Attended the opening of the new exhibit at TMA featuring new artists from the southwest. Always…read moregreat to see the art displayed with the artist in attendance to answer questions and explain their inspiration. It's a lovely exhibition that will be scheduled throughout the summer. Inspired exhibit. See it soon.

I loved the art so I give two stars instead of one, but my rating is only so low because of the…read morestaff member who made my group feel unwelcome. It's important to note that our group was visibly made up of women of color, and we are all mostly hispanic and indigenous. For the first hour, we encountered staff members and security who just seemed like they were doing their jobs normally. No staring, no following, just observing and moving within their sections. But as we moved into the last section before the gift shop, we encountered a staff member who left a bad taste in our mouths. He was on his phone and ignoring the other (white) people in his section, but as soon as we walked in he stared really intensely at us and immediately stood up. He spent the next 45 minutes following us from room to room, making intense eye contact with us and keeping his arms crossed. If one of us moved out of his line of sight (I moved behind a pillar briefly) he moved quickly to see what we were doing. I understand he was keeping museum property safe, but we were following proper museum etiquette and nothing we were doing warranted that reaction. We kept our voices lowered, moved slowly, didn't get too close to items, etc. People of color are used to being treated with suspicion in many spaces, so I can assure you we know what it looks like when someone is keeping an eye on us. I thought it was in poor taste, though, to treat us, Mexican and indigenous women, like that, especially when we were in an art gallery viewing art by Latin American and indigenous artists. It gives the wrong impression and made us feel unwelcome when we were there to view and celebrate our own art and culture. I'm not writing this out of spite, but hopefully the museum can make sure their staff members do not continue to treat people of color differently than all people should be treated...especially when they display our art.

We visited here for my kids school trip and overall this was an enjoyable and memorable experience…read more This museum is more of a personal collection of Native American items from several cultures. It's beautiful to see and also, I left with a feeling that's particular and not quite explainable. The staff were great, the facilities well kept, a good drive around the space, watch out for snakes, take time to read-that's where lots of information is. No pictures allowed inside

I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Texas Canyon Nature preserve trails earlier…read moretoday. Over eight miles of 3' to 5' wide trails are now open to the public. I hiked over eight miles today among the hoodoos, then listened to two nature lectures on the afternoon. Volunteers were friendly and helpful. Indian food was available and so was free water. I spent over six hours here and I didn't even have time to walk through the museum or art gallery. The trails were free today, but regular admission will be $12 from 9-3:30 when the museum is open

The Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone, AZ it's a must visit museum when in Tombstone…read more The museum is offering evening ghost tours. I'll have to come back for that. There's free parking across this museum. Happy Yelping :)

Had such a fun time during the Ghost Tours at the Bird Cage Theatre!…read more **I have teenagers who are a little scared of the dark so please keep this in mind when visiting because there are about 20-25 minutes that this is going** Tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. She really kept us hooked the whole time. Truly allows you to get the full experience of Tombstone from yesteryear in more ways than ever imagined!

We had seen a documentary a year or so ago about an art theft of a de Kooning painting from this…read moremuseum ("The Thief Collector"). It was interesting so we thought that since we'd be in Tucson anyway, we'd stop by and check out the museum and the semi-recently restored artwork (the thieves died of old age and it was recovered via their estate sale, basically). The museum is located in the middle of the University of Arizona campus. There may be street parking even closer, but we parked in a multi-story public parking deck about 3 blocks away. The deck is behind a 7-11 on the corner. Fees for parking were quite reasonable (we paid less than $3 for almost an hour). Entry to the museum is free. The lady at the reception desk gave us an overview gave directions to the de Kooning when we asked (I'm guessing they get that question a lot). They weren't defensive about it. :) There were 4 main areas / displays when we visited: - the main modern galleries - the main early / medieval galleries (which were being renovated) - an exhibit of local high school art competition winners - a special exhibit of sort of grotesque charcoal nudes of late-middle aged artists We got to see the de Kooning, which is what we came for (though none of us are fans of his art, per se). It was the only work protected with a plexiglass housing (so if you come for theft, steal something else this time...). My favorite here was actually a work by Georgia O'Keefe. There was also a Calder mobile and some works by a Spanish modern artist that my daughter recognized from a class. I'm not a huge fan of medieval art, so it wasn't a huge blow to discover this area was closed. We browsed the high school stuff. Some of it was interesting. We hit the final area before leaving. They even cautioned you about 'representation of the human body', or some such, when you check in. Rather than be snarky, I'll just state that this really wasn't something I was interested in, and leave it at that. Given that this is a university-based art museum, and not some major city's premier art venue, I thought it was decent. I was glad we stopped by.

Tons of pieces behind curtains and not on display…read more What we did see was not for us at all. One Dali piece was on display and the Georgia O'Keeffe pieces I wanted to see so badly were not on display. Maybe we came at the wrong time. Meh. Waste of time.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is making the most of its relatively small footprint, with distinct…read moreexhibitions such as "The Relevance of Your Data" and the Plein Air collection. The modern garage-style area at the entry is a versatile space for the Free Third Thursdays events, with indoor/outdoor flow allowing for music, food-truck access, and patio seating. A unique asset for Tucson's downtown art scene!

I love MOCA! I've been twice now and both exhibits have been so cool. Thought provoking, well…read morecurated & innovative. Definitely a must see if someone is visiting town. I went into 'Dazzled' today not having any idea what it was about and learned so much interesting stuff! (Like about the giant abstractly painted warships and how armies used ad-executives for master deception)- last time I was there that side room had some insanely provocative shrine-type setup, so cool. They have a super cute little shop at the entrance. It's only $5 to get in if you're not a member (and there are free days) and SO worth it. I like that the installations are multi-sensory experiences which speakers and/or headphones, etc. They were handing out free KXCI radio-station branded headphones today because they're a sponsor of the Dazzled exhibit, but I think they could've put more thought into this. I'm all for free swag and I see the link to the OMD music but they should give people a code to scan on their phones so they can use the headphones for an audio tour of the exhibit or something. Or an app linked to each aspect of the exhibit if you didn't want to put the other headphones on. Even a link to OMD Spotify playlist would be fun. ALSO the headphones should be decorated with unique Dazzle inspired design

I didn't even know this place existed. It's beautiful with…read moreamazing artwork inside. Plus they have a room with rotating artwork from different artists, which is great. I'm so glad to have found this place. It's a great place to visit if you've got a free afternoon. Admission is reasonable as well.

A varied collection, well curated and tastefully organized. Was a true find on a hot day.read more

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is my favorite place in Tucson. There's just something really special…read moreabout it. I love that Ted DeGrazia actually spent time in tribal communities and learned from them, and you can feel that in his work. It feels genuine and respectful, not just something created from a distance. The masks especially stood out to me. They have so much detail and meaning. Every time I go, I leave feeling inspired.

Truly a breathtaking experience in the desert! One of the ways to experience an immersive…read moreintroduction into DeGrazia's art, which is a Tucson staple! The gallery itself is climate controlled, pet friendly and they are open every day. Gallery staff were warm and welcoming and there is an expansive gift shop and an opportunity to purchase prints and merch at the end of your journey! Don't forget to visit the Little Gallery, and the DeGrazia's first home and burial site on your way out. Highly recommend!

A tourist trap. Partial identification of desert plants…read morealong the walkway to enter and pay for the museum. Lots of history in the Native American Museum. A lot I of unique artifacts and stories.Worth going through. However The desert museum is a collection of snakes and turtle shells. Very disappointing with how much the desert has to offer. Large store and souvenirs. Clean restrooms.

Such a cool place to visit! They have an amazing reptile display that is part zoo & part art…read moreexhibit...so nicely done! The garden is so nice even in the summer. The Gift shop is really amazing & we appreciated the selection & quality of their merchandise. No touristy crap, but really nice stuff we didn't realize we needed. It's definitely worth the stop!

This review is for the gift shop! We came to the shop on the way out of town as we'd found they…read moresold a local book one of our group wanted. The gentleman up front was very nice as was the woman in the shop. We snagged the last copy -- which was also signed! - then proceeded to pick up some souvenirs. They have a really nice selection of local books, art, crystals, and items like miners tags. I got a really cute little tree made of copper wire and green stones, and a mixed silver and copper ring. Recommend stopping by even if you don't have time for the museum. Its a nice little shop and as a Smithsonian affiliate, there's no tax!

Steve was our tour guide and he was awesome! He spent his whole career working in the mines, so the…read morestories and details he shared really brought everything to life. Honestly, this was the best mine tour we've done in Arizona. You check in about 30 minutes before the tour. There's a little shop to browse, a spot to sit, and a short movie in the back that gives you a great background on the mine and how copper is made. The tour itself is about an hour, all underground. You ride in on a little train that you sit on kind of like a bike, and the temperature stays a cool mid-60s the whole time. They give you a hard hat, light, safety vest, and even a number tag - just like real miners use - so they know nobody gets left behind. Along the way, the train stops a few times so you can get off, check out artifacts, and walk into different areas while Steve tells more stories. When you come back up to the surface, have your sunglasses ready - the sunlight feels unbelievably bright after being underground. It was the highlight of our full day in Bisbee and something you do NOT want to miss.

I booked the ladder tour for my husband and I for his birthday. Adam was our tour guide. We had a…read moregreat time! I am claustrophobic and let Adam know and he was very understanding and encouraging. He definitely helped me feel at ease and I was able to finish the entire tour. Adam is very passionate about caving and it really shows. We've been in multiple caves and on tours so I wasn't sure if this would be anything special. It absolutely was and I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few activities we got to do that I haven't ever experienced before like playing "drums" on stalactites and "painting" on the wall with a flashlight. We learned a lot about the history of the cave and heard some interesting and fun stories. We also got to explore a little bit on our own here and there off to the sides of the path which my husband really enjoyed. The ladder part is at the end and it was a lot of fun and almost like an obstacle course. We had a great time here and I'm really glad we came!

Fun tour of cave with some good history. Good that the cost supports back the park. Our guide was…read morevery knowledgeable and friendly. The path is very accessible so it isn't hard to walk. The lighting is great showing off great cave features and photos to take. Just no flash Although cool, I would say I've been to nicer caves, but if this is your first cave visit it is probably worth it. Enjoy!