10 places that have put Tucson on the map

Tucson, and the surrounding area, has amazing destinations - regional highlights that have put us on the map. Here's a list of 10 fun places to go:

Tucson Citizen

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

This world-renowned living museum features the narrow focus of life in the Sonoran Desert. Plants and animals abound among winding pathways of indigenous flora. Don't miss the snake collection or hummingbird aviary. Wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water while visiting - even in the winter! Restaurants on site. ASDM, 2021 N. Kinney Road, is open every day of the year. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through February, and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March through September. Admission is $12 for adults and $4 for children 6-12 November through April, and $9 for adults and $2 for children 9-12 May through October. Children 5 and younger get in free. Call 883-2702 or visit www.desertmuseum.org.

Reid Park Zoo

This city's is one of the best small zoos in the country. Home of the nation's anteater breeding program headquarters, Reid Park Zoo features animals from South America, Africa, Asia and North America. The grounds are easy strolling for families and can be seen in about an hour. The rhino enclosure allows up-close viewing of the enormous animals. Don't miss the polar bear exhibit with an underwater viewing area. Snack bar on site. The zoo is in Reid Park at 22nd Street and Randolph Way. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors 62 and older, $2 for children 2-14 and free to children younger than 2. Call 881-4753 or visit www.tucsonzoo.org.

Old Tucson Studios

Walk in the footsteps of movie history! This former film studio was most active during the heyday of the Western. Movies still are occasionally shot here. See where John Wayne sauntered in the sand and where the TV show "High Chaparral" was filmed. Featured activities include gunfight re-enactments, song and dance shows and rides. Restaurants on site. Old Tucson, 201 N. Kinney Road, is open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 4 p.m. in January). Admission is $14.95 for adults, $9.45 for children 4-11 and free to children 3 and younger. Call 883-0100 or visit www.oldtucson.com.

Biosphere 2

Heralded as a spectacular engineering feat when it opened in 1991, Biosphere 2 is a scientific wonder. The $150 million facility was designed as a an active research closed life system with the purpose of studying nature, technology and human endurance. When it first opened, scientists were locked inside to study various life forms and most of the buildings were off limits. The facility is now fully open to the public. Tours are available daily and take visitors to different life zones from the African savannah to the ocean. Biosphere, at 32540 S. Biosphere Road in Oracle (30 miles north of Tucson), is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $19.95 for adults, $12.95 for children 6-12 and free to children 5 and younger. Call 838-6200 or visit www.bio2.com.

San Xavier del Bac Mission

Visitors to this still-active church will step back in time to the beginning of Catholicism in the native populations of the area. Started by Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, the mission was built between 1783 and 1797. Featuring a mixture of Moorish, Byzantine and Mexican renaissance architecture, the mission is celebrated as one of the finest examples of early missions in the country. Visitors are welcome to explore the church and grounds and attend Mass (check with the mission office for times and restrictions). San Xavier is nine miles south of Tucson at 1950 W. San Xavier Road. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Call 294-2624 or visit www.sanxaviermission.org.

Kartchner Caverns

This spectacular cavern is quietly nestled beneath the Sonoran Desert. It took nature millions of years to sculpt these majestic cave formations. Accidentally discovered in 1974 and opened to the public in 1999, Kartchner Caverns is rated as one of the world's top 10 caves by experts for its vast and incredibly unique mineral formations. It's the only one of the 10 open for public viewing in the United States. Kartchner Caverns State Park is about 50 miles south of Tucson. Take Interstate 10 east to exit 302.

All tours are guided by a trained tour guide. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling (520) 586-CAVE or (520-586-2283). Tours of the Rotunda/Throne Room take about 1Ý hours and are year-round. The Big Room Tour is available Oct. 15 to April 15. Children 6 and younger are not allowed in the Big Room.

Tours leave every 20 minutes beginning at 8:20 a.m., with the last leaving at 4 p.m. Arrive one hour before your scheduled tour time.

Cost is $18.95 for the Rotunda/Throne Room Tour and $22.95 for the Big Room Tour.

For more information, go online to www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html

Sabino Canyon

Sabino Canyon is a natural desert oasis in the Coronado National Forest in the northeast part of Tucson at Sabino Canyon and Sunrise Drive. It's home to spectacular desert landscapes and abundant wildlife.

Walk the 3.8 miles each way or hop on the tram halfway after going on a delightful hike.

Educational and evening tours are available in the spring and fall.

With the exception of evening tours, canyon hours (with the exception of evening tours) are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. The cost to get on the tram is $7.50 for adults and $3 for children 3-12. For reservations, call 749-2327. For the visitors center, call 749-8700 and press 0.

Saguaro National Park

Experience America in a way that only the Sonoran Desert can offer. This unique desert is home to the most recognizable cactus in the world, the majestic saguaro. Visitors of all ages are fascinated and enchanted by these desert giants, especially their many interesting and complex interrelationships with other desert life.While most visitors to the park choose a leisurely drive on one of the scenic loop drives, there are also many trails.

The canyon, at 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail, is open until sundown. Call 733-5153 or go to www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/saguaro/national_park.html

Center for Creative Photography

This archive, museum and research center at the University of Arizona is dedicated to photography as an art form and cultural record. CCP's vast collection includes more archives and individual works by 20th-century North American photographers than any other museum in the nation. Artists include Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.

The center is on campus at 1030 N. Olive Road. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. Call 621-7968 or go online to: www.library.arizona.edu/branches/ccp/home/home.html

Arizona State Museum

The oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest, Arizona State Museum was established in 1893.

It is Arizona's premier research museum - a Smithsonian Institution affiliate - and home of The Pottery Project, an official project of Save America's Treasures (the museum's collection of Southwestern pottery has more than 20,000 pieces).

ASM, 1013 E University Blvd., is open seven days a week. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, Call 621-6302 or www.statemuseum.arizona.edu.

Tombstone

The "Town Too Tough To Die" is famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral. The town still retains a gritty Old West feel. It was the setting for many movies and is an Arizona town you can't miss.

Just go east on Interstate 10 and exit 303 toward Benson. Call the visitors center at (520) 457-3929 or go online to www.cityoftombstone.com for more information.