Arizona Office of Tourism
1100 West Washington Street, Suite 155
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Tel: 602-364-3693
Fax: 602-364-3702
www.arizonaguide.com
Jennifer Sutcliffe
Travel Industry Marketing
Manager
Email: [email protected]
From east to west both Interstate 40 and Interstate
10 cross the state.
From the west, Interstate 8 enters Yuma, Arizona.
From the north, US Highway 89, US 160 and US 60
are popular routes.
From Mexico, entry points are Nogales, Douglas,
Lukeville and San Luis.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and
Tucson International Airport are the main gateways.
Regional airports include Flagstaff and Mesa.
Phoenix is served by 22 airlines, including nonstop
international flights on British Airways, Aero Mexico,
WestJet, US Airways and Air Canada.
Phoenix is the headquarters for US Airways and a
hub for Southwest Airlines.
Arizona…the name itself inspires
images of sun-drenched desert cities
and dazzling resorts, of Old West
legends kept alive at guest ranches,
of movie locations and ghost towns,
and of natural wonders the likes of
which are found nowhere else on earth!
The state is filled with a multitude of
travel opportunities that include a rich
Western history and diverse heritage,
golf and all professional sports, exciting
outdoor adventures, unique natural
scenery, fantastic shopping, more than
300 days of sunshine and a wide choice
of accommodations from resorts to
ranches.
CLIMATE
Arizona’s climate varies across the state:
Average low ranges from 32ºF/-1ºC in northern
Arizona to 60ºF/15ºC in central Arizona
Average high ranges from 60ºF/16ºC in northern
Arizona to 86ºF/30ºC in central Arizona
Average rainfall for Phoenix (central) is eight inches,
the average snowfall is 0 inches.
Average rainfall for Flagstaff (northern) is 16 inches,
the average snowfall is 101 inches.
ARIZONA
TRANSPORTATION
Arizona, Southern St yle
Tucson and Southern Arizona
Tucson, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, and Tombstone and Benson
Southern Arizona has it all: wildlife, history, arts and culture, food, shopping and
a chance to experience the “Old West.” This itinerary will take you to some of
Southern Arizona’s most-prized treasures.
Tourism Attractions
ARIZONA
Day One:
Your tour starts in Tucson, two hours south of Phoenix on I-10. Your first stop
will be the 49-acre Tohono Chul Park, located just off the intersection of Ina
and Oracle Roads, where you will discover the lush beauty of the Sonoran
Desert. This park is listed by National Geographic Traveler as one of the top 22
Secret Gardens in the US and Canada. Stop at the gift shop and enjoy food and
refreshment in the Tea Room. Groups of 10 or more can enjoy the “Taste of
the Sonoran Desert Native Foods” meal, which features prickly pear and cholla
cacti. Next, drive through Saguaro National Park West, just fifteen miles west
of downtown Tucson. Take in the breathtaking view of thousands of saguaros,
the giants of the desert. Continue your experience with a tour of the park and
have lunch at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This museum contains
naturalistic enclosures for desert denizens such as mountain lions, bighorn
sheep, and coyotes. For a good night’s sleep, stay at one of Tucson’s many
guest ranches.
Grand Canyon National Park
22 Native American Nations
24 Scenic and Historic Byways
25 National Parks, Monuments,
Recreation Areas and Historic Sites
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area/Lake
Powell
Heard Museum
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Havasu
London Bridge
Monument Valley
Petrified Forest National Park
Railroads
Route 66
Saguaro National Park
Tombstone
dAY t WO:
From Tucson, head south on I-10, then travel south on AZ 90 to Sierra Vista
(1:40). Catch up on your Arizona military history at Fort Huachuca, home to
the 92nd and 93rd all African American Infantry divisions known as the Buffalo
Soldiers during World War II. Visit both the Fort Huachuca Historical Museum
and Military Museum and stay for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon visit the
Ramsey Canyon Preserve for great bird watching. See up to 14 species of
humming birds - the Magnificent, Blue- throated and White-eared, to name a few.
For dinner go to Casa de San Pedro and take a light cooking class with chef Lark
Beaugureau. Overnight in Sierra Vista.
ARIZONA
dAY tHREE:
While in Tucson, take a narrated tram tour through the Sabino Canyon
Recreation Area, which features the most photographic desert scenery in the
Tucson area. Next visit the De Grazia Gallery in the Sun, a unique adobe
construction with beautiful decorative features. The gallery showcases the unique
Southwest art of famed artist Ted De Grazia, known as an “artist for the people.”
Have lunch and shop at La Encantada, an upscale, outdoor specialty shopping
center. In the afternoon, take a downtown walking tour of El Presidio Historic
District, a wonderful way to stroll through Tucson’s lively past. As Tucson’s
first neighborhood, this area - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- contains a charming variety of architectural and landscape styles that reflect
Tucson’s successive cultures. This district includes the area that once was the
Spanish walled fort, called The Royal Presidio San Agustin del Tucson. Most
buildings date from 1860 to 1920. If you have a group of 20 or more, enjoy the
“Cooking Sonoran” presentation for dinner at El Charro downtown. During this
delicious meal, you will learn the history of the cuisine and its importance to the
Mexican culture. Overnight in Tucson.
dAY fOUR:
dAY sIX:
Today, drive to Benson, located on I-10 and just 30 minutes north of Sierra Vista. Benson
was founded in 1880, when the trans-continental Southern Pacific Railroad came
through Southern Arizona. Benson was the region’s railroad hub until 1910. Not far from
Benson, you can visit the adobe ruins of the Butterfield Stage Coach Depot, which was
once a busy mercantile and rest area for cross-country travelers. While Benson’s past is
preserved in its historic downtown and replicated train depot, today it’s best known as the
home of Kartchner Caverns State Park. You will want to lunch in Benson before traveling
to the caverns for a guided cave tour (reservations recommended 520-586-2283). The
caverns are approximately 9 miles south of I-10. Discovered in the 1970s, this near-pristine
“wet” cave (meaning the calcite formations are still growing) is a wonderland of a variety
of colorful formations and home to bats and other cave creatures. It is one of the great
natural wonders of the western United States. On the guided tour you will experience an
underground delight of stunning variety of multicolored cave formations. Save time to tour
the visitor center, a movie and the gift shop. Continue your way back to Tucson and enjoy
the rest of this rising metropolis.
ARIZONA
dAY fIVE:
If you stay in Bisbee, make sure to have breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club, recently
featured in Gourmet Magazine, and where they say “Making your food is our pleasure and
making your day is our goal.” The menu offers signature fare that won’t break the bank
and you won’t go away hungry. From Bisbee or Sierra Vista, drive nearby to Tombstone
(:40). Spend the day in this place known as “the town too tough to die.” There is no better
place to get a glimpse of the true old West than Tombstone Courthouse State Historic
Park. Today, the old County Courthouse is a museum filled with the glitter and the guns
of those who tamed the territory. The structure houses exhibits about Tombstone’s past
glory days as a frontier silver mining boomtown and a replica gallows can be found in the
courtyard. In the afternoon grab a bite to eat in town, and take a walking tour of the Boot
Hill Graveyard and the Bird Cage Theatre, both historic landmarks of the old West. See
the reenactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral. Dance the night away at the Crystal
Palace Saloon and stay overnight in Tombstone or back in Sierra Vista.
From Sierra Vista head south along AZ 90 to AZ 80
South to Bisbee (:30), a mile-high city located in the
Mule Mountains of Southern Arizona. Get a feel for
this mining town by taking the Queen Mine Tour,
where you’ll venture underground to experience the
daily life of a miner. Have lunch at Dot’s Diner in the
Shady Dell where personality is the daily special
(closed in June and July). This afternoon, discover the
Bisbee Mining Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate that
was once the corporate headquarters of the Copper
Queen Consolidated Mining Company. Bisbee’s
storied past is recorded, reflected and retold in this
museum like no other. Also enjoy Bisbee’s many art
galleries and eclectic shops. Stay and dine at Arizona’s
oldest continuously running hotel, the Copper Queen
Hotel. Don’t forget to visit Brewery Gulch, an area
once know for its notorious saloons and brothels, which
offers a variety of restaurants and bars. Overnight in
Sierra Vista or Bisbee.