Splurge attraction near Tucson
Jan 16th, 2013, 06:09 AM
#1
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Splurge attraction near Tucson
I'm looking for an attraction splurge in Tucson for my family of 5, children 11-16, in March. I have 2 candidates:
Kitt Peak Nightly Observing Program: The cost for this is $228 (includes brown bag dinner). This is a highly rated program and a rare chance to look through large telescopes in total darkness at altitude. Lasts about 4 hours. I checked the moonrise and that day it is fairly late, around 10 PM, so complete darkness assured for most of the time on the telescopes. Online reviews are very positive.
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/nop/info.html
Kartchner Caverns Cave Tour: The cost for this is $94.75. Tour is about 90 minutes, half of which is spent in the cave. It is supposed to be quite a special cave, but so is Mammoth Cave and we were not terribly impressed with that one. Online reviews are mixed, mostly very positive. Main concern is that it is pretty much just another cave tour.
http://azstateparks.com/parks/kaca/tour_info.html
Kitt Peak Nightly Observing Program: The cost for this is $228 (includes brown bag dinner). This is a highly rated program and a rare chance to look through large telescopes in total darkness at altitude. Lasts about 4 hours. I checked the moonrise and that day it is fairly late, around 10 PM, so complete darkness assured for most of the time on the telescopes. Online reviews are very positive.
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/nop/info.html
Kartchner Caverns Cave Tour: The cost for this is $94.75. Tour is about 90 minutes, half of which is spent in the cave. It is supposed to be quite a special cave, but so is Mammoth Cave and we were not terribly impressed with that one. Online reviews are mixed, mostly very positive. Main concern is that it is pretty much just another cave tour.
http://azstateparks.com/parks/kaca/tour_info.html
Jan 16th, 2013, 06:43 AM
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Here are some reviews [in case you haven't seen any] -
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...s_Arizona.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...n_Arizona.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...s_Arizona.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...n_Arizona.html
Jan 16th, 2013, 07:12 AM
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I have not done Kit Peak, but Kartchner Caverns is indeed just another cave tour. Cave enthusiasts would love it, but if you were sort of underwhelmed by Mammoth, I'd skip Kartchner and go with Kit Peak.
Jan 16th, 2013, 07:36 AM
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My issues with Mammoth were:
Cave tour size (125 people per group)
It is a dry cave, so basically it's like walking through a coal mine. There are a few formations, but they are not common.
The price was reasonable, though, about $40.
Cave tour size (125 people per group)
It is a dry cave, so basically it's like walking through a coal mine. There are a few formations, but they are not common.
The price was reasonable, though, about $40.
Jan 16th, 2013, 08:59 AM
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I did the Wild Cave Tour in Mammoth, plus a Lantern/History Tour. The wild cave tour is very good and fairly demanding(they only allow 8 people per day on this). The history of Mammoth Cave is very interesting. It is hard to ever realize that you are in the largest cave in the world.
Two girls that were on the wild cave tour exclaimed that the day ranked among their Top Ten Days ever.
I have been to Luray Caves. These are very decorated and Mirror Lake is easily the best thing I have ever seen in a cave.
I have also been to Oregon Caves National Monument and Timpanogos Cave in Utah. Both of these are nice caves too.
My favorite cave is Carlsbad. I have been to it several times. Have done both wild cave tours there multiple times. Again, very good. These tours allow only 8 people per week(they don't do it daily like Mammoth). Absolutley a fantastic experience.
I plan on doing Jewel Cave and Wind Cave(Wild Cave Tours there too) next summer.
The Wild Cave Tours require months in advance reservations and the ages limit is usually 12 or 16 years of age.
Two girls that were on the wild cave tour exclaimed that the day ranked among their Top Ten Days ever.
I have been to Luray Caves. These are very decorated and Mirror Lake is easily the best thing I have ever seen in a cave.
I have also been to Oregon Caves National Monument and Timpanogos Cave in Utah. Both of these are nice caves too.
My favorite cave is Carlsbad. I have been to it several times. Have done both wild cave tours there multiple times. Again, very good. These tours allow only 8 people per week(they don't do it daily like Mammoth). Absolutley a fantastic experience.
I plan on doing Jewel Cave and Wind Cave(Wild Cave Tours there too) next summer.
The Wild Cave Tours require months in advance reservations and the ages limit is usually 12 or 16 years of age.
Jan 17th, 2013, 08:40 AM
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Kartchner Caverns is unlike most of the other caves, in that it is a living, wet cave. Kartchner Caverns would be my first choice.
Kitt Peak will be very cold in March, plus it can be quite windy at the top. Also, depending on where in Tucson you will be staying, it could be over 90 minutes each way. An alternative would be the Mt. Lemmon Sky Nights program.
http://skycenter.arizona.edu/programs/public/skynights
The telescope on Mt. Lemmon is a fair bit larger than Kitt Peak.
Kitt Peak will be very cold in March, plus it can be quite windy at the top. Also, depending on where in Tucson you will be staying, it could be over 90 minutes each way. An alternative would be the Mt. Lemmon Sky Nights program.
http://skycenter.arizona.edu/programs/public/skynights
The telescope on Mt. Lemmon is a fair bit larger than Kitt Peak.
Jan 18th, 2013, 05:34 PM
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Mt. Lemmon is actually over $50 more so that's out. And I dislike ski areas and golf courses in general since the natural environment is destroyed. Also, I try to strike off my to do list the most common attractions of a place as they are typically disappointing (crowded, spoiled, no "discovery" element) so Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon and Tucson Studios are right off the list. I am considering the A-S Desert Museum because of family interest in plants and animals.
Focus of the trip is hiking (Chiricahuas, Dragoons, Coronado NM, Saguaro NP).
Of course, could splurge and do both the cave and the telescopes....
Focus of the trip is hiking (Chiricahuas, Dragoons, Coronado NM, Saguaro NP).
Of course, could splurge and do both the cave and the telescopes....
Jan 19th, 2013, 07:00 PM
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It really isn't a splurge, but take the family to the Musical Instrument Museum. Everyone will love it!
http://mim.org/
http://mim.org/
Jan 20th, 2013, 08:07 AM
#14
Sabino Canyon is a beautiful state park. Why would you skip it? It's inexpensive to park there.
You can hike and be off by yourselves. Beautiful scenery with a rushing stream, cliffs. Another gem.
The Mt.Lemmon Ski area is very small; there is so much more to Mt. Lemmon.
Old Tucson Studios is a tourist attaraction, fin eto skip it.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a combination of a botantical garden and a zoo, representing the dirrent desert ecosystems, very worthwhile and enjoyed by all ages.
You can hike and be off by yourselves. Beautiful scenery with a rushing stream, cliffs. Another gem.
The Mt.Lemmon Ski area is very small; there is so much more to Mt. Lemmon.
Old Tucson Studios is a tourist attaraction, fin eto skip it.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a combination of a botantical garden and a zoo, representing the dirrent desert ecosystems, very worthwhile and enjoyed by all ages.
Jan 22nd, 2013, 11:41 AM
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tom_mn.
If you skip Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon, you will be missing some of the best mountain and desert scenery in southern Arizona. Mt Lemmon is not crowded and is definitely not spoiled. The ski are is tiny, only a couple of runs and one lift (a couple of small, short lifts, too). Sabino Canyon can get crowded, but lots of opportunities to get off the beaten path.
If you want to talk about landscape being "spoiled", Kitt peak would fit that description much more so than Sabino Canyon or Mt. Lemmon. The whole mountain top is asphalt and buildings.
Do skip Old Tucson. Expensive for visiting a movie set. My first choice for the splurge would be Kartchner Caverns and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Both together, it seems, would be about the same cost as the Kitt Peak program. If you do Kartchner Caverns, I would suggest you take the Rotunda / Throne Room tour.
If you skip Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon, you will be missing some of the best mountain and desert scenery in southern Arizona. Mt Lemmon is not crowded and is definitely not spoiled. The ski are is tiny, only a couple of runs and one lift (a couple of small, short lifts, too). Sabino Canyon can get crowded, but lots of opportunities to get off the beaten path.
If you want to talk about landscape being "spoiled", Kitt peak would fit that description much more so than Sabino Canyon or Mt. Lemmon. The whole mountain top is asphalt and buildings.
Do skip Old Tucson. Expensive for visiting a movie set. My first choice for the splurge would be Kartchner Caverns and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Both together, it seems, would be about the same cost as the Kitt Peak program. If you do Kartchner Caverns, I would suggest you take the Rotunda / Throne Room tour.
Jan 22nd, 2013, 11:59 AM
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Tucson native here and past docent at the Arizona
Sonora Desert Museum so, with great bias,
I vote for the ASDM as a "not to be missed" adventure.
Be sure to schedule your time there to enjoy the
Raptor Free Flight-daily at 10 AM & 2 PM until April 14
http://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/
Sonora Desert Museum so, with great bias,
I vote for the ASDM as a "not to be missed" adventure.
Be sure to schedule your time there to enjoy the
Raptor Free Flight-daily at 10 AM & 2 PM until April 14
http://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/
Jan 23rd, 2013, 09:03 AM
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I have been to Kartchner Caverns, and many others, unless you are cave nuts I would do something else. One other note, they have some strict policies, absolutely no pictures, no food, no drink and because they want to reduce their energy use, restricted lighting, lights go on and off as you move through, so if anyone is scared of the dark, might not be a good idea.
As others have said, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum would be my suggestion, or Pima air and space museum depending on family interests, or not everyone is thrilled with it but we were, Biosphere 2 just northeast of Tucson. http://www.b2science.org
As others have said, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum would be my suggestion, or Pima air and space museum depending on family interests, or not everyone is thrilled with it but we were, Biosphere 2 just northeast of Tucson. http://www.b2science.org
Jan 23rd, 2013, 04:14 PM
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I grew up in Tucson, and my parents, sisters and their families still live there. My three children (now young adults) visited their family in Tucson often and hands down their favorite places to go were #2 Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum and #1 Gaslight Theatre.
The Gaslight Theatre is a live, music, comedy show that anyone from 5 to 105 would love. Tickets do sell out far in advance so if this sounds like something you would be interested in call ASAP.
The Gaslight Theatre is a live, music, comedy show that anyone from 5 to 105 would love. Tickets do sell out far in advance so if this sounds like something you would be interested in call ASAP.
