Things to do in Tucson

Nature · Two districts — Tucson Mountains to the west, Rincon Mountains to the east

The only national park built around a plant: dense forests of saguaro cactus, which grow nowhere on earth but the Sonoran Desert and take 70 years to sprout a first arm.

Local tip: The two districts are an hour apart with the city between them and they are genuinely different — the west is denser and better for a short visit, the east is bigger with a paved scenic loop and real hiking. Go at sunrise; by 10am in summer the trails are dangerous rather than merely hot.

Landmark · San Xavier District, Tohono O'odham Nation, 15 minutes south of downtown

A late-1700s Spanish colonial church of astonishing quality, still an active parish for the Tohono O'odham community it serves, and widely called the finest Spanish colonial building in the United States.

Local tip: It is on tribal land, not in a park — it is a working church, so behave accordingly and check whether a service is on. The interior restoration is extraordinary up close. Climb the small hill east of the mission for the view most visitors miss, and buy fry bread from the stands in the plaza.

Nature · Santa Catalina Mountains, 45 minutes north-east

A 27-mile road from saguaro desert at 800 metres to spruce and fir at 2,790, ending in the southernmost ski area in the United States and a village with a pie shop.

Local tip: It is roughly 15–20°C cooler at the top, which makes this the summer escape valve — locals drive up to eat lunch in a jacket in July. Watch the brakes on the way down, take water, and note that the road closes in winter storms. The Windy Point viewpoints partway up are worth stopping for even if you go no higher.

Neighborhood · Between the University of Arizona and Congress Street

The city's walkable spine — a strip of vintage shops, bars and taquerias on Fourth, an underpass, then the restored downtown around Congress Street and the Hotel Congress.

Local tip: The Sun Link streetcar runs the whole length and it is free, so this is the one part of Tucson you can genuinely do without a car. Second Saturdays close the downtown streets to traffic. Congress Street is where a newcomer meets people; Fourth Avenue is where they buy a bike.

Culture · Tucson Mountain Park, west of the city

Not really a museum — a hybrid zoo, botanical garden, aquarium and natural history museum, almost entirely outdoors, showing only the plants and animals of this one desert.

Local tip: Consistently rated among the best institutions of its kind anywhere, and locals take every visitor. Arrive at opening: the animals are active early and asleep by midday. The raptor free-flight demonstration in the cooler months, where hawks fly at head height through the crowd, is the thing to plan the visit around.

Nature · West of downtown, above Sentinel Peak

A steep paved 4.8 km round trip up an ecological research reserve the University of Arizona has been studying continuously since 1903 — one of the longest-running ecological studies in the world.

Local tip: This is the local ritual rather than a tourist site: hundreds of Tucsonans walk it before work and at sunset. It is a research reserve and a Tohono O'odham sacred site, so hours are restricted, dogs and bicycles are banned and it is enforced. The city view at dusk from the top is the best free thing in Tucson.