Tucson Arizona Travel Guide

This is a Tucson Arizona Travel Guide for those who enjoy weird and unique vacation experiences, vegetarian food, and vintage in general.

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Tucson first entered my consciousness when I saw Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion in theatre. It sounded like a place someone moves away from and never returns to until an event worthy of their time.

Imagine my surprise when I, as an adult, made my inaugural trip to Tucson and discovered a charming city rich with history, architecture, and food.

These are the places I continue to visit every time I’m in town and I believe are worthy of adding to any travel itinerary.

In addition to those, there’s the newly opened Tuxon Hotel, another refurbished motor lodge. However, this one is in a authentic location – next to the freeway. That may sound like a negative, but I assure you it’s not.

The location is prime for the Tucson Rock & Gem Show, specifically the Pueblo Gem and Mineral show which is basically next door. In addition to that, a short 18 minute walk from the Tuxon will bring you to a light rail train line that goes downtown. The train stop is at the doorstep of the MSA Annex container shopping and cafe area too which I will be talking about soon enough.

As for amenities, the Tuxon has a courtyard pool with dreamy cabanas to lounge in as well as EV charging, free parking, and is pet friendly!

Though I have never stayed at any of these places, they are on my wish list and are worth mentioning as dream spots.

Running along the border of Saguaro National Park East, Tanque Verde Ranch is an all inclusive resort with a rustic edge and extensive historical significance. The property is expansive with a working dude ranch, a spa and pool, dining areas, tennis courts, and more.

If riding horses, outdoor cookouts, hiking, and majestic views of the mountains are your idea of the perfect vacation, look no further than this spot. And honestly, don’t bother even driving into town – staying here is a trip in itself. It’s approx a 40 minute drive to downtown depending on traffic.

Modernized but still retaining its original charm, the Lodge on the Desert is the closest of the luxury hotels to the downtown core with it being a short 10 minute drive away.

It’s an adobe style resort that first began in the 1930s and was the spot of choice for many Hollywood stars desert getaways, John Wayne being one of note.

There is no shortage of interesting things to see in and around Tucson so it’s impossible to fit it all the unique things to do in one visit. If like myself you adore architecture, kitsch, and historical places, then this list is for you.

One of the best ways to experience a new place is by walking around and that’s exactly how I first came across the Rattlesnake Bridge.

We were trying to get to the Welcome Diner and I remembered having read about this snake shaped pedestrian bridge that we could walk over to get to our Googie style breakfast spot.

The bridge crosses Broadway Boulevard and is shaped like a rattlesnake with fangs acting as the opening arch supports.

If that wasn’t realistic enough, the tail end is much more alarming. There is a rattling sound effect at the other end which scared the living daylight out of me the first time I heard it.

The artist, Simon Donovan, took something functional and transformed its utility into magic. And it’s free to visit!

This is most likely a recommendation for a very specific type of person but I’m going to make it anyway. 

Lisa Frank reigned supreme over my elementary school in the 1990s and I had NO IDEA she had a magical office/warehouse based in Tucson.

While you cannot go inside, there’s still ample signifiers around the exterior to appreciate including a massive unicorn sculpture.

To be honest, my favourite part of Pima Air Museum was looking at the vintage Pucci flight attendant outfits from the 1960s but I could have easily spent the entire day wandering around.

The majority of the museum is an outdoor plane graveyard which is both parts awe-inspiring as it is disconcerting realizing how many planes must be laying around collecting dust all over the world.

Come prepared with ample time to spend here and a good pair of walking shoes.

If you love crystals and/or jewelry making, this is the place to be during the first two weeks of February. Not every tent is open to the public, but many are. 

It’s worth poking around just to see the size of the colossal pieces with everything from full rose quartz bathtubs to elaborate lifesize carvings.

The next two suggestions are Tucson adjacent but worth taking the time to make the short drive to check out.

It is positively criminal to go to Tucson and NOT visit Saguaro National Park. The drive is relatively short clocking in at around 27 minutes.

I recommend taking Gates Pass Road for an epic view as you descend into the west side of the park. 

Tucson divides the park into two sides but the visitor centre where you can earn a Junior Rangers badge is on the west side.

Catching the sunrise or sunset there is a bucket list item.

16 minutes south of Tucson is the San Xavier Del Bac Mission, a historic Spanish Catholic Mission that was built between 1783 – 1797.

If you think the exterior is lovely, the inside is equally cool. Colourful frescoes line the surfaces inside the sanctuary surrounding the main altar. The ornate carvings, statues, and paintings are mesmerizing so budget ample time when planning a visit.

(My photo is from February 2020 when they were working on restoring the exterior which is why half the stucco is done.)

These food suggestions are extremely vegetarian / vegan forward as that’s my preference of dining.

With that said, every single place aside from Tumerico, offers meat so keep that in mind. There are options for everyone!

My top suggestion for breakfast / brunch is the Welcome Diner, a classic diner that’s housed in a phenomenal googie style building.

It is currently closed HOWEVER, it’s supposedly reopening so keep your eye on that! There’s also a location in Phoenix should you be in the area.

The Cup Cafe is also a wonderful spot located inside the Hotel Congress and features a floor made completely out of pennies!

Aside from the wonderful decor, the menu is solid with multiple options for vegetarians and vegans that isn’t just french toast / pancakes.

My absolute favourite place to get lunch is at Ceres. It’s a little shop that makes fresh pasta daily. Both the type of noodles and sauce can be selected to customize your pasta.

Though there isn’t indoor seating, across the road is a courtyard where you can enjoy your meal. They even offer prepped takeaway dinner. 

They’re open from 11am – 3pm so I recommend showing up close to opening as possible to ensure that they have your top picks available. It’s so tasty that popular sauces sell out fast.

For the best vegan Mexican food I have EVER had was from Tumerico on 6th. Every bite was heavenly and their horchata was exceptional.

The menu changes everyday, which as an anxious person initially made me hesitant to go which would have been a colossal mistake. Everything is delicious.

Maynards Kitchen is not for vegans but the veggies can still enjoy. Located in an old train station, the ambience is next level as are the thoughtfully arranged plates and ingredients. That radish salad as pictured above was perfectly balanced and bursting with flavour. 

El Charro is another incredible Mexican restaurant that has multiple locations one of which is even fully vegan! We went to the Cafe Ventana location and had the veggie enchiladas “Christmas style” with both red and green sauce twice. That’s how good it was.

Tucson is home to a few of the best kitsch bars I have ever been to. Not only are they pristine examples of the mid century design sense of the era but they also have exceptional cocktails.

Despite the fact that I’ve been to Tucson NUMEROUS times, this year marked my inaugural visit to the Shelter Cocktail Lounge and it did not disappoint.

The interior looks like my grandparents basement with the preserved 60s decor. Every wall is either brightly painted or covered in textured wallpaper. I adore it.

The Kon Tiki Lounge always makes my list of recommendations whenever anyone asks where to go in Tucson. It’s like stepping into a time machine back to the 1960s when exotic tropical cocktails reigned supreme. I’m not much of a drinker these days, but I cannot resist the allure of a tiki bar.

It’s worth noting that the food available here is 100% not vegetarian friendly so keep that in mind if you show up hungry.

Tiger’s Lounge is attached to The Congress Hotel and is named after the long serving bartender who manned the taps.

It’s a cozy little hideaway perfect for sipping on cocktails while having a conversation without shouting over loud music.

I discovered this shop on my most recent trip and I cannot wait to return. Bon Tucson is where a quirky version of Martha Stewart would shop.

There’s gorgeous gardening tools, regional textiles, clothing made of natural fabric, Repetto ballet flats, cute stationery, and my all time favourite incense line Astier de Villatte.

We spent well over an hour making our way through the relatively small shop – every corner was filled with something to gush over.

Read my full post devoted to Bon Tucson here.

Stumbling upon Arte De La Vida was truly happenstance. We were on our way to The Shelter Cocktail Lounge when the storefront and mid century modern facade caught our eye.

There was a brief moment of hesitation but we turned the truck around because we knew the remorse we’d feel later. Thank goodness we did as it was an enchanting vintage store that specializes in Mexican antiques.

Walking into the shop is overwhelming in the best way. We were met with a full shop layered in jewelry, trinkets, clothing, and more. It was a maximalist’s paradise aka heaven on earth for me.

The other half of the shop was devoted to folk art. Places like this make me sad that I only have a set amount of space in my luggage.

This doubles as an excellent restaurant, however, there are a plethora of cute regional gift items available at Maynard’s Market.

I have raved about the Cactus Candy line and I stand by it. They even make jalapeno jellies too!

The MSA Annex is a container boxpark of local shops. The previous time I went was prior to covid and sadly a few of the boutiques did not make it.

However, Decibel Coffee Works is still going strong and they make an excellent chai. Savior is also worth checking out if you’re into vintage clothing and home goods.

Check out the MSA Annex website for a complete listing of all the current tenants.

For all the chemical photobooth heads out there, I know of one in downtown Tucson at the Oak Room. Aside from that, there’s a digital one in the Hotel Congress that features their neon sign logo on the strip.

The advantage of the digital version is that two can be printed so everyone can have a copy.

That is my curated Tucson Arizona Travel Guide. As with all my other travel guides, I will continue to update this space as I find more gems when I visit again. In the meantime, I have many more posts from Arizona to check out.