Tumacacori and Tubac are an easy 25 minute drive from where I am staying so I ventured south. I visited Tumacacori Mission first, which consisted of a church and planned community near the Santa Cruz River. There was a church, convent, cemetery, plaza, orchard and large garden area. It was peaceful and interesting. The grounds were lush and the remaining buildings were well-preserved. I really love the adobe structures.
Three miles north is Tubac. Tubac is historical and artsy in the cutest way. I started at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum but didn’t spend too much time there. I then walked the streets of Tubac starting with the Tubac Center of the Arts. A juried competition was showing and the art was impressive. I then meandered the three streets filled with art, jewelry and other things you didn’t know you needed! The village boasts being founded in 1752 and the arts and crafts were impressive. I especially loved all the garden art.
Similar to running into an old friend that I didn’t realize I missed, Tucson continues to surprise me. A few years ago after Tucson came onto my radar, I joined a few Facebook groups focused on the city. I figured it would give me a little insight into the culture, pluses and minuses and some secrets, too. I do this for any city I’m visiting if it is remotely a possibility as “the place”. As expected, some comments are negative but mostly the tidbits have been positive. As I am exploring, I find Tucson has a lot to love about it and I am enjoying discovering its nooks and crannies.
Tucson is clean. There is no garbage littering the downtown area or any other place I’ve explored so far. I found a dog park last night and even that was spotless. It is impressive.
Food is important here and I sense a certain amount of pride with the offerings at the various restaurants I’ve visited. I found a fantastic market called Time Market. It has fresh grocery items but also an attached cafe and bakery offering morning pastries, pizzas, salads and sandwiches. Artisan bread comes out of the oven at 7 a.m. and I suspect it is worth getting up for! My croissant was delicious.
Next to the Tucson Museum of Art is the Presidio neighborhood. Since the museum was not open when I arrived, I walked the hood. It was another charming, historical area with some stunning homes – not ostentatious or large – but instead with character and details worth observing.
I visited the Tucson Museum of Art, which although is small, has an impressive collection of varied art. The collections include ancient Americas, contemporary Latin American, Indigenous, Latin American Folk Art and Modern Art. The size of the museum makes all of this digestible and three other buildings outside the courtyard add more to see.
I then walked about 13 minutes to Barrio Viejo and along the way this beautiful plaza appeared! I also landed on an ice skating rink with holiday music and kids skating and smiling. Wandering is the best way to be surprised.
As I headed to my short-term rental I stopped at University of Arizona to check out the turtle pond. I found it, but no turtles, just large goldfish.
Tucson offers so much variety and beauty. Tonight I will attend an opening at the Etherton Gallery. Today is my fifth day in Tucson and she has been generous with her gifts of warmth, beauty and accessibility.
Today I hunted down Atabey’s Treasure, which is part of the San Francisco Big Art Loop. The scale of the fish is impressive and the scales are made from recycled pizza pans. I have driven by it at night and it is even more beautiful lit up!
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