Read below for our recommendations of what to do in Tucson.  Also check out www.visittucson.org for more ideas of what to do in Tucson.  Purchasing next year's Tucson Passport will likely be worthwhile for anyone planning to spend much time in Tucson (www.visittucson.org/visitor/attractions/passport/).  It gets you buy 1 get 1 free into many attractions for $15. 

MUSEUMS / HISTORY  Tucson has a lot of great museums.  For those into planes and the history of US Armed Forces' planes, check out the Pima Air & Space Museum (www.pimaair.org).  If you go, be sure to reserve a tour of the famous Boneyard -- where mothballed planes from every recent war can be seen.  And if you're into Pima Air & Space Museum, you'll also likely enjoy the Titan Missile Museum (www.titanmissilemuseum.org).  The Titan Missile Museum is the only publicly accessible Titan II missile site in the nation.  Take the tour, see the missile in its launching position, underground command center, and feel the chills in the spine yourself.  Something you won't see anywhere else in the world, Bisophere II (www.b2science.org/) is located about 30 minutes north of Tucson.  This one-of-a-kind failed experiment attempted to create a fully sustainable environment (I guess for doomsday) and is a now a research and educational facility with a pretty cool tour. 

NOT YOUR TYPICAL ZOO  An absolute must see while in Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (www.desertmuseum.org).  This isn't your typical museum or zoo, but instead an awesome place to understand what the desert is all about.  You'll see everything from coyotes in their natural habitat to desert botanical gardens.  We send all visitors to the Desert Museum and never heard anything but praise about it.  The Reid Park Zoo (www.tucsonzoo.org) is the traditional zoo in Tucson, and is a pretty good for a city the size of Tucson, but is definitely second fiddle to the Desert Museum. 

PARKS / HIKING  Tucson is nestled in mountains on all sides.  We've outlined some our favorite spots and listed them in order of "must-see" factor.  Be sure to take advantage of some of these locations, and they'll provide some of the most memorable portions of your visit to Tucson. 

  • Most people don't believe us when we say there is a ski lodge in Tucson (the desert, yeah right).  Driving northeast from Tucson's city center you make a climb from 2,500 feet to over 9,000 feet, witnessing the change in vegetation ranging from desert brush to tall evergreen trees.  You'll see sweeping views of the city at various lookouts on the scenic drive.  At the top you'll find Mount Lemmon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon), and the cabin town of Summerhaven.  Check out the ski lodge and take the ski lift in the Fall to enjoy a beautiful day off the ground (www.skithelemmon.com). 
  • Not far from the base of Mount Lemmon, you'll find Sabino Canyon (www.sabinocanyon.com).  The canyon provides beautiful walking trails where you'll find cool rock formations and wildlife.  Starting at the visitor's center, you can even catch a tram up the hill if you're so inclined so that you can walk down instead of up (though if you do the opposite you'll be sure to burn off the calories from the wedding cake). 
  • To the west and east, butting up against two of the ranges, you'll find Saguaro National Park (www.nps.gov/sagu/).  Both the East and West parks have scenic drives, educational visitor centers, and hikes ranging from leisurely walking trails to practically rock climbing.  Bring some good shoes, bring plenty of water, respect the thorns of the various cactus, and you'll have a great time. 
  • The best place to watch the sunset in Tucson is nearby Saguaro National Park West, and is known as Gates Pass (http://emol.org/tucson/gatespass/).  You won't be the only ones out there, so get there at least a half hour before sunset to grab a spot in the parking lot and get a good spot on the rocks to watch the beautiful sunset (hint: the higher the better). 
  • Great hiking can be found all around the outskirts of the city (http://arizona.sierraclub.org/trail_guide/mainndx.htm).  My favorite hiking trail in Tucson is Finger Rock, but the climb up the mountain is not for the faint of heart (consider yourself warned). 
  • To the more distant southern mountains, Madera Canyon (www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org/) provides a nice viewpoint. 
  • Really serious hikers may make the drive up to Picacho Peak (http://azstateparks.com/Parks/PIPE/index.html) about 45 minutes northwest of Tucson (halfway to Phoenix), where you'll face shear rock faces and probably a bit of nervousness on your part. 

FOOD  I sure hope you like Mexican food, and I don't mean TexMex!  In Tucson you'll find true Sonoran style Mexican food.  The entire south side of the city is littered with authentic restaurants and roadside stands.  The north side is littered with upscale restaurants.  Central has your best bang for the buck and is frequented by the college crowd and middle class. 

  • Our favorite authetic Mexican spot is El Guerro Canelo (www.elguerocanelo.com).  The most important part of your trip resides here -- the Sonoran hot dog (bacon wrapped and deep fried, covered in salsa, onions, sauces, peppers, etc.).  If you watch Food Wars you may know about their rivalry with BK's (www.bktacos.com) -- visit both and judge for yourself.  The original restaurants are both on the south side -- more upscale versions on the north side (better neighborhood if you're going to go at night). 
  • Another favorite of ours is Oregano's (www.oreganos.com), where you'll find great Italian food, huge portions, a great atmosphere, good drinks, and a long wait (often an hour plus).  Grab a tasty beer at the bar while you wait. 
  • Surprisingly enough, Tucson has great pizza.  I mean really, really good pizza.  Aside from Oregano's, check out Frog & Firkin (www.frogandfirkin.com) on University Avenue (the main strip right next to University of Arizona entrance and where plenty of food & bars can be found).  Next door is rival No Anchovies, which puts up a good fight. 
  • For a bit more upscale dinner, check out the Cafe Poca Cosa.  This is kind of nuevo Mexican... a cool twist on your typical Mexican food.  If you go, don't waste your time looking at the menu -- get the Plato Poca Cosa.  It's the chef choice combination of three entrees.  It's a big meal, and damn tasty. 
  • For more of a bar style college hangout with great sandwiches and soups, check out BisonWitches (www.bisonwitches.com/menu_tucson.php).  It's located on 4th Ave, which is Tucson's main downtown bar district.

BARS  There are three main bar districts in Tucson -- University Ave, 4th Ave, and Congress St.  There's a couple microbrews in Tucson as well, just in case your favorite meal usually contains barley and hops (yummy). 

  • University Ave, just west of the University of Arizona provides some hot spots, especially for happy hour.  Depending on the night, you may find the crowds at the Auld Dubliner, Gentle Ben's, Frog & Firkin, etc. 
  • After dark, a good chunk of the college crowd moves on to 4th Ave.  There's even a trolley between the two you can catch for $1 each way.  Check out Maloney's, O'Malley's, Shanty, BisonWitches, SkyBar, etc. 
  • Stroll underneath the tunnel on the south side of 4th Ave and you'll pop out on Congress St.  Our favorite spot on Congress St is Club Congress (1st floor of the Congress Hotel).  Here you'll find more of the local hippie crowd, mixed with college students (always a fun to place to people watch). 
  • If you like beer (who doesn't), check out Tucson's own microbrew, Nimbus (www.nimbusbeer.com).  This really is a good microbrew.  You can visit the actual brewery in South Tucson (more industrial) or the bistro in northeast Tucson which has a full bar and good food too.  If you visit the brewery itself, you can stop by the Barrio Brewing Company nearby to see how their rival's beer compares (www.barriobrewing.com). 

GOLF  Tucson is consistently ranked as one of the best golf destinations in the US.  Different (and by that I mean harder) than what you're probably used to, desert golf introduces canyons and cactus in your way to the flag.  Sweeping views of the city are common if playing the courses in the foothills of the mountain ranges to the north and west of Tucson.  For those staying at the Golf Villas Condominiums, some discount golfing on the north side can be booked directly thru them.  At those associated hotels, golf clubs can be rented as well.  Another great option for discount golf can be found at www.golfnow.com.  Some of my favorite courses are Arizona National, Ventana Canyon, and Starr Pass.  These three can be pretty pricey in the winter, but the Pines at Marana is a great course for the money.  And don't play Fred Enke unless you're up for a challenge.  Stay on the outskirts of the city (i.e. skip the city courses such as Randolph and Silverbell) for a truly memorable experience.  Tucson has many courses, so be sure to check their location because they span from mountain range to mountain range (check out www.golfnow.com/tucson/courses/all-courses and www.dotucson.com/visit.asp?qry=999). 

LINKS

Trip Advisor's top Tucson activiies  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60950-Activities-Tucson_Arizona.html