Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Address:	2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743, USA
Phone:	+1 520-883-1380
Site:	desertmuseum.org
Rating:	4.8
Working:	7:30AM–5PM 7:30AM–5PM 7:30AM–5PM 7:30AM–5PM 7:30AM–5PM 7:30AM–10PM 7:30AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Doug Cervantes

I was born in Tucson and grew up with the AS Desert Museum. Learned a lot about water flow and river drainage systems. Big Cat life and the fight for life put on by the rodents, predators, plant life and insects of the great Sonoran Desert. I learned to love the extremely hot and dry climate I was born into. Learned to love the people and surroundings and I was amazed at what a tough, rugged and fearsome bunch we were. I have watched the Museum over the years though I lived nearly a thousand miles away in the Bay Area. After going out to the museum with in-laws and my wife I appreciate it more now then ever. The exhibits are outstanding, they capture the natural surroundings of the animals and put them in a setting most people should appreciate. Their are volunteers all over the place, ready to help and explain what you are seeing. The trails are easy and comfortable (I am 72). Their are plenty of cold water fountains, restrooms and shaded benches all along the trail. The views are outstanding of the Valley to the West and the air is crisp and clean. I have been to the San Diego Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Phoenix and Oakland Zoos and there is nothing like this outstanding Zoo-Museum-Natural Setting as witnessed here. Bravo to Baja Arizona and Alta Sonora for their contributions and cooperation on this wonderful place. Treasure it residents and learn to value it winter tourists. It is truly one of a kind.

BARBARA Berwick

beautiful place to see saguaro cacti, barrel cacti, octotillo, mesquite and creosote bushes, cholla cacti, prickly pear cacti, etc. The area is beautiful and goes right up the mountains so gorgeous views. It used to be a national monument, but has no changed to a national park. I actually like the visitor center that they had previously (when a monument) better than the current one, only because the previous center really focused on education about the cacti much more than present one does. Present one has a movie you can watch that it just the "eastern" idea of Tohono Oodham ( formally Papago)s mysticism beliefs about not hurting the land or you are hurting those who are now buried in the land, etc. I worked and lived with the Papagos for over a year and had this very idea about them before that experience. I actually think its a form of racism to present this movie, just like the Irish, Italians, Japanese, etc, you cannot present one idea that represents all peoples views and beliefs. They would have been much better off using that movie to teach about the cacti and the desert environment. Our family lived in Avra Valley (west of here) for 15 years and went through the National monument all the time, and still I am amazed at its beauty.

Jim Bergstrom

You have to see it and experince it for yourself to understand that the Desert Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum/zoo hybrid. Much like the San Diego Zoo that uses natural barricades made from rock and cement, the Desert Museum has few fences made of steel or even wood. For instance, the mountain lion exhibit allows the lion to go inside to its lair or outside to climb rocks, hide from visitors, or just relax in a low-desert environment. Some animal exhibits allow you to look through a two-way mirror into the animals underground burrows from stealthy inside passage ways that pass behind the enclosures inner side. The natural history lessons embedded along your walking path add significant understanding of the Sonoran Desert flora and fauna and the indoor exhibits go a bit further and provide more science and educational material. Children of all ages will find some special value within the museum grounds regardless of how short or long their visit. Its a dynamic place for just hanging out in a fabulous piece of the Arizona desert though I bet that youll come away astonished by some new knowledge.

seb hcd

“A faire absolument !” Grand parking, accès rapide vers les caisses et en route pour une visite très intéressante. Domaine qui mérite largement le détour, de nombreuses salles très bien documentées. Parcours facile et accessible même pour les plus jeunes. Quelques animations intéressantes, renseignez-vous pour certaines ouvertures du musée à la nuit tombée. A noter un point restauration bon rapport qualité-prix qui mérite une pause après la visite. Visite à faire absolument !

Perrine Tiberghien

Très bel endroit pour découvrir et mieux comprendre la flore. Attention, ce nest pas un zoo et il ne faut pas sattendre à découvrir des dizaines danimaux, même sil y a bien des enclos où se trouvent chiens de prairie, loups mexicains, ours et mountain lion. Préférer une visite tôt le matin pour éviter la grosse chaleur et voir les animaux avant quils ne se mettent à labri du soleil. Et prévoir des chaussures pour marcher (pas de tongs) ainsi que de leau.

John Abele

I absolutely love this museum. I even hesitate to call it a museum just because of the way its laid out. Yes, there are a few indoor exhibits. The mineral/gem/mining exhibit is wonderful and I love that I can take a little piece of rock with me. Yes, there are indoor reptile and other small critter exhibits which are also very interesting. The reason I like this museum so much is because when it was built, they staked out some land in the desert and called it a museum! What youre walking through when you walk through the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is the actual desert. Most exhibits are seamlessly installed in the sprawling outdoor area and with the exception of a few, such as the aviary, you may not even know youve wandered into a living exhibit. If only more museums and zoos would follow the example set by this facility, maybe more people would enjoy visiting them.

Vincent Rebetez

Le Sonora Desert Museum donne loccasion de découvrir la faune et la flore du désert de Sonora. Le parc est assez étendu et très bien pensé. Pour optimiser vos chances de voir certains animaux, il vaut mieux y être dès louverture car dès que la chaleur se fait plus présente, la plupart vont se cacher à lombre. De plus, le fait dy aller tôt permet de profiter du parc en toute tranquillité car il est très fréquenté.

Harriet

While it is called a museum, I would look at it more like a z00-museum given the nature and features of this establishment. The Museum is one of Tucson’s main tourist attractions and is visited by hundreds each year. Located on the outskirts of Tucson, it is a natural history museum with animals, botanical garden and birds. It is built to give access to outside trailing through the museum as you enjoy the different species of cacti and desert plants, birds and reptiles. My daughter enjoyed the mountain lions and different kinds of birds. I documented some of the desert plants. It is a great place for families with children and admission fees are quite reasonable. If you like nature, plants, animals, art, or good food, then this is the place for you! It is a perfect place to learn about the Sonoran Desert and enjoy a great walk.

A Private User

I live in Tucson and always make sure I take visitors here. My husband and I return here for fun throughout the year as well. There are so many interesting things to see, including a hummingbird aviary, reptiles, cougars, javelina, cacti garden, bear, mineral exhibit and so much more. There are a variety of programs for returning guests such as raptor flights, educational talks, and animal talks with the animal present (rattlesnake, gila monster). Its great for kids and adults. Both restaurants have good food. They are open Saturday nights in the summer and have a variety of themes and programs (astronomy night, bug night, etc) which seems to be geared toward kids and families but is also enjoyable for adults. The docents seem to be well trained and have always been friendly and informative.