Category Archives: Educational

Summer Art Classes for Kids At TMA

TMA Summer Art Classes for Kids

If I still had school age children or grandchildren, I would be instantly attracted to the Tucson Museum of Art’s summer art classes for kids. When our grandchildren were still young and being home schooled, my contribution to their worldly education was a weekly field trip. So I was always on the lookout for fun [...]

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Earp Vendetta Ride

Wyatt and Doc

The Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone was only the beginning of the murderous conflict between the Earp Brothers and their friends, and the outlaw gang known as ‘The Cowboys’. ‘The Cowboys’ were about two-dozen hard riding, hard drinking ranchers and rustlers, their hired hands and gunslingers. Most notable among them were the Clanton Brothers, Ike and Billy; the McLaury Brothers, Frank and Tom; Johnny Barnes; “Curly Bill” Brocius; Florintino Cruz, aka “Indian Charlie”; Frank Stilwell; and Johnny Ringo. … Continue reading

The Coronado Expedition: 1540-42.

Coronado Expedition. Painting by Frederick Remington in 1898.

The story of the Coronado Expeditions is one of bravery, perseverance, high adventure, faith, and incredible greed. Between hiking trails and scenic back roads, we can retrace their historic route.

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New Art Exhibit Coming To The Desert Museum

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Exhibit

Most everyone who reads my blog or visits our SouthernArizonaGuide website knows the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of our family’s favorite attractions. We’ve been members since we moved here 10 years ago. When our grandchildren visit, it’s the first place they want to go. In the past decade, we’ve taken more than a hundred [...]

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Jim Turner – Historian & Public Speaker

Jim Turner, recently retired from the Arizona Historical Society, is a professional Arizona historian, author, and public speaker whose talks both educate & entertain a range of audiences: retirees, teachers, service clubs and professional & business conferences & conventions. His range of knowledge and informative talks also include broader subjects, such as Southwestern and Mexican history. … Continue reading

Bats Under The Bridge: Who Knew?

Campbell St Bridge Bats

I had heard rumors that thousands of bats live under the North Campbell Street bridge (just south of River) and that they take flight at sundown in the summer. This urban legend seemed more plausible when I found out that docents from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum are there every Thursday evening to share their knowledge [...]

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Things To Do In Graham Country: Roper Lake, Dankworth Ponds, & Discovery Park

Black Hills ByWay Picnic Area

The area near Safford has several worthwhile things to see and do: Roper Lake State Park, Dankworth Ponds, and Discovery Park. Just to the west of Safford is 10,000 foot-high Mt. Graham. At the top are some of the most powerful telescopes on earth. The road to Mt. Graham is about as steep, narrow, and windy as you’re likely to find in the United States. There’s a nice picnic area about 8 miles up this road from Rt. 191 a few miles south of Safford.

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To The Sky Center & Outer Space!

Kitt Peak observable gallaxies

Last April (2011), about 10 of us went up to Kitt Peak for the Night Observation Program. For $48 each, we got about a five-hour program that included a very interesting lecture (with slides) on astronomy, a box “dinner” with chips, an apple, and a stale sandwich, and a few hours observing the heavens through [...]

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Bird Cage Theater – Tombstone

Bird-Cage1

Bill Hunley is the manager of the Bird Cage Theater, Tombstone’s most notorious saloon, gambling hall, and house of ill-repute. It’s been in his family since the 1930′s. The Bird Cage is now a museum, but what an extraordinary museum it is. Watch the video to get a glimpse.

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AHS Fort Lowell Museum

Ft-Lowell-Exterior-thumb

The Fort Lowell Museum is located in the reconstructed Commanding Officer’s quarters of Old Fort Lowell, originally established in 1873. The museum features exhibits about military life on the Arizona frontier with particular emphasis on the Apache Wars.

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AHS Tucson History Museum

AHS-Downtown

The Arizona Historical Society’s Tucson History Museum is about life in early Tucson. This is a small but very worthwhile museum if you want to understand the history and cultural heritage of Tucson.

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AHS Arizona History Museum

AHS Julia

The Arizona History Museum’s focus is Southern Arizona history from Spanish colonial through territorial eras. Exhibit topics include mining and transportation. The Arizona’s Treasures exhibit features Geronimo’s rifle and 18th-century Spanish silver artifacts.

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