Tucson AZ – Places to Stay – Great Food – What to see
–
Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ
Tuck into Tucson AZ
The aroma of the farmers market at St. Philip’s Plaza ranges from roasted corn to fresh tamales to blazing-hot chili peppers. Yet as I strolled among the booths selling emu oil, lentil soup and handmade soaps, it was another, more familiar scent that alerted me.
Following my nose like Yogi Bear seeking out a picnic basket, I found the smiling face of Rodney George under a huge banner proclaiming his offerings: “Original Kansas City Barbecue.”
“Even here in the southwest, people know that Kansas City barbecue is something special,” George said.
A Wyandotte County native who once worked for Kansas City barbecue magnate Ollie Gates, George and his wife, Dee, moved to Tucson in 1990 to help care for his aging parents, who had retired there.
Rod’s KC Barbeque was voted best barbecue in the city by readers of local publications for several years. Just don’t expect to find burnt ends when eating “original Kansas City Barbecue” in Tucson.
“I’ve tried to offer burnt ends a couple of times, but the culture here just doesn’t get it,” George said. “You have to go with what will sell.”
What sells well in the Southwest, besides sliced beef sandwiches with a Kansas City-style sauce, and sweet potato pie, is a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top, a nod to George’s family in Tennessee and the Carolinas. He also sells smoked salmon, catfish and trout, and he finds business at two popular farmers markets so good that his downtown restaurant is open only two days a week.
Still, George hopes to return to the Kansas City area in his retirement years. That’s a decidedly backward twist on how most people end up in Tucson. A list of the most popular places to retire, reported last year by Where to Retire magazine, ranked Tucson No. 9. (Phoenix was No. 1.)
But it would be a huge mistake to think that Tucson is just for retirees. This metro area of 1 million people, 75 miles north of the Mexican border, is an active community. Cooking Light Magazine included it last year among the top 10 healthiest cities in the country, in part because of the many outdoor activities available.
Spring is a perfect time to explore Tucson. The Arizona skies are a cloudless blue, and temperatures are in the 80s.
Golfers and snowbirds descend from around the country, stretching their cold, achy muscles on one of 75 regional golf courses. Besides the simple pleasure of warm weather, golfing in the Arizona desert is a delight for the senses as courses wind among mesquite trees, towering cacti and stark mountain backdrops.
Tucson is also a great city for bicyclists. Consistently ranked one of the top five bicycling cities in the country by Bicycling magazine, Tucson has more than 325 miles of well-marked bike lanes and trails. The most popular trail is the two-lane asphalt Rillito River Park Trail, which winds 11 miles on the north side of the mostly dry riverbed and provides easy access to parks, shopping areas and public services.
It’s also not uncommon to see individuals and families crisscrossing the city on horseback on great trails. The spaciousness of the city and its suburbs allows for numerous private and public stables.
Tucson Mountain Park, just east of the city, is filled with equestrian and hiking trails that meander through one of the world’s largest saguaro cactus forests. The Sonoran Desert is the only place on Earth where these towering, multi-armed cacti grow, living as long as 200 years as they slowly reach heights of 50 feet or more. Saguaro National Park, celebrating 75 years this year, protects cacti in preserves on the east and west sides of Tucson. The saguaro blooms in the spring and is the official flower of Arizona.
Thanks to above-average rainfall this winter, the desert is reported to be greener than usual, and wildflowers are expected to bloom in greater numbers this spring. One of the best places to explore those wildflowers is at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, just east of Tucson Mountain Park.
Home to 300 creatures and more than 1,200 species of plants, the museum is designed to help those of us who aren’t familiar with desert life to see the beauty in things like prickly cacti, rattlesnakes and smelly critters such as the javelina.
It’s a combination zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum tucked into 21 acres of nearly pristine Sonoran Desert. Especially popular are the mountain lions, the official symbol of the museum and charismatic critters that enjoy the spotlight, as well as sunning themselves in the Arizona sun. The hummingbird aviary is equally popular, although the energy those tiny winged creatures exert in the search for nectar is much more tiring to watch than the big cats’ playful antics.
As much fun as Tucson is during the day, it becomes more intriguing at night. With cloudless skies an average of 350 days a year, Tucson is considered one of the best stargazing cities in the country.
About 60 miles southwest of Tucson is Kitt Peak National Observatory, where dozens of research institutions from around the world have scientists at work. Visitors are welcome for day and evening tours.
Several hotels and inns make telescopes available to guests. One of the best public facilities is the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, which offers Monday evening lecture programs.
Tucson is a locally mandated low-light city, and that increases the brilliance of a starry night sky. So make plans to take a walk in the late evening or sit quietly on your hotel balcony enjoying the beauty and stillness of the night sky.
If the wind is right, you may even catch a whiff of Kansas City barbecue.
Getting there
Tucson is in southern Arizona, about 1,400 miles from Kansas City. Round-trip, restricted airfare between Kansas City and Tucson recently ran from about $165.
What to see
•Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. Hours and admission vary seasonally. Through June 1, admission is $13 for adults, $4.25 for children 6-12, free for children younger than 12. 520- 883-1380, desertmuseum.org.
•Tucson Mountain Park, west of Tucson and south of Saguaro National Park West. Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. 520-877-6000, www.pima.gov/nrpr/ places/tucs_mtpk/index .htm.
•Kitt Peak National Observatory, 56 miles southwest of Tucson. Open 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. daily. Nighttime observation $39 a person; reservations required. 520-318-8000, www.noao.edu/kpno.
•Steward Observatory at University of Arizona, 527 National Champion Drive. Public tours vary according to class schedules. 520-621-1022, mirrorlab.as.arizona.edu.
Where to stay
•Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive. From $319 double occupancy. 520-299-2020, loewshotels.com.
•Sam Hughes Inn, 2020 E. Seventh St. $85-$125 double through May 31. 520-861-2191, samhughesinn.com.
•Adobe Rose Inn, 940 N. Olsen Ave. $125-$190 double through May 31. 800-328-4122, aroseinn.com.
Where to eat
•Rod’s KC Barbeque, 601 N. Fourth Ave. Sliced beef sandwich costs $6, but Rod’s also is known for its peach cobbler, $2.95. Open 12:30-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday. Also at the Oro Valley Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; St. Philip’s Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday. 520-623-0182.
•El Charro Café, 911 N. Court St. Grand-size Carne Seca Chimi is $19.95 and will feed the family. 520-622-1922, elcharrocafe.com.
•Zivaz Mexican Bistro, 4590 E. Broadway, offers a twist to typical Mexican fare with pescado ajillo for $11.95 or tofu fajitas, $9.95. 520-325-1234, zivaz.com.
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.