TUCSON & SOUTHERN ARIZONA ART MUSEUMS & GALLERIES Experience everything from local artist studios to renowned museum exhibits. In the artistic town of Tubac, where more than 100 eclectic galleries and locally owned shops line the streets, you’ll find Tubac Center of the Arts , an epicenter of culture where juried art exhibitions, local artist showcases and performing arts events fill the calendar. Or, venture into the desert just outside Tucson at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum , a 10-acre National Historic District imagined and built by artist Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia. With six permanent collections, rotat-ing exhibits and peaceful grounds to explore, this is a retreat to reignite your creativity. TOP TO BOTTOM: AMERIND MUSEUM; VISIT TUCSON; AOT At the Tucson Desert Art Museum , history, culture and stories from the Southwestern desert come to life through art and artifacts. Peruse an impressive collection of pre-1940s Navajo textiles, transport yourself to the Old West through classic paintings by Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, and see new mural art by contemporary American Indian artists. Meanwhile, the Amerind Museum, Art Gallery and Research Center in Dragoon is a comprehensive museum that tells the story of America’s indigenous people, from Alaska to South America, from the last Ice Age to present day. While you’re here, browse Western art and contemporary art-work by American Indian artists in the museum’s Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery. Amerind Museum, Art Gallery and Research Center, Dragoon MAGICAL MOMENTS IN NATURE BY MARGARET DOYLE If you really want to get in touch with the spirit of the American West, head out into nature. Arizona offers spectacular outdoor adventures, from stunning scenic drives to awesome Sonoran Desert hikes. Go ahead, enjoy a magical moment. Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Vail Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ajo to feeders. Be sure to take a walk along the trail in the lovely Richard Grand Memorial Meadow. Go underground at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail, where the guided Classic Cave Tour will take you six stories deep. Learn about the cave’s history and see ancient formations like stalactites and stalag-mites. Back on land, saddle up for a horseback ride to explore the park’s 2,400 acres that sprawl across the cactus-studded Sonoran Desert. Take off on a wilderness hike through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Ajo. Dozens of miles of trails fan out into the Sonoran Desert, where you’ll encounter canyons teeming with plants and wildlife (including tortoises and javelinas). During the winter months, park rangers host fun educational programs. 53 As you’re driving along Catalina Highway Scenic Drive, be sure to pull over at Windy Point Vista on Mount Lemmon. Hop onto the pedestrian walkway and seek out one of the panoramic viewing areas, where you’ll be treated to sweeping valley views of Tucson and the dramatic Pusch Ridge Wilderness below. Discover what the buzz is all about at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. Sit in the shade of the pavilion—shaped like a hummingbird’s wing—and marvel at the fairy-like birds as they flit at lightning speed from flowers
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