Weekend Getaway: Tucson, Arizona

June 26, 2024

Weekend Getaway: Tucson, Arizona

The last of our Southwest Companion trips was a Weekend Getaway to Tucson, Arizona. Like all the other weekend trips, this one was short but fun. We chose the end of February (the last weekend that our pass was available to use) hoping for some sunshine and possibly even, fingers crossed, pool time. It was my first time to visit the southern Arizona city in the Sonoran desert, though, Mr. UR had been many years before for work. Here's what we got up to on our Weekend Getaway to Tucson!

Saguaro National Park

The giant saguaro cactus is the symbol of the American west. There are few places in the US that they are found and Tucson is one of them. Saguaro National Park protects these cacti and you can visit here to learn about and see them.

We visited on a crowded Saturday morning - February is "in" season for this national park, they don't receive many summer visitors due to the extreme heat - and even though there were lots of people at the small visitor center, once we started our scenic drive on Cactus Forest Drive we didn't see many others. We took our time and stopped at all the pull offs for views of the giant cacti, learned about the native javelinas and the age and characteristics of the Saguaro.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what we found. There were so, so many cacti - as far as the eye could see. I didn't expect the hills either. I truly enjoyed our visit and am so glad we went. National Parks are the best!

Food & Drink

The Moonstone, Graduate Hotel

Before we went out for dinner on Saturday night we headed to The Moonstone, the rooftop bar, at The Graduate Hotel. Downtown Tucson is University of Arizona territory and there were lots of parties going on and action on the main drag. Mr. UR found a place to park and then we headed to the 14th floor for views over Tucson and an adult beverage.

The Graduate Hotel chain locates their hotels in college cities with guest rooms inspired by "local history and campus legends. " This University of Arizona spot had lots of old west theme decor - in a good and kitschy way - including paint by number paintings, cactus and wagon wheels. The views over the city were outstanding and you could really get a feel for how big the University is.

El Charro

El Charro Cafe in downtown Tucson was founded in 1922 and is considered to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in continous operation by the same family. The founder, Monica Flin, is said to have invented the chimichanga. This was the place to eat! Unfortunately, every one else thought so, too. With no reservations on a Saturday night at 5:30pm it would be a 2 hour wait. So the next best thing was to go to one of the other restaurants in the El Charro chain. Luckily, there was an El Charro near our hotel in the Oro Valley.

The wait was still about 45 minutes but was worth it when we finally were able to enjoy our Sonoran cuisine. I decided to go with the Chicken Flautas while Mr. UR enjoyed the enchiladas. It was all good and I'm very happy that we didn't give up on eating at El Charro!

Eegee's

We had to stop at Eegee's, a fast food chain local to Tucson (and Phoenix) Started as a frozen lemonade truck, Eegee's now offers the "eegee", a frozen fruit blend drink, subs, salads, fries and their famous homemade ranch dressing. Our stop was for a quick snack after the national park and we shared an eegee, chicken tenders, fries and of course, the homemade ranch dressing to dip them in. (And if you want to know the popularity of this chain, it's said that some afficionado's have the eegee logo as a tattoo)

Firetruck Brewing

Firetruck Brewing was located just down the street from our hotel. So, of course, we had to give it a try. Set in the beautiful Oro Valley, this brewery serves beer and food and seemed quite popular on a Saturday afternoon. (Fun fact: One of their rotating taps was Stem Ciders- a favorite from here in Denver) They serve all the beer - from IPA's to bitters and stouts. We enjoyed ours on the patio overlooking the Catalina and Tortolina mountains.

Tombstone

Located an hour and a half southeast of Tucson in Cochise County, the town of Tombstone embraces its historical roots. Known as the "Town Too Tough To Die", Tombstone was the scene of the infamous Gunfight at the Ok Corral between the Earp Brothers and a group of outlaws, called the Cowboys, who lived in Tombstone. It's a tourist attraction town worth an afternoon visit with gunfight reenactments, the Birdcage Theater, Boothill Graveyard and the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park.

We attended the gunfight reenactment which was a crowd involved, short show depicting the Gunfight at the OK Corral with actors portraying the lawmen - the infamous Earp brothers against a group of cattle rustlers and horse thieves called The Cowboys. It was a fun show which depicted the events of October 26, 1881 with cheering for the heroes and booing of the villains. Then we took a walk along the main street of Tombstone taking in the historic setting. We ended up at the Tombstone Brewery for an adult beverage before we had to leave to catch our flight.

It was a fun town to visit for an afternoon! I don't feel a need to go back but I'm glad we went. So if you get to southeastern Arizona sometime, go give Tombstone a visit and learn about the Gunfight at the OK Corral.