The BEST ballooning company in the area! And they are local unlike some others. If this has been…read moreon your bucket list, do it and do it with Tucson Balloon Rides for sure! We are so glad we did!

I chose Tucson Balloon Rides because of their excellent reviews, so this experience has been very…read moredisappointing. My hot air balloon ride was canceled, and while I completely understand that weather and safety always come first, I was initially more than willing to reschedule. After several days without any communication, the company finally responded on Saturday exactly a week after canceling the flight and explained they had been out of town, which I completely understand. They asked me for dates that would work to reschedule. However, after the lack of communication leading up to that point, I decided I would rather receive a refund instead. Since requesting my refund, I have not received any further response. I have followed up with text messages, emails, and phone calls, but I still haven't heard back. My disappointment isn't that the flight was canceled--that's understandable. It's the lack of communication throughout the process and the fact that, after requesting a refund, I've been left without any updates. When customers pay several hundred dollars in advance, they deserve clear and timely communication. I truly hope this can be resolved soon because I chose this company based on its outstanding reputation, and I had expected a much better customer experience.

Dec, 2025. When we first visit a new city, we often visit the official Visitor Center to pick up…read moremaps and to get insiders' recommendations about the best things about their city. In this case, we visited the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center in Tucson, which is open daily (except holidays) from 10-5 and offers free admission. The two staff members at the Center were very helpful. When we asked about the free tours that are offered daily at 11 am and 2 pm (that were mentioned on their website), we learned that they're usually only for groups and that they only cover the indoor exhibits. (See next paragraph). A volunteer offered to accompany us as we reviewed the exhibits, but we declined. The Center was a great starting place to discover all that southern Arizona, the Sonoran Desert, and the Sky Islands have to offer. The Center is modern, clean, and successfully highlights the attractions of the area. There are seven large, multi-paneled storytelling portals that showcase innovation, history, arts and culture, food, recreation, water, and nature, as well as a huge topographic map, a theater with rotating content, and an attractive gift shop. After we reviewed the exhibits and picked up some souvenirs in the gift shop, we ventured outside into the courtyard -- finding that the free "Music in the Courtyard" musicians were just starting. Different musicians play on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 am - 1 pm. (See website for list of scheduled performers). We were fortunate to be entertained by Liz and Pete's Sparrows, natives of Tucson. The duo, Liz Cerepanya and Peter Dalton Ronstadt, refer to themselves as songsters of the Postmodern American West. With two voices, a guitar, and a Pennsylvania stompbox, they played Americana, soulful desert, and roots music. The courtyard is a beautiful setting but, in our opinion, wasn't conducive for interactions between the musicians and the audience. They were so tucked into a corner that we could hardly see them. What we heard though was excellent. We next took in the beauty of the exterior of the Pima County Historic Courthouse, which was built in 1929 and was in-service for 86 years. It obtained its "historic" designation from the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It has been dubbed "the most outstanding Spanish Colonial Revival building in Arizona with its elegant blue-tiled dome recorded as its most prominent feature." We reflected and remembered at the January 8th Embrace Memorial. Nineteen people had been shot by a lone gunman as they gathered at a grocery store in NW Tucson in 2011, to speak Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at an event designed for community engagement. Six persons were killed, and thirteen wounded. The Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and a tribute of hope. The film that shows in the VC theater also honors and remembers these victims. Our next activities, recommended by the VC, but taking us away from the VC were to: (1) walk "the Turquoise Trail" (Presidio Trail), which is a 2.5 mile self-guided walking loop through historic downtown Tucson, marked by a turquoise line painted, and sometimes peeling, line painted on the sidewalk, connecting over 20 historic sites like the Presidio Museum (starting/ending point), Hotel Congress, and the Pima County Courthouse. Printed maps are available at the VC and at museums for $2; there's also an app for $5. (2) to take the free Sun Link streetcar on its 3.9 mile route through five of Tucson's neighborhoods. Underground parking is easy at the El Presidio Parking Garage, at a minimum rate of $2 for 0-2 hours, increasing by $1 per hour up to a maximum of $8 (for 7+hours). Validated parking is available with a $20 purchase at the Visitor Center or with tickets from the Gem and Mine Museum. There are clean restrooms available.

Stopped in today to check out our new Tucson visitor center. It is just beautiful inside! Huge full…read moreimages of our life here in the desert! There are panels and gorgeous images of the festivals, the food, the wildlife, what to do, and much more, there's a video playing, a loop gift shop, and staff are super friendly and helpful. They got me in the right direction to find some scorpion lollipops right around the corner! It will be a pleasure to bring out-of-towners here!

Although we're typically more hikers than bikers, we thought we'd shake things up and try this…read moreTucson E-Bike Adventure Tour through the eastern Saguaro National Park! Wow! Are we ever glad we did! The experience was amazing! The bikes and equipment were top-notch and expertly maintained, and the pre-tour communication with James was superb. The real star (besides the magnificent park itself) was our tour leader, Carol, who provided a wealth of knowledge about many aspects of the park and surrounding areas. Her commentary really enhanced our enjoyment and revealed many things we had not known. Each stop was perfect! Just the right length to provide a little break from the ride, full of great information, and then we were off again! The two and a half hours flew by as we navigated the wonderfully paved roadway. Try it! It's delightful!

My family of four had a stupendous time on our e-bike tour through Saguaro National Park. Our…read moreguide, Jeff Carter, was fun, informative, and most importantly, kept us safe as we navigated the roads/trails. Riding a bike through the park is a wonderful experience, and e-bikes make it possible for an average person to do the whole ride, hills and all, with ease. There is really nothing else like it, and it's an experience one doesn't soon forget.

Absolutely a great experience with Tyler today!!! We took the flight out to Catalina mountains for…read moreabout 40 minutes and he talked and showed us things around town. I can't say enough good things about him and the experience. Will be recommending and coming back for sure!!!

My friend and I took the Boneyard photo tour and could not have had a better experience. The pilot…read morewas informative and had a lot of knowledge about the boneyard and the city in general as we flew over it to get there. The helicopter was comfortable and afforded good views all around. We flew about 500 ft above the planes so with a good zoom lens I was able to get some great shots of the planes. You can see some of my shots attached to this review. The pilot was very accommodating and offered to fly circles around any plane I was interested in getting a more detailed picture of. As an aerospace geek this was a trip that was on my lifetime bucket list. I am more than happy with the tour and can now happily check it off my list and have approximately 200 photos as a reminder of my trip.

Amazing tour of this gigantic open pit copper mine that you wouldn't believe is in Arizona. Nice…read moregift shop ,reasonable tour price. Big trucks, loaders and processing facilities. Nice

Staff in the visitor center and on the tour were all so friendly! This facility is an amazing…read moredemonstration of how we can choose to mine with less negative impacts on human health and our planet - they're careful about water usage and dust control; they use special processes without chemical to separate the copper so that tailings are less damaging on the back end; they are attempting to be transparent and educate the public. Highly recommend a visit if you're in or near Tucson, it's just a 20 minute drive south of town.

This was a very unique food tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elysa really loves Tucson and it…read moreshows through her knowledge of history, current events, murals and cultural events. It was definitely an immersion in the city, being woven together with a food tour. We met at a food market, but ended up using that as a place for introductions (and parking for those who drove) and a way to catch the streetcar into downtown, Elysa sharing info about Tucson and the surrounding area, all along the way. She also has really honed in her relationships with the restaurant owners/managers, as a couple of them came out to speak with us about what they do. That was a really nice touch. The dishes were unique - a pasta dish with peaches (much better than it sounds), and East Indian Latino fusion. And we each got to choose what flavors of ice cream we wanted for dessert. And as a treat, we went into the Fox Theater and met the sound engineer and heard about the fascinating history of the theater. The Historic Downtown tour is a lovely way to spend a half day in Tucson and for anyone who is into food or history, should make this part of their visit.

An absolutely marvelous afternoon walking tour! We learned some local history, learned about the…read moreartists & the amazing murals in the downtown area, & had some great local food along the way. The guides were informative & obviously enjoyed interacting with the group. Highly recommend!

Visit Tucson is here for locals, business owners and tourists alike. The folks here are so…read morededicated and have really done a stellar job with their recent rebranding and marketing campaigns for the Old Pueblo. I especially love that their offices are located in the heart of downtown. Do know if you're planning to stop by their office- They are located in the La Placita Village complex- the bright multi-colored structure that really can't be missed. You can park in the garage or park on the street (I find the street parking more convenient). New to Tucson? Go there! Visiting Tucson? Go there! Local business owner? Go there! Really, they are here to hook you up with all kinds of information on everything local. Do visit their website too, it's jam-packed with information that is useful to everyone (locals, business owners and tourists). I total fan of Visit Tucson!

I am part of a pretty small group of business owners. We were all meeting here in Tucson and I got…read morea hold of Richard at MTCVB for information that might make the participants visit better. They loved it!

What a huge disappointment! I purchased four tickets for the…read moreCrawler for May 4, 2026 for 1:30pm. Two tickets were for my visiting brother and his girlfriend. We were early as two people in our party were handicaped and I wanted to make sure we could get good seats together. When it was time to load on the Crawler we all got into our seats, happy. Then the uncaring driver says we all have to get off "because that Crawler had be "charged". On top of all of us having to get off, now we were not in a position to get decent seats. Then the driver rolls up a tiny stretched golf cart, so small that only three people could fit in a row of seats so I had to move. The uncaring driver ignored my wife and my brother struggling to get in the stretched golf cart and only got a step to help them get in after I spoke up. Everyone was so tight that a couple people had to ride backwards on the back of the cart. The driver hardly told us how the earbuds worked and I had to share one of my earbuds with my wife whose connection did not function. The scenery was top notch but the Crawler was terrible! On the way back on the return trip we encountered a couple of elderly tourists waiting at a designated pickup spot, but there wasn't a single available seat. The couple, of course, were very embarrassed. The uncaring driver told them he would radio for another Crawler and guess what, a double Crawler drove by us down the way to pick them up. It was the Crawler that had to be "charged" that we were kicked off of. All in all, we were very disappointed! Listen up management, get your act together!

Amazing Tram Ride at Sabino Canyon!…read more I had the pleasure of experiencing a fantastic tram ride at Sabino Canyon, and I can't recommend it enough! For just $15.00, you get an incredible adventure surrounded by the stunning beauty of Arizona's landscape. The ride was filled with gorgeous views of towering cacti, impressive boulders, and lush trees, all complemented by the soothing sounds of running water from the creek. Each twist and turn in the canyon revealed breathtaking scenery that felt like a slice of paradise. The guide was professional and friendly, making the experience enjoyable for everyone. Whether you're a local or just visiting, this is a must-do activity. Grab your friends, hop on the ride, and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Sabino Canyon. I can't wait to return!