The Arts 

Cited as a "mini-mecca" for the arts by The Wall Street Journal, Tucson presents a diverse range of cultural activities. Concerts, theater, musicals, dance and opera companies can be enjoyed throughout the city. The Temple of Music and Art, a renovated Spanish Colonial-style building built in 1927, hosts a variety of events. 330 S. Scott Avenue, 520/884-8210. Spring through fall performances take place at De Meester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park, 22nd Street and Country Club Road, 520/7914079. And, Centennial Hall at the University of Arizona, University Boulevard and Park Avenue, 520/621-3341, is another site for a wide variety of entertainment.

Museums 

The Arizona Historical Society/ Tucson Museum's exhibits focus on state history from Spanish times to the present and include costumes and a collection of nineteenth century glass. Also there an Arizona mining hall complete with a mine shaft and an extensive research library. 949 E. 2nd Street (near entrance to the University of Arizona), 628-5774.  

The society's Sosa-Carrillo Fremont House has been restored to its 1880 appearance when it was occupied by Territorial Governor Fremont. Period furniture, memorabilia and changing displays are exhibited. 151 S. Granada (in the Tucson Convention Center complex), 622-0956.  

Fort Lowell Museum is also a branch of the historical society and is located in Old Fort Lowell Park. The museum is a reconstruction of the commanding officer's quarters and features three rooms that are furnished as they were in 1885. It is surrounded by the ruins of the fort's hospital and enlisted men's barracks. 2900 N. Craycroft Road, 885-3832.  

A fascinating museum is the International Wildlife Museum. Housed in a replica of a French Foreign Legion fort in Africa's Sahara Desert, the 38,000-squarefoot museum features dioramas depicting over 300 species of animals and birds from around the world in their natural habitats. Wildlife films are shown and guided tours are offered. 4800 W. Gates Pass Road (off Speedway Boulevard), 629-0100.  

Children will enjoy the Tucson Children's Museum which features hands-on activities and programs in science, health, technology and the arts. Everything from a doctor's office with real and pretend equipment plus a life-like anatomical model which can be taken apart to a Newton's Cradle (in the Science and Mathematics Gallery) which illustrates the laws of motion can be found here. Also a Natural History Gallery and the Kidspace play area add to the fun along with a children's theater and special programs. 200 S. 6th Avenue, 792-9985 (activity hotline - 884-7511).  

Emphasizing the archaeology and ethnology of Arizona, the Arizona State Museum's collections illustrate the cultures of the Southwest and are considered the most comprehensive in existence. Dioramas depict ancient and modern Indian lifestyles. University of Arizona, Park Avenue and University Boulevard, 621-6302.  

Also on the university's campus in the Geology Building is the Mineral Museum. The exhibits emphasize the vast variety of Arizona's minerals plus displays of fine gem stones and fossils from around the world. North Campus Drive, 621-6024.  

Pima Air Museum displays over 180 vintage aircraft representing the nation's aviation history. A fullscale replica of the Wright Brothers' 1903 plane plus several rare planes are featured. 6000 E. Valencia Road (10 miles southeast of Tucson), 574-9658. The world's only ballistic missile complex that has been preserved as a museum is the unique Titan Missile Museum. Guided one-hour tours of the facility are conducted daily. W. Duval Mine Road, Green Valley, 625-7736 (Tucson phone 791-2929).    

Art Museums/Galleries 

Pre-Columbian artifacts and Western American art can be viewed at the Tucson Museum of Art along with Spanish Colonial and twentieth century European and American art. In addition to the main museum building is La Casa Cordova, housing the Mexican Heritage Museum, and the Casa Romero Art School. 140 N. Main Avenue, 624-2333.  

The University of Arizona Museum of Art houses the Kress Collection of more than fifty European paintings from the Renaissance through the seventeenth century, including the twenty-six gilded, fifteenth-century Spanish paintings by Fernando Gailego that make up the "Retablo of the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo". The museum's twentieth-century collection of art and sculpture features models by Jacques Lipchitz and works by Picasso, Rodin, Henry Moore and Andrew Wyeth. Visiting exhibits are also on view. Park Avenue and Speedway Boulevard, 621-7567.  

Another unique museum at the university is the Center for Creative Photography. With over 50,000 photographs of about 1,400 photographers, the center houses one of the most comprehensive collections in the world. Featured are the complete sets of photos by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Richard Avedon. 1030 N. Olive Road, 621-7968.  

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is a memorial to Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia. His paintings, bronzes and ceramics are displayed in the unique adobe building which he designed. Works of local artists are also on display. 6300 N. Swan Road, 299-9199.  

In the center city area is the Tucson Arts District which is filled with galleries, studios and shops featuring works of every type. Old Town Artisans in the El Presidio Historic District is where hundreds of regional and Latin American artists exhibit. And, on the first and third Saturdays of the month, Downtown Saturday Night - a celebration of both visual and performing arts - takes place. Galleries and shops remain open and the atmosphere is festive with music and imomptu performances.  

Historic Districts & Dwellings 

Tucson has a number of historic neighborhoods that create interesting walking tours. The Armory Park Historic District is located west of Stone Avenue between 12th and 19th streets. Developed in the late 1800s by the Southern Pacific Railroad, this residential area features Queen Anne Victorians and a regional style called Anglo Territorial - a blend of Spanish Colonial, Mexican materials and American design features.  

South of Cushing Street between Stone Avenue and the railroad is the Barrio Historico Historic District (also called Barrio Viejo). More than 150 adobes are located here and many have been restored. This district is part of the original Barrio Libre, the oldest area of the city. The 100-year-old Cushing Street Bar displays photographs of the old neighborhood.  

North of Armory Park is the Pie Allen Neighborhood which is south of 6th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue. This is a residential area named after an apple pie salesman, John Bracket (Pie) Allen, who laid claim to the land, knowing housing would be needed for railroad workers. Anglo Territorial, Sonoran adobe and Revival-style homes predominate.  

Farther north, south of Speedway Boulevard between Tydall Avenue and Stone is the West University Historic District. This is another residential area developed around 1900 with a mix of architectural styles.  

The most interesting historic district is El Presidio south of 6th Street between Granada and Church avenues. This area was Tucson's original neighborhood established in 1775 around the Spanish presidio. The Tucson Museum of Art complex and Old Town Artisans are in this district along with other magnificent buildings.  

The Tucson/Pima County Historical Commission can confirm hours and assist with tours of these districts. 791-4121. 
 

Flora & Fauna 

The desert is filled with unique plants and Tucson has several locations where they can be seen. Tucson Botanical Gardens has over 500 different native desert plants, herbs and flowers. Over five acres are covered with a collection of gardens including a historical Tucson garden, herb garden, cactus and succulent garden, spring wildflower garden and an iris garden among others. Also, there is a tropical greenhouse and lecture tours are available. 2150 N. Alvernon Way, 326-9255. 

Tohono Chul Park is another site where cacti and other succulents can be observed in a natural desert environment. This private park has ramadas, various gardens, a stream and nature trails. There is an exhibition hall and guided tours are offered. 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, 575-8468. 
A living museum, the 12-acre Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum displays over 1,200 kinds of plants and 200 animal species native to the Sonoran Desert. Underground limestone cave galleries exhibit subterranean life and geology. The Congdon Earth Sciences Center has exhibits depicting the Earth's history. Guided tours of the grounds are provided. 2021 N. Kinney Road, 883-2702. 

Seventeen acres of the 160-acre Gene C. Reid Park are devoted to Tucson's Reid Park Zoo. Over 350 exotic animals, fish, reptiles and birds from all around the world can be observed in naturalistic settings. East 22nd Street between Country Club Road and Alvernon Way, 7913204. 


Attractions 

Built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures for the filming of Arizona, Old Tucson Studios is a replica of 1860 Tucson. Mock gunfights, stunt demonstrations, stagecoach rides, saloon revues and museums filled with plenty of Western memorabilia are the main attractions. There are also shops, restaurants and an antique carousel. 201 S. Kinney Road, 883-0100. 

Known as the "White Dove of the Desert", Mission San Xavier Del Bac is a brilliantly white Spanish structure with carvings, arches, domes and spires. Located on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation, the mission was completed in 1797 by the Franciscans and is still active. A 45-minute self-guiding tour is available. 1950 W. San Xavier Road, 294-2624. 
 

Observatories 

On the main campus of the University of Arizona is Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium featuring star and laser shows in the Dome Theater. Optical science, astronomy and space exploration exhibits encourage visitor experimentation and a 16-inch telescope is available to the public for night viewings, weather permitting. University Boulevard and Cherry Avenue, 621 -STAR. 

Also on the University of Arizona Campus is the Steward Observatory containing a 21 -inch telescope and a 7-inch photographic telescope. For information about public access call 621-2288. 

Fifty-six miles southwest of Tucson in the Quintan Mountains of the Sonoran is Kitt Peak National Observatory. The world's largest solar telescope, the 100-foot-high McMath, is housed here along with twenty others. A visitor center offers one-hour guided tours, exhibits about the universe and observatory and a thirty-minute film. Off SR 86, 620-5350. 


Special Attractions 

Tombstone, "the town too tough to die", is 73 miles southeast of Tucson and is a National Historic Site. Built in the 1880s, during the wild west days of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Tombstone's attractions include the Bird Cage Theatre, Boothill Graveyard, the O.K. Corral and the Rose Tree Inn Museum. The Historama offers a show combining a taped narration and animated figures on a revolving stage to tell the history of Tombstone. US 80, 457-2211. 

A half-hour south on State Highway 80 is the old mining town of Bisbee. Here, visitors don miner's caps and slickers to take an underground tour of the Queen Mine or visit such attractions as Brewery Gulch, the Mining & Historical Museum and the Lavender Pit Mine. More than 25,000 items spanning 10,000 years of cultural history in the Americas can be found at the Amerind Foundation Museum, 64 miles east of Tucson in the rock formations of Texan Canyon. The primary focus is on the cultures of the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, the Arctic and the Indian civilizations of Mexico and South America. An art gallery display works by Native Americans and Western artists including works by Frederic Remington. Off 1-10 at exit 318, Dragoon, 586-3666. 

One of the world's largest dry caverns, Colossal Cave, is 22 miles east of Tucson. Guided tours wind through fascinating crystal formations illuminated by hidden lights and a formerbank robbers' hideout. Old Spanish Trail Road, 791-7677. 

Tumacacori National Monument, 48 miles south of Tucson, was once a Pima Indian village. It became a Spanish mission in 1697 when Jesuit Father Kino arrived. The ruins of a massive adobe church, which was never completed because of Apache raids, are here along with a museum where exhibits unfold local history and mission life. 1-19, 398-2341. 

Thirty-five miles north of Tucson is Biosphere 2, a three-acre, airtight, steel-and-glass structure which is a microcosm of Earth. A guided tour starts with a film introduction at the Preview Center where there is a replica of the biosphere. Afterwards there is a walking tour of the different Biosphere 2 environments including tropical rain forest, savanna, marsh, ocean, desert, agricultural and human bays. This is a test site for determining an ecosystem's ability to recycle air, water and nutrients in order to sustain plant and animal life. Visitor Center, Highway 77, Mile Marker 96.5, Oracle, 825-6200.