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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Tucson

35 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Tucson, Arizona

Updated July 28, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

Valley of the Moon

The Magical World of George Phar Legler.

Tucson, Arizona

Lisa Frank Factory

The fading, forgotten remains of a once bright and booming factory.

Tucson, Arizona

Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures

Miniature art that tells an enormous story.

Tucson, Arizona

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group

The world's largest military aircraft cemetery.

Tucson, Arizona

Rattlesnake Bridge

In Tucson a giant metal snake helps pedestrians cross a busy highway.

Tucson, Arizona

Mat Bevel's Museum of Kinetic Art & Surrealistic Pop Science Theater

A Tucson museum and performance space full of found-object movable sculptures.

Tucson, Arizona

Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

An Arizona museum with a collection of pharmaceutical oddities, including a jar of a gangster's chewed gum.

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson Mineral and Gem World

A natural history wunderkammer in the middle of the desert.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

Barrio Bread

From working out of his garage to the James Beard semifinals, one Tucson baker has kept his fan base—and his grains—local.

Tucson, Arizona

El Charro Cafe

One of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the United States air-dries its trademark beef in a dangling outdoor cage.

Tucson, Arizona

Polo's Taqueria

Some of Arizona's best spit-roasted tacos al pastor can be found at a weekend swap meet.

Tucson, Arizona

San Xavier Co-op Farm

Run by members of the Tohono O'odham Nation, this community farm nurtures traditional desert cultivars.

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Taste of Tucson

The people of Tucson have been eating off the land for 4,100 years. From grains to livestock to produce introduced by missionaries in the 1600s, this UNESCO City of Gastronomy is home to some of the oldest farmland in North America. What once was old is new again in The Old Pueblo where ancient flavors are found in nearly every dish — trendy to traditional.

Explore Tucson, Arizona

Museums And Collections 5 Art 4 Deserts 4 Collections 4 Parks 3 Native Americans 3 Signs 2 Religion 2 Meat 2 Unique Restaurants & Bars 2

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Stories About Tucson

Podcast: The Mirror Lab

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

September 14, 2021

How an Arizonan Company Turns Cacti Into Candy

Prickly pear gummies are a taste of the Sonoran Desert.

February 23, 2021

Arizona's Most Unusual Cacti Have Their Own Fan Club

The Crested Saguaro Society is on a quest to document the Sonoran Desert's strangest succulents.

When Cactus Destruction Is Imminent, These Rescuers Come Running

The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society is closing in on 100,000 salvaged plants.

October 25, 2018

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