Visiting Tucson? Welcome to the Sonoran Desert! You've landed in a region that encompasses all of the world's biomes. In the Sonoran Desert region, you can find tundra (in the mountains near Flagstaff), coniferous and temperate deciduous forests (in the mountains and foothills), grassland, chaparral, thornscrub, tropical forest (if you travel into Baja California), and, of course, desert.

Before you start exploring any of this region, be sure that you have stocked your RV with plenty of water, sunscreen, and hats for everyone. Additionally, before you plan your trip, be aware that many Arizona state parks will take online RV reservations. You may want to stay at Catalina State Park, which is ideally located and even offers the Pusche Ridge Stables for those who are interested in riding. But, if you plan to stay at Catalina (or any Arizona state park) this summer, keep an eye on weather conditions in the Tucson area. When there is a fire risk in the Santa Catalina mountains, Catalina State Park will be closed. Another option is Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, which is less than an hour away (and a wonderful destination in its own right), but you will have to keep an eye on the fire risk there as well.

Day 1

• Plan to be up early your first day in Tucson, so that you can make it to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum early, while the animals are still active before the sun gets too hot. To get there from Tucson, take I-19 to the Ajo Exit, and follow Ajo Way west for about eight miles until you reach Kinney Road. Turn right onto Kinney and follow it to the Desert Museum, which will be on your left. The Desert Museum is a natural habitat zoo, botanical garden and museum of natural history. To see the whole museum, you'll have to hike through almost two miles of paths across 21 acres of desert. To really get the most out of your Desert Museum experience, plan to be there when the museum opens (7 a.m. in the hottest months of the summer). You'll not only get to see gila monsters, prairie dogs, mountain lions and javelinas in their native habitats, but you'll also have a chance to climb thro ugh a cave (save the cave for later in the day, when you are ready to cool off!). If you are bringing along toddlers who love to grab and touch things, you may want to have a stroller with you – the Desert Museum paths are lined with cacti.
• Toward mid-afternoon, as you drive back toward Tucson along Kinney Road, stop at Old Tucson, an old Western movie set. You can see mock gunfights, stunts, and watch musicals. Kids will enjoy having the chance to drive miniature antique cars, ride a train, and pan for gold. If you are here in April, you can enjoy Old Tucson's Wild West Days, a festival focused on the movie Tombstone, which was partially filmed at Old Tucson.
• When you get back onto Ajo Way, start watching for Junction 386, the Kitt Peak turnoff. Highway 386 will take you onto the Tohono Oodham Reservation, through more of the area's beautiful saguaro forest, and up into the mountains, to the Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center & Museum. Find out in advance if the observatory is having a Nightly Observing Program – if so, you will want to make a reservation. If you do have the chance to stay at Kitt Peak (which normally closes at 4 p.m.) into the evening, be sure to bring warm clothes. It is always about 20 degrees cooler at Kitt Peak than it is in Tucson, and at night even the desert temperature will drop significantly. Bring warm hats and gloves.

Day 2

• Take some time this morning to visit the Pima Air & Space Museum, one of the largest aviation museums on the planet. If you can make it here by 10:30 a.m., you can start a walking tour at the Wright Flyer. The Pima Air & Space Museum also operates tours of Davis-Montham Air Force Base's "Boneyard," otherwise known as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. One of the unique features about this museum is that pets (on a leash) are welcome to come along (but not on the Boneyard tour bus or tram). The museum's Hangar 1 has several hands-on areas for very young children, who can climb into the cockpit of a plane and work the flight controls, or operate a runway control tower by turning on runway lights and listening to radio transmissions. If you run out of time and want to come back later in the day, you can do so – just get a hand stamp before you leave.
• From the Pima Air & Space Museum, it is a short drive to Colossal Cave Mountain Park, the perfect place to cool off for an afternoon after walking around outside all morning. Just take I-10 east to exit 279 and drive north – you will see the signs for Colossal Cave. Bear in mind that the cave is not handicap accessible or stroller-friendly. The usual guided tour will take you about half a mile into the cave, and takes less than an hour, but if you are feeling adventurous, and are able-bodied and over the age of 18, you can sign up for a "Wild Cave Tour," which will take you on a two- or three-hour long excursion through what the cave website describes as "unlit, unmarked, and rarely seen passageways that extend a quarter mile into the depths of the earth." The park also offers a candlelight tour (for ages 10 and over) after hours (you will need a reservati on). The candlelight tour takes about an hour and a half. But you don't have to spend all your time at Colossal Cave actually IN the cave – you can also visit La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum, which has a gemstone sluice, butterfly garden, and tortoise exhibit, or explore the nearby hiking trails.
• To get to Kartchner Caverns State Park, continue east on I-10 toward Benson, and take exit 302, following the signs for Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista. Then turn right at Park Srv Rd. If you aren't tired of spelunking (cave exploring) after Colossal, you can get your fill of it at Kartchner, where you can see the longest stalactite in the world. You may want to make reservations in advance for a tour of the caves, as these tours sometimes sell out. Check the website for the dates of Kartchner's Star Night Events, especially if you are thinking of camping at Kartchner.

Day 3

• From Benson, you can follow Arizona Highway 80 southeast to Tombstone (the "Town Too Tough to Die"), where the famous "gunfight at the OK Corral" took place. In Tombstone, you may want to just poke around and see what you discover -- you can have "old time" photos taken, visit a shooting gallery, tour an underground mine, take a spirit walk through Tombstone's old cemeteries or a ghost tour through town, ride an old stage coach, or visit any of Tombstone's small historic museums.
• From Tombstone, take highway 80 west. A two hour drive will get you to the border at Nogales. You may want to take some time to cross the border and explore both sides of Nogales. Otherwise, head north on I-19. About 25 minutes will get you to the 18th century Spanish mission at Tumacacori, where you can still see much of the original church and outbuildings.
• Keep going north on I-19 for another ten minutes, and you will come to Tubac, a former Spanish fort which has become an art colony. You can still see the adobe ruins of the fort at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. But you will also want to allow time to visit the town's many unique art galleries.
• Completing your tour of southern Arizona's Spanish American colonial history, you will want to stop at the Tohono O'odham reservation on your way back to Tucson (it's just off I-19), to visit the "white dove of the desert," Mission San Xavier del Bac. San Xavier Mission is even older than Tumacacori -- it was founded by Father Kino in 1692 -- and is much better preserved. Mass is still held at San Xavier regularly, so you may want to note the schedule before driving out to the mission.

You'll probably find that there is much more you would like to do in the Tucson area, such as hiking in the mountains, exploring the University of Arizona campus, or just drinking in the beautiful scenery. My advice is, make a list for your next trip -- you'll be back!

About the Author

Joe Laing is the Marketing Director for El Monte RV Rentals. For other great RV camping vacation ideas see the Monty's Musings RV Camping Blog or the new Monty's RV Vacation Photo / Picture Gallery.

To Whomever It May Concern At The Tucson Visitor Center,

On August 25/10 I ended up in downtown Tucson and, lo and behold, I saw the sign "Visitor Center". Walking in, I was immediately struck by the cordiality of the lady working the late afternoon shift, the vast number of brochures to be found, and the great advice given to myself by the wonderful lady (whose name I unfortunately never got to know). She not only gave great suggestions as to where I might find a suitable hotel within my budget range, but she also put me in touch with Michael Foltz -- owner and operator of Reisen Arizona Day Tours.

That Michael Foltz is extremely knowledgeable about all of Arizona goes without saying. After all, that is his job and the sort of thing one would expect from a tour guide. But unlike most tour guides (and I've had a few over the years), Michael is possessed of a certain charm, wit, and wisdom that can turn even a seemingly mundane exercise (such as standing on a street corner in Tombstone) into an exciting intellectual adventure.

Stated differently, Michael is not someone who merely goes through a series of perfunctory motions in his role as tour guide. To the contrary, he bubbles with the sort of enthusiasm which suggests that, even if he were not being paid, he would gladly inform individuals about Arizona out of sheer enthusiasm and willingness to help people. In fact, while guiding me through Mission San Xavier del Bac, we encountered a stray truck driver who was hopelessly lost and who, despite his predicament, saw fit to step inside the church after Michael gave him the proper directions in addition to telling the driver that he had mistakenly strayed onto the parking lot of the oldest church in the United States.

Quite clearly, then, Michael comported himself with the sort of cheery enthusiasm about Arizona that I found both quite remarkable and contagious. Indeed, because I enjoyed the first tour so much (Tombstone), I felt the strong urge to go on yet another tour with Michael. Unlike most guides, Michael was able to offer social, political and cultural commentary which, for a Canadian such as myself, proved to be indispensable in enabling me to tap into the "pulse beat" of Arizona. Had I been able to stay for another week I would in all likelihood have taken another two or three tours with him. Alas, I had to fly back to Toronto on the first of September.

Once again, therefore, I must thank the Tucson Visitor Center for having provided myself with such sound advice and such a remarkable tour guide in the person of Michael Foltz. I will tell others. Cheers from Toronto! jvk.

The All Souls Procession started in the early 1990's by local artist Susan Johnson, who was grieving the passing of her father. Her initial ritualistic performance was inspired by Mexico's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday, as she felt she should honor her father in celebration and creativity. Now, 20-years later, the All Souls Procession has become a weekend event, and draws over 20,000 people to downtown Tucson in early November. The two-mile long procession is filled with, artists, performers, and local residents remembering, honoring, and mourning family members, friends, and even beloved pets. Their creative costumes, face painting, altars, and artwork are incredible to see. Even if you don't directly participate by dressing up, you can write messages to your deceased loved ones on scraps of paper (also available online on the All Souls website), which are put into a huge urn that is part of the procession. At the end of the procession, the entire urn is burned to honor those who have passed.

This year was the second time I've attended the All Soul's Procession, and while I didn't directly participate, it had special meaning to me because of a recent death in my family. My wife and I stood by the new 4th Avenue Underpass near the Rialto Theatre to watch the procession roll by. Hearing the pounding drums echoing through the underpass, and watching the procession slowly crawl toward us, was a very moving experience. I stood and watched all the participants walking by, holding up photos of their deceased family and friends, and was amazed at the amount of time and creativity that went into their costumes, painting, and artwork. It is a strange but comforting feeling being connected to so many other people, knowing that all of us, no matter our background or past, all share in the same pain of losing our loved ones.

It is difficult to describe in detail the entire procession. There is a sadness there, but there is also celebration. Pounding drums, dancing, and laughter as people celebrate life. Even if you haven't lost anyone, the entire event is still very entertaining to watch. As the website states: "The Procession is a sanctuary for community members from all walks of life to express their grief and loss in a celebration of creative energy and a rejoicing of living."

After the procession, we walked back through downtown, under the underpass, to 4th Avenue, where we had a couple drinks, some dinner, and celebrated and honored in our own way.

There is no fee to participate in the procession. All you need to do is show up, though the event organizers ask that you show up early to register and line up. You can also get more involved by donating to Many Mouths, One Stomach, the non-profit arts collective that is the organizing body for the Procession, or volunteering. Regardless, if you've never been downtown to watch the All Souls Procession, I highly recommend it.

Broadway in Tucson's The Color Purple was truly an emotional journey ... laughter, joy, sadness (with tears), courage, hope.... just to name a few. The voices and choreography of all the cast were strong and electrifying! I left the theatre feeling very upbeat, as I do with all of their productions. A night to be treasured and remembered!"
- Laurie White

The Color Purple show last night was wonderful. I was impressed with the high quality vocals & sets. It was also great to see such a diverse audience enjoying the show - everything from high school & college age & young twenty-somethings to middle & retirement age. Broadway in Tucson truly has a great show line-up this season and we're looking forward to seeing them all.
- Belinda Atteberry

Once again, Broadway in Tucson doesn't disappoint. The Color Purple performance at Tucson Music Hall was simply wonderful. Bravo! From the set, to the live music, to the choreography and vocals - everything was world-class and well worth the affordable ticket price. Tucson Music Hall is a convenient location (allowing one to easily dine at one of many downtown restaurants before the show) that doesn't offer a bad seat in the house! I can't wait to go back for Beauty and the Beast later this month and Wicked in January!
- Kimberly Schmitz

What a treat to see Broadway in Tucson's production of the Color Purple Musical at Tucson Music Hall. The production was over two hours long and well worth it. It's no surprise that an Oprah Winfrey production is done to perfection.
- Elva Carbajal

I thought it was wonderful. A difficult subject was presented with charm & humor.
- Laree Murphy

I love being a tourist in my own city, and thanks to a recent visit from my delightful in-laws (from Erie, PA) I took some time out to explore!

Dining: Lucky for us, there is no shortage of great food in Tucson. We had a wonderful lunch at the newly inspired La Cocina in Old Town Artisans, and our server Eric, was friendly, timely and the food fresh and very tasty! Tis been two weeks and my mother-in-law is STILL salivating over the chocolate tofu pie....
Along with 100's of onlookers, we watched the bats emerge from under the Campbell Avenue bridge at the Rillito River, and afterwards we dined at one of my regular favorites: Zona 78 on River & Stone. The food is always great and the service always terrific.

Later in the week we dined at another downtown "must", Cafe Poca Cosa. Bonnie, our server. was excellent! She took such good care of us we almost succumbed to dessert even though we were beyond full of our amazing meal. Cafe Poca Cosa never ceases to amaze!

Excursions: We drove up to Mount Lemmon, marveling at the change of foliage and temperature. From saguaros and 93 degrees on the desert floor to pine trees and 69 degrees at the summit. Plenty of overlooks in all directions with breathtaking taking views from each one. Truly spectacular!

On a whim, we headed to Sonoita on a Sunday afternoon for some wine tasting. Our first stop was Callaghan Vineyards, where our hostess Lisa was busily and efficiently taking care of a full house of visitors. We purchased our glass and tasted through eight fun wines (many made from local fruit) before making a few purchases and heading off to Lightning Ridge Cellars. Lightning Ridge is a relatively new winery whose tasting room has incredible views, southwest hospitality and the largest vineyard dog I have ever seen; a beautiful Great Dane, Bruna. Owners Ron and Ann were terrific hosts and have some fabulous estate wines in the bottle, and in the barrel! If you want a VIP tasting opportunity, this would be a great call! Terrific wines and fun gadgets await.

For some southwestern retail therapy and gifts to take back to Erie, we dove into Tohono Chul Park's gift shops. Not enough time to stroll the grounds, but we will save that for next time.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum never disappoints and this time we took a tour with docent Lynne, and got all kinds of welcome insight into the plants and back story on many of the animals. Then a first for me: Running Wild with George Carpenter, which was SO much fun. Who knew you could train a ringtail cat, a quail, a porcupine, a skunk, a pelican and a military McCaw? VERY educational and EXTREMELY entertaining! Thank you Lynne and George (and plant expert Jeff) for creating yet another extraordinary museum experience.

My family had a wonderful time, and even though I live in Tucson, I never cease to learn something new and exciting!

Last week I attended the 2010 Tucson Area Music Awards, or "The TAMMIES", as they're more commonly known. The free event was held in the historic Rialto Theatre, one of the most happening places downtown. I arrived just after the show had started, and Key Ingredients of African Soul already had people dancing in the aisles. There were several other great performances between awards presentations, such as Andrew Collberg, Tucson Music Hall of Fame inductee Howe Gelb, and Band/Musician of the Year, Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on. They are increasingly taking their talents beyond Arizona's borders, so catch them here when you can.

It was a great night to be out celebrating Tucson's amazing music scene in a great venue. The Rialto Theatre, built in 1920, averages 130 concerts per year and for five years running has been voted Best Indoor Venue in the Tucson Weekly's annual Best of Tucson issue. A show at the Rialto is a great reason to come downtown. Dinner and drinks at one of the terrific restaurants in the area is also recommended! To see what's coming up next at The Rialto, go to www.rialtotheatre.com. For a full list of Tucson Area Music Awards winners, visit TAMMIES.com.

My friend Reigna and I had the opportunity to go to the BODIES: The Exhibition at the Rialto Theater in Tucson at our arrival we were greetered by a very friendly and patient staff who gave us information about the exhibition and answered all our questions. It was an amazing exhibition. They show the human bodies dissected and you could see each part of the human body, muscles, veins, bones, etc. Each of the parts had a scientific explanation. I learned a lot about my body, and most importantly, how complete and perfect it is. I also learned of many diseases that attack the bodies and their causes.

The part that impressed me the most was the area of the fetuses. Maybe because I'm a mom and I could see how a fetus develops from one week to another, and above all knowing that those babies are real and once again I see how perfect is the nature of our bodies. I really recommend all go and give yourself an opportunity to see, learn and explore BODIES: The Exhibition in Tucson, an exhibit that you definitely do not want to miss.

 

In March, my parents drove down from Sedona to visit and enjoy some of Tucson's wonderful Spring weather. Considering how much time my parents spend pruning, changing, trimming, and beautifying their yard, I thought they would love to go visit Tohono Chul Park.

Tohono Chul Park is considered one of the best botanical gardens in the United States, and it shows! The park is located in north Tucson, just west of Oracle Road and slightly north of Ina Road. They have paved paths and dirt trails that meander throughout the entire property, with signage that describes the incredible amount of local flora. Volunteer docents are always available and very helpful with their knowledge of the Park's history and it's plants, as well. They also have guided tours, school outreach programs, and great activities for kids.

There is also an art gallery, in which we spent a good amount of time gazing at the local art, a greenhouse (that at the time had an amazing plant sale going on), and a very well regarded restaurant, the Tea Room.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed taking a break from the bustle of the city to walk the serene trails, take photos, and just be part of the Sonoran Desert. It was amazing that we were still technically surrounded by "city." You'd never know it!

My family kicked off the extra long Memorial Day Weekend with a trip to the extended engagement of "BODIES: The Exhibition" downtown in the Rialto Theater. Clearly, it's a popular temporary attraction for Tucson, as there was a line out the door on a Friday after lunch. Fortunately, the Exhibit is inside, comfortably air conditioned, and the line moved quickly.

My husband and I entered with two teenage daughters in tow and you never really know what to expect with girls! Although, since both are fairly science-minded and have spent a lot of time with Doctors over the years, we knew it would be of interest to them. Our youngest, spent the first half of our time there just coming to grips with the fact that everything we were seeing was real, and not a sculpted model like she's used to seeing with her Pediatrician. I would have to agree that it was fascinating to know that what we were viewing were real examples of what our bodies look like inside. My husband seemed to enjoy all of the skeletal views with muscles & tendons to see where it hurts when he over-exercises. We all also found the petrified-looking slices really interesting, along with the full body view of all the arteries and vessels. It's amazing how small and threadlike they really look, as we all expected them to be much thicker.

Easily the most memorable were the models that showed sickness and disease in the body. Seeing the healthy examples of lungs & then seeing smoker's lungs was a pretty powerful image. We really liked the care and thought that went into having a clear trash bin for people to immediately drop their cigarettes into directly next to it. Hopefully, that power of suggestion will keep the motivation to give up smoking for good for those that do. Our daughter has struggled with asthma since she was a baby, so it was interesting to see up close & personal.

For anyone who has ever had surgery or injured a part of their body, it was easy to gravitate closer and longer to those special areas of interest for you as an individual. You can go (as we did) unguided and just read the signage and fun facts at each display. Or, you can get an audio guided tour with these small, hand-held devices that explained each display with just a push of a button.

Our greeter told us to allow about an hour to an hour-and-a-half to get through it all. But, the ease of navigating around the displays will allow you to do it in less time, if need be. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience to see it for yourself and really see what you're made of. The Rialto Theater is easy to get to and they have nice long hours every day, so it should fit into about any schedule you are on. And, everyone should have an interest in it at some level, because it's exploration of your own body. BODIES: The Exhibition is also a nice break from the Summer heat as a unique indoor adventure.

"Where Words and Imagination come to life" is an excellent description of the 2nd Annual Tucson Festival of Books on the University of Arizona campus. On Saturday, March 14th my daughter invited me to join her and her family to go the festival. I thought we'd only be there a couple of hours for my granddaughters to look around. What I didn't envision was that you could hardly haul me away from the place once I got there. This festival truly has something for all ages.

 

Upon our arrival, we watched the Lindley Lopez literary Circus who performed spectacles and tricks with literary themes. The group originates from San Diego's Sophia Isadora Academy of Circus Arts. My granddaughters Dana and Amaya were enthralled by the contortionists and enjoyed Thing 1 and Thing 2 performances from the Dr. Seuss book, Cat in the Hat. Looking at the crowd around me, I saw all ages enjoying the performance.

Dana and Amaya took turns at the Tucson Medical Center's prize wheel, played giant checkers and saw characters such as Curious George, Wild Thing, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Skippyjon Jones. There was so much to do and see. The girls could draw, paint or even get free books. Both entered a contest to name a woolly mammoth. Grandma wanted a Tomas the Turtle Hat but the TMC tent ran out early.

Turning the corner, Janos Wilder of Janos Restaurant at the Westin La Paloma was whipping up chile rellenos in the culinary stage tent. We began to get hungry and headed off to the food vendors. Some of Tucson's favorite restaurants such as Ziva's, Beyond Bread, Fat Greek and Choice Catering and served up a reasonably priced lunch. Seating for meals was under a large tent. The tables were all pretty much full so my son in law asked a couple of women if we could join them at their table. I kept thinking that the one woman looked familiar, and then I could finally read her name tag. It was Janis Ian, the songwriter/author who was promoting her book, Society's Child and would be interviewed by the bestselling author JA Jance on Sunday! It was all I could do not to ask her about Jimi Hendrix or what Arlo Guthrie is really like.

Then it was off to the BIO5/ Ventana Roche Science Zone Tent. There, my granddaughters extracted DNA from their cheek cells to wear in test tube around their neck, learned what life as a water molecule would be like and entered the fascinating world of insects. My personal favorite exhibit in the science tent was Brain Works.

Presented by the UA School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, there were experiments that illustrated how the brain plays tricks on you and how the different parts of the brain work. The exhibit had a brain zoo that consisted of bug brains, pigeon brains, cat brains, whale brains and even human brains! I never thought that in my lifetime, I would actually touch a human brain or examine a really human scull but I did. It was totally amazing. I was so into the exhibit that my granddaughters thought that I was out of control. For me however, it was a one of a kind learning experience.

Looking back at the event, I would suggest that you map out your festival events in advance. There are so many diverse authors, workshops and activities that attending both days of the festival is a must. Books are available on site for purchase for the author signings. Wear comfortable shoes and sunscreen. Bring a camera as you will never know who you will see there. For the many free books, pencils and assorted freebies bring a tote bag or backpack and if you want a Tomas the Turtle hat, come early.

Next year's, 3rd Annual Tucson Festival of Books is slated for March 12-13, 2011.