I’ll be honest. Living in Florida, Tucson was never on my radar. There are a few Arizona cities I’d go out of my way to see, but this just wasn’t one of them. Thanks to a snowstorm derailing our trip to Colorado we added Tucson to our itinerary instead. I didn’t think there was much to do. Now I can’t imagine not adding this city to a must see list of Arizona places. It’s beautiful, diverse and family friendly.
We picked up our car in Phoenix and headed to Tombstone for a few hours. This historic 1870s silver mining town is infamous for shootouts in the street and a general lawlessness that was par for the course in the old west and it plays that part up for visitors from around the world. Go ahead and park your car and spend the next few hours walking… it’s all very close. Start with Boothill Graveyard which is the only thing you’ll need to hit before parking for the day. It sits at the entrance to town. You’ll pay a small fee in cash at the entrance and will be given an information booklet to use for your self guided tour.
Even with a child in tow we spent a solid 45 min wandering through the rows reading off the guidebook imaging what life must have been like back then. Here you can see what must’ve surely been an inspiration to the tombstones at Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
There’s a pretty fantastic view of the Sierra and Dragoon mountain ranges from the hill.
A few miles down the road you’ll find the city center. You can’t miss it. Just listen for the sounds of gunfire. Yes, gunfire! There are several re-enactments of shootouts down the Main Street each day. Each skit is different so watch them all. From the smell of gunpowder in the air to the sight of men dressed in cowboy garb playing cards you’ll get a real sense of being transported back in time.
Here you can souvenir shop to your heart’s delight, you can take a tour of the most haunted building in town , the Bird Cage Theatre, visit a real silver mine, see the OK corral, or have lunch in Big Nose Kate’s saloon.
But wait, there’s more. Have you ever wanted to ride an old horse drawn carriage down a dirt road or see the real house of Wyatt Earp? You can do that here too. If you can swing it, go see the old courthouse as well.
We headed down the road for our final stop of the night in Bisbee, Az; a small copper mining town from the same era that is a quaint town with less drama. They do hold a race each year that involves a whole lot of stairs if you’re so inclined. You will get a workout walking this very hilly town. I’d suggest starting at the visitors center and walking immediately to Bisbee’s table for an astounding bbq bacon cheeseburger. They even offer a chicken tender kids meal that was 100% kid approved. If you’re not looking for lunch or dinner they do have a coffee shop in the same plaza, as well as a handful of shopping stalls.
Now that our bellies were very full we had some energy to tackle the hills looking at the various architectural gems and peeking in a few stores. The old Copper Queen Hotel is beautiful, in fact, everything here harkens to a more genteel time. Do yourself a favor and make reservations ahead of time to do the copper mine tour. We were disappointed to not be able to get in, but as we drove to the other side of town to our Airbnb we caught a glimpse of the massive crater from the mine.
As the sun was waning we found our 1906 Callumet & Arizona guest house we found on Airbnb. This was an extremely last minute find, but if I’m ever in the area again I’ll definitely book again. The owner, Joy, is very personable, the home has more character and detail than nearly any other place I’ve stayed and the breakfast in the morning was delicious and filling. It was fun to wander the rooms checking out every detail from the copper plated fireplace, to the tin roof ceilings, to a phone from the 1800s. Even the outdoor gardens with koi fish and tucked away patio areas were fun to explore. Our room was the entire top floor with a king sized bed and Murphy bed. It was not lacking in the same charm found throughout the home. There is a link to the Airbnb in Courtyard image.
After our home cooked breakfast we packed our suitcases and drove back towards Tucson proper for our next few nights. I had booked a very special treat, but first, donuts! I have a thing for trying to find a great donut place wherever I visit and it was on this fateful day I realized the problem with this. If it’s somewhere far away you could have a donut you’ll dream about for ages and never be able to have it again. And such is the case with this nondescript pink donut shop Benson Donuts, in the town of the same name. These things were so fresh they tasted perfect even by the next morning. The twist was so tender it nearly fell apart when I held it up like a trophy fish for a photo, the fritter was the size my daughters face, and the coconut buttermilk donut that I have only ever had in Arizona was crispy and perfect. My daughter loved her filled donuts as well. Yes, we saved some for another day. No, I didn’t want to be a responsible adult. The whole box cost us a whopping $9. If you’re prone to drooling scroll quickly past these next photos. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Arriving to our next stay at Rincon Creek Ranch we checked in at the main desk and were driven out to our casita for the next few days. That’s right. We had our very own casita that backed up to Saguaro National park. In fact, it had its own private entrance to the park. We spent a few hours on the patio using the provided binoculars birdwatching over the fields of cacti.
The real star of the show here is the ENORMOUS copper bathtub. I had to fight my daughter for a turn to soak in a bubble bath that fully encompassed my entire 6’ tall frame. Finally, I had found a real soaking tub and the copper held heat for hours!!!
This fully furnished casita had a fireplace with provided firewood, a Dutch door so we could open the top and watch the sun set from our dining table, a full kitchen including a basket of eggs from the owners chickens, as well as a washer and dryer. There is a community center that has a shuffleboard table, bigger TVs, a bar set up as well as movies and games to take back to your casita. We woke in the morning and drove into Saguaro National Park.
I adore the National Parks. I have been to so many and all of them are so different. When someone asks my favorite it’s like choosing which of my children I like best. It is not possible to choose. Saguaro is different than most parks since it is divided in and east and a west side by the town of Tucson. The found the east side is more amenable to a driving tour and the west side is better for hiking. Both are breathtaking taking and both have some opportunities to get out of the car and gawk wide eyed at a forest is cacti. We explored the East side the first day enjoying a stop at the visitors center which is not open everyday, so check hours first. At the end of the loop is Javelina rocks, perfect for a short easy hike with a nice view.
After a few hours in the park we had to drive just a few miles down the road to our reservation at Colossal Caves mountain park. We went into the cave as a small group of six. Our guide showed us many formations and at one point allowed my daughter to use a black light to watch how it retained the light. We were also shown how scorpions glow blue in black lights. This cave has been dry since the ice ages and due to early practices there has been irreversible damage, but it is still beautiful.
When we emerged from our cave tour we were able to catch a glimpse of the local coati family. There are also hiking trails to indulge your inner hiker within the park so if you have time before or after the cave tour go ahead and plan to do a short hike here as well.
Moving from here to the west side of the park we were able to hike to the petroglyphs where we posed with some really old, tall saguaro cacti, some cute little button cacti and got an expansive view of the rolling desert terrain.
On our last full day in Tucson we woke to snow. Yes. My daughter was so excited she threw on her shoes and ran out the door to chase snowflakes with her tongue.
We let the snow ease off and we drove up to Mt. Lemmon to get some real snow. In the Coronado national forest there are several hikes and multiple jaw dropping vistas along the drive to the top.
The tippy top of Mt. Lemmon is 9,159 feet elevation. Plan to take your time getting there. You will want to stop many, many times along the way to explore, play in snow or take a quick snapshot. This day we had plenty of snow on the ground and due to fog the views were hidden until our drive back down.
All that driving left us ready for lunch. When in Arizona, Mexican food is a must. We decided to eat lunch at a place that known for creating the infamous chimichanga. El Charro Cafe has been run by the same family for over 100 years. I had the mini chimichanga appetizer as my meal so I could enjoy birria, chicken, cheese and beef flavors. We ordered flan for dessert. I had to wrestle the flan away from my daughter. It was that good. The kids meal was a nice quesadilla and a few sides. The chicken had a good wood fired grill flavor.
After lunch we had our reservations at the American Sonoran Desert Museum. I wasn’t sure this would be that interesting, but figured it was something to do and why not? Wrong again. And thank goodness because it was a solid hour drive from lunch. Luckily, the running theme of this trip has been my underestimation of how awesome Tucson really is.
This place is part zoo, part botanical garden, part zoo, part geology museum. Really. It is HOURS worth of entertainment. We started off looking at different rocks, even being able to pick one to take home.
Then we moved on the see coyotes, beavers, bighorn sheep, hummingbirds, stingrays and several other animals. The snakes are kept in a different area.
I never knew there were so many varieties of cacti or that they could be so beautiful.
Well, that’s it. A whirlwind 4 days in the southern part of Arizona did not disappoint. As we made our way north for the other half of our vacation we left Tucson behind with some pretty great memories. While there is still more to discover I think we did a pretty good job of filling our vacation days.
If you’d like to see more photos from our trip (oh I know I spammed this blog with a ton anyway) feel free to follow me on Instagram at @jtofjax
Eating Around 