Attending the Summit? Visit the “Old Pueblo,” Tucson

By Brenda Huettner | Fellow

Just a bit south of Phoenix (~120 miles), Tucson offers a lot to see and do. If you have an extra day or two to spend in sunny Arizona, come visit Tucson, the “Old Pueblo.” We’ve got history, nature, technology, arts, and some of the quirkiest neighborhoods you’ll ever see.

History

Tucson history actually started over 4,000 years ago with the native Hohokam Indians. You can still see evidence of their influence and art in the petroglyphs easily visible in the Tucson mountain passes. By the early 1700s, Spanish missionaries came and built our “White Dove of the Desert,” Mission San Xavier del Bac—the oldest continuously occupied mission in the country. It’s famous for its longevity but also for the beautiful murals and sculptures that adorn the building. There’s a hiking trail up a small hill right next door, and a Tohono O’odham market right across the street that sells hand-woven baskets, native jewelry, and fry bread.

Eventually, Spanish soldiers followed the missionaries and established Fort Lowell in August 1776. You can still visit the site and museum at Fort Lowell Park, or stop by Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, one of our downtown landmarks.

Ranchers and miners had an influence, too. The ranch house at Aqua Caliente Park, Tucson’s warm spring oasis, was once a popular resort where people from the city could come out west for their health. It’s been a cattle ranch, an alfalfa farm, and is now a county park open to everyone.

And of course, we’ve got a strong flavor of the Wild West! So strong, in fact, that many classic Western movies were filmed here in Tucson or at the nearby Old Tucson Studios. Sarsaparilla, anyone?

Nature

Tucson is set in a Sonoran Desert valley surrounded by five mountain ranges, so it’s cooler than Phoenix in the summertime. We’re surrounded by national parks, including Coronado National Forest, Catalina State Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and Saguaro National Park (home of the giant saguaro cactus). You can hike, bike, camp, bird-watch, and do all manner of outdoorsy things. A short 45-minute ride up Catalina Highway puts you at the top of Mt. Lemmon, home of the nation’s southern-most ski resort. Though there won’t be snow in May, the ski lift runs all year as a “Sky Ride” with fantastic panoramic views of the mountains.

Science and Technology

Tucson is home to all kinds of science and technology. Just north of Tucson is Biosphere 2, a domed, self-sustaining environment designed to facilitate studies of how various environments work together. Just south of Tucson is Kitt Peak, the world’s largest collection of optical telescopes, including 24 optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research institutions. Just to the west we have the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, a combination zoo, natural history museum, botanical garden, art gallery, and aquarium. And on the southeast side we have the Pima Air and Space Museum, one of the largest air and space museums in the world. It turns out that the hot, dry, desert air is great for preserving old planes!

Arts

Tucson has a thriving artistic community and an entire neighborhood (the downtown Warehouse Arts District) devoted to supporting the arts. Tucson has its own ballet company, symphony, opera company, and several professional theaters. We have more than 215 art groups and organizations and over 35 art galleries in the downtown district alone. Need a bit more curation than that? You can visit the Arizona State Museum, the Center for Creative Photography, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the University of Arizona Museum of Art. No wonder the Wall Street Journal called Tucson a “mini mecca for the arts.”

Neighborhoods

Like all cities, Tucson has a downtown area with lots of buildings, people, and traffic. It’s unique in that there’s a story to go with almost every building you see. For example, John Dillinger and his gang were apprehended in the Hotel Congress. It’s still a hotel, with a bar, nightclub, café, and a huge variety of local talent playing on the outdoor patio. Across the street, the Rialto Theater started as a vaudeville stage but quickly offered movies to the Tucson public starting in 1920. It’s still a popular performance venue today.

Historic neighborhoods surround the downtown area. Armory Park neighborhood dates to the early railroad days; Dunbar/Spring is still rife with adobe homes; and Menlo Park, though definitely a downtown neighborhood, is also home to our signature “A Mountain” (a mountain with a giant “A” on the side), the stunning Tumamoc Hill, and the Santa Cruz River Park

Another great neighborhood is the 4th Avenue district, with dozens of unique local restaurants, bars, shops, and other small businesses. 4th Avenue has become such a local tradition that there is even a documentary about it by Alan Williams called The Avenue. It’s a great introduction to the things that make the avenue and Tucson unique and well worth a visit!

Need more info? Check out www.visittucson.org for complete listings and links to Tucson activities.