"Tucson: The surprise package!" a Tucson Travel Page by M0B1US

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Cacti as far as the eye can see!

Highlights - A little History

Tucson was founded as a military post by the Spanish in 1775 until 1821, when Mexico became independent. In 1853 the US acquired it as part of the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico.
A laid back university city with a heavy outdoors orientation that blends its Native American, Colonial Spanish, Mexican and Western heritage into a modern and sophisticated package, it also boasts a Symphony, Theatre Company, Opera and a Ballet.

Tucson is a perfect place for a winter holiday, as evidenced by the many ‘Snowbird’ holidaymakers that flock here to escape the harsh northern winters. Almost guaranteed blue skies and clement weather hovering in the twenties Celsius is the norm during this time of year.

As for attractions, Tucson has spectacular natural features such as the Sonoran Desert, the Sabino Canyon, Mt Lemmon and the Catalinas and the World famous Kartchner Caverns. Man made features that can be visited include museums, planetariums, missions, western film studios, missile bases, golf courses – and the southernmost skifield of Continental US.

Come and enjoy - you won't be disappointed as there's more than enough to do here for at least a couple of weeks!

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Saguaro National Park West

Quick tips/suggestions

Bring sunblock and remember to drink/carry plenty of water – this is desert country! The temperature can fluctuate wildly between day and night, and in the winter it can get very cold! From April to September the mercury is almost guaranteed to hover above 35 Celsius, although relief can be easily obtained by driving high into the Catalina Mountains with their cooler climate.
From Tucson it is possible to travel further afield on day trips to the fairly near attractions of Tombstone, Biosphere 2 and the Mexican border town of Nogales.

Tucson is also home to many shows throughout the year, including the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show every February which is the World’s largest show of its kind.

Check out Visit Tucson (http://www.visittucson.org/) for a full run down on all the fabulous sites and attractions in this ‘gem’ of a destination!

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Biosphere 2 cutaway model

Best Way to Get Around

As is the case with so much of the US, without a car, you are pretty much stuck as although Tucson has a decent bus system, the major sites are out of town and the distances are pretty large given how the city is spread out. Tucson is also on the Greyhound and Amtrak routes, whose stations are actually in town for a change.
We came in by Greyhound to get a hire car at the airport to avoid interstate drop-off fees. With Alamo at the time, they had a deal where you could pick up and drop off anywhere in Arizona, Nevada and California with incurring a one way fee.

Avoid driving in Tucson around rush hour if possible as the city appears to suffer from pretty bad traffic jams pretty much across the whole place and sitting in the dry heat (even winter) is not my idea of fun!

If you are doing a driving holiday, it is possible to get to the Grand Canyon in the north of the state in a day’s driving.