Vacation in Tucson

[rlu]

We'll be in Tucson for a conference. DS will be about 30 months. We plan to visit the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum and the Colossal Cave. DH will be taking DS to the Reid Park Zoo while I'm at a conference. What else is a "don't miss"? Also, where are some fun places to eat dinner with a toddler?

[jillc]

When are you going? Once it cools down a bit, it will be really nice to stroll around the UofA campus. It's a really pretty campus. Our favorite place to grab lunch near campus is called Frog & Firkin. It's a bar, but they do a great lunch w/pizza, sandwiches, salads, and my favorite, the Green Fries - french fries w/pesto & brie on them. Yum. You can sit at a table outside & people-watch. There are lots of campus-y kind of of shops near there & Baskin Robbins, etc.

I went to college there & DH and I have gone down to Tucson several times lately for a quick weekend get-away. Not sure what I'd do with DD there... If you're nearby, the Tohono Chul Tea Room has a great breakfast/brunch & it's got a real Tucson feel to it as far as scenery.

Dinner places... it has been a while, but El Corral in Tucson is kind of a "family tradition" type steakhouse, so I'm sure it is pretty kid-friendly. Friends who are native Tucsonans love this place. Also, Molinas (La Casa Molina?) is a great mexican restaurant & I believe there are several locations. They should be pretty kid-friendly, too.

I hope this helps a bit & if I can think of anything else, I'll post again.

Best,
Jill

[rlu]

Thanks for the ideas! We'll be there at the end of Sept. I'm thinking it will be hot there still.

[FiveLittleDucks]

Yes, it will still be hot! It doesn't cool down until around Halloween, it's ridiculous. The Tucson Botanical Garden is really fun for little ones, too. My kiddies loved it.

http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/apr/stories/arb_tbg.html

This page has other area attractions that you may be interested in, including a graph with average temps for each month of the year. Have fun!!

http://www.desertusa.com/Cities/az/az_tucson.html

[rlu]

Thanks for the great resource! We were eyeing the botanical garden as a possibility, great to get a referral.

[mainepotato]

Ooh, we live about 70 miles away from Tucson.

You might be interested in Agua Caliente park. It's a beautiful little oasis with a warm spring and a nature trail. Lots of waterfowl and fish. They have found evidence of human life there from 5500 years ago. They don't have playground equipment but my girls didn't miss it.
http://www.co.pima.az.us/pksrec/parkpgs/agua/agua.html

Beyond Bread is a popular sandwich shop/bakery with lots of choices including some kid-friendly ones. They have a couple of locations. http://www.beyondbread.com

There is a pretty good childrens museum in town:
http://www.tucsonchildrensmuseum.org/

Also here's the Best of Tucson by the Tucson Weekly - http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Best/index

[Zansu]

The zoo is great! We're there at least once a month.

ASDM may be a little overwhelming. It's large, has little shade, and it's hilly. We always take a stroller, and we always use it.

DSs love the Botanical Garden, but we usually go for the Butterfly exhibit, which won't be available til winter.

We spend a lot of time on campus, and the new Student Union is fun to walk through and around.

There are nice parks everywhere, and there's a fantastic public pool right across from the zoo.

The Pima Air and Space Museum is lots of fun (great photo ops!).

If you go early, you can take kids to almost any restaurant. Casual dining options like Sauce, Chopped, Beyond Bread, 5&Diner, and Pei Wei are all kid-approved.

For a nicer atmosphere, FioRitos is a nice neighborhood Italian place. If your DS is adventurous, Cafe Poca Cosa is one of the best places in town for a delicious, not-going-to-get-this-anywhere-else type of meal. Another step up is Kingfisher, which has a lot of *fresh* fish choices (yes, you can get fresh seafood in the desert), but does great ribs, and is very accomodating for the kids, as long as we go early.

Given their choice, my kids choose Sweet Tomatoes or Somic Drive-In (delish grilled chicken sandwiches).

Both of the big malls have indoor play areas, and the upscale outdoor mall has fountains, climbable statues, misters and shade.

Feel free to email me through the boards if you want more info.

[saschalicks]

Jill,
I'm alumni too! What year are you? '98 for me. OOOHHH sometimes I wish I could go back to those years. It was so much fun. Bear Down!

To OP: I was in college so I don't know many kid friendly things but I do remember that Saturdays downtown on 4th St. was always nice. Definitely visit campus it is beautiful. Also, I know there is an observatory on campus too. Maybe, they have some nice nighttime events.

[jillc]

Hi Candice,

Small world! I graduated in '99 & was a finance major.

Yes, there are many days when I dream being in college again w/o all the adult responsibilities that now exist. :) Would be nice if I could go back to that lifestyle for one day each week!!

Bear Down!!
Jill

[rlu]

The park sounds wonderful. I'll have to see how we are handling the heat, but if we're ok, the nature trail sounds good.

We debated the children's museum, DH might take DS one day (I'll be at a 3.5 day convention).

Thanks for the recommendations and the "best of" link!

[rlu]

I figure we won't try to do all of the Desert Museum, planning to get there early.

We want to see the Air and Space museum, not sure when we can fit it in for all three of us, again, DH might take DS without me.

Thank you for all the recommendations and offer for more info.

[rlu]

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it.