Public art is bountiful in the Old Pueblo. It's likely you've passed by this structure before...but…read moremight not know what it's all about or where it came from. This mighty Griffin was designed by Creative Machines, which is based in Tucson! Creative Machines is an organizations that brings artist, fabricators and engineers together to design and install public art all over the country. The backstory is that in the 1930's Griffins onced perched over the Carnegie Library, which is now home to Tucson Children's Museum. They disappeared during a renovation or were removed. This structure pays homage to the Griffins of the Carnegie Library. The Griffin is located on Scott Avenue illuminates beautifully at night and makes for a fun photo while exploring the downtown area!

I love public art! Another cool work from Creative Machines to check out when exploring downtown…read moreTucson. Make sure to check out his footprints along the way. Story has it, that before the Carnagie Library was remodeled in 1938, they used to have griffins, but somehow one got away when they were removed. Hence the footprints. Bright red LED lights illuminate Toby's heart at night.

Beautiful desert park!…read more Despite the shutdown (2025) and the rain, we dropped by this park on the way back home from 'Em's soccer tourney in Mesa. This park is filled with the famous saguaro cactus that fills scenes of the southwest, but really is only located in the Sonoran desert of Southern Arizona. It was not summer hot, and overcast. We were able to hideout from the passing showers at the Red Hill Visitor Center. Inside they have a glass encased wildlife model. You can learn a lot about the Sonoran desert flora and fauna. There are a couple of hand phones that go into specific themes. Also available every 30min is a 15min video about the Sonoran Desert and the images of the culture and sustainment themes. The cool thing about the video was the end when the screen rises and reveals the back side of the visitor center and this vm beautiful scene of the park. Really beautiful. I can only imagine what it would look like on a clear sunset. The kids were able to do their Junior Rangers and we took some short hikes and drove through the scenic loop before heading out. The park is huge, we entered through the Western side in Picture Rock, and drove along the southern edge on the way home. It was nice to see this park, and I was glad we stopped to check it out. Recommended.

5/5 TOP RECOMMENDATION! Saguaro is now one of my favorite national parks in the country! If you're…read morea fan of cacti and the intricacies of plant life this is the spot for you. There's so many shapes and sizes you'll run into. The massive amount of cacti and plant life is astounding in such a vast desert environment. The park is super popular with Tucson locals and visitors alike. It's a perfect place for an adventure and introverts! I saw people relaxing as they marveled at the landscape around them. Saguaro is about 20 mins from Tucson. The roads are smooth inside the park and signage is pretty clear. Just don't go off the beaten trail and watch for rattle snakes! I felt safe, but it's always good to be cautious. The visitor center is sizable, it's got a cool gift shop, mini-museum, and information booth. I bought a National Park Passport so I can start stamping and inserting cancellations to my book. It's a perfect way to track your adventures across the US. The staff are slightly wet blankets, but hey I didn't come to see them. Guess they must be jealous!

This gem is tucked in a neighborhood...(where the best parks are hidden!). I was Geocaching the…read morearea, and saw this Park and just had to visit! One of the things I LOVE about Tucson is the smaller Parks that really show off the unique flair of Tucson.

I recently found that this is s great place to pick up the bike/walking trail. The trail is very…read morewell maintained and appears to have memorials along the path (I'm guessing from donors?). I've been several times and have had mostly good experiences. There are the occasional homeless folks who walk/live in park or in wash along path but they've not bothered me. It still seems relatively safe because you're very close to major roads but not so close you're getting exhaust from cars. The only other thing I don't love is the religious folks who sit near parking lot. I don't want to be solicited for anything in a public park but maybe it's a good place for recruitment. Otherwise I'll be back every week to get me and my pup some mileage!

Nice park with a sizable parking lot....It has a nice playscape and covered picnic area. I came to…read morebike the Rialto River Trail, which is nice and wide. Many bikers do not follow proper passing etiquette though, so be careful! I rode six miles and it was a good workout. There were some hills that had me a bit red in the face, sad but true. Along the river trail you will see hummingbirds, lizards and quail, which made it even more fantastic. You will not see water though...the river is dry, dry-like the desert. Speaking of which, bring water. You will pass bathrooms along the 12 mile (24 mile round trip) trail. I had a hard time following the trail, it must take a jog or something...what can I say, clearly, I am new to this.

If you're in exploration mode, add the Bike Church to your list! Bike Church is a "walk-in"…read moresculpture made entirely of recycled bike parts. It's lovely both day and night, but the at night it is illuminated. It's really cool! It's also interactive in that the public is welcome to play the musical chimes made from bike parts. The bike church not only references the bike culture of the Old Pueblo but it is also serves as shared community memorial for cyclists. It's a reminder to please share the road :) There's room for all of us! Bike Church is located in Barrio Anita, (downtown ) on the southwest corner of W. Davis Street and N. Main Ave.

The 22-foot-tall-sculpture is on North Granada Avenue and West Davis Street near Barrio Anita. It…read moreserves as a gateway to a six-mile bike path. A walk-in metal sculpture made of hundreds of bike frames, wheels and rims with stained-glass windows and musical chimes made from bike parts, that I have driven past many times with curiosity. It's a nondenominational celebration of bike culture featuring traditional religious architecture. The sculpture's stained-glass windows resemble those of church; the top is similar to those on Islamic temples; and there are two Stars of David on the sides and a mold of a Pascua Yaqui dancer, O'Connell said. Joe O'Connell is one of the sculptures along with Blessing Hancock of Creative Machines. It serves as a permanent memorial for cyclists killed on the streets, but it's also a place for celebration. They want you to play with the chimes! You can attach pictures and mementos to remember cyclists who have passed. Let's be honest, Tucson is very bike friendly, BUT it seems like every time you turn on the news, you hear of a bike accident. At night, solar lights light up the stained glass. It is a way-cool sight!

To set expectation, Yume Japanese Gardens are on a small parcel of land and are designed to be like…read morethose you might find in a Kyoto courtyard. Bring a book, meditate, take your time. The spaces have benches and invite you to find a peaceful moment in the desert. We did. The gallery has a video (English subtitles) that has great information about creating these types of gardens, and the gift shop offers a variety of Japanese items to purchase.

Visited this place over winter break, and I was shocked to see all the lower views. If you've been…read moreto Japan, then you might understand the place a little more. Basically, it's made up of a lot of small micro exhibits similar to like you might see in Japan in a place like where spaces are limited. The whole place is probably 3/4 of an acre but they did a wonderful job maximizing the usage of the space. You really need to take your time and sit down and just enjoy if you power through you're gonna finish it in 10 minutes and you'll miss the whole point of your visit. I think the story is really cool about the lady who created the location to show Japanese culture based on her personal experiences of living in Japan. This is something she pulled together on her own and open to the public and not for profit fashion. It might be a little pricey to enter (15 USD), but you also have to understand your money serves as a donation to keep the place running. It's clear that she's doing this on her own. And I think it's wonderful that she's so inspired to be a bridge between cultures that often are overlooked in Tucson.

nice open park with lots of parking. there are plenty of picnic table with lots of shade…read moreavailable. Several paved and unpaved trails available to walk around the pond and park. There are a few ducks. There are restroom facilities available.

Love this park! When I'm missing the ocean this is as close as I can get to a body of water…read more They have a paved path for walking your dog. I've been here for a funeral so they offer that. Lots of people do their prom photos and senior grad photos here. There are ducks and turtles and koi oh my! A lovely spot for a picnic. Free parking.

I came up A Mountain for the first time this weekend to watch the sunset. I enjoyed the new view of…read moreTucson! The drive is a little risky, especially with all the pullouts to see the views being on the far side of the road with limited guardrails. Make sure to drive slow and drive up with a confident driver. The road does close at the sunset time exactly, so if you are someone that likes to watch the sunset until it is completely dark, A Mountain is not the place for you. Nonetheless, A Mountain has great views and is also a popular place to hike and cycle!

Might be one of the most picturesque places to visit in Tucson. Might be a little difficult to find…read morethe road to get here, but once you do, you make it up to the top and are greeted by some fantastic views of Tucson and the valley below. Highly recommend going as it approaches sunset for the best views around. Parking is also plentiful, making for an excellent place to take a walk or hike :)