When we move into perfect weather, it is time to talk about being outdoors again. Included in The Best Southern Arizona Picnic Areas is this old favorite among the boulders of Texas Canyon. In early May 2013, Ms. Karen, Neighbor Roy, Mother-In-Law-Visiting-From-Oregon Judy, & I packed a picnic basket and drove east an hour from Tucson to Texas Canyon and the Amerind Foundation Museum. Highly visible from the I-10 Freeway Texas Canyon is a geologic masterpiece. You can’t miss it. That is the exit to the museum and picnic area.

Ms. Karen (left), Judy, & Neighbor Roy prepare our picnic in Texas Canyon.

Situated among giant boulders and mature mesquite trees, this picnic area is a very pleasant place. But the reason the Amerind’s picnic area is so extraordinary is that it’s an easy walk to a fine Western art gallery and, of course, their world-famous collection of American Indian artifacts.

Amerind Museum building viewed from picnic area.

If you have school-age children or grandchildren, the Amerind Museum makes for an excellent day trip for the whole family.

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Boulders in Texas Canyon at the Amerind picnic area.

After picnicking amid the boulders, send them out among them to climb about before the trip home, being mindful of the possibility of snakes depending on the time of day and season.

Texas Canyon Cemetery. Among many others, buried here are the Fultons, the Amerind’s founding family.

To learn more about the Amerind Foundation and Museum, visit Amerind.org here.
To learn about more worthwhile museums in Tucson, whether art, history, science, or just fun, see our list of the Best Museums here.