We just got the opportunity to spend five days in Tucson, Arizona as a family for my husband's work conference. Although he was in meetings most of the time, the kids and I were able to explore the city a bit.
Where to stay:
This hotel is gorgeous. The view from the hillside looking towards the west provides a great view of the sunrise overlooking the city of Tucson. The hotel has several restaurants that have a variety of food options. All have kid-friendly items. One restaurant, Primo, even uses local organic food including ones they’ve grown right on site. There is also a Starbucks on the campus which is crucial when you are fighting a time change adjustment with two small children.
The hotel has an amazing pool area. It has a lap pool in the spa area. It has a large recreational pool as well as a lazy river, water slide, and splash pad.
There are several hiking paths on the campus and daily hikes. There is also a paved path around the hotel great for strollers or those who want exercise but not on the rough terrain. For my crew, the grassy terraces were great for burning energy and soaking in the sunshine. The patio outside overlooking the hotel area was also perfect to enjoy meals al fresco. I’m sure they would also be great for after-dinner conversation, however, my kids and I were all in pajamas shortly after dinner during this trip.
Places to Explore:
The Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum. The museum is mostly outside. It’s actually more like a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, and art gallery all in one. We spent almost three hours there and we didn’t hit every area. There are all kinds of animals to see including an aviary, a cat canyon, otters, beavers, bighorn sheep, and so much more. There is even an indoor play area, the Packrat Playhouse. The animals and the play area were the top items for my kids.
You can bring in food but we opted for the food court restaurant for lunch. It was made to order and was relatively quick. The items were super simple like burgers, hot dogs, pizza, tacos, and salads. They also had a coffee shop on site but we were unable to visit during our visit.
After a quick visit to the zoo, we walked over to the Reid Park playground which is just a few steps away. This was a good stop to burn some energy and fill some time before lunch and naptime.
Food:
We had most of our meals onsite at the hotel we stayed at however we did make it to Blanco’s Tacos which was recommended by a few friends who used to live in the area. We had quite a large party of eight people so we made reservations. The menu was upscale/trendy Mexican. Overall the food was delicious and everyone was happy including my toddler who doesn’t like Mexican. He was in luck when they were able to supply mayonnaise for him to dip his chicken off his tacos in.
Overall we had a great little trip to Tucson. If we had been there for pure leisure, we would have checked out more of the city but it was nice to be mostly at the hotel and not on the go from place to place the whole week.
#tucson #arizona #travel #familytravel #toddleradventures #questfor50states #visittucson #reidparkzoo #desertmuseum
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