Your Help with Must Sees in Southern Arizona
 

We are taking a three-month RV trip through the southern part of the US. We will be driving from Joshua Tree to Tuscan then to Las Cruces, NM. We will be sure to see the famous sights (e.g., Saguaro Nat'l Park, Benson), but would appreciate your feedback on the little-known areas or attractions to be visited near Tuscan and one our way to NM. Our interestes are scenery, art, crafts and culture, history, bird watching, and experiencing the local cuisine. Any information you can provide would be most helpful.

Bisbee - take the Copper Queen mine tour
Ramsey Canyon - Hummingbirds
Chiricahua National Monument

You may be referring to Tucson (not Tuscan)

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
San Xavier del Bac Mission
Tubac for arts & crafts
Mt Lemmon
Sabino Canyon
Saguaro National Park (east and west units)
Kartchner Caverns
Chiricahua National Monument

Lots more in the Tucson area, so check my blog on things to see and do.

http://mikepintucson.blogspot.com/

Those two lists smushed together are my must-sees :-)

Thanks so much! &, yes, it's Tucson! Any favorite restaurants in Tucson?

For Mexican:
El Charro --carne seca is their signature dish
Crossroads
Mi Nidito
Karichimaka
El Minuto for their chiles rellenos
Los Nopales (small out of the way place, out near Old Tucson)

Italian / Pizza:
No Anchovies Pizza
Vero Amore
Gavi
BZ Pizza Company
NY Pizza
The Heist Pizza Parlor

Steaks (cowboy atmosphere)
El Corral
Pinnacle Peak

General / southwestern:
Dante's Fire
Maynard's Kitchen
Old Pueblo Grill

BBQ:
Hog Pit Smoke House
Mr K's on Park Avenue
Brushfire BBQ

Also in Tucson, Gallery of the Sun, Ted De Grazia's gallery, home, studio and chapel. Free admission, a favorite of ours and our guests.
More Dining:
Feast, ecletic, new menu monthly
Contigo, Latin inspired
Vivace, continental, Italian influenced
Inca, Peruvian
Athens on 4th, Greek
Le Rendezvous, French Bistro
Acacia
Union Public House
Check out Happy hours at the top restaurants in town for good deals.

San Xavier del Bac is worth a visit, and Kartchner Caverns are a must. If you are in the area of Kartchner Caverns, might I suggest visiting Tombstone, which is only about a 30 min drive from there. We did the two in the same day, the Caverns in the mid morning, and Tombstone in the afternoon. You will need to make a reservation for the Caverns in advance. What time of year will you be in the Tucson area? It can get pretty warm in the summer months.

We will be in Arizona early- to-mid April.

Thanks so much to all of you. This trip-planning has been a lot of fun. We can hardly wait to take off and visit Arizona!

An area that I enjoyed last February was Organ Pipe Cactus NM.

You ahould be aware that drug smugglers cross through Organ Pipe Cactus NM . It is considered safe to visit but there is activity going through it. Nearest border crossing is at Lukeville,AZ and if you decide to go south into Mexico, you'll need Mexican auto insurance which is for sale nearby.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your helpful advise. We are so looking forward to visiting Arizona!

I hope you'll come back and give us a report! I miss it, every day...