Learn more
about Tucson and
Arizona
in these
fabulous museums
By Rebecca Larsen,
Associate Editor
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
More than a museum, this must-see spot is part-zoo, part-natural history exhibits and part-botanical garden with more than 300 different animals and 1,400 plant species that make their homes in the Sonoran Desert. Visitors can view animals in their desert habitat, inspect the aquatic exhibits and walk inside an aviary and a re-created limestone cave. You’ll find interpretive displays of living animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert – an arid region that flows through Arizona and California in the United States and into the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja. Take hikes along miles of paths crossing 21 acres of desert.
The museum is located at 2021 North Kinney Road about 15 miles west of Tucson via Speedway Boulevard and Gates Pass Road.
El Presidio Historical District and the Tucson Museum of Art –
Amid downtown Tucson, you’ll find an area from Church Avenue to Alameda Street that was once the Presidio of San Augustin del Tucson, which the Spanish army enclosed with a 12-foot high adobe wall in 1783. One of the best spots to visit here is the Tucson Museum of Art, specializing in pre-Columbian, modern American and Southwestern art; there are also several historic houses and the Plaza of the Pioneers, a showplace for the museum’s sculpture collection. Call (520) 624-2333 for information including the schedule for docent led tours of the historic district. Located downtown at 140 North Main Avenue (between Alameda and Washington).
Museums on the campus of the University of Arizona –
The university has several places to visit offering art, history and scientific exhibits.
 Arizona Historical Society – Located at 929 2nd Street at Park Avenue, this is one of several Arizona Historical Society locations in Arizona. This particular museum explores the state’s past, beginning with the Hohokam Indians. The museum features a full-scale reproduction of an underground mine tunnel and an extensive library of historic photographs. Call (520) 628-5774.
University of Arizona Museum of Art – Located in the Fine Arts Complex, Building 2, at the southeast corner of Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue, this collection features Renaissance and later European and American art, including works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Rothko and O’Keeffe. You’ll find more than 3000 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. Call (520) 326-9255.
Arizona State Museum – Just inside the main gate at the University of Arizona, near Park Avenue at University, this museum opened in 1893, making it the state’s oldest museum. The south building has displays that focus on fossils and tree dating. The newer north building offers multimedia exhibits on native Arizonans and northern Mexicans that bring to life the cultural history of the Southwest. Call (520) 621-6302.
Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium – Located at Cherry Avenue and University Boulevard, this museum will introduce you to astronomy and more earthly sciences. There is a huge collection of gems and minerals, an exploding asteroid exhibit, big-screen science films, laser and planetarium shows and a 16-inch telescope that can take pictures of stars. Call (520) 621-STAR.
 Mission of San Xavier Del Bac –Nine miles southwest of Tucson you’ll find the fabulous Mission San Xavier del Bac on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. Known as the White Dove of the Desert, this stunning white adobe church rises from the open desert floor and is framed by blue sky and the mountains beyond. Founded by the Jesuit father Eusebio Francisco Kino in the late 1600s, the present building was built between 1783 and 1797 and combines Spanish, Byzantine and Moorish architecture. Members of the tribe still worship here, and visitors can also attend Mass but it is best to call ahead for schedule (520-294-2624). Called the “Sistine Chapel of the United States,” it is easily worth the visit to walk through weathered mesquite doors, sit on the worn wooden pews, and enjoy the ornate statues, carvings and painted designs and frescoes.
Located on San Xavier Road, take Mission Road exit No. 92 on I-19 south.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
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