Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum

A great stop for people of all ages is the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum located about 30 minutes outside of Tucson near Saguaro National Park. The museum is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.

Located on 21 acres, the museum has more than two miles of walking paths through various habitats with exhibits about a multitude of plants and animals.

We arrived around 9:30 and learned that we were just in time for the raptor show that starts at 10 a.m. (Daily except for Wednesdays, Oct. 30-April 10). The 25-minute show featured four types of birds in free flight with lengthy narratives about each type of bird. The birds land in trees very close to the spectators and sometimes fly just inches above their heads. It's an impressive show.

From there we took the half-mile desert loop trail that highlights numerous desert plants and also includes coyotes and javelinas. The path continued into mountain woodlands where there is a mountain lion, black bear, gray wolves and mule deer.

From there we went underground into a cave that highlights the history of the Earth as well as gems and minerals.

Wandering to the next section of the grounds, we went into the hummingbird aviary where several species of hummingbirds dart around feeding at colorful plants and feeders throughout the building. Further on the trail there is another enclosed aviary with other species of birds. We saw a tanager, cardinal, quail, ducks and more.

Kids will enjoy the opportunity to touch and feed stingray. The final two stops for us as we continued on the trails were Cat Canyon and the Riparian Corridor. Cat Canyon features a bobcat, ocelot and gray fox. In the Riparian Corridor, you can see a river otter and a bighorn sheep.

The museum also has an aquarium and reptile exhibit. There is a gift shop and several options for food.

Adult admission is $24.95.

We spent just under four hours at the museum and thoroughly enjoyed it.