A Quick Guide to Things to See in Tucson Arizona

I moved to Tucson, Arizona almost 25 years ago. I only intended to stay a couple of years until my, then wife, completed law school at the University of Arizona. However, Tucson proved to be too nice a place to leave, so I stayed and raised my family here.

While I like to write about a broad range of subjects, it is not unusual a good number of my hubs be about a place I know well and have come to love - Tucson. So here are descriptions and links to the hubs I have written to date about Tucson.

Since I periodically make changes and update hubs I have previously, don't be surprised if some of these, which you may have read before, seem new or different when you return to them again. As for this hub, well, I will update it with links to new hubs about Tucson whenever I write another one. Enjoy!

Here in Tucson, Purple Mountain's Majesty is not just a line in the song America the Beautiful but, rather a daily experience, as the city sits in a valley surrounded by mountains that literally glow in the early light of dawn and the dwindling light of the sunset.

As if spectacular mountains with their ever changing hues were not enough, Mother Nature has seen fit to regularly decorate the afternoon sky with clouds every bit as majestic as the mountains they tower over.

However, clouds, while spectacular, are the exception in Tucson and their absence makes this a great area for flying. To celebrate our flying heritage, we have the Pima Air Museum with its acres and acres of old planes on display.

The present city of Tucson was established by the Spanish conquistador Hugo O'Conor in 1775 as a defensive outpost on the northern frontier of New Spain. However, the area now known as the City of Tucson has been continuously occupied and settled by native tribes for almost 10,000 years making it the oldest continuously occupied settlement in North America.

In February of every year the North American Rodeo season is launched with a big parade and rodeo in Tucson. The annual Fiesta de los Vaqueros Parade celebrates both the rodeo tradition and the city's rich historical heritage.

But the city is more than history. The mountains that rise up from the edges of the city provide people with an easy escape from city life and the opportunity to enjoy nature while hiking and climbing the many mountain trails.

However, the desert and the city itself also offer opportunities to escape the routine of daily urban living. For those seeking solitude and spiritual peace, the Garden of Gethseame, a tiny park by the city center offers peace and tranquility among the art created by Felix Lucero.

And, if it's celebrations you want, just come to one of the many festivals held throughout the winter tourist season.

While our population expands every autumn and winter as swarms of people migrate here for the winter to avoid the cold and snow of the northern part of our nation, we sometimes surprise them with snow of our own.

Why just last winter the city was nearly crippled when a winter storm blanketed our valley with almost a half inch of snow.

And, of course, just snow is relatively rare, doesn't mean that we don't decorate for Christmas. Each year at Christmas time thousands of people stroll through the streets of Winterhaven, a planned community within the city in which the deeds to the homes there require the homeowners to out do their neighbors with elaborate decorations in their yards.

While homeowners in the Winterhaven community go to great lengths to decorate their yards during the Christmas season, our local politicians celebrate the annual political season by decorating every street corner in the area with their elaborate campaign posters.

With Arizona having previously been a part of Mexico we still have a strong Mexican influence on the local culture. One of the ways this can be seen is in the annual observance of the Mexican Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos celebrations in late autumn.

Summer finds the winter visitors exiting for cooler northern climates and the locals staying close to their air conditioned homes, offices or indoor shopping malls as outside temperatures soar to 100 degrees or more during the day.

Tourism drops off in the summer also, but this is great for the locals who are able to take advantage of the discounted summer rates at the many world class resorts in the area.

We do venture outdoors in the evening when the temperature drops somewhat and, on the Fourth of July, everyone ventures out to visit one of the many fireworks displays.

So, there you have it. Click on the links above to see what Tucson has to offer from majestic mountains and clouds to a forest of political posters and everything in between.

Enjoy!