Starts tonight!

When was the last time you visited the Reid Park Zoo? Tonight is the first night of their Asian Lantern Festival - should be a spectacular, colorful event! For more info, click here.

Tucson Trivia ~ Did you know about our STARGAZING?

Did you know that Tucson has some of the best stargazing areas? Tucson is part of a Dark Skies initiative to enable our many local observatories (like Kitt Peak, Mt Lemmon, and Mt Graham) to continue their important research. To find out about the best places in Tucson to stargaze, CLICK HERE.

Today is the last day!

The marvelous exhibit at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, "Luminous," closes today so this is your last chance to see these whimsical and enchanting illuminated sculptures for yourself. Enjoy! 

Winter Picnic ~

Here's a beautiful and quiet picnic spot for a special winter outing. No one around for miles! This winter wonderland setting is within Tucson's Agua Caliente Park.

Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox. 

Feeling a little peckish, are we?

This magnificent life-size vulture keeps an eye on things at Tucson's Tohono Chul Park. Created with recycled materials, it is the world of Kenyan sculptor, Kioko Mwitiki. I think it's particularly fun that the Park has strung fairy lights on this carnivore! (:
Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

Tucson Treasure ~

Ahhhhh, Agua Caliente Park! This beautiful public park is on Tucson's far east side and serves as a wonderful, cool, green refuge. Haven't been there? Learn more here.
Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

A Queer of Quail ~

A group of quail can be a queer, a covey, a flock, or a bevy. These quiet quail are sculpture at the beautiful Tohono Chul Park, a wonderful place to refresh yourself with art, greenery, and a tea room, too!
Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

Caught in the moment ~

This beautiful mule deer is just one of the lifesize sculptures that will delight you on the grounds of Tucson's wonderful Tohono Chul Park.
Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox. 

Let's eat more carrots! Happy New Year!

We ended the year with exploring many of Tucson's Treasures and here we are kicking off 2018 and continuing our tour. Today is Day 7 of MY FAVORITE THINGS. So, here we visit one of the things in Tucson that begins with R: the   wonderful Reid Park Zoo. 

If you have never fed a carrot to a giraffe, you don't know what you are missing! And boy do they have long eyelashes! 

What are your favorite Tucson things that begin with R? Tell us! 

Sparkling Cactus ~

I know that "sparkling" isn't a common description for cactus but this Organ Pipe Cactus at Tohono Chul Park was illuminated brilliantly with green shimmering lights - gorgeous!  

Enchanting Music Under the Stars ~

Tohono Chul Park's Festival of Lights featured live music, hot cocoa, and countless twinkling lights. It was a magical evening! Here is the DeGrazia Band performing in one of the courtyard areas. 

Welcome to Wonderland ~

Here is another glimpse of Tohono Chul Park's winter light festival. Magical! Beautiful! 

Magical Night of Music, Lights, and Animals!

 

 

Each year the Reid Park Zoo hosts "Zoo Lights" and they decorate the entire zoo with lights and fantastic animal sculptures! It is so beautiful and so fun! They have a little area where fake snow falls, they have carolers, and Santa is there, too, if you want to have your picture taken with him. It is an enchanting walk-around. You can even get a hot cocoa with rum to warm you up. Yum! Fun!

Tucson Trivia Time ~

Did you know that Tucson offers more than 300 miles of trails for mountain bikers to enjoy? For a comprehensive list of local trails, click here. Pedal on!
Photo courtesy of VisitTucson.org

Queen of the Night - for just one night

"Bloom Night" is a highly anticipated event every year at Tucson's Tohono Chul Park. With sometimes just a few hours' notice, the park will issue the announcement that it is "Bloom Night" and thousands of visitors come to the park to view the mysterious night-blooming cereus that bloom for just one night. It is a spectacular, breathtaking event!
Photos courtesy of Sue Dodson.

It's official ~ spring has arrived!

There are a few standard "rules" regarding the weather in Tucson. One is when the wildflowers bloom at Picacho Peak, spring is here. We may still get a cold(ish) day or two, but they will be rare. Picacho Peak is north of Tucson and every year the wildflower display is a destination drive. Beautiful hiking in this weather, too!

Sabino Canyon Colors ~

Sabino Canyon is one of Tucson's hiking treasures. Here you can see that it is alive with fall color at the moment. Beautiful!
Photo courtesy of Rick Ranger.

Monday?

One of the expressive giraffes living at Tucson's Reid Park Zoo tells the world what he thinks of Mondays!

Tucson's newest and biggest baby ~

I hope you enjoyed your mini tour of the Reid Park Zoo these last few days. I saved the best for last. Here is baby Nandi -- the BIGGEST news at the Reid Park Zoo! She is just a few months old and already weighs about 400 pounds! Soon she'll be too big to scoot under her mama's belly. Click this link to see more pictures of this sweetie and to learn more about her. She is a delight to watch! I hope this makes your Monday a little better....

So I have to wonder...

How do those little furry creatures open the gate? I didn't know their little paws were that dextrous!