edit Tucson Travel Guide

• Kartchnet Caverns National Park Offers just about everything a cave ca, from expansive underground rooms to stalagtites and more...
• Tombstone Welcome to the wild wild west, but unlike Will Smith you can feel the toughness in this town. Walk down the street, visit some saloons, create your own epitaph, and see renectments of famous OK Corral gunfight. Great fun for the family or Cowboy!
• Tucson Museum of Art Home to a great nuber of Spanish, modern and Pre-Columbian art exhibits this is a must see for any art afficienado
• Bisbee An old wealthy copper mining town from the early 1900s this is a great area to see how the miners worked and to take a ride in a copper mine.

Tucson's current history began as a Spanish missino in the late 1600's, it later became the northern most Spanish outpost. in 1821 Tucson became part of exico, and in 1853 it was sold to the United States in the Garden Purchase. Currently Tucson is a melting pot of different cultures including Native American, Mexican, and European.

By plane

Tucson international airport is less than 10 miles from downtown and offers many domestic flights as well as some limited service into Mexico

By train

Amtrak serves the area by their Sunsent Limites and Texas Eagle lines. From these two lines you can get to Los Angeles, Chichago, or Orlando.

By car

I-10 from the north and southeast, and I-19 from the south.

I-10 from West Prince Road on the north side of Tucson to the I-10/I-19 interchange has been reduced to two lanes of traffic each direction and drivers aren't allowed to enter or exit the freeway between these points due to construction that is expected to be completed sometime in 2010. You need to exit the freeway and take the frontage road if you want to take any streets into downtown. This appears to have not created any major traffic problems in these areas, as locals appear to be avoiding the area altogether during commute times. 

By bus

Greyhound Lines, Station: 471 W. Congress St., Tel. (520) 792-3475.

By Car

I-10 and I-19 are the only freeways in Tucson. East-west travel on surface streets above I-10 can be slow during the work day.

By Mass Transit

Sun Tran can get you to the airport and many of the tourist destinations in town. Fares are $1 a trip or $2 for a day pass.

By Foot

Unlike most cities in Arizona most of the tourist destinations in Tucson are within walking distance of each other so feel free to spend a nice day in the sunshine!

Lows in the winter rarely get below 40 while the highs are around 73, durring the summer months things get hotter and tempatures average almost 70 degrees at night and can get well in upwards of the 100 degree range (average being in the 90s).

If you go walking in the desert parks, or on your own, learn desert safety tips. Take water, always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to get back, and if you have a cell phone, take it with you and have it on. It's disturbingly easy to get lost in the desert. Also, watch for snakes and bugs, as a few are dangerous to your health. When hiking, for example, rattlesnakes are easy to come across. When putting your slippers on in the morning, scorpions can be an unpleasant surprise.

Crime

Crime is an issue in the city (as it is in all urban settings). Midtown (specifically the section along Alvernon Road between Grant and Ft. Lowell) and the South section of the city are not the safest places to be - but there are no real attractions in these areas anyway. Downtown is heavily occupied until 2AM when the bars close. If you are downtown after 2AM, be cautious. While murder rates are fairly low, they are violent and sometimes random. There is gang activity but for the most part it is directed against rival gangs. There are many homeless people downtown. The center city is populated heavily by the "young and restless", so it may seem a spooky to more conservative travelers due to the dirt and noise the youngsters create.

• Sky Island Scenic Byway Begining on the Horthern end os Tucson this scenic drive takes you past hiking trials, camping grounds, as well as picnic areas.
  

• The Summit Hut. 5045 E. Speedway at Rosemont, Tel. (520) 325-1554 and 605 E. Wetmore at 1st Avenue, Tel. (520) 888-1000, . Offers great gear and resources for getting outdoors around Tucson. A very local shop with more than 30 years of experience. Go in and ask questions, these guys will take the time to help you out.
• "Silver Sea" 137 E. Congress St. (520)624-9954 Offers sterling silver jewelry at competetive prices Interesting little figurines (fantasy, gothic, egyptian, skulls) and a variety of giftie-type things. Silver Sea has been in business since 1993 and moved downtown in 2003. Silver Sea is owner operated-Lizzie will help you find the perfect goodie to bring back with you. "Lizzie Stardust" label jewelry available in limited supply lots of OOAK items!

If you're a traveler, and you're leaving Tucson, you might want to go to Phoenix, or Nogales, Mexico. For cool weather, head up to I-17 to Flagstaff. Also take the Catalina Highway to nearby Mount Lemmon.

• Bisbee. For a pleasant day trip try Bisbee. The Copper Queen has great food and historic accommodation.

• Tombstone. Visit the famous old west boom town to see "haunted" theaters, graves of famous outlaws, and reenactments of the famous O.K. Corral shootout. For more serious Old West history, be sure to visit the Cochise County Courthouse museum. A must for any trip to southern Arizona.