Tucson Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(Tucson, Arizona - AZ, USA)

Tucson has plenty of interesting tourist attractions for the whole family and the theme here is the southwest and Native Americans. From old Western film sets and art museums to 17th-century missions and zoos, Tucson has many top tourist attractions.

Old Tucson, the film set that has played host to so many famous Westerns, also has a theme park and is great for kids, as is the Reid Park Zoo. The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block is also a must-see.

Old Tucson

Address: 201 South Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona AZ, USA
Tel: +1 520 883 0100
Old Tucson is a film set and theme park in one. Originally built for the 1930s movie 'Arizona', Old Tucson has since been used as the set for a number of top movies such as 'Rio Lobo', 'Rio Bravo', and 'El Dorado' starring John Wayne as well as Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman and Kirk Douglas Westerns. The excellent 1990s 'Western Tombstone' was also filmed here. Outside of filming days, Old Tucson reverts back to being a theme park, with loads of rides and attractions for all the family including street shootouts, stagecoach rides and a whole host of children's rides. There are also educational shows on the Wild West.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 18:00
Admission: charge, discount for children

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium

Address: 1601 East University Boulevard / North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona AZ, USA
Tel: +1 520 621 7827
Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium in Tucson is the perfect attraction for budding astronomers, with its large, public telescope and interactive meteor exhibit. Visitors can even attach their cameras to the telescope and take pictures. In addition, the Star Theater features an impressive multimedia show of the stars, while the Mineral Museum situated downstairs showcases numerous rocks and gem attractions that can be examined.
Open hours: Flandrau Science Center, Monday to Wednesday - 10:00 to 15:00, Thursday and Friday - 10:00 to 15:00, 18:00 to 21:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday - 13:00 to 16:00; Planetarium and Observatory, Wednesday to Saturday - dusk to 22:00 on clear evenings
Admission: charge for planetarium, observatory free

Reid Park Zoo

Address: 1100 South Randolph Way, Tucson, Arizona AZ, USA
Tel: +1 520 791 4022
Located near the popular Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson's Reid Park Zoo is a breeding ground for endangered species. It has a fascinating collection of animals and also features a playground for children. Some of the zoo's more interesting attractions include tigers, zebras, giant anteaters and white rhinoceroses, while the South American exhibit features black jaguars, piranhas and the world's largest rodent, the capybara.
Open hours: daily, September to May - 09:00 to 16:00; June to August - 08:00 to 15:00
Admission: charge, discount for children and seniors, children under two free, rates reduced between June and November (off-season)

Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block

Address: 140 North Main Avenue, Tucson, Arizona AZ, USA
Tel: +1 520 624 2333
The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block is one huge museum containing five historic homes and a modern museum, which contains a collection of old and contemporary artwork. This museum complex is on Main Avenue and the five listed buildings are La Casa Cordova, J Knox Corbett House, Stevens Home, Edward Nye Fish House and Romero House, the latter of which has a section of the presidio wall but cannot be toured.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts for children and seniors, members and children under 12 free