Much more than just your standard indoor museum, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a natural history museum, aquarium, botanical garden, zoo, art gallery, and the recreation of a natural landscape – all in one place! Here you’ll find two miles of walking paths that take you through desert habitats, approximately 230 animal species, at least 1,200 types of plants and a comprehensive and colorful mineral collection. This is a must-see destination if you’re in the Tucson area and one of the top museums in the entire country.
The museum’s history dates back to 1952 and really celebrates everything that’s so unique and beautiful about the desert. There are lots of different exhibits here, including the Walk-In Aviary, Cat Canyon, the Cactus Gardens, the Warden Aquarium, the Hummingbird Aviary, and the Packrat Playhouse. You can also experience Stingray Touch, the Riparian Corridor, and the Desert Loop Trail when you spend a few hours at the museum. Live animal demonstrations regularly take place here that showcase raptors taking flight and educational presentations about big horn sheep, snakes, parrots, and other desert animals.
About 85 percent of this museum is outdoors, so you’ll want to plan your visit in the early morning or late afternoon to beat the heat of the day between the months of May and September. Spring is a lovely time to visit to see the cacti in bloom. For your convenience, free sunscreen is provided in most of the museum restrooms. Pets are not allowed on the grounds of the museum or even in the parking lot, so leave your pup at home, in good hands and with some air conditioning!
Desert landscapes provide wonderful inspiration from artists from all over the world, and the museum’s Art Institute is home to many art exhibits and even art classes. There are a few dining options at the museum to find refreshment after walking in the sunshine, including Ironwood Terraces, Ocotillo Café, Phoebe’s Coffee Bar, and the Cottonwood for drinks and ice cream.
This museum is open every day of the year from 8:30am to 5pm between October and February and from 7:30am to 5pm between March and September. Plan to spend at least two hours here because there’s so much to see! The general admission cost is $21.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors, and $8.95 for children between the ages of three and 12. Since this is so many attractions wrapped into one, the price is totally worth it for every curious traveler to Arizona.
It’s hard to see everything that the museum has to offer in just one trip, so you might consider staying overnight and checking out the exhibits on two different days.
