Tucson Attractions
There's lots to see and do in the Tucson! Below, you'll find a directory of the area'smost popular attractions.
Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum
2021 N. Kinney Rd.
(520) 883-1380
www.desertmuseum.org
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. The Museum offers interpretive displays of living animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert--an arid region encompassing parts of Arizona and California in the United States and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California. Open every day of the year.
Adults (age 13 & older) $9.95 ($8.95 May through October), children (ages 6-12) $1.75, children under 6 are free.
ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center
1421 W. Pima Mine Rd.
(520) 625-7513
www.mineraldiscovery.com
Ever wanted to see a working copper mine? Well, now you can at ASARCO's Mission open-pit mine. Check out the earth science exhibits, theater shows, historic and modern mining equipment, and of course the mine tours. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Free admission. One-hour mine tours are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for kids 5-12 years, and free for children under 5.
Biosphere 2
Oracle Road (AZ 77) North
(520) 896-6200
www.bio2.edu
Biosphere 2 is one of the largest living laboratories in the world. It is an air tight greenhouse covering 3.15 acres and 7.2 million cubic feet of volume. Within Biosphere 2 are several different biomes which researchers use to experiment on Earth systems on a relatively large scale. Inside Biosphere 2 is a rainforest, a million gallon salt water ocean, a coastal fog desert, and four other wilderness ecosystems. Open everyday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM except Christmas Day.
$12.95 for adults, $8.95 for youth ages (13 - 17), $6.00 for children ages (6 - 12), Children 5 and under free.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park
16711 E. Colossal Cave Road
(520) 647-7275
www.colossalcave.com
Colossal Cave, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, had been used for centuries by prehistoric peoples when it was "discovered" in 1879. Since then it has been the object of interest and attention by people ranging from train robbers to a President of the University of Arizona. The first tours were taken through the unimproved Cave in 1923, tours which involved ropes and lanterns. Today's tours are very comfortable, however, thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps who constructed the buildings, walkways, and wiring in the mid-1930's. Open everyday of the year.
Mountain Park Admission: Auto $3.00 ($1.00 per person over 6 people),
Motorcycle $2.00
Guided Cave Tour: Adults $7.50, Children (6 - 12) $4.00, Children
5 and under are free
Davis-Monthan's AMARC Tour
(520) 574-0462
www.pimaair.org/amarc.htm
Take a tour through the base and see hundreds of planes that were once flown and now rest in the desert. Some say that they could get them all in the air in a matter of weeks. Many refer to this as the "Airplane Graveyard" because, well thats exactly what it looks like. Tours operate Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays). Reservations suggested.
Adults (ages 13 and up) $6.00, Groups of 20 or more $5.00, Children 12 and under $3.00.
Kitt Peak Observatory
56 miles southwest of Tucson, off Ajo Way
(520) 318-8732
www.noao.edu/kpno/
The world's largest collection of optical telescopes is located high above the Sonoran Desert under some of the finest night skies in the world. Kitt Peak, on the Tohono O'odham Reservation, is home to twenty-two optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research institutions. Open 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM daily (closed major holidays).
$2 per person donation is requested for guided tours.
Mission
San Xavier del Bac
1950 W. San Xavier Rd.
(520) 294-2624
In the vast desert just outside Tucson, Arizona, one would not expect to find a beautiful church. Following the signs from the highway directs you toward Mission San Xavier (pronounced as "hauv-e-air") del Bac, you approach this majestic "white dove of the desert" (as it is affectionately called). It is truly an awesome experience. The sheer size and bright color against a blue sky and the tan colors of the desert make San Xavier a striking sight.
Old Tucson Studios
201 S. Kinney Rd.
(520) 883-0100
www.oldtucson.com
In 1939 this town was built for the movie "Arizona", but wasn't fully developed until the 1960s when it was split into a film location and Wild West theme park. In 1995 the town was mostly "lost" due to a fire, but has since been rebuilt and more exciting than ever. You can experience what life in a frontier town was like, watch stunts and trick riding, and even pan for gold. There are also rides for the kids and great food. Open 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM everyday.
Tickets are $14.95 for adults, $9.45 for children (4-11), and children 3 and under are free.
Pima Air & Space Museum
6000 East Valencia Road
(520) 574-0462
www.pimaair.org
There are over 250 examples of vintage and current aircrafts, from the first Wright flyer (an exact full scale replica) to what some say was the ultimate flying machine, the famous SR-71 Blackbird. You will see helicopters, homebuilts, ultralights, soaring planes and hang gliders. In 1991 the Museum also included many space artifacts and exhibits, such as the X-15 and the Mercury Space Capsule and much more. Open everyday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (except Thanksgiving & Christmas).
Sabino Canyon
5900 N. Sabino Canyon Rd.
(520) 749-8700
More Information
Set in the beautiful Coronado National Forest, Sabino Canyon offers a 45 minute round trip narrated tour on a shuttle bus through the Sabino Canyon. You will see some of the most beautiful scenery that Tucson has to offer. The shuttle bus stops at different points of the canyon where you can get off and hike for a while, then you can pick up the shuttle bus on the way back . Sabino Canyon is open 365 days a year. Moonlight rides three nights a month are available by reservation April - December. For shuttle information and tour schedules call (520) 749-2861.
Parking Fees: Day Pass $5, Week Pass $10, Annual Pass $20.
Tohono Chul Park
7366 N. Paseo del Norte
(520) 742-6455
www.tohonochulpark.org
As you walk down the winding nature trail through our various gardens; tour through the Exhibit Hall in a renovated historic home; enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea in the Tea Room and shop in the Greenhouse and Museum Shops; you begin to understand why the desert is so cherished in Tucson. Grounds are open daily from 7:00 AM - Sunset.
Admission to the Park is a requested $2 donation.
