Tucson, known as “The Old Pueblo,” offers annual festivals related to Native American traditions, parks for outdoor activities, Biosphere2 for space colony experiments, and the Titan Missile Museum.
Tucson, known by locals as “The Old Pueblo,” takes its name from an ancient Spanish word meaning “Black Base,” a clear allusion to the volcanic mountains that form the city’s backdrop. People visiting Tucson shouldn’t miss its many annual festivals, many of which are directly related to the Native American traditions of the tribes that once inhabited the area.
Some popular festivals include the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and the Tucson Folk Festival, which attract over 50,000 visitors each year. For those visiting Tucson in November, there’s also America’s Greatest Procession of the Dead, a parade held the weekend after Halloween. The parade, hosted in honor of the dead, is one of Tucson’s biggest celebrations, with nearly 10,000 people taking to the streets dressed in costumes honoring their lost ones.
There are over 120 parks available to those who visit Tucson, including Coronado National Forest, Sabino Canyon and Saguaro National Park. Hiking and white water rafting are extremely popular with tourists visiting Tucson, as are biking and camping in the canyon. Outdoor adventure purveyors abound in the city, and anyone visiting Tucson can find a group that fits their fitness level and interest. From horseback riding and Jeep rides to skydiving and helicopter tours, visiting Tucson offers everyone a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Hot air balloon rides are also very popular. While expensive, the rides offer the best chance to experience the beauty of Tucson from above. Most city and national parks offer bike trails of varying fitness levels.
People visiting Tucson shouldn’t miss a trip to Biosphere2, twenty minutes north of the city. The US$200 million experiment houses deserts, the ocean and a rainforest, as well as a large housing complex that allowed a group of eight scientists to survive in an airtight facility without any outside help for two full years. Biosphere2 was built to demonstrate the possibility of living in space colonies. On many fronts the experiment was successful, but at the same time it also showed the difficult challenges of living in space. The building is now open for visits.
For those visiting Tucson and the surrounding area, just outside the city is the Titan Missile Museum, the only one in the world open to the public. The Titan is an underground facility complete with ballistic missile, control room, launch shaft, and living quarters. The missile itself was decommissioned in 1982, but the structure remains in its original state.
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