Arizona Official State Travel Guide • Arizona 2025-26 • Tucson & Southern Arizona

Benson, Bisbee, Elgin, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Sierra Vista, Tohono O’odham Nation, Tombstone, Tubac, Tucson, Willcox

This region offers everything from urban attractions to remote solitude — with a whole lot in between. From centuries-old stands of towering saguaro cactuses to rolling hillsides in lush wine country to authentic Old West towns that once bustled with prospectors and pioneers, this corner of Arizona is full of surprises. Set aside plenty of time to explore the character-rich college town of Tucson, where art galleries, historical museums, trendsetting eateries and urban adventures beckon.

AREA HIGHLIGHTS

AMERIND MUSEUM, DRAGOON
From ancient artifacts to contemporary artistic explorations of modern-day issues, this museum and art gallery nestled amid the natural beauty of Texas Canyon is dedicated to American Indian and Western art, history, culture and archaeology. Be sure to stop by the Amerind Museum Store to shop museum-quality handicrafts.

KARTCHNER CAVERNS STATE PARK, BENSON
Descend into an awe-inspiring underground world of soda straw stalactites, brushite moonmilk and needle quartz formations when you go on a guided cave tour. Above ground, explore miles of scenic hiking trails rated from easy to difficult. The cave, campgrounds and picnic areas are wheelchair accessible.

ARAVAIPA CANYON WILDERNESS
Rugged cliffs, deep canyons, peaceful waters and lush foliage set the scene for outdoor adventure in this 19,410- acre wilderness area. Hike the unofficial trails and take your pick from side canyons, chimneys and outcroppings along the way. Permits are required for all activities — including hiking.

BISBEE MINING AND HISTORICAL MUSEUM, BISBEE
Explore “The Queen of the Copper Camps” at this Smithsonian-affiliated museum, where you’ll enter a state-of-the-art mining exhibit rife with crystals and minerals. Take in the history of this historic town, where miners once blasted their way through thousands of miles of tunnels in search of precious metals.

SONOITA/ELGIN AND WILLCOX AVA WINE REGIONS
Escape to rolling hillsides, picture perfect rows of grape vines and unpretentious tasting rooms when you visit southeastern Arizona’s two American Viticultural Areas. The Sonoita/Elgin region is Arizona’s longest-established AVA and home to some of the state’s best-known winemakers, while the Willcox wine region grows more than 75 percent of Arizona’s wine grapes.

O. K. CORRAL, TOMBSTONE
Transport yourself to the rough-and tumble Wild West when you stand in the very place where the infamous gun fight occurred in 1881. Watch a daily re-enactment, walk through the 1880s stables and blacksmith shop, and see historic photographs of Tombstone life as it was “back then.”

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC MISSION, TUCSON
A vision of white against vast blue skies and stark desert, this Catholic church known as the “White Dove of the Desert” was completed in 1797 when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. Today, this National Historic Landmark on Tohono O’odham Tribal Lands is regarded as one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the country.

ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM, TUCSON
This multifaceted museum offers an array of experiences. Stroll the botanical gardens filled with Sonoran Desert plant life, see wildlife up-close at the on-site zoo, marvel at rocks and minerals at the natural history exhibits, spot underwater creatures at the Warden Aquarium and view artwork in the galleries.

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT, AJO
Cactuses flourish in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the only place you can see large stands of organ pipe cactuses in the United States. Visit in the spring when gold poppies, blue lupine, pink owl clover and other annuals flower or in the summer when the park’s 31 species of cactuses bloom, both day and night.

EVENTS IN THE AREA

ADVENTURES FOR CURIOUS KIDS

Calling all future pilots, zoologists, architects, doctors and scientists! Tucson is teeming with kid-friendly attractions that will spark any little one’s imagination and creativity. Tour the Pima Air & Space Museum to see nearly 400 aircraft. The aerospace museum features six hangars, an 80-acre airfield and thousands of artifacts that will take your family through the history of aviation, from commercial airliners to military aircraft dating back to World War II. The exhibits at Children’s Museum Tucson revolve around imaginative play. Kids will love the diverse hands-on activities and displays. Examine larger-than-life body parts at Bodyology. Get scientific with the interactive experiments of Gravity and the Investigation Station. Let your imagination run wild with the arts, crafts and tools of Imagine It! Climb aboard a fire engine, ambulance and police motorcycle at the Public Safety exhibit. Then, learn how to care for your family pet in the Pet Vet exhibit. Browse over 500 antique dollhouses and miniatures at The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. This unique museum houses recreated bookshops, antique stores, colonial rooms and hundreds of other detailed collections and dioramas from skilled miniaturists. Go on safari at Reid Park Zoo. Elephants, grizzly bears, giraffes, jaguars and hundreds of other animals await you at this 24-acre attraction. Consider booking a behind-the-scenes experience where your family can choose one of six private experiences, including the Giraffe Encounter, the Animal Ambassadors Experience or the Aldabra Tortoise Experience.

TASTE YOUR WAY THROUGH TUCSON

Tucson earned its place on the global food map as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the country for its deep agricultural heritage and regional flavors. Desert staples like prickly pear and heirloom corn still shape what goes on your plate, and you’ll see them in everything from carne asada tacos to agave cocktails. Tucson’s food culture reflects Indigenous farming, Mexican cooking traditions and the creativity of the borderland region — and there are plenty of ways to experience it for yourself.

TAKE A TOUR
With a food scene rooted in tradition and shaped by the desert, it’s no surprise BBC Travel named Tucson one of the 25 Best Places to Visit in 2025. For anyone who loves to eat, it’s a city worth tasting for yourself. One of the best ways to dive in is on a Taste of Tucson Downtown food tour, where stops range from historic taquerías to modern kitchens pushing the boundaries of Sonoran cuisine. Think handmade tortillas, slow-cooked carne seca and house-roasted chiltepin salsas. For a different kind of tasting experience, Whiskey Del Bac offers distillery tours and pours of its mesquite-smoked single malts — a distinctly Southwestern take on American whiskey.

ATTEND FLAVORFUL FESTIVALS
Tucson’s culinary calendar is packed with events that highlight the region’s roots and evolving food culture. Sonoran Restaurant Week features curated prix-fixe menus from standout local chefs. Pueblos del Maíz, a regional festival honoring the cultural significance of corn, brings the streets to life with food, music and tradition. The Agave Heritage Festival’s tastings, chef dinners and seminars center around delicious mezcal, bacanora and agave-based cocktails, while the Tucson Tamal & Heritage Festival at Casino Del Sol puts tamales in the spotlight, with sweet and savory varieties to savor.

SAMPLE FRESH INGREDIENTS
At the Heirloom Farmers Market at Rillito Park, local growers highlight handmade tamales, native squash and heritage grains from nearby valleys. The weekly Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market showcases freshly grown produce and culturally relevant foods not always available in grocery stores. Stop by for a cooking demonstration or food sample.

NATURALLY INCREDIBLE PLACES
This region has no shortage of stunning rock formations. At Chiricahua National Monument, discover rhyolite rock pinnacles, balanced rocks, columns and other formations created by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. See these geological wonders on a hike or a scenic drive.

Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson ranks among the most beautiful living caves in the world. On a tour, you’ll pass one of the longest soda straw stalactites in existence, the world’s most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk, the tallest column in Arizona and other incredible displays.

Just 15 miles southeast of Tucson, Colossal Cave Mountain Park offers a family-friendly tour of its caverns six stories underground, where you’ll learn about the cave’s geology, wildlife and legends. A more adventurous tour takes visitors through tight passages and across rock bridges.

HAVEN FOR ARTISTS

You’ll discover incredible arts and crafts wherever you travel in Arizona. But in the southern part of the state, several art destinations stand out for their unique sense of place.

One of the most famous of these is DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum. Located in the foothills of Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains, the Gallery in the Sun pays tribute to Ettore “Ted” Grazia, known for his whimsical paintings of American Indian children. In addition to displaying his art, the gallery-turned-museum sells DeGrazia originals, so you can take the artist’s work home with you. Also in Tucson, the Monterey Court Studio Galleries and Cafe was originally a motel when it opened in 1938. Today, it is home to a restaurant, bar and several galleries and shops surrounding a courtyard where live music plays most nights. You’ll find everything from artisan jewelry and handbags at Uptown Rodeo Rose to several tattoo parlors, salons and beauty services.

Farther south, La Entrada de Tubac resembles the Spanish village that the country’s soldiers may have left to come to the area in 1752. Today, you can visit the presidio they built here, but La Entrada de Tubac is a destination itself. Its galleries showcase original paintings, sculptures and photography while specialty shops sell Southwestern home decor, handcrafted jewelry, clothes, native plants and local food items. Before you go, savor the flavors of Mexico at Elvira’s Restaurant, which opened in 1927.

In the former copper mining town of Bisbee, discover a quirky enclave of contemporary creativity amid historic Victorian, Art Deco and Mission Revival-style buildings. Find bold, fresh pieces at Artemizia Foundation, a stunning collection of more than 1,000 works of contemporary, graffiti and street art by 125 artists — more than half of which are female or people of color, or stroll all the town’s galleries on the second Saturday of the month during Bisbee After 5 Art Walk. Unleash your own creativity or watch artists in action the second weekend of October during the Plein Air Festival.

Arizona Official State Travel Guide - Arizona 2025-26

Tucson & Southern Arizona

AREA HIGHLIGHTS

EVENTS IN THE AREA

ADVENTURES FOR CURIOUS KIDS

TASTE YOUR WAY THROUGH TUCSON

HAVEN FOR ARTISTS

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