In February last year, we were lucky enough to spend a few weeks working from Tucson, Arizona. We had so much fun exploring the city and the surrounding area on evenings and weekends. This list doesn’t represent everything we did while there, but I wanted to share some of our absolute favorites! Read on for 12 fun things to do near Tucson, Arizona.
1. Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park, split in two halves on either side of the city, brings many tourists to Tucson. Its most famous attractions are, of course, the huge cacti the park is named for. Whichever side of the park you visit, you’ll see thousands of saguaros!
But of course, there are plenty of other cool things to see in the park: petroglyphs (like those pictured above, at Signal Hill), stunning overlooks for sunset views, fantastic stargazing, great hiking, and wildlife. Just be careful, as some of the wildlife can be dangerous! Javelinas, rattlesnakes, and gila monsters, to name just a few.
Which side of the park should you visit? I say both, if possible! The west side is near attractions #2 and #5 on this list, as well as the Old Tucson film set if that’s of interest. Both are actually great for scenic drives and sunset views. We drove both the eight-mile Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive on the east side and the six-mile Scenic Bajada Loop Drive on the west side. The West side’s Loop Drive is unpaved, but we didn’t have any trouble with it. I believe that one is also two-way, which made it a little easier to stop and take photos than the East side. I really enjoyed the short hike to/through the Signal Hill petroglyphs on the West side as well, so that one probably gets an edge from me. But either side, you can’t go wrong!
Did you know that saguaros (sah-wahr-ohs) can grow to be up to 80 feet tall, and live as long as 200 years? They don’t even sprout their first arms until around 75 years old!
2. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is actually an excellent place to visit before you check out Saguaro National Park or other natural areas, as you can familiarize yourself with the flora, fauna, and history of the region before heading out on any wilderness adventures. While there are exhibits about the archaeology and natural history of the museum, the real highlights are the desert botanical gardens and the “zoo” portion of the museum, where you can see desert wildlife. I especially loved the bighorn sheep, river otters, ocelot, Mexican gray wolves, and hummingbird aviary. Be sure to grab a prickly pear lemonade and some desert souvenirs at the cafe and shop on your way out too!
3. Pima Air & Space Museum
Featuring over 400 aircraft, the Pima Air & Space Museum is another great place to visit in Tucson! Because of the arid climate, many of the planes and helicopters are able to be stored outdoors, which made for a nice stroll through hundreds of aircraft after visiting the main hangars. If you’re an aviation fan (like my husband), consider purchasing the two-day ticket. I especially enjoyed the Women in Flight gallery, the 390th Memorial Museum, an SR-71 Blackbird, an F-14 Tomcat (of Top Gun fame), a Catalina flying-boat, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and learning about World War 2 “nose art” on aircrafts.
4. San Xavier del Bac Mission
Located just south of Tucson on the Tohono O’odham reservation, San Xavier del Bac Mission is nicknamed the “white dove of the desert.” It’s striking to see, especially from a distance as you drive up to it against a blue sky. Completed in 1797, it’s one of the oldest churches in the United States. The inside is stunning–it seems every inch is decorated with frescoes, murals, carvings, or statues. It’s still an active church, so if you prefer you could also attend a Sunday Mass on the weekend. Otherwise you can visit from 9am to 4pm daily, and I highly recommend stopping by Coyote Kitchen and Gift Shop after. You can have some fry bread or an Indian taco and buy Native American made crafts from several vendors there. My favorite turquoise jewelry I found during our time in Tucson was from there!
5. Sunset at Gates Pass
Said by many to be the best place to watch the sunset around Tucson, Gates Pass trailhead is located along Gates Pass road in Tucson Mountain Park, which borders the west side of Saguaro National Park. An excellent day outing in Tucson might go something like: morning at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, picnic and spend the afternoon in Saguaro National Park, and watch the sunset at Gates Pass!
6. Try the original chimichanga at El Charro Cafe
Tucson is known for excellent food, and has even been named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy because of its 4000 years’ worth of culinary heritage. And of course, being so near Mexico, there’s excellent Mexican food of all kinds. But did you know that the Tex-Mex favorite chimichanga was actually invented in Tucson? You can have the original chimichanga at one of El Charro Cafe‘s three locations in Tucson! We visited the downtown location, which has been open since 1922 and is charmingly decorated with old caballero/gaucho movie posters.
7. Tour an old copper mine in Bisbee
The town of Bisbee, Arizona makes a charming day trip from Tucson. It’s only about an hour and a half drive, and the historic downtown is full of artsy shops and great dining options. Just beware you might want to book your dining option ahead of time if you go on a weekend! The main historic attraction–for us anyway–was a touring the Copper Queen Mine. After donning our safety gear, we rode an original mine train 1500 feet into the mine. The tour stops twice, once to walk 300 feet where miners once did, and once to see a cavern that’s been excavated. It was so interesting, and definitely a unique thing to do in Arizona! I hear the mine is cool all year round too, so if you’re visiting in the summer, it’s a great time to check it out.
8. Have a Sonoran dog
Remember how Tucson is famous for its food (and its Mexican food specifically)? One of the first things everyone asked me when I inquired as to things to do in Tucson was: have you had a Sonoran dog yet? Sonoran dogs are unique in that they are grilled wrapped in bacon and served on a bolillo-style hot dog bun. They’re also piled with toppings: generally pinto beans, tomatoes, and onions, but there can be all kinds of different condiments added. We did, in fact, have several Sonoran dogs while in Tucson, including some from the James Beard award-winning El Güero Canelo Restaurant. Our favorite, though, was one (pictured) we had from a food trailer parked beside a Mexican grocery store. The license plate on the trailer was from the bordering state of Sonora, Mexico, so you know it was authentic, too!
9. Titan Missile Museum
At the Titan Missile Museum, located about 30 minutes south of Tucson, you can tour the last of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were in operation between 1963 and 1987. It was really interesting to learn about this Cold War era site and how it operated, and chilling to think about how real the threat of “mutually assured destruction” was then and now.
The next three items on the list are specific to visiting in February, which, I was told by many locals, is the best time to visit anyway. Temperate weather, lots of activities going on, and the rattlesnakes have (mostly) hidden themselves away for the “winter.” If you can swing it, I highly recommend visiting during that month of the year!
10. Tucson Gem Shows
The “Gem Show,” as Tucsonians call it, is actually multiple gem shows stretching across the first two weeks of February every year–and some a little earlier or later, too. While gemstones are one of the major features, there are also minerals, beads, jewelry, and fossils at the shows as well! Vendors come from all over the world, and you’ll see things you’ve never seen anywhere else. Nests of dinosaur eggs, six foot tall amethysts, jewelry made from ancient Roman coins, the most fiery Australian fire opals… and of course local favorites like turquoise, opal, and spiny oyster!
We visited two of the shows: the Kino Gem & Mineral Show and the biggest one, located at the convention center: the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. If we could’ve, I’d have liked to fit in one or two more, but I’m not sure if my wallet could have taken it–there were just so many pretty things to buy!
Figuring out the gem shows can be overwhelming, so here are a few resources to help:
When in doubt, remember that the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is the big one. This year is actually its 70th anniversary! If you happen to travel to Tucson in the fall, there are also some smaller gem shows and jewelry showcases you can visit as well, though I’m told they don’t really compare to the “main” gem shows in the winter.
11. Vigilante Days at Tombstone
Yes, just a little over an hour from Tucson you can visit the site of arguably the most famous Old West shootout: the one at the OK Corral in Tombstone. To make it even more fun, try to visit during Vigilante Days, which happens on a weekend in February each year. The Tombstone Vigilantes are a group of reenactors and they really added to the experience of strolling down the boardwalk! It’s definitely worth it to watch the reenactment and see some of the Old West artifacts at the O.K. Corral, and then you can shop for leather and other cowboy-adjacent goods, have a refreshing sarsaparilla, and maybe even get an Old West photo taken.
A word of warning, though: try to plan to have a meal while you’re in Tombstone, mainly so you can use a bathroom! The O.K. Corral (surprisingly, for a museum) had no facilities, none of the shops had restrooms, and the restaurants required a full sit-down meal to let anyone use theirs. There were two public restrooms in town, and I waited in line for the women’s for 45 minutes only to find there was no toilet paper or soap. We walked across town to the other, and, while the line was shorter, the general bathroom situation was even worse. We were only stopping by on our way to Bisbee, where we planned to eat lunch, so this made for a rather frustrating experience!
Also, these are fighting words, but if you’re looking for other Old West experiences in the U.S., I much prefer Deadwood and the Black Hills area of South Dakota or the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City!
12. Tucson Rodeo
This February will actually mark the 100th anniversary of the Tucson Rodeo! Also known as La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. The rodeo is a really big deal in Tucson–lots of people go, and the schools are actually shut down and some of the main roads blockaded for the Rodeo Parade! We had a great time at the rodeo and even got to see some events I hadn’t seen at other rodeos growing up. If you’re in Tucson in February, you won’t want to miss it!
Of course there are always a few places on any travel list that we don’t end up making it to, so I wanted to share a few of them to give you additional ideas! Most of these were recommended to me by Tucson locals, so they should be pretty fun, too!
- Sabino Canyon – This natural area is really popular for hiking in Tucson any time of the year!
- Kartchner Caverns or Colossal Cave – Caves are the perfect way to cool off from the hot Tucson sun.
- Mt. Lemmon – We’d originally planned to drive up Mt. Lemmon, but they got so much snow that the roads were blocked for some of the time we were there. The scenery is supposed to be beautiful, with evergreen trees and snow in the winter. There’s an observatory on the mountain too, and you can even ski or snowboard in winter months!
- Day trip to Phoenix – We actually did spend a little time in Phoenix, but mainly to see people we know there. Long ago, I’d also visited nearby Mesa, so I can recommend some really fun things to do near Mesa, AZ too!
- Day trip to Nogales, Mexico – At just an hour from Tucson, Nogales would make a super easy partial day trip for some really authentic Mexican food. Just be sure to pack your passport!
- Biosphere 2 – About 45 minutes away from Tucson, you can visit the world’s largest earth science experiment.
- Tucson Mural Tour – Tucson is full of many colorful and interesting murals. We definitely saw many of them while we were there, but it would have been fun to take a little tour to seek them out!
I hope this has given you some ideas of fun things to do on a trip to Tucson! Have you visited before? What were your favorite things to do? Share in the comments!
