What to do with visiting relatives in Tucson during the holiday season

Now that turkey day is history, and folks are preparing for the upcoming holiday season, many people with visiting relatives may be scratching their heads as to what to do with their families- besides eat, shop, or watch football on TV.

Luckily, Tucson is abundant with things to do and places to visit. Many of which are not apparent to people who live here, as they do not do ‘touristy’ things on a regular basis. I’ve taken a few day trips recently myself, and have greatly enjoyed it! A few weeks ago, I went to the De Grazia Gallery in the Sun. Ted De Grazia is the famed local artist who resided for many years in the Catalina foothills area north of Tucson. The Gallery is a free attraction, and chronicles the rich history of De Grazia’s artistic journey into various mixed media (including building the gallery himself out of all natural materials like cut cross sections of cactus). He even used tin foil as a medium for his art. Few would dispute that De Grazia is the best known artist from Tucson, even though he was originally from the mining town of Morenci, Arizona. His colorful life matches his colorful art, and a trip to the Gallery in the sun is not to be missed!

The Adobe Chapel at De Grazia Gallery in the Sun

Below are some ideas of day trips to take in Tucson, as well as corresponding links for many.

* De Grazia Gallery in the Sun

* Tucson Botanical Gardens

* Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

* The University of Arizona (especially Arizona state museum and The Center for Creative Photography)

* Ft. Lowell Park- Arizona Historical Society Museum

* Agua Caliente Park

* Historic walking tour of downtown Tucson (PDF format)

* 4th Avenue (near downtown)

* Winterhaven festival of lights

* Hiking in the Catalina Foothills: try Pima Canyon, Finger Rock trail, Ventana Canyon

* Saguaro National Monuments (east and west)

* a day trip to Tubac

* a day trip to Oracle

* Mt. Lemmon

* horseback riding at the Westward Look Resort

If you run out of things to do, and your family now says they want to move here- please call me. I’ll be happy to show you the local real estate offerings, as that is my specialty. Happy trails & happy holidays to you & your family!

Saguaros touching the sky in Pima Canyon.