agave, javelina and jackalopes take over, reminding you of Tucson's deep ties with the region's natural environment and the mythos that surrounds it.
Sabino Canyon
Looking for a place to get outdoors that offers easy and challenging trails? This is that place. On the northeast edge of Tucson, Sabino Canyon offers a variety of terrain including a paved path for the lighter option, or miles of rugged ground to explore.
Sabino Canyon’s history is as diverse as it is fascinating. The Santa Catalina Mountains began forming over 12 million years ago, 7 million years before the earliest known human being walked the face of the earth. It’s estimated that some of the earliest predominant human occupants of Sabino Canyon were the Hohokam people.
During the rainy season, some trails will have you sloshing through creeks. But if you’re looking for something easy on the feet, there’s always the option of riding the narrated, educational tram tour, which affords visitors a close-up of the stunning canyon views.
Mountain biking
The mountain bike trails in Tucson are spread out far and wide, although the majority of the trail networks are situated to the west and north of the city. Sweetwater Preserve is a beautiful park on the western edge of Tucson. It’s a popular area for hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and even equestrians. There are lots of different cacti species here including saguaro, barrel cactus, chollas, and more so don't forget your tweezers!
Catalina State Park and the 50 Year Trail make up a stunning network at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains. This area is characterised by lots of rocks – big and small. It’s one of the more popular areas in Tucson for mountain bikers and it’s also one of the most challenging.
The Marana Trails are located north of Tucson and offer amazing views out over the city and surrounding mountain ranges. This area is isolated but the trailhead is situated within the gates of the Ritz-Carlton and the views alone are worth the effort.
Health and Wellness
Relax, recharge and re-energise in Tucson. Most of us are concerned about our health these days - whether it's an emphasis on hitting the gym a bit more, getting in touch with your spiritual side through yoga, or taking some extra time to focus on mental well-being. Thankfully, Tucson is the sort of town that makes that pursuit of betterment easy and is one of the U.S.’s premier wellness destinations
Take a break and get a massage at your destination spa, do some yoga in the middle of a craft brewery, schedule time to take in the Sonoran Desert on a hike or on a bike ride... whatever you have time for, there's an opportunity to be a better person before you head home.
Mission San Xavier Del Bac
Mission San Xavier del Bac is an historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who founded a chain of Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert.
San Xavier is still actively run by Franciscans, and continues to serve the native community by which it was built. Widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the U.S, the Mission hosts some 200,000 visitors each year. It is open to the public daily, except when being used for church services.
Whilst here, try fry bread, a fluffy, fried dough often topped with powdered sugar or with meat, beans and cheese. Native American vendors typically sell fry bread in the mission’s parking lot along with jewellery and craft items.
Horse Riding
Horse riding is as much a part of Tucson and Southern Arizona as cactus, Wildcat basketball, and sweet, salty, transcendent margaritas. Saddle up at a guest ranch, a resort, one of the public stables, or one of several private stables that specialise in horse riding. Riding lessons and wrangler-guided trips with trailside meals are available for people of all skill levels, and special sunrise, sunset, and moonlight rides make memories to last a lifetime.
Whether you choose a half-day solo jaunt or longer group ride, you can't beat seeing the Sonoran Desert by horseback to open your heart and mind to the American West.
