15 Things to do in the Tucson Area

Greg and I spent January in Saint David, AZ, which is located about 40 miles east of Tucson.  We wanted to see Saguaro National Park and also be close enough to Tombstone to make several trips there. What we discovered was that there was so much to see and do in Tucson and the surrounding area that we could have spent another month or two there. See our video of some of these attractions at our YouTube channel .

I’d like to give a shout-out to the campground we stayed at in Saint David. The Lakes at Saint David RV Park really takes care of their guests.  We enjoyed almost daily activities in the clubhouse, including yoga during the day and live bands on Saturday nights. The pool and hot tub were nice, too!  They also have a Saturday market in which local vendors bring their goods to sell. I bought some fresh pecans and fresh loaves of specialty bread. The folks here were very welcoming and we would definitely stay here again. They even helped with ideas of things to do in the Tucson area!

We managed to do most things on this list. The other Tucson attractions were recommended by fellow campers.

SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Two words… GIANT CACTI ! The saguaro cactus is protected in this national park, as is a large portion of the Sonoran Desert. The saguaro can reach a height of 50 feet! Note that there is an east district (Rincon Mountain) and west (Tucson Mountain) district. We visited the east, or Rincon Mountain, district. Things to do: Hiking, camping, biking, see the cactus gardens near the visitor’s centers, picnic, see the sunset (we did this in the Rincon Mountain District), stargaze or check out one of their ranger-led programs.

MESCAL MOVIE SET

Mescal Movie Set in Benson, AZ, is east of Tucson by about 40 miles. Over 100 movies have been filmed here including parts of Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, Outlaw Josie Wales and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean starring Paul Newman. Tours are available between film productions on Fridays and Saturdays and last about an hour.

It was pretty amazing to walk the movie set where Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell and many others have walked! After our tour, we went back and watched some of the westerns that were filmed here and it was easy to recognize some of the buildings and other features of the set.

TOMBSTONE

Tombstone is a must-see if you’re in the Tucson area.  I’ve wanted to go to Tombstone for years and it did not disappoint, although it’s a little touristy. When walking the dirt roads of the town it’s not hard to imagine what it must’ve been like here in the 1800s. Folks who work there are dressed in era clothing and gunfights and reenactments are happening regularly so you’ll feel just like you travelled back in time. There are so many things to do and see in Tombstone that we made several trips here. Some of the things we did:

• Big Nose Kate’s Saloon: Built on the original site of the Grand Hotel, which was a popular establishment in the 1880s. Enjoy live music, great drinks and the gift shop in the basement where you can also see an original entrance to the mine shafts below the building.
• OK Corral: See the original site of the famous shoot-out between the Earps / Doc Holliday and the Clanton-McLaury gang. See one of the daily reenactments of the gunfight.
• Boot Hill Graveyard: Some of the most infamous outlaws and lawmen are buried in this graveyard. It was used from 1879 to 1884 until a new cemetery was established in town. Grave markers include causes of death, which were gunfights, mining accidents, diseases such as consumption, diptheria, etc. There is even a gift shop next to the graveyard.
• Old Tombstone gunfight: This is a fun family-friendly reenactment with audience participation.
• Doc Holliday’s apartment: Located in front of the OK Corral, this is where Doc Holliday was staying at the time of the infamous shoot-out.
• Wyatt and Virgil Earp’s house: The original house where the brothers lived still stands on Fremont Street. You can even book a stay here through AirBnB or Vrbo.
• Birdcage Theater: The original theater that opened in 1881. This became a regular hangout for miners in the area and shows included singers, comedians, magicians, wrestling competitions and even masquerade balls where cross-dressing comedians provided entertainment.

CRANE MIGRATION AT WILLCOX

Between October and March every year, thousands of sandhill cranes spend their time in Willcox, AZ. We viewed them at Willcox Playa. There is a “Wings over Willcox” festival every year in January. We did not attend the festival; just seeing the cranes was amazing. We went at dusk when thousands of them were coming back in for the evening and settling on the water. The sky was dark with the large numbers of cranes and the sound was almost deafening (in a good way!). This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – if you are in this area, don’t miss it!

MINI TIME MACHINE MUSEUM OF MINIATURES

Miniatures may not be for everyone – might be just for us nerds – but if this is your thing, you can spend hours here admiring the detailed work of various artists. There are more than 500 dollhouses and roomboxes, and the Enchanted Realm which was designed by a Disney Imagineer. Every “little” thing you can think of is in this extensive collection – including my favorite, a tiny book shop. Be sure not to miss the gift shop which has some tiny treasures.

MOUNT LEMMON

This was recommended by some people that were staying at our campground, but unfortunately we did not get time to go. We did see some information about this popular attraction in Tucson on the local news / weather report. There were people hiking here and it was unseasonably warm for January. Mount Lemmon is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains at over 9,000 feet. Enjoy hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing at the southernmost ski resort in the U.S. in the town of Summerhaven, or stargazing at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter.

KARTCHNER CAVERNS

The caverns were discovered in 1974 and became part of the Arizona State Park system in 1988. Go for the cave tours, hiking trails, hummingbird gardens or scheduled bat walks, which run from April through September.

Kartchner Caverns is home to:

• One of the world’s longest soda straw stalactites: 21 feet 3 inches (Throne Room)
• The tallest and most massive column in Arizona, Kubla Khan: 58 feet tall (Throne Room)
• The world’s most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk (Big Room)
• The first reported occurrence of “turnip” shields (Big Room)
• The first cave occurrence of “birdsnest” needle quartz formations
• Many other unusual formations such as shields, totems, helictites, and rimstone dams.

ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM

This popular destination in Tucson is not just a natural history museum, it is also a zoo, botanical garden, aquarium and art museum. We don’t typically go to zoos and aquariums while traveling unless they are unique – and this one is truly unique and well worth a visit. Animal enclosures were designed to be as much like their natural habitats as possible, even from the beginning of this zoo in 1952. The Museum’s living animal collection contains 4,892 specimens of 242 species. Plants number 56,000 specimens of 1,200 taxa; mineral and fossil collections include 16,853 specimens. Represented in the living collections are 110 to 120 species considered to be of conservation concern. Visitors can walk the desert trails, visit the gardens, see a live animal show, touch stingrays at the aquarium, see raptors in flight untethered in their natural habitat, and so much more.

CATALINA STATE PARK

With 5,500 acres of foothills in the Santa Catalina Mountains, this state park offers hiking trails, equestrian trails and an equestrian center, biking trails, bird watching (over 150 species of birds), camping and picnicking. Make sure to see this area and don’t forget the camera, as you’ll be able to see mountains, desert wildflowers, cacti, streams and canyons. There are also guided hikes and events like the “Music in the Mountains” series in the summer.

OLD TUCSON

There are so many things to do and see in Old Tucson, I feel that several trips could be made here before even coming close to running out of things that interest you. Add all of the events that are held here, and there would be enough to keep you busy while spending your winter camping nearby. This is how we felt when we stayed near Tombstone. We did not get to see Old Tucson since we only spent a month in the area and there were just so many other things to do, but we did talk to people who had been here. If you want a feel for what the “Old West” was like, be sure to visit Old Tucson. Some of the fun things to do :

• Shows
  • Shoot-outs, Stunt Shows, Saloon shows, magic shows
• Games and Rides
  • Kids’ rides, pony rides, train and stagecoach rides
• Tours
  • Hollywood in the Desert Tours – see where many famous films were made
  • Ghost Tours – 90 minute tours at night by only lantern light
  • Iron Door Mine
• Attractions
  • Old-time photos
  • Mining sluice
  • Blacksmith
  • Petting zoo
  • Calf roping
• Dining
  • Big Jake’s BBQ
  • High Noon Pizzeria
• Gifts and retail
  • Gift shops, memorabilia
  • Western wear
  • Ice cream and candy, pastries

COLOSSAL CAVE MOUNTAIN PARK

To be honest, we’ve been on so many cave tours during our 4 years of RV travel that it was becoming difficult to get excited about another cave tour. HOWEVER, there are more advanced, exciting tours available at Colossal Caves. Aside from the standard family-friendly tour, they have a “ladder tour” which includes some climbing and fitting into smaller areas. The “Wild cave tour” includes some crawling through small spaces and scaling obstacles.

MADERA CANYON

South of Tucson, the Madera Canyon is in the Santa Rita Mountains. Over 100 miles of trails include some easier, accessible trails and some tough trails for experienced hikers. The tallest peak is 10,000 feet and reaching the top is a tough hike with switchbacks. Things to do:

• Hiking
• Mountain biking
• Bird / animal watching – over 250 species of birds
• Stargazing
• Stay at the Santa Rita Lodge

PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

Just next to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Pima claims to be one of the largest air and space museums in the world! This property is over 80 acres and includes 6 hangars of exhibits including 3 hangars with aircraft from WWII. To view the 400+ aircraft, choose from a public or private tram tour, a public or private walking tour, or audio tour. Grab a meal or snack at the Flight Grill which has views of the mountains and the Air Force and Navy fighter planes.

• The Main Hangar (3 hangars combined into 1: Hangar 1, Spirit of Freedom, & Flight Central)
• 3 World War II Hangars (Hangars 3, 4 & 5)
• The Dorothy Finley Aerospace Gallery
• The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
• The 390th Memorial Museum (a separate museum on our grounds)
• 80-acre outdoor display grounds
• Collection of 400+ aircraft and 125,000+ artifacts

SABINO CANYON RECREATION AREA

A beautiful area within the Santa Catalina Mountains, this is a popular place for locals to walk or jog. There are paved trails available for easy access, or used some of the 30 miles of non-paved trails for more of a challenge. We did not get to see this area, but it is on the list for next time! Things to do at Sabino Canyon:

• Hike paved trails
• Hike the un-paved trails like the Bear Canyon Trail which leads to Seven Falls
• Bike the trails (see website for allowed bikes and hours)
• Take the tram – a narrated tour that goes 4 miles into the canyon
• Take a dip in a swimming hole – several hikes lead to swimming holes

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC MISSION

Visit this beautiful church known as the ‘White Dove of the Desert’. The church has been a sacred place of worship and community since 1692. Founded by Padre Eusebio Kino, the mission continues its work of faith, cultural heritage, and service to all. Visitors and worshipers are welcome to visit or attend mass or special gatherings.

For more destinations, see our site at www. newliferv.us/category/destinations/.
What are your favorite places to go near Tucson? Let us know in the comments below! As always, thank you for reading!