Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Great hidden gem west of Tucson AZ. It's a museum, botanical garden, zoo, aviary, and walking trail combined. Came on a Tuesday morning and it was empty. Tons of parking. Reasonable price. Whole loop is about a 1.5 mile walk (very little elevation). Most of this is outdoors, so plan accordingly in summer. Lots of shady spots and lots of water stations. We spent a casual 3 hours there to see everything. Very highly recommended.

Such a fun place for adults and kids. Kiddo loved the underground packrat playhouse (a great place to escape the heat) Feeding the stingrays (does cost extra! Totally worth it!) Wash fun for everyone. Great exhibits, and very tasty food at the deli style restaurant, haven't tried the sit down place. If you hit the indoor gallery and theater too, you can make it a whole day excursion. I've been probably 8 times and would go every year.

Stopped on a whim. So glad we did! Worth the price of admission! Many photo ops of flora, and of course the vistas. Friendly docents placed around the facility to educate us with stories and some times actual animals. There are inside exhibits (a/c!) of local animals, plants, ores/rocks/geodes. Great, brief presentations of this area's history. Ice cold drinking fountains placed strategically along the trails. Bring your water bottle to fill! Nice gift shop. Friendly staff.

If you only have one day in Tucson, I think this is a must! Recommended to us by our host at our rv harvest host spot. This wraps up the desert experience all in one. It’s mostly outdoors so dress accordingly!! Do the animal show at 12:30pm, so fun! You can view animals in their natural habitats and some not. The desert is beautiful and this offers all the beautiful aspects into one. You can spend a whole day here. Cafe, gift shop, local art, restaurant, they’ve got it all! And ton of waterfill stations! Do everything when you’re here. Worth it!

Came memorial weekend My son and I really enjoyed it. If you want to see the wildlife make sure to stay away from the families with kids and loud talking people- because we did, we saw some beautiful critters and if you listen closely you'll find some more :). The food at the restaurant here was good as well and there's also a coffee café. We enjoyed our time here!

This museum/zoo was absolutely amazing! It really gave you that Arizona desert feeling. All of the different areas are extremely well done and educational! Ive been coming here for 35 years and it just keeps improving and getting better. I love the was they have refill water stations all through out the exhibits. We have 4 young grandchildren and we plan on coming back often!

This was amazing on every level! The staff was lovely, knowledgeable, and so friendly! The exhibits were clean and well maintained, the animals were all happy and healthy looking, the trails were well laid out and made for a fun experience. The botanical sites were amazing, and getting to see so many species was a dream 🤩 We especially enjoyed the reptile presentation, getting to see two rattlesnakes and a Gila Monster!

I've always wanted to see a wolf up close, and I'm grateful I was able to do so here. I don't remember the gentleman's name, but he informed us so much about the saguaro cactus. I did not know how intriguing they could be! I really enjoyed how easy it is to walk the route and the fact that it is both a museum and zoo. This is a great place to tire and entertain your young children.