Things to do in Tucson

Embrace the opportunities Arizona's second largest city offers to explore this fascinating landscape, which is full of life despite what at first seems like a barren facade. Tucson's attractions are hardly limited to the natural world, however, and with 350 days of sunshine a year, there's no excuse not to see it all. When winter rolls around or when you’re ready to step away from your screen, plan a trip to this desert paradise and spend your days with family and friends in Tucson.

Envision everyone hiking among the giant Saguaro cacti on a mountain-bound trail one minute, then splashing around in a cascade-fed swimming hole the next. When water levels allow it, you can jump right in at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, which draws about a million people annually. Situated at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains along the northeastern edge of Tucson, Sabino Canyon also offers bird and wildlife watching, all while the desert scenery beckons your camera.

To a nature lover's delight, Tucson is sandwiched between Saguaro National Park, which is split into the Tucson Mountain District to the west and Rincon Mountain District to the east. In both sections of the park, you can take a scenic drive, explore by foot or on a bike. In the Tucson Mountain District, follow the easy Signal Hill Petroglyph Trail to marvel at rock art attributed to the Hohokam people who inhabited the region from A.D. 700 to 1500. In addition to its ubiquitous namesake plant, Saguaro National Park harbors a variety of wildlife—including rattlesnakes—so be vigilant as you tread.

The wondrous biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert is on display at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a zoo, an aquarium and a botanical garden combined into one fascinating venue. Learn about prehistoric creatures that once roamed the region, including the dinosaur known as Sonorasaurus, and don't miss the exquisite collection of regional minerals. You'll spend much of your visit outdoors as you make your way from one re-created habitat to the next on the Desert Loop Trail. Spot creatures like coyotes, Mexican wolves, javelinas, roadrunners and hummingbirds, to name just a few, along with 1,200 species of plants.

William Holden, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are a few of the big names that have headlined the more than 300 movies and TV shows filmed at Old Tucson Studios, a set from the 1930s that now doubles as a theme park. Staged shootouts and stunts make you feel as if you've walked into a Western flick, and the kids will enjoy taking a spin on the Wild West Carousel and panning for gold. Another carousel—and a Ferris wheel—awaits at Trail Dust Town, a Western-themed shopping area, where you can tour the Museum of the Horse Soldier, devoted to the role of military horses in American History.

On weekends during October, Old Tucson Studios morphs into its Halloween alter ego, Nightfall, which brings with it an array of spooky attractions. Live shows and a cast of street characters—think zombies, creepy clowns and the like—seem plucked straight out of a nightmare. The Slaughter House is a haunted attraction that offers five different themed areas. Consider a visit to Terror in the Corn at Buckelew Farm, 30 minutes from Tucson, where you'll traipse through a haunted cornfield before entering a corn maze for a spooky scavenger hunt. Kids 12 and under aren’t allowed in without an adult.

There is no building more venerable in the Tucson area—and perhaps no superior example of Spanish colonial architecture anywhere—than Mission San Xavier del Bac, a white adobe structure aptly nicknamed the "White Dove of the Desert." Standing about nine miles southwest of the city, this National Historic Landmark dates to the 18th century and remains an open Catholic church. After contemplating the facade, which marries Byzantine, Mexican Renaissance and Moorish elements, venture inside to take in the frescoes that led conservator Paul Schwartzbaum to call the mission the "Sistine Chapel of the United States."

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