Looking for things to do with your kids in Tucson? Look no further! Article listing great places to visit with your children.
Tucson, Arizona boasts over 300 days of sunshine every year, which means kids aren't generally stuck inside on a rainy day. Yet Tucson moms, like mothers everywhere, are guaranteed their share of the "I'm-bored's". Thankfully, this colorful southwestern town is loaded with family fun locations!
The balmy days of autumn and spring (and often winter) are ideal for getting out and enjoying the area's numerous open-air sites. An ideal place to start would be the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This one-of-a-kind zoo hosts over 300 species of animals and more than 1,000 plant types spread across 21 acres of striking desert just west of town. Watch for indigenous favorites such as coyotes and javelinas as well as threatened or endangered creatures like Mexican wolves and ocelots. The museum's Ironwood Terrace offers kid friendly cuisine including corn dogs and chicken O's.
While you're still in zoological mode, check out the conveniently located Reid Park Zoo. A new polar bear arrived in the fall of 2004, and even more recently a pair of African spotted-neck otters made their debut. Check with the zoo for frequent special events and classes, too! Reid Park also features a lake with ducks and geese, a breathtaking rose garden to stroll through, and lots of picnic areas.
Children of all ages will have a blast at Old Tucson. Hundreds of major motion pictures were filmed in this old west setting, and visitors can enjoy cowboy gunfights, 1880's-style comedy and musical performances, a train ride and much more. Kids will love the petting zoo, carnival games, and panning for real gold. Trudging around in the dust works up an appetite, which can be sated at Big Jake's mesquite-grilled barbeque. (Don't worry, Mom, moist towelettes are provided!)
Of course, some folks want to see snow in the winter. Fortunately, Mt. Lemmon is just a short drive up the scenic Catalina Highway giving even desert rugrats a chance to build a snowman, go sledding, and have a snowball fight. And it's a great place to go to fish, camp, or just cool off.
Speaking of cooling off, summer days in Tucson can be scorchers. If a family isn't lucky enough to have a pool handy, or even if they are, there are loads of places to go to chill out (literally). Colossal Cave Mountain Park is open every day of the year and the temperature in the cave is always a frosty 70 degrees. Kids will enjoy the tour of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the guide's stories of bank robbers and stolen loot, which has not yet been found. The park also offers a colorful butterfly garden and trail rides.
A couple of local favorite sites to escape the heat are Justin's Waterworld and Breaker's Water Park. Justin's offers waterslides and pools galore, as well as a special area for the wee ones. Ramadas are available and ice chests are welcome, so pack a picnic lunch, floaties and sunscreen and spend the day! Flip-flops are advisable as the gravel between slides gets downright sizzling! Breakers boasts Arizona's biggest wave pool along with slides and a kiddie area. No outside food is allowed but they do offer a wide variety of family favorite lunch munchies.
Tucson Children's Museum is a fantastic place to spend a dreary monsoon afternoon. All exhibits are hands-on and interactive, so no need to blurt the dreaded, "Don't touch!" Displays change from time to time, but some standard favorites include the real emergency vehicles that kids are encouraged to climb on, the bubble table and the bakery and farmer's market where tykes can be the customer or the clerk.
What better way to end a busy day together than by catching a decent family film? One of only a handful left in the U.S., DeAnza Drive-In Theater offers four screens, double features, and a concession stand for those intermission snacks and drinks. So let the little ones slip into their PJs, pile some lawn chairs and blankets in the trunk, and cruise on over to DeAnza. Then gaze up at the starry night sky and consider what a great place Tucson is for kids.
