Tucson was
initially established in 1775 by
Spanish soldiers as the Pesidio of San Augustine de Tucson. The
name
Tucson, was derived from the Indian word "Chukson," meaning village of
the dark spring at the foot of the mountains. Today it is known
as the
Sunshine Capital of the World. Roadrunner provides custom
Southern Arizona Sightseeing Tours, using comfortable limo town car
sedans, to all the sights mention on this web site, plus much
more. See our convenient Courtesy
LinksHere are some of the courtesy links for other sites we just
mention plus more.
under Southern Arizona Sites for more info. Below, we have described
just a
few of the most popular sights available to see, when visiting
Tucson. You can literately spend 4 to 6 weeks, going to see
different
sights everyday & still not have a chance to see everything.
In the
few sights we describe & show, we don't even mention the fact that
between
Mexico & Southern Arizona, is designated as a world class
bird-watching area, drawing over 100,000 bird-watchers annually.
It is
the home of over a 100 species of breeding birds & more than 250
migratory birds & in 1995 was named by the American Bird
Conservancy as the first "Globally Important Bird Area" in North
America. Just the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
alone, has over 56,000 acres, representing the most extensive riparian
ecosystem in the Southwest desert.
For the Military
buffs, Tucson has one of the largest air & missile museums with
aircraft ranging
from the replica of the Wrights Brothers to the Black Hawk, the fastest
aircraft in the world. It has more 300 aircraft & spacecraft
on display & over
60,000 artifacts. We also have the only remaining Titan Missile
silo
in existence, which has been converted into a museum. Then we
have
numerous forts, garrisons & military museums dating back to the
early 1800's such as: Ft. Lowell, Ft. Huachuca, Military Intelligence
Museum & Ft. Bowie just to mention a few.
Those interested in more of the Old West, we have ghost towns, caves, indian strongholds, gold & silver mines, railroads, you name it, we've got it. Those interested in the simpler life, we have the traditional camping, hunting & fishing. What ever your desires, let Roadrunner take you in comfort. We provide custom tours & sightseeing to your individual likes & preferred tastes. Take the time & learn about just a few of the more popular sights we describe on our web and check our Courtesy LinksHere are some of the courtesy links for other sites we just mention plus more., then if you have questions, simply go to our reservation area & either phone, fax or email us your questions. We look forward to helping you enjoy your visit to Tucson and the Southwest.
DESERT MUSEUM:
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of the
few living museums in the country. It has all the natural plant
life
& animal life of the desert live. It's not only a world-renowned zoo, but a
natural history museum & botanical garden,
all
in one. It's re-creates the natural landscaping of the desert
region so realistic, you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions,
prairie dogs, coyote's, gila monsters, & more. Within the
museum
grounds, you will see more than 1,300 animal
species & 11,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 12 miles of
paths traversing through out the 21 acres of beautiful desert.
Millions of visitors from around the world have marveled at their exhibits that accurately depict the fauna, flora & wealth of minerals found in the natural setting of the vast & beautiful Sonoran desert. Every exhibit carefully interprets the desert environment in which the animals live in nature. From the mountain lions, to the reptiles, to the underwater beavers & desert fishes, to the beautiful Aviary, you will enjoy natures finest all alive.
OLD TUCSON:
While visiting the Desert Museum you will want to take in Old Tucson,
for it is just a couple miles from the museum. Old Tucson
Studios, is the original old west
movie location! Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, the Tucson
Studios is home to over 300 Western movies & television
productions. Many of the John Wayne movies along with a lot of the
Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns were film there. The locomotive
that
Clint Eastwood ran into the bar, in the movie Joe Kid, still remains
their, along with parts of the set from the long running television
western series, High Chaperal.
Many of the Michael Landon's episodes, Little House on the Prairie, were film at Old Tucson Studios. Contemporary classics like The Quick & the Dead, Tombstone, & the movie, Wild Wild West with Will Smith are just a few among the hundreds of filming's.
Today, you can re-live the Wild West with their famous re-enactments of bank robberies, gunfights, saloon hall musicals high-flying stunts & stage shows. You can tour the movie locations & museums, or when they are filming productions, you might even catch the action of another Western classic in the making.
- NEXTClick
for more beautiful So. Arizona sightseeig. -
