What an amazing mission! I had no idea Arizona had such a beautiful and historic mission. It was…read morereally such a beautiful place to see. There's gorgeous art and rich history all through the grounds. I learned so much from being here. The pictures do NOT do it justice. You must go see it for yourself!

This place was listed among Tucson's unique attractions, and it was a relatively short drive so we…read moreadded it to our itinerary. The site is less than 15 minutes south of downtown via a couple of interstates. Once you exit it is probably only a mile or so. The mission complex is located on a tribal reservation. You turn off the paved road to a large field of dirt and gravel in front of the mission. The center part of this is given over to semi-shaded stalls for vendors - food like fry bread, etc. Parking is along the sides. When we visited, the facade was partly covered with construction scaffolding, but this was wrapped with tarps that reflected the building beneath it. So you could still get a good idea of how it would look uncovered. Inside, there is the main church on the left (as you face it). This is actively used, so be quiet / respectful. Passing through there (or entering separately on the right) there are several smaller connected rooms that have displays about the history of the building and the local area. In back is a courtyard with a fountain. I'm not sure the public has access to this, but you can view it from a shaded arcade. If you like historic buildings or old missions in particular, this is an easy stop within the Tucson area. And the fry bread we got as we left the parking lot was good too!