48 Hours in Tucson, Arizona

Don't let the common anti-Tucson sentiments of people from Phoenix fool you: Tucson is a very cool city with a lot to offer. The scenery is spectacular, and there's a lot to do. Here is a sample of activities you can try during a 48-hour visit.

Activities

Kartchner Caverns south of Tucson gets a lot of attention. But closer to the city, you'll find the overlooked Colossal Cave. You'll find a tour for all level of ability, including the Wild Cave adventure that takes you through tight squeezes that you'll never see in the developed areas. Colossal is considered a dead cave - no more water, no more formation. That means you can access more areas without damaging the cave's environment.

For aviation fans, the Pima Air Museum is a must. Eighty acres, 300 airplanes and a lot of knowledge are on display. Be sure to chat with the docents, who are full of great information. A wide-angle lens is also helpful for capturing photos of some of the bigger planes. If you have time, try scheduling a seat on the driving tour of the adjacent "airplane graveyard."

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a combination of zoo, botanical garden and museum. You'll see great examples of high desert flora and fauna. In the fall, the raptor free flights are a highlight for photographers and birders. I was surprised to see some big cats on display. Since mining built Arizona, there's also a great gem and mineral exhibit.

Many local mountain bikers take Fantasy Island Singletrack for granted. It's not super-technical and has no epic climbs. But it's the mountain bike equivalent of the world's greatest miniature golf course: turns, ruts, washes, dips, even a bridge. The trail builders also put in some great trailside decorations. The nearby Davis-Monthan AMARG airplane graveyard also gives a post-apocalyptic flavor to certain portions of the trail when you see the tails of old airplanes sticking up in the distance.

Food & Drink

It's hard to decide whether the food or the brew is better at Thunder Canyon Brewery. And that's a nice problem to have. Though it's in a pretty generic outlet mall, you'll find excellent hand-crafted beers here. During the winter months, expect a rich stout and a spiced Christmas beer. You can usually find a quality IPA in addition to some guest beers.

If you're strolling around the University of Arizona campus, you might notice Time Market drawing a crowd. It's the sandwiches and pizza. It's all fairly simple stuff, just executed really well. You can also find a nice selection of bottled and canned microbrews, plus snacks and ingredients for your own cooking.

I really like a good smoothie, even though I consider them a rip-off from a price standpoint. Xoom Juice is a nice place to hang out, the smoothies are tasty and you can get espresso drinks. It's a gathering place for the fit people, too.

Accommodations

Tucson has all the usual suspects for hotels. If you want something unusual, look into Karrels' Double K Ranch. The centerpiece, aside from being on the fringe of the city, is the caboose turned into a suite. It's a pretty reasonable $135 a night, though I imagine it's also in demand.

If you want to be in the middle of it all, the Best Western Royal Inn & Suites might be a better choice. It's also reasonably priced despite being close to all the fun stuff near the university. It's fairly far from train noise, but sometimes the other guests can get rambunctious. Overall, I've had good experiences there.