The Grand Canyon State offers a wide variety of attractions, including beautiful state and national parks, cultural activities, and historic sites with a flavor of the Old West. The landscape of Arizona varies from high mountains to low desert, from grassland to lake country.

Tucson, also known as the Old Pueblo, presents a number of local area attractions as well, such as museums, parks, art and cultural events, shopping, and more.

Arizona is a great place for a family vacation. This page will introduce you to some of our local and state attractions. We invite you to come on by and stay for a while!

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is often the first place recommended to visitors. Located about 15 miles west of Tucson, this “living museum” exhibits over 300 desert creatures and over 1300 different kinds of plants. Indoor and outdoor exhibits encourage comfort regardless of the weather or temperature. Not to be missed: the newly renovated hummingbird exhibit. For more information, including hours, directions, and current exhibits, visit their web site at http://www.desertmuseum.org/.

Old Tucson Studios served as the location for hundreds of movies made about the Old West. As well as serving as an active studio, Old Tucson is also now a park featuring concerts, shows and other events. Located in the desert west of Tucson, Old Tucson offers dining and entertainment choices suitable for the whole family: http://www.oldtucson.com/index.html.

Biosphere II was developed in the late 1980s as a scientific research station to explore human habitation in a closed environment. Set in the desert about 20 miles north of Tucson, Biosphere II offers visitors the chance to examine the many “habitats” of the center, including an ocean biome, a rainforest, and a Baja California-type lower desert complete with coastal fog! For details and a virtual tour, visit their web site at http://www.bio2.edu/.

Other great Tucson exhibits and museums:
• Pima Air and Space Museum (http://www.pimaair.org/) • Tucson Children’s Museum (http://www.tucsonchildrensmuseum.org/) • Tucson Museum of Art (http://www.tucsonarts.com/) • University museums include the Center for Creative Photography, the Arizona State Museum & Mineral Museum (http://www.arizona.edu/home/libraries.shtml)

Outdoors:
• Sabino Canyon in the Catalina Mountains (http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/scrd/rec/recareas/sabino.htm)
• Colossal Cave Mountain Park (http://www.colossalcave.com/)
• Saguaro National Park (http://www.nps.gov/sagu/)

Interested in learning more about Tucson and Southwest culture before you come? Check out these great Web exhibits:
• La Cadena Que No Se Corta: The Traditional Arts of Tucson’s Mexican-American Community (http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/cadena/cadena.html)
• Cowboy Songs and Singers: Of Lifeways and Legends (http://www.library.arizona.edu/cowboysongs/)
• Defining the Southwest (http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/definingsw/)
• Fred Harvey Collection: Traveling the Rails in Grand Style (http://digital.library.arizona.edu/harvey/)
• Mission Churches of the Sonoran Desert (http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/swf/mission.shtml)
• Sabino Canyon: Our Desert Oasis (http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/sabino/homepage.html)
• Southern Arizona Folk Arts (http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/folkarts/)

Grand Canyon – Arizona’s most magnificent natural attraction, a 6-7 hour drive from Tucson (depending on traffic). Visitors can view the national park by car, foot, air, mule and train (reservations required). The park offers nearby hotels, tent and RV camping.
* For more information and a photo gallery, see http://www.arizonaguide.com/nature_grand.asp
* For official park information see http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
* Reservations may be made through the National Park system at http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/grand_canyon_national_park.htm

Sedona / Oak Creek Area – The Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area offers the unparalleled beauty of “Red Rock” country. For activities, attractions, lodging and more, see the area’s official tourism guide at http://www.sedona-verdevalley.com/. About 4 hours north of Tucson, located near Flagstaff.

Other Arizona vacation destinations:
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument – http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm
• Flagstaff - http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/
• Hoover Dam and Lake Mead – http://www.nps.gov/lame/
• Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park – http://www.desertusa.com/monvalley/.
• Phoenix metropolitan area – http://www.visitphoenix.com/
• White Mountains – http://www.hon-dah.com/

Native American Tribes – Arizona has twenty-one tribes within its boundaries. Many tribes offer festivals and other events that are open to the public. See http://www.arizonaguide.com/nativeAmerican_1.asp for a list of tribes, links to their websites (where available) and additional background information; see also the web site for “500 Nations” at http://www.500nations.com/arizona_tribes.asp Tribes in and near Tucson include the Pascua Yaqui (in Tucson) and the Tohono O’odham (near Sells).

More information available at:

About Arizona

About Tucson