A Pirate’s Guide To Tucson

Some of Kate’s favorite things to do in the Old Pueblo

Hiking/Outdoor Fun

Mt. Lemmon is a short drive (less than an hour) from metro Tucson, straight up the Mt. Lemmon Highway. It’s a cool refuge in the heat of summer and a fun place to play in the snow or even ski in the winter. Check to be sure the road is open if you plan to go up in the winter. You might need chains.

Sabino Canyon is one of the loveliest spots I know. It’s an even shorter drive (less than a half hour) from metro Tucson, and offers gentle hiking, climbing, or an easy shuttle ride (complete with commentary) up into the canyon. You can ride the shuttle up, and walk down, if you like. There is running water all summer long, complete with sandy beaches, huge rocks, and an exciting terrain that reconfigures itself in every huge storm. There are plenty of restrooms, picnic tables, and cactus to make anyone happy.

Madera Canyon is a world-famous birding spot, located about an hour and a half from Tucson. It sits at an elevation that offers live oaks and cool breezes, complete with marked trails, picnic tables, and a nice lodge and cabins that you can rent if you’d like to stay overnight.

Reddington Pass is a great place to see the sun rise, shoot a hole in your hat, or hike up into the Rincon Mountains that border Tucson to the East. Gate’s Pass is a great place to see the sun set, in the Tucson Mountains on the west side of town.

Botanics / Desert Life

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-class facility about a half hour from town that showcases desert plants and critters, and is well worth your time. Plan on spending at least three or four hours, or even better, all day.

The Tucson Botanical Garden is a wonderland of beauty, with butterflies on top. It’s right in mid-town, and you can spend a couple of hours or a couple of days, and still not see it all.

Dining

Tucson is full of  fabulous restaurants. I’ll just reel off a list of my favorites, in no particular order. (All area codes are 520.)

Cafe Poca Cosa, 622-6400 is downtown, world famous, classy, innovative, moderately expensive, and delicious. Caruso’s, 624-5765, on 4th Avenue, is affordable old school Southern Italian. Vivace 795-7221, is Danny Scordato’s place in midtown NE- meticulously prepared fine Northern Italian. Little Poca Cosa, downtown, cheap, loud, no phone, cash only, breakfast and lunch only- you will get a kiss from the cook. New Delhi Palace, 296-8585, great Indian food on the E side of town. Delectables, on Fourth Ave.,884-9289, is always right for any occasion, and any of the Molina family restaurants will serve you great Mexican food day or night. Casa Molina, their original place on Speedway and Wilmot, 886-5468, is right next to a great Trader Joe’s.  Other Mexican places I love are the low-key El Minuto, downtown in the barrio viejo, and the somewhat flashier Mi Nidito, on Fourth Ave, south of 22nd St.

We have a great Farmer’s Market on Sundays in St. Philip’s Plaza, at River and Campbell, and a couple of really good international markets, including the 17th Street Market downtown in Armory Park (hard to find but worth it.)

Antiques/Junk/Shopping

Copper Country Antique Mall, always worth your time- plan to spend a few hours there, especially over lunchtime, when you can eat at their excellent in-store restaurant. Savers, the Miracle Center (all clothes $1) and the 22nd St. Antique Mall are favorites of mine. I also love the Lost Barrio, a cluster of fantastic antique, junk, and import shops on Park Ave., just south of Broadway. I love the Eclectic Flea, on the East side of Park, for cowboy antiques, books, and frames. La Encantada, the high end mall at the North end of Campbell Avenue, offers a number of tony shops, including an Anthropologie, a Crate and Barrel, and an Apple Store. We have a great indy toy store, Yikes, in midtown on Broadway, and just a few doors down is the excellent artists co-op Bohemia.

Art/Music/Clubs

The Tucson Museum of Art is downtown, and Old Town Artisans is just around the corner. Congress Street, in the heart of downtown has lots of independent art galleries, the Hotel Congress, and the Rialto Theater, a great music venue. Fourth Avenue, just NE of downtown, is full of shops, cafes, killer pizza (Brooklyn Pizza and Magpies) and has a mellow hippie vibe. Twice a year Fourth Ave hosts street fairs. The Loft Cinema is a wonderful indy movie palace, on Speedway just east of Country Club.

Day Trips

If you have time to do some exploring out of town, you should definitely head East on 1-10 and check out Tombstone (site of the OK corral) and head on up to the mountain town of Bisbee, chock full of artists, cafes, galleries, and great old Wild West Victorian hotels. Don’t miss the Shady Dell, a fantastic place to stay that’s filled with vintage travel trailers. I spent a lovely night in a little red and white Canned Ham.

It’s also easy to head down South on I-19, and spend the day in Nogales. There is some great shopping just across the Mexican border- I have some lovely folk art, rugs, and furniture that I’ve brought back over the years. On the way down, check out Tubac and Tumacacori, which has a lovely mission and a great arts community.

Sadly, Magic Carpet Golf is defunct, but happily, the bar The Hut on Fourth Ave has the giant tiki god that we all used to hang out in.