Travel Adventures in Arizona and New Mexico, Part 6: Tucson

This is my sixth post about our adventures traveling through Arizona and New Mexico. I recommend starting with the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth posts. Because I blog about educational travel, I received media passes, discounts, and other benefits for some of the places we visited throughout the trip. Some of the attractions we toured are free to everyone, and we paid full price for the rest. What I paid or didn't pay has no bearing on my reviews. Everything that I share is something I recommend without hesitation.

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Travel Adventures in Tucson, Arizona

We started out bright and early on Sunday, April 12 to complete the Urban Adventure Quest we'd started the night before. The view from our hotel room indicated that we'd have the streets to ourselves, in contrast with the previous evening, when the streets were packed with folk musicians and their fans. 

And indeed, that was the case. 

It didn't take long to finish up the last of the questions and get our official time. It's so much easier to do an UAQ when there aren't any people around. 

See that turquoise line? That's the Turquoise Trail Walking Tour. The 2.5 mile loop highlights Tucson's architecture and historic sites. We didn't follow the whole trail, but we came across it several times during the Quest. 

We also came across portions of the Haiku Hike. Each spring, 20 winning haiku are are displayed on acrylic signs in planters downtown. Such a fun idea!

  

This is the sign outside SLUG: the Sustainability Laboratory and Outdoor Garden. There are so many fun things to discover in downtown Tucson. 

As nice as it would have been to spend all day exploring downtown, we were eager to check out the eastern portion of Saguaro National Park. We started at the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center. 

There's a great introductory film, plus helpful exhibits about the Sonoran desert. 

There are doors on that cactus that open to reveal what's inside. So fun!

There's a lot of beautiful art as well. 

  

This cactus is the Centennial Saguaro. It was sprouted by seed in 1916, then transplanted at this location in 1966 to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service. In 2016, both the Centennial Saguaro and the NPS turned 100 years old. 

After the Visitor Center, we headed out to do the Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive. We stopped at several trailheads to look around and do some hiking. 

The terrain is much different than at Saguaro West. 

Steve, pointing out Saguaro. And pointing at a saguaro. Saguaro is his 25th National Park and my 17th. 

    

We loved our time at both of the Saguaro National Park units. Together, they provide a wonderful way to experience the beauty and diversity of the Sonoran desert. 

Our next destination was the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. This museum is dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of miniatures. I love big stuff, but I love miniatures just as much. This is the entrance to the museum and a great hint about the whimsy inside. I'm blocking the handle of the standard-size door in the photo, but you can see the huge door and a miniature door. 

This museum exceeded my expectations tenfold! I expected dollhouses...

... and room boxes at the museum. There were plenty of each to admire. 

I did not expect full scenes inside things like a walnut shell...

... an egg...

... or a violin! 

The craftsmanship that goes into miniatures amazes me. How do the artists get the details just right at such a small scale?

Check out this sewing machine, with an adorable little sewing room built into it. Fabulous, right?

It's even more fabulous when you realize that's not a full-size sewing machine. Amazing!

Have you ever heard of Salavat Fidai? His work seems literally impossible, yet there it is, on display. 

  

Check this out. The photo makes it look like a full-size room, where you could sit down and play checkers and feel the heat from the stove. 

In reality, your finger would fit in a chair but that's about it. 

This was one of my favorites. Not only is it tiny, but that is a 4" x 6" functional loom! Annie Herzfeld, weaves her own rugs and they are spectacular. Watch this video to learn more. 

Each bird is smaller than your pinky nail. 

Around every corner, there's something unique and impressive. 

  

Very tiny dogs, playing even tinier poker. 

I appreciated this exhibit about the different scales used in miniatures. 

This is really cool. Each 'army man' is an actual person from Tucson. 

This is a model of the log cabin birthplace of author Laura Ingalls Wilder in Pepin, Wisconsin. We've seen the real thing in person and this looks just like it!

The Enchanted Realm exhibit space is really something. 

The temporary exhibit is all about the work of animator and special effects creator Ray Harryhausen. 

  

It was absolutely fascinating learning about his work and the Dynamation techniques he developed. 

I could go on and on about this incredible museum, but I think I've showed you enough for you to have put it on your must-visit list. You will not regret time spent at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures!

We stayed until the minute the museum closed, then headed to nearby Trail Dust Town. Built in 1961, it's become a Tucson institution. 

  

  

It's free to hang out at Trail Dust Town. You pay extra for rides, gold panning, and the stunt show. There are shops and restaurants as well. We had dinner at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse. It's famous for their mesquite-grilled cowboy steaks. That's it on the right. 

Pinnacle Peak is enormous. We were seated in a great spot, with a view of the mesquite grill. 

Did you notice the ceiling?

Don't wear a tie to Pinnacle Peak unless you want it cut off and hung on display! We were wearing t-shirts, which is right in line with the dress code. 

  

Steve and I ordered one Cowboy Meal to share and, as you can see, it was enormous. It came with a garden salad, baked potato, beans, bread, and cobbler. It was too much food for us, but we did our best! (I took the bread back to the hotel to have for breakfast the next morning.) They make their own root beer and it is fantastic. I highly recommend a visit to Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse for good food and a good time. 

We had one final night at the Leo Kent before we had to say goodbye to Tucson. We had a lot of fun destinations ahead of us, but we didn't want to leave Tucson. We absolutely loved our time there. We could have easily spent another week or two and still not seen everything there is to offer. I hope to return sometime.