“If you wish to advance into the infinite, explore the finite in all directions.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Southern Arizona is a diverse region of desert lowlands, high desert, rolling grasslands, forest-topped mountains, and subterranean caverns. The city of Tucson lies at the heart of this region.
The Spanish settled in this part of the Southwest long before the Europeans colonized the East Coast of the United States. Southern Arizona is home to missions established by Spanish priests at Tubac and Tumacacori, as well as several American Indian cultures. It’s also where the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place in the frontier town of Tombstone.
The Southern Arizona region is well known for its wide range of natural habitats – from the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Lemmon, to Saguaro National Park with its forest of huge saguaro cacti, to the subterranean environments of Kartchner Caverns and Colossal Cave.
In addition, Southern Arizona is a birdwatcher’s paradise. It is located at an ecological crossroads where species converge from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Madre Mountains of northern Mexico. Tourists come from around the world to visit Ramsey Canyon Preserve for a chance to see over 170 species of birds in one place.
Places to go in Southern Arizona include:
Casa Grande Valley Historical Society & Museum
Castañeda Museum of Ethnic Costume
Center for Creative Photography
Downtown Museum–Arizona Historical Society
Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
Hammerblow Mining Museum
Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, Inc. (CEDO Intercultural)
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum
Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center/Museum
Tombstone, Boot Hill Cemetery, and the OK Corral
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block
Tumacácori National Historic Park
University of Arizona Mineral Museum
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Cochise County: Land of Legends
Discover the wonders of a subterranean world at Kartchner Caverns in Benson. Witness the dance of hummingbirds in flight at Ramsey Canyon in Sierra Vista and the majestic Sandhill cranes returning to their homes in the Willcox Playa. Tread the footsteps of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday at Tombstone’s OK Corral. Experience an historic mining town turned eclectic artist colony in mile-high Bisbee. Explore one of the oldest military outposts in the American West – Fort Huachuca – now a modern center for intelligence training for the United States Army. Mount Up at a guest ranch and ride into the rugged Dragoon Mountains where Apache Chief Geronimo held the U.S. Cavalry at bay for months. In the friendly International Town of Douglas, tour an amazing number of historically registered buildings before visiting neighborly Mexico. Create Your Own LEGENDARY VACATION – Do it all in just a few days without ever leaving Cochise County. Located in the Southeast corner of Arizona, this is one of the most culturally, historically and geographically diverse areas in the American Southwest: Benson, Bisbee, Douglas, Tombstone, Sierra Vista and Willcox – legendary communities within a short drive of one another – less than a day’s journey by stagecoach!
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