Grateful to Yelp for inviting us Yelpers to come for the Momentos series at TMA, a celebration of…read moreArizona's Biennial Artists. What a stunning collection of local artists and their art. In addition to the beautiful artwork we could peruse, there was snacks and mangonadas, a DJ, and drinks. One of the museum staff also walked us through an activity to discuss and share our reactions to the art. I loved that she made it feel approachable, even for folks like me who are not art experts. My husband is a big art lover and ended up buying a membership before we left. Can't wait to come back to explore the rest of the collection! Highly recommend stopping by for the Momentos series this summer.

The building is absolutely beautiful. Go to see what is on offer. The collections are not my…read morefavorite, but of course everyone's tastes differ. There are absolute gems in terms of the ancient pottery collection, the Peruvian exhibit, and the Puerto Rican artist featured on the first floor. However, I found a lot of the contemporary art... so-so. It's just not compelling enough to fill the space. I was excited for the special AZ exhibit, but only about half of what was shown was interesting. I'll definitely go back. Exhibits rotate and collectiona expand. I look forward to returning.

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

Such a unique place in Tucson! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but I was really impressed by…read morethe amount of detail and craftsmanship that goes into the displays. There's so much to look at that you find yourself noticing something new everywhere you turn. The museum is clean, well organized, and the staff was welcoming and helpful. Definitely one of those Tucson places that's worth checking out and supporting.

This was somewhat unusual. It is a museum dedicated to various sorts of 'miniatures' - small…read moredioramas, dollhouses, architectural models, etc. We checked it out one Friday afternoon. They have their own parking lot, though the sign was hard to spot initially (I had to loop back to get in). I think the admission fee was around $15 per person. The space is divided into several rooms. One is devoted more to fantasy / sci-fi themes. The rest is mostly segmented into a series of rooms with dollhouses and architectural models. Most of these are highly detailed. You may find something based on a place you've been - there was a Chinese structure from Shanghai that we'd coincidentally seen a long time ago, for example. There are also some figure models (historical figures) in one area. My impression was that many of the pieces were donated to the museum after the original owner / collector passed away, and their heirs wanted to do something useful with the items. The museum is a great solution to cases where you suddenly have a refrigerator-sized dollhouse that you are not personally that attached to, and don't want to store it in your own house forever. There was also a special exhibit (which I assume changes regularly) which, at the time, featured miniatures and models made by Ray Harryhausen. There is a gift shop at the entrance which you can browse without paying admission. This is worth checking out once at least, if you find the description remotely interesting. It was certainly unique.

What a transformation! It had been years since my prior visit, and the investment made and…read moreresulting upgrades are phenomenal! The planetarium theater itself is stunning and the amazing seats are so comfy. But note that the attraction has been renamed "Science Center and Planetarium" because there's also the Wild World of Bugs, Undersea Discovery, a fascinating shark exhibit and an asteroid cave! Various spaces are also available for rental for private events, too, including BIRTHDAY PARTIES! Pro tip: there is limited FREE STREET PARKING on the south curb of Hawthorne St, immediately behind the Center. Let staff know you're parked there to get a dashboard display ticket!

This was a fun place to go if you have a couple of hours. This is more geared towards families with…read morekids, however I was solo and had a great time. I loved going to the show in the planetarium. It was about an hour long with a short show and then a presentation of what the current Tucson skies look like. There are two stories to explore with a small gift shop. There are interactive displats throughout. Glad I got to experience the Flandrau and then had a walk along the mall of the UofA.

One of our group had been here before and recommended it. I was initially confused as we'd seen a…read morelarge 'aircraft boneyard' / parking lot en route into Tucson from Phoenix. However, that it not associated with this place. This is a large museum located a few miles southeast of downtown Phoenix. They have 5 hangars with displayed aircraft plus a large collection of planed parked outdoors in several long rows. They do NOT allow backpacks or have storage for them. Leave these in your car (concealed) or you'll have to go back to do so. Not a complaint, just a fact. Some / most of their parking lot has awnings, which is nice for keeping your car somewhat cooler in the Arizona sun. In addition to the general admission, they have other options including a narrated tram tour of the outdoor aircraft. We added this on, but there may also be other side-tours. We added this to our itinerary. You begin in the main hangar, which is the largest. Here they have a large array of planes on display (on the ground and suspended from the ceiling). Among the many displays were an SR-71, an A-10 Warthog, a couple of large flying boat military aircraft, multiple military helicopters, etc. We spent almost an hour here. The tram tour boards at a 2nd hangar, so we visited that before boarding. They had some spacecraft (Apollo capsule?) and a Blackhawk helicopter, plus other displays. The tram tour ran about 45 minutes and was interesting. It would be exhausting to do this on foot, given the area. Among the displays were a couple of planes that served as Air Force One, a B-52, an enormous amphibious transport plane, and some F-16s. There were MANY others. After the tram tour, we visited an additional hangar (operated separately from the museum) housing a B-17 with associated displays. This is staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. It was worthwhile and merited a separate donation. Before they started closing for the day we managed to visit 2 more hangars (we ran out of time for the final one). We got to see a B-29 (the type of craft that carried the atomic bombs to Japan), and more WWII-vintage planes. About the only thing they did NOT have which I'd like to have seen was a Spitfire. Maybe one was in the final building. If you have any interest in military history or aircraft, this is a highly worthwhile stop.

Really big, fun museum. I have no special love of aircraft, but my son and husband do, so I tagged…read morealong. I still had a great time and enjoyed all the cool aircraft. Go early or in the winter because it gets hot and a lot of the exhibits are outside. If I had one complaint it would be that there weren't very many aircraft you could go inside. I'm sure this is a liability they have to weigh-- but I've lived other similar museums that had a lot more opportunities to go inside airplanes. Very nice gift shop. Cafe looked nice-- but didn't try it. I'm

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.

Really cool Tucson spot that I think a lot of people overlook. The property itself is worth walking…read morearound, and I really enjoyed the Southwestern architecture, artwork, and history. It has a very unique Arizona feel to it and is a nice change from the typical places around town. Definitely worth stopping by at least once, especially if you've lived in Tucson for a while and have never been.

What a great collection of historic and modern military vehicles! This is an important part of our…read morehistory and now you can see what our armed forces used. This is a great opportunity to get close to amazing vehicles from different countries. The building is packed with so many things, I think they should have built a bigger building!

This is a new museum and it's incredible. I absolutely love military vehicle museums and this one…read moreis a gold mine. They have about 70 vehicles and they encompass everything from main battle tanks to armored personnel carriers. It is right next to the Pima Air and Space Museum but they are separate paid admissions. Thank goodness this museum is indoors as that dessert heat really sneaks up on you. This museum is really well laid out and easy to walk through. The information placards for the vehicles are concise and detailed. I really enjoyed seeing the old Soviet era tanks and vehicles. Vehicles from WWI through modern times are all showcased. The staff is helpful and quite pleasant. They have a simple snack shop and gift shop as well. It's a little humbling standing next to such large weapons of war. I hope to never see one anyplace other than a museum. The parking is simple and the building is clean and well maintained.

Spent the day exploring the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and came away impressed by just how alive…read morethe desert really is. We spotted gray wolves prowling their habitat, mountain bighorn sheep showing off their cliff-climbing skills, a bobcat perfecting the art of looking unimpressed, busy beavers ( not so busy but napping), playful river otters, and hummingbirds zipping around like tiny feathered helicopters. The desert definitely turned the thermostat up to "extra crispy," but with plenty of water, shade breaks, and determination, we made it work. A great reminder that the Sonoran Desert is far more than cactus and rocks. It's an entire world hiding in plain sight.

I have been a member of the Desert Museum for several years, and probably visit 6-10 times a year…read more This is my favorite place to spend a couple of hours! The museum offers a peaceful setting to wander in nature, enjoying cactus gardens, a mile-long trail, butterfly area, etc. We like visiting the animals, especially the otter Dot, the stingrays, and the mountain lions (they have two new cubs!) The gift shops have a lot of variety and we have purchased many a birthday gift for people, as well as goodies for ourselves- and no sales tax is a bonus! The food on property is really good, and the prickly pear lemonade or margaritas are great for a warm day. They also have events like Cool Summer Nights that offer live music, special displays and guest presentations in their theater, or Raptor Free Flight (seasonal) to get a glimpse of various birds flying up close. We never get bored going to the Desert Museum, there is always something new to see or a familiar favorite to revisit.

The membership is worth it! So many beautiful plants and flowers to see. Love the desert section…read morewith all of the cactus and saguaros. They've really done a great job with the renovation. The new Frida Kahlo exhibit is great. Currently there's a photo exhibit of penguins through June 2026 Their kitchen also has a few vegan options Wheelchairs available for use.

I love this little hidden treasure in the middle of town. Although it's on the smaller scale…read more(compared to larger city botanical gardens) it is always a fun place to visit. The cacti & curated gardens are beautiful, they currently have the Frida Kahlo exhibit with brightly colored displays it matched perfectly with the Sonoran desert landscape. I especially enjoy the butterfly enclosure, the Barrio Gardin surrounded by adobe walls and reclaimed objects as planters and the birds that call this place home. You can grab lunch or a snack and sit under the big shade tree on the patio. They host events, check their website or become a member to receive updates.