Tohono Chul, Tucson

Desert gardens with well maintained walkways featuring lots of places to relax on a bench & enjoy the peaceful beauty. The plants & trees are mostly labeled and displayed in unique, creative settings. The gift shop offers books, unique art (we bought a signed, framed, colorful, embellished photo of agave), hats, handbags - definitely worth checking out. The greenhouse features potted cacti & desert adapted plants for sale at very reasonable prices (several came home with us). The garden bistro has both indoor & shaded outdoor seating. Wonderful (but a bit pricey) menu in a lovely garden setting. We waited over an hour for a table at 12:30, followed by another wait of an hour for our meal. The food was worth the wait, & we weren't in a hurry. Great place to spend a couple of hours or most of a day.

Visiting friends (Tucson newbies) we enjoyed the birding tour given by Marion. Her knowledge & humor were top notch albeit she recommended coming back for a tour with other guides who "specialize" in different ways. The place seems immense but a lot of shade throughout to be able to enjoy the trails. There are (mostly) metal art work throughout also. With a restaurant, gallery (we missed) & gift shops, there's a lot to occupy some time. I hope to go back to walk solo & discover/capture (photograph) more of nature's 😯.

Definite go to if you like nature and appreciate all its beauty. I finished all the trails within an hr but I was rushing through it. They have a bistro with calming outdoor ambience. Highly recommend. $15 per adult. Plenty of parking. Bring your camera for awesome shots.

It's no surprise that this place is unique and pretty. I was hired as a wedding photographer for an intimate 15-person ceremony. Having a wedding here was a smart idea! Parking was close, there are beautiful backdrops for photos and a very private quaint area for the ceremony. Shade from a large tree gave us the shelter from the sun and the sounds of birds and trickling water filled the background. Don't forget to check out the huge life-size metal horse too!

Even though I'm a long time Tucsonan this was my first visit. This time of year is a great time to go. Many flowers in bloom and the weather was fairly mild. Plenty of trails both paved and unpaved. Plants are well marked so that it is easy to learn about them. Visit lasted around 1.5 hours. Didn't visit the Bistro. Planning to return to the gift shop/nursery in the future to but a few plants I want to add to my yard.