Best Things to Do in Tucson

Classic tacos, innovative salsas and (it’s right there in the name) a selection of tequilas. 

An unpretentious taco stand that dishes out top-notch street tacos and Sonoran dogs. 

A food truck serving street tacos and Sonoran dogs that’s stolen the hearts of Tucson foodies from across the city.

A modern restaurant serving up carne asada fusions. 

You’ll hear Tucson get props for its Sonoran hot dogs — a frank wrapped with bacon, fried and topped with condiments like beans and salsa. These regional treats are popular throughout the Southwest and served all over in Tucson, mostly at street carts, stands and trucks. When in Rome.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED AS OF JULY 2022

Kitt Peak lies southwest of Tucson, on the land of Tohono O’odham Nation (a collective Native American government), and offers a full scope of daytime and nighttime astronomy programs. You can take a guided tour or spend some one-on-one time with a telescope, getting lost in the stars. They even offer an overnight experience where you and a guest can stargaze to your heart’s content.

It began as a private neon sign collection but grew into an eccentric museum where graphic designers, history fans and others can discover Tucson through a half-century of its iconic signage.

This 98-acre property is an immersive wildlife experience, a true showcase of Sonoran Desert nature and culture, complete with a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum and art gallery.

The perfect spot for anyone who assembled airplane models as a kid and gets distracted by passing jets. Here, you can wander hangars full of the United States’ most iconic military and commercial aircraft — over 350 in total.

Crowds of all ages course the street day and night, so expect that mix. Be sure to stroll and take in the boutique shops, thrift stores, trendy restaurants and cafés before drinking the night away at some of the city’s favorite bars.

Hotel McCoy presents a unique blend of midcentury-modern style and local Tucson spirit. It’s got chic rooms, craft beer and wine, poolside games and serious good-time vibes. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch some live music, an art show, book signing or their comedy night. Fun, arts-centric and environmentally friendly, Hotel McCoy is our type of place. “Tucson is this shiny gem of a city. Amazing art scene, incredible music scene,” Nicole Dahl, the hotel’s creative director and manager, told us this year, and the same could be said about the hotel.

You’ve seen pronged saguaro cacti standing watch over the desert landscapes in movies, cartoons and inspirational posters. Here, you can see them in person. The park’s hiking trails are chock full of the Southwest’s gorgeous flora and fauna, stretching out against a backdrop stamped with the Tucson Mountains and Rincon Mountains.

This essential Tucson hike offers jaw-dropping views of the Santa Catalina Mountains, as well as saguaro-dotted hillsides and seasonal swimming holes.

The aspiring spelunkers among us can explore the depths on safe, guided tours, examining millennia of geologic formations and, potentially, bats.

Start at this gigantic project by prolific muralist Joe Pagac, and you can find your way to a ton more. Many downtown Tucson murals are in close proximity, so you can catch a bunch of them on a carefully plotted biking or walking tour. 

This is Tucson’s most storied entertainment venue, one that’s reinvented itself multiple times since its construction in the 1910s. Primarily a movie theater throughout the century, The Rialto shifted its focus to music in the ’90s. Since then, its stage has seen Maroon 5, The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, and The Roots, among others. And if you want a more eclectic, intimate setting, check out 191 Toole, Rialto’s other venue.

The name says “hotel,” but this is a whole lot more than a place to crash. Hotel Congress also houses a nationally renowned music venue and four different bars, including the Tap Room, an Old West watering hole founded in 1919 (and a favorite hangout spot for ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons). With 300+ shows per year, it’s Tucson’s most prolific and high-profile venue. Publications like “Esquire,” “Playboy” and “SPIN” have all sung Hotel Congress’ praises, so you know it’s got good style and better music.

Inside a repurposed 1918 building in downtown Tucson, Pueblo Vida owns their Southwestern influence and concocts plenty of refreshing IPAs along with a weekly, limited-edition “beer infusion.” 

If a steady diet of high-budget blockbusters has you clamoring for something different, The Loft Cinema is the perfect place to catch a flick. It’s southern Arizona’s premier venue for indie, art and international films and one of the United States’ most beloved art house cinemas. Not only do they promote some of the film world’s most unique and underrepresented voices, but they often host filmmaker Q&As, festivals, short-film contests and more.