City: Tucson, AZ

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (520) 621-6302

Address: 1013 E. University Blvd.

Description: Enter the main gate of the University of Arizona campus and you face a lovely tree-lined street bordered by some exquisite old buildings. Two of these are the Arizona State Museum’s north and south buildings. As the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest, its collections are recognized as some of the world’s most significant resources for the study of Southwestern cultures. Included are 100,000 artifacts from archaeological excavations of the Hohokam, Mogollon, and Anasazi cultures; more than 25,000 ethnographic objects documenting the cultures of both historic and living American Indians; the largest collection of Southwest Indian pottery; and 175,000 historic and contemporary photographic images.Through the museum’s exhibits, visitors discover the wonders of ancient civilizations and the contributions of living Native American cultures. Anyone with an interest in the Southwest will also appreciate the museum’s library of 70,000 volumes (open to the public Mon through Thurs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), including many rare titles. In the gift shop browsers or buyers will find an excellent selection of pottery, kachina dolls, rugs, carvings, jewelry, baskets, cards, posters, and books.Hours are Mon through Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; 18 and under are free. Both buildings are wheelchair accessible. Metered street parking is available to the west of the main gate on University Boulevard, 2nd Street, and 1st Street; several pay parking lots located in the same area will cost no more than a few dollars and are free on weekends.