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Suggestions for things to do in Tucson AZ this Sat :-)

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Widdletink, Mar 1, 2005.

  1. Widdletink

    Widdletink Member

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    Hi All,

    I will be in Tucson, AZ this Saturday (my husband has his annual Ham Radio club meeting there - Cactus Intertie System) and I will be driving us down in my wonderful car.

    I have never been to Arizona before (I've driven through it a couple of times but never spent any time there at all). So, I need some suggestions for things to see or do whilst he is occupied for the day.

    Also, if there is anyone in the area that has not had the opportunity to check out a Pruis up close I would be happy to show mine off.

    This will be a trip on the cheap, so if you know of any outlet malls, museums, cool antique malls or swap meets that I should check out please let me know.

    Thanks and have an awesome day!

    Tisza
     
    #1 Widdletink, Mar 1, 2005
  2. jimofdg

    jimofdg New Member

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    Are the White Sox in town? They play at Tucson Electric Park.

    I recently visited Phoenix and was impressed by the Native American museums there. Tucson has one or two also and an observatory for night time enjoyment.

    Hope it doesn't rain. Isn't it odd even thinking that about the Southwest?
     
    #2 jimofdg, Mar 2, 2005
  3. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    I happen to live in Tucson and love it!

    If there's one thing I suggest people see/do when they visit, it is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is not a museum per se, but a zoo, a botanical garden, ..., well everything that one can find in the Sonoran desert can be found here. And this time of year they should be having the raptor free flights (hawks and owls are brought out and allowed to fly free to demonstrate their behavior). I happen to think it's the best. $12/person

    Another possiblity is Picacho Peak about 30 miles N on I-10. I've heard the wildflowers are wonderful; a once every ten year display, and it's amost peak time. ~$5 (per car?)

    Sabino Canyon is good too, but a bit too crowded for my tastes. ~$5/car.

    I could go on, and on. In fact, I and my wife have, and I humbly submit our website that covers some of our favorite aspects of Tucson: Tucson.Halversen.com I'd suggest looking specifically at The Local Couple's Guide to Tucson.

    If you get a chance to look at it, or have specific questions, please send me an e-mail (there is an address on the web page)
     
    #3 TucsonPrius, Mar 2, 2005
  4. bethmaup

    bethmaup New Member

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    I second the suggestion for what my husband and I know as the Living Desert Museum. We left Tucson one morning, after visiting friends, to continue our trip from Austin to Vegas, and someone suggested the museum. We thought we'd drop by for an hour or so--and we spent the day. It was incredible! We could have gone back the next day. And is Old Tucson (the movie set) still there? We also had a wonderful trip up Mount Lemon with its climates and flora that ranged from the Sonora desert to Canada because of the altitude.
     
    #4 bethmaup, Mar 2, 2005
  5. Widdletink

    Widdletink Member

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    Hello All,

    Thank's to everyone who has put forth their suggestions thus far. I checked out the LocalCouples website and enjoyed it greatly. Informative, well written and down right funny at times ("Watch where you put your hands..."). And if you don't get the joke take a look at the site and all will be revealed.

    I am still trying to draw a bead on any antique malls or good thrift stores in and around the area so any info in those departments would be most appreciated.

    Thanks again,

    Tisza
     
    #5 Widdletink, Mar 3, 2005
  6. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    Well Tisza,

    For antique/thrift shops I would possibly suggest Grant Ave. (runs East/West) between Campbell Ave. and Swan Rd. (both North/South -- all are main streets in the central to northeast side of Tucson). If my memory serves me correctly there are some along there, including a "mall" consisting of several dealers. Unfortunately, neither of us are big shoppers of any kind.

    But above all, have fun and enjoy yourselves in Tucson, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone; Tucsonans are always glad to do what they can to help out.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
    PS Thanks for the kind words about our website. Comments like that make it worthwhile. --sdh

    PPS If you see a Salsa Prius while you're out and about, wave, I'll know it's you, and if it's not me, they'll just think you're being friendly.
     
    #6 TucsonPrius, Mar 3, 2005
  7. kkister1492

    kkister1492 New Member

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    If you are driving your Prius, you could just let the NAV look up antique malls for you?? See what kind of entertainment it leads you to.

    Is the aircraft museum still out there? We use to live in the Phoenix area and visited Tuscon once. Had a really nice time. I only remember the Desert Museum, the old town where they film movies (can't remember what it's called), the airplane museum and the famous Spanish mission there that's on all the calendars. Sorry I can't remember the name of that one either. I remember the day just not the names. Well, you'll have fun, I'm sure.
     
    #7 kkister1492, Mar 3, 2005
  8. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    Yes, the Aircraft museum is still here, right next to the "boneyard," where the Air Force stores planes that have been deactivated.

    And, Old Tucson Studios is still around. Although, I've heard it has changed significantly since the fire in the mid 90s.

    San Xavier Mission (also known as the White Dove of the Desert), is indeed a beautiful sight to see, especially as a summer thurderstorm is clearing and the desert light hits. It stands out like a jewel against the rest of the desert and the storm clouds.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
    #8 TucsonPrius, Mar 4, 2005
  9. Widdletink

    Widdletink Member

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    Re: Update for Suggestions for things to do Tucson :)

    Hi All,

    Thank you to everybody who was kind enough to offer assistance in my trip planning. We had a wonderful time and have decided that Tucson indeed deserves and requires more than an 8-hour day's visit.

    Antique shops abound on Grant Avenue (take Swan west and turn left or south on Grant). They are up a ways, but well worth seeing. I did not even get near any of the other suggested attractions as the weather was a factor. Also, I really want to see some of these sites when my family can be with me.

    I never saw a Salsa :-( and only saw 3 Prius' total on the ENTIRE journey including the drive in and back (1 white classic, 1 seaside and 1 white 2nd gen). I also saw only one Hummer the entire trip out and back so all was not lost.

    It is comforting to know that though Prius' might be rare, those behemoths are rarer. Here in So. Cal. it is easy to forget that what I see in my community is only true for here, not for the rest of the world. Aah, tunnel vision is a wonderful thing :).

    I was also completely fascinated by the swapmeet on Palo Verde near the Palo Verde Holiday Inn that is open night and day from Thursday to Sunday. Drove by there on Friday night at about 10 pm and they were still going strong. Here, if you don't get to a swapmeet by 9 am or so you have missed pretty much everything good and most start to break down by noon or 1 at the latest.

    Tucson won big points from me for that swapmeet alone :)!

    I also learned two very valuable words at the end of the CA to AZ leg of the trip... Car, Bra! The front end of my car was so coated in bug bits that you would have thought it was black and yellow not shiny silver. I was out in the rain on Saturday with a bottle of spray cleaner and a soft rag de-bugging my car's nose and grill. (No, I'm not fanatical, no, not me...)

    As soon as I got up this AM (after driving straight through from Tucson to Claremont and getting home at 2:30) I was out washing and vacuuming my baby. One sad note, I did get a fairly sizeable scratch on the passenger's side of the windshield from a flying rock. I am grateful that it is just a surface scratch and not a crack. I will see if it can be repaired. Any suggestions on how to fix it would be appreciated.

    I also figured out that it took exactly 29.941 gallons of gas for the entire 1005.9 mile journey (there and back and driving within the city). At a cost of $51.02 that is not too shabby. Mileage would probably have improved but for the need to use windshield wipers, my mudflaps, my daytime constant headlight use and the 75 mph driving speed up a grade most of the way. My trip mileage averaged into my lifetime average came out to 33.596 mpg and showed as 43 +/- mpg on MFD.

    I am already eagerly anticipating my next road trip and even tried to talk the hubby into cruising down to Laguna Beach today just for grins.

    Thank you all again. It is folks like you who make me pleased and proud to be part of the Prius family.

    Take care,

    Tisza
     
    #9 Widdletink, Mar 6, 2005
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