Things To Do
Titan Missile Museum
UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF AMERICA’S LARGEST NUCLEAR WEAPON At the Titan Missile Museum, near Tucson, Arizona, visitors journey through time to stand on the front line of the Cold War. This preserved Titan II missile site, officially known as complex 571-7, is all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987. This one-of-a kind museum gives visitors a rare look at the technology used by the United States to deter nuclear war. What was once one of America’s most top secret places is now a National Historic Landmark, fulfilling its new mission of bringing Cold War history to life for millions of visitors from around the world. Join us now for your own tour!
Madera Canyon
Just south of Tucson near Green Valley, the Santa Rita Mountains offer spectacular outdoor excursions. At a higher elevation than the Tucson area to the north, Madera Canyon invites hikers to enjoy year-round adventuring in cool, shaded hills. The canyon forms a deep, wooded ravine on the northwest face of the Santa Ritas, one of the sky-island mountain ranges of Southern Arizona. Visitors find natural beauty in every direction, above ground and below. Stargazers head to the area for special events and guided tours at Whipple Observatory and explorers go deep underground at nearby Kartchner Caverns State Park.
San Xavier del Bac Mission
Designated a National Historic Landmark, San Xavier del Bac Mission was founded in 1692 by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who traveled extensively in the region to spread Catholicism and foster peace among Indigenous communities. This mission, originally serving the Tohono O’odham people, began as a modest adobe structure but soon transformed into an extraordinary architectural and spiritual marvel. Construction of the church we see today began in 1783, during the period when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. Thanks to a unique partnership between Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain and Sonoran rancher contributions, work on the current building commenced under the direction of architect Ignacio Gaona. Completed in 1797, it remains the oldest intact European structure in Arizona and an outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture.
Pima Air & Space Museum
ONE OF THE LARGEST NON-GOVERNMENT FUNDED AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD! Featuring about 400 historic aircraft, from a Wright Flyer to a 787 Dreamliner. Sitting on 80 acres the museum opened its doors to the public in May of 1976. Over the past forty years, the museum has grown immensely and today encompasses six indoor exhibit hangars (three dedicated to WWII).
Tucson Botanical Gardens
The Tucson Botanical Gardens is a 5.5-acre collection of 20 gardens in the heart of Tucson, Arizona, United States. TBG was selected as number four in USA todays 10best Readers' Choice awards for Best Botanical Garden in 2023.
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of 9,159 feet (2,792 m), is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband and E. O. Stratton, a local rancher, by horse and foot in 1881. Mount Lemmon is also known as Babad Do'ag, or Frog Mountain to the Tohono O'odham. It is home to the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.
Old Tucson
Old Tucson (aka Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona (1940), it has been used for the filming location of many movies and television westerns since then, such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), El Dorado (1966), Little House on the Prairie TV series of the 1970s–1980s, the film Three Amigos! (1986) and the popular film Tombstone (1993). It was opened to the public in 1960 as a theme park with historical tours offered about the movies filmed there, along with live cast entertainment featuring stunt shows, shootouts, can-can shows as well as themed events. It is still a popular filming location used by Hollywood.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape