Top Rated Attracties in Tuscon

Tohono Chul Park, located on Tucson's northwest side, is a very picturesque piece of the Sonoran desert. This park features a wide variety of desert plants around pleasant trails, which lead visitors to a gift shop and a shaded tea room serving delicious scones for tea time. Regular "Walk in the Park" tours provide an educational experience about the park's flora. Be sure to bring your sunblock to protect yourself from the sun.

There is an intriguing legend behind this shrine on Main Street near the old historic barrio, a story involving broken hearts and crimes of passion, but you'll have to read the plaque mounted on it to discover the tale. El Tiradito has been part of local folklore for a long time and is now a national historic site. Take a peek and make your own wish.

Tucson Botanical Gardens is a major tourist attraction in the city that's not meant just for plant lovers. Apart from a rich collection of cacti and desert wildflowers, the gardens offer an educational walk around the history of the native Tohono O'odham Indians and the efforts of local scientists to preserve native seeds. Don't miss the wonderful Nuestro Jardin, the traditional Mexican-American neighborhood garden, or the shaded restaurant patio.

Located in downtown Tucson, the Tucson Children's Museum offers interactive exhibit areas that allow children to explore and discover things for themselves. The different exhibits here are constantly changing, but in the past have included Dinosaur Canyon, the TCM Bakery and Farmer's Market, Wee World, the ZOOMzone, and the Ocean Discovery Center. Parents just love bringing their children here because not only will the little ones have a great time, but they will learn something as well.

Center For Creative Photography is one of the nation's finest museums of photographic art. Founded in 1975 with the aid of world-renowned photographer Ansel Adams as part of the University of Arizona Art Complex, the Center is now an established institution offering public access to its large photo collection and research facilities. Today it is home to over 200 archival photo collections, as well as 90,000 photos by over 2,200 photographers. Gifts and photo publications are available at the on-site gift store.

Here's a museum south of Tucson that must surely be considered unique and a chilly reminder of the Cold War. Go underground and see one of the old Titan ballistic missiles, watch the roll-back silo door open, follow operations at the launch control center, and watch demonstrations of countdown procedures. Tours begin every half hour. To reach Titan Missile Museum, go south on Interstate 19 and take exit 69 to the Duval Mine Road and follow the signs.