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Photo: Kathy Kimpel, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This beautiful oasis in the heart of Tucson was the home of Bernice and Rutger Porter. Dating to the 1920s, the earliest buildings on the property were constructed of adobe bricks made right on site. True to the vision of Mrs. Porter, Tucson Botanical Gardens is a place of beauty, inspiration and education about the natural world.
The Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG) is a 5.5 acre collection of 20 gardens in the heart of Tucson, Arizona, United States. TBG was selected as number four in USA Today's 10best Readers' Choice awards for Best Botanical Garden in 2025. The gardens include the Cactus and Succulent Garden, Barrio Garden, Children's Garden, Herb Garden and many more showing the diversity of plants that can thrive in the Sonoran Desert. There are tropical butterflies from around the world that are featured in the Cox Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion from October–May. In addition to the 20 Gardens there are also rotating art displays, community classes, events and international exhibits.
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A historic Sonoran-style adobe chapel, built in 1915 and on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately the church is usually only open for special events, but it can be freely appreciated from the outside.
An annual event in the Winterhaven subdivision north of Fort Lowell Road displaying a huge Christmas light festival involving several dozen homes in the subdivision. The festival starts in the middle of December, ending a few days before New Year's Day. The event is very popular, and traffic to the event is always very congested.
Fort Lowell was a US Army post, active in the late 19th century during the Apache Wars. Most of the adobe structures are now in ruins, but the commanding officers' quarters have been reconstructed and now house a small museum, with exhibits focused on military life on the frontier. The building also has a small gift shop.
The city's highest-profile sports teams are those of the University of Arizona, members of the Big 12 Conference alongside 15 other schools located mostly in the middle and inland western states. While the school fields teams in 21 sports (nine men's and 12 women's), the biggest draws are (as at most major schools) football and men's basketball. The latter is a very tough ticket, considering the Wildcats' consistent regional and national success in that sport for the last 30 or so years.
Cares for more than 500 animals. The zoo has a state-of-the-art facility for treating cancers with radiation and heat therapy, and treats animal patients from zoos all over the country.
Houses an extensive of American and European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, with excellent rotating exhibits. A highlight of the collection is the 15th-century Spanish altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo.