16 Things to do in Tucson, Arizona: Museums, Hikes, Scenic Drives & History

[Music] tucson sits in southeast arizona and is a city full of history culture food and outdoor adventures it's the second largest city in the state and home to the university of arizona which brings people from all over the world to attend i spent about a week there and i was surprised by how much i really enjoyed exploring this part of arizona the city is surrounded by mountains and a national park and it was the first city in the united states that received the unesco city of gastronomy designation for its over four thousand years of agricultural history and food traditions i have another video on my favorite food spots in the city coming up next week but let's jump into some of my favorite things to do in tucson and be sure to let me know what i left off in the comments my first recommendation is saguaro national park saguaro national park is the main reason we visited tucson and it easily lived up to expectations the park is massive with an east and west section separated by about 45 minutes of driving across the city both sides are beautiful but i prefer the west as it's just expansive with many different hikes and stunning viewpoints the east side has a great 8 mile scenic road that goes to different trails and views and is especially a nice spot for those that want to experience the park without doing much hiking i'll have a full video on my time in saguaro if you want to see more about this fantastic park even if you don't spend much time exploring here do drive out to gates pass for sunset which is right outside the national park you won't be disappointed recommendation number two is arizona's sonora desert museum the sonora desert museum is located on 98 acres right outside saguaro national park while the main reason people go here is to see the animals it feels like a mix of a zoo a botanical garden and even a children's museum there's so much to do here as you explore the trails see the raptor flight demonstration and stroll through the aquarium we spent a few hours here and just barely scratched the surface of all the things there is to see some of the highlights were seeing the coyotes exploring the cave exhibit and witnessing all the snakes it can be expensive for the whole family but it was well worth it for us and it was a great spot to see with or without kids my next recommendation is biosphere 2. biosphere 2 is a research facility located about 45 minutes north of tucson the facility was designed to mimic earth and be a closed ecosystem that could be used for a habitat on other planets while the two central missions ran into many snags proving how difficult something like this would be to live in the facility still conducts research to this day i'll leave a video in the description that talks in depth about the history and the work done here if you're interested the facility is open for self-guided tours and is one of the most unique things i've done in a long time it has many different biomes including one of the largest replica oceans ever created which even had a coral reef at one point it was such a fun tour and i highly recommend you check it out if you're interested my next recommendation is the university of arizona the university of arizona is the large school that's right in the middle of tucson as with any college town the area around it has great bars restaurants and shopping and it can be a fun way to spend a half day in the city illegal pete's is an enjoyable spot for food with a rooftop deck and good mexican food plus the school has a couple museums you can see with a history museum having one of the largest collections of native american pottery it's a small museum but you'll really enjoy it if you like that type of thing just find a place to park and spend a few hours exploring my next recommendation is sabino canyon located in the santa catalina mountains north of tucson sabino canyon is a beautiful area well worth the visit the park consists of a paved road that takes you miles back into the canyon you can hike the road or take the tram which has various stops along the way the route crosses the creek many times and the views keep getting better as you proceed uphill into the canyon many people like to take the tram to see the whole area then get off at one of the stops on the way back when you get off you can enjoy the water and you can just walk back to the visitor center or catch another tram it's a beautiful canyon worth exploring and it's fun to see water here almost year round they also have a crested saguaro on their nature trail which is always worth seeking out as well my next recommendation is fort lowell fort lowell is only truly a stop for those that are interested in the area's history as there's not much to see that being said the hospital ruins are interesting as the fort dates back to the late 1800s as you walk around the park you can see different information plaques that tell you about the area where you're standing and provide more information on history and the size of the fort there's also a small museum here but unfortunately it was closed where i went so i didn't get to visit it if you're interested in tucson's history then definitely stop by next up we have mount lemon mount lemon is a commanding presence in the tucson area standing at over 9100 feet while most people just enjoy the mountain from afar a windy road takes you all the way up to the top and has lots of stunning viewpoints along the way i wouldn't recommend it unless you have a half day at least as the two-lane road can be slow going up and down it's definitely worth taking your time on though and seeing all the different pull outs as you make your way up you'll travel through diverse ecosystems leaving the desert and saguaros behind and eventually making it to the forest at the top also there's a famous cookie shop at the end of the drive which makes cookies as big as your plate it's a great spot to stretch your legs before starting the scenic drive back down [Music] next up we have the pima air and space museum this is one of the largest privately funded aerospace museums in the world and has over 300 aircraft the museum is fantastic to explore even if you typically don't go to museums like this it's well laid out with multiple hangars covering different aircraft types and there are hundreds of planes lined up in the back area that you can just walk past the museum is also interactive with exhibits where you can sit in planes look up into the cockpits and better understand these fantastic pieces of machinery they also offer tours that take you around to the aircraft and tell you more about them if you want to go more in depth my whole family had a great time exploring this museum with the children especially enjoying the playground right outside the main exhibit hall next up we have tucson's children's museum the children's museum is located right in the heart of the city and while it's not that big it does a great job with interactive and fun exhibits my wife even said it was one of her favorite children's museums that we have been to thus far there are four main rooms one for young children and the other three for bigger kids the young children's area was a blast for my twins and the older kids area was very interactive and unique the room with the cars you could climb into was incredibly cool overall it's a fun spot to explore if you're traveling with a family next up we have the mini time machine museum the mini time machine museum was a surprising highlight for me while in tucson this museum houses the collection of patricia and walter arnell and there are dozens of miniatures on display throughout the building the miniatures here are stunning and have a wide range of characters and time periods living up to the name time machine museum i love spending an hour walking through the exhibits and seeing all of the intricate miniature displays it's incredible how many there are and how much detail there is in each presentation if you're looking for something truly unique in the tucson area this is a great stop [Music] my next recommendation is san xavier del bach mission this is a spanish catholic mission that was founded in 1692. the original building was destroyed about a century later but this building you see today was built in the late 1700s it's the oldest european structure in arizona and it's truly stunning to see when we went they were doing construction on the front of the museum that was scheduled to take the rest of the year it'd be amazing to see the entire facade and take a tour of the mission so i'll have to go back at a later date i still loved walking through the chapel and just marveling at the architecture my next recommendation is de gracia's gallery in the sun the gallery in the sun is an architectural installation by famed american artist attore de gracia the property features multiple buildings throughout the desert landscape with many galleries dedicated to his work the interior is home to a half dozen galleries that spotlight different time periods and artistic styles the highlight is the mission in the sun building which was covered in his murals before it sustained fire damage i was not very familiar with his work before i came and i enjoyed seeing so much of his art on display it's a beautiful area to visit as it's like an outdoor museum that you can walk through at your leisure definitely check it out especially if you're already a fan next up we have the garden of gethsemane this series of public sculptures are part of a larger park just outside of downtown tucson felix lucero created this garden and the story of how it came about is what drew me to it supposedly he was wounded in world war 1 and as he was lying on the battlefield he made a deal with god that he would use his talents as an artist for god if he survived when he made it back to tucson in the 1930s he began working on these pieces until his death they are still on display in the small garden next to the bridge he lived under when he was creating them my next recommendation is trail dust town trail dust town is a fun outdoor shopping area and old time recreation of a historic wild west town famous for pinnacle steakhouse a favorite restaurant in tucson the park gets many visitors every day it's a blast to walk down the old street ride the train and even have fun at the shooting galleries the area also has a 1920s carousel which is well worth a visit all by itself i went when it was not very busy but it can get packed on the weekends i hope to go back with the whole family and spend more time exploring this fun spot [Music] my next recommendation is the titan missile museum my friend chris tipped me off to the titan missile museum which is located about 20 minutes south of tucson this was easily one of my favorite things i did while i was in the city as it's just so unique to see this part of america's history the museum houses an old decommissioned titan missile and you can see it from above and tour the facility to learn more about what life was like here during the cold war the tour was about 45 minutes and it took you underground into the control center to learn more about the process of maintaining the site and even what it would have been like to fire the missile it's a fantastic tour and another incredibly unique place to visit in tucson get tickets in advance though as it often sells out my last recommendation is to mock hill to mock hill is a popular workout spot in tucson that takes you up to the top of a hill used for a research facility and an observatory the paved path gains elevation quickly and is downright challenging during the last three quarters of a mile you'll see fields of saguaros and great views out towards downtown tucson along the way i really enjoyed it as it's a great workout with stunning payoffs all the way up plus it's fun just being out enjoying nature with so many tourists and locals alike check it out if you're looking for a way to burn off some fantastic food you're sure to eat in the tucson area that's it for this video but be sure you visit some of tucson's fantastic restaurants and you can click here to see a video all about that next thanks for watching and we will see you on the next video [Music]

Channel: Through My Lens

Views: 104,236

Keywords:

Id: ogDz0vd0aWU

Length: 11min 34sec (694 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 03 2022