Visiting Tucson in October

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Bummer

LOL @ SierraAZ

I was thinking the very same thing . . . Ft Lowell is a street.

Unfortunately, Eggalegga . . . the Fort Lowell Park isn't much more than your basic city park.

Have you considered an hour drive down to Tombstone and possibly Bisbee? Beautiful scenery and lots of Western History.

Yeah, second that.

Maybe the botanical garden - Tucson Botanical Gardens :: Home - if you prefer to stay only in town. There's a little "cowboy" place that's kind of fun for visitors - Trail Dust Town, located in Tucson, Arizona

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by Bummer

LOL @ SierraAZ

I was thinking the very same thing . . . Ft Lowell is a street.

Unfortunately, Eggalegga . . . the Fort Lowell Park isn't much more than your basic city park.

Have you considered an hour drive down to Tombstone and possibly Bisbee? Beautiful scenery and lots of Western History.

I'm just the driver. My dad is the one who wants to see the sites. Do you know what direction those towns are from Tucson? Thanks for the ideas.

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Yeah, second that.

Maybe the botanical garden - Tucson Botanical Gardens :: Home - if you prefer to stay only in town. There's a little "cowboy" place that's kind of fun for visitors - Trail Dust Town, located in Tucson, Arizona

Thanks for the links. I like both ideas. My dad will love the traildust town. He's a kid at heart. Plus, we were planning on staying at the Ramada on Tanque Verde Road so that makes it convenient. As for the botanical gardens, they look beautiful. I would like to go there.

Thanks for your help.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by eggalegga

Thanks for the links. I like both ideas. My dad will love the traildust town. He's a kid at heart. Plus, we were planning on staying at the Ramada on Tanque Verde Road so that makes it convenient. As for the botanical gardens, they look beautiful. I would like to go there.

Thanks for your help.

Sure. Enjoy your visit!

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Yeah, second that.

Maybe the botanical garden - Tucson Botanical Gardens :: Home - if you prefer to stay only in town. There's a little "cowboy" place that's kind of fun for visitors - Trail Dust Town, located in Tucson, Arizona

There's not much to see at Ft. Lowell Park, just some crumbling adobe buildings.
I like going to Trail Dust Town, it's a lot of fun. The Botanical Gardens are interesting and you don't need to walk very much. The Desert Museum is a very interesting attraction, but a lot of it does require walking. It's kind of like going to a zoo.

On your way to the casinos, stop and see the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson, Arizona

During the whole month of October, Old Tucson Studios has a special Halloween event called Nightfall. It's one of the best in the United States.

index

October would be a perfect time to take a drive up Mt. Lemmon.

Coronado National Forest - Senic Drives - Catalina Highway

Another good drive is up to Kitt Peak. It's the world’s largest collection of optical telescopes, home to twenty-four optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research institutions. They have guided tours. I'm not sure if you would need to walk a lot. The Kitt Peak observatory is one of the prime reasons we are so protective of our night skies and have many regulations regarding lights. We don't have many streetlights around here.

Kitt Peak Visitor Center and Museum

Bummer suggested Tombstone and Bisbee. That would be a real nice trip where you could maybe even stay a night outside of Tucson. Or it can be a day trip, but there's so much to see around there that it would be good to take a couple days. Southeast Arizona is a really neat part of our state that gets overlooked by many of our visitors. Here's a website that can tell you more.

Discover Southeast Arizona

There's a lot of wineries down that way too if you want to take a tour and do some tasting.

Drink in Arizona's wine country | www.azstarnet.com ®

And here's a site you can check out to see if there's some areas you might want to drive through on your way down here from Utah. If Sedona is on your way, you should take a drive through there.

American West Travelogue - Commentary on Great Destinations in the American West

Make sure to bring a variety of clothing with you. The weather in October can go from hot to cold in just one day.

[BillyBaroo]

I just thought of another thing. They have tram tours of the Pima Air and Space Museum.

Pima Museum - Arizona Aerospace Foundation

Tram Tours:
See the history of aviation from World War II to the present on a narrated tour of the outdoor aircraft displays at the Pima Air & Space Museum. You will drive past over 160 fighters, bombers, transports and civil aircraft including NASA's huge Supper Guppy oversize transport, the world's only collection of three giant B-52 bombers, the SR-71 Blackbird and many more. Narration on the hour long tour is provided by the museum's experienced docents who will share their personal stories of service with many of the aircraft on display. Tram tour tickets cost an additional $5.00 per person. Trams depart daily at: 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by eggalegga

I'm just the driver. My dad is the one who wants to see the sites. Do you know what direction those towns are from Tucson? Thanks for the ideas.

LOL @ Eggalegga

Tombstone is about an hour drive East on I-10 (heading towards New Mexico and Texas) and has been "maintained" as an Original Old West Town right out of the movies with Saloons and Western Shops plus even a few staged "shoot-outs" in the streets during the day.

Bisbee is a beautiful old Copper Mining Town with lots of charm for tourists but not much else.

Good Luck and enjoy your visit!

[eggalegga]

Wow! You guys are so helpful. What a great variety of ideas.

My sister's SIL mentioned the dove of the desert and the Pima air museum. I just didn't know if they'd be something my dad would be interested in. Oh, and I get car sick. So switchback mountain roads might not be the best for me and my stomach. We might continue on to visit my sister in Albuquerque so driving east would be a good plan.

The observatory on the peak sounds very interesting. But I'll be traveling with my father. He'll be in bed by sundown. He has cancer so his energy levels are really low after his weekly chemo treatments.

He's not much of a wine drinker. If I were traveling with a friend, I'd definitely check out the wineries.

Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK ALL OF YOU!

[ChrissyR]

Another beautiful place is Tohono Chul Park. You'll have to google it I'm not sure how to tell you how to get there. Anyone? They have beautiful desert garden areas and a nice tea garden that serves good food. Have fun!!!

[eggalegga]

Looks beautiful, and so peaceful. I had to do a double take when I read the address. My sister's house in Albuquerque is off of Paseo Del Norte....which is where Tohono Chul Park is loacated in Tucson.