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December 5th, 2011 While the Reid Park Zoo in central Tucson won’t be rivaling the famed San Diego Zoo anytime soon, it does offer residents and visitors alike a great experience & up-close look at a variety of animals from around the globe. A long list of animals can be seen at the zoo including: lions, panther, zebra, elephant, giraffe, rhino, polar bear, otters, and more. Operated nearly year-round, the zoo also hosts special events and celebrates the holiday season with special evening hours and attractions. Photographers, families, and animal lovers are sure to have a fantastic day upon any zoo visit. Frequent visitors will easily save significant money by purchasing a family annual membership. Among the more popular attractions are:
- Giraffe Encounters – A chance to feed the zoo’s giraffes
- Kenya Get Wet – Bring a towel to this wet exhibit open during fair weather
- Zoo Train – Tour around Reid Park’s adjacent lake in with your young ones
Recently the zoo has undergone some expansion to create an “Expedition Tanzania” area, scheduled to be complete in early 2012. This seven acre expansion will provide an indoctrination of East African culture to Tucson. The highlight of the new area will be the elephant areas on display including a training wall where zoo visitors will get an close look at the elephants working directly with the zoo staff.
Reid Park Zoo
1100 S. Randolph Way,
Tucson, AZ 85716
520.791.4022
November 14th, 2011 Rancho Vistoso’s recorded history dates back well over a thousand years and largely starts with the Hohokam Indians who settled in the region around 500 A.D. These villagers inhabited the area continuously for over 700 years, making it one of a few of the 120 or so villages with such a stable history in the Tucson region. Historic petroglyphs, pottery, and other ruins remain throughout the current landscape, primarily at Honey Bee Canyon & Hohokam Village just down the road. Other signs of these early inhabitants remain with ball courts, pit house ruins, and trash mounds dotting the desert.
Today Honey Bee Canyon stands out as one of the best places to enjoy the area’s history and wildlife by taking a hike along the wash basin. Keep a sharp eye peeled for all varieties of animals which can range from bobcats, javelina, owls, snakes, mountain lion, gila monsters, rabbits, or countless varieties of birds. You’ll also come across a variety of petroglyphs among the surrounding rocks and even several stone dams which were constructed hundreds of years ago. Visitors should avoid touching or disturbing these historical treasures in order to preserve their place in history for future generations to marvel upon. One of the other neat aspects of Honey Bee Canyon is its proximity to suburban life and the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s literally a hidden gem tucked amongst the splendor of the Honey Bee Ridge & Honey Bee Canyon estate homes.
November 2nd, 2011 Tucson is extremely fortunate to have one of the largest aviation museums in the world, and the largest aviation museum in the United States that isn’t government funded, in the Pima Air & Space Museum. Countless artifacts and over 300 aeronautical vessels are on display at the museum, including some one-of-a-kind items and other rare planes. Among the most distinctive planes on display are the SR-71 Blackbird, B-29 Superfortress, a previous Air Force One used by John F. Kennedy & Lyndon Johnson, and a rare WWII German V-1 “buzz bomb”. Easily the sleekest aviation piece at the museum and possibly ever built is the SR-71 which a phenomenal piece of engineering constructed by Lockheed’s “Skunk Works” division. Used as a reconnaissance plane by the Air Force from 1964 – 1998, this aviation marvel flew over 3,500 mission sorties during its storied career. Over the years this plane set many world records including an absolute altitude sustained flight record of 85,069 ft., an absolute speed record of 2,193.2 mph, and the record for speed over a recognized course (flying from New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds).
Another unique part of the tour offered at Pima Air & Space Museum is access to the “Boneyard”, or the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). Located just across the street at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Boneyard is a storage facility for over 4,400 aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army, Coast Guard, and other governmental agencies such as NASA. The chief reasons for selecting Davis-Monthan as the site for this storage center were Tucson’s meager rainfall, low humidity, and alkaline soil. These conditions make it possible to store aircraft indefinitely with a minimum of deterioration and corrosion. In addition, the soil (called caliche) is hard, making it possible to park aircraft in the desert without constructing concrete or steel parking ramps.
A visit to the Pima Air & Space Museum is definitely worthwhile for any aviation enthusiast. Dress comfortably and in walking shoes as quite a bit of time can be spent walking around.
Pima Air & Space Museum
6000 E. Valencia Rd.
Tucson, Arizona 85756
520.574.0462
October 14th, 2011 
Conductor George Hanson kicks off the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s Classic Series season tonight at 8:00pm with Italian star Fabio Bidini on the piano. A second performance is also scheduled for Sunday, October 16th at 2:00pm. Bidini returns to open the season with Rachmaninoff’s melodic and much-loved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. To cap off the evening he’ll perform the mesmerizing Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, his most famous work and one sure to make Opening Night very memorable. The Classic Series performances take place at the Tucson Music Hall, located at 260 South Church Avenue.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
Box Office: 520.882.8585
October 6th, 2011  The 7th Annual Tucson Film & Music Festival is taking place October 7th – 10th with events held at a variety of local venues. This festival celebrates the great independent film and music in the Southwest. The past, present and future of the Tucson film making scene comes together with a focus on music-related content to showcase documentaries, narrative features, shorts, and music videos. A schedule of the events, times, and locations is best found on their website with additional details regarding the Festival. Click here to visit the official Tucson Film & Music Festival website.
September 30th, 2011 A Tucson original experience for over 20 years, Nightfall reemerges from the shadows to provide a frightening good time throughout the month of October. Old Tucson Studios transforms from a throwback Western town to a haunted township complete with monsters, beasts, and ghoulish stunts. The terrorific experience is the result of Nightfall’s infamous Dr. Jebediah Hyde, a maniacal evil-doer who strikes fear into the town residents and its guests alike. An evening at Nightfall encompasses live shows with dazzling pyrotechnics and spectacular stunts, frightful haunted attractions, and some ghoulish comedy. The show has been rated among the Top Ten Haunted Attractions in the United States for several recent years. Visit Dr. Hyde as he incessantly tortures the inmates of the Goulliard Asylum for the Perpetually Insane and experience an evening of scares.
Nightfall at Old Tucson Studios
201 S. Kinney Road
Tucson, AZ 85735
520.883.0100
September 25th, 2011 Here are some facts about Arizona:
The city of Tucson’s elevation is 2,389.
Average daytime temperature is 83, and the average low is 54.
State Bird – Cactus Wren
State Flower – Saguaro Cactus Blossom
State Gem – Turquoise
State Tree – Palo Verde
Saguaro Facts – Saguaro cactus are considered a mature adult at 125 years of age. They may weigh more than 6 tons and be as tall as 50ft. Arms normally appear on saguaros between 50 & 70 years of age. At 35 years of age they begin to produce flowers.
Top 10 Employers in Southern Arizona
- Raytheon Missile Systems
- The University of Arizona
- State of Arizona
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- Tucson Unified School District
- US Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca
- Pima County
- City of Tucson
- Carondelet Health Network
September 20th, 2011 Arizona’s first and largest festival celebrates the wine grape harvest on September 24th & 25th in Elgin, AZ. Tickets for the 11am – 4pm event cost $18 and include:
- Lunch: Southern BBQ brisket or chicken, cole slaw, cornbread, and a cookie
- Souvenir wine glass
- Sample tastings of world-class award winning Arizona wines
- Live music from 11:30 until 3:30 by Cat Daddy
- Grape stomping competition & crowning of Arizona’s King & Queen of Grape Stomping
- Arts & Crafts
Village of Elgin Winery
520.455.9309
Directions: From Tucson/Phoenix, take I-10 East to Exit 281
Then south on State Highway 83 through the town of Sonoita to Upper Elgin Road
Left on Upper Elgin Road to the Village Complex, Downtown.
September 10th, 2011  Stone Canyon Properties, in conjunction with The Stone Canyon Club, would like to thank all of the REALTORS© and their clients who took part in our REALTOR© Tour event yesterday. Five of Stone Canyon’s premier custom residences were on display for nearly 200 Tucson area REALTORS© and their clients, followed by a Happy Hour reception at the club. The enormous response far exceeded our expectations and by all accounts the event was a HUGE success. Thank you again to all the REALTORS© who were so complimentary of the event. Some of the responses we heard were that, “this was the best REALTOR© event in many years” and, “we had such a great time and are so appreciative of you putting this event on.”
 Believed to be the fourth largest REALTOR© turnout for the entire year in Tucson, the event saw REALTORS© looking dapper as they toured these million dollar residences. Already appointments to return with clients have been set and we look forward to continuing to partner with area agents to further improve upon Stone Canyon’s established position as one of the top private residential golf communities in the country. Thank you also to the Stone Canyon residents who temporarily dealt with the additional influx of cars throughout the community. The entire staff of Stone Canyon Properties couldn’t have been more pleased with the event and would like to extend a final thank you to the tremendous staff at the golf club for their support with parking & the Happy Hour event at the clubhouse.
September 1st, 2011  Biosphere 2 is a former highly publicized facility constructed to research and develop self-sustaining space-colonization technology. In the early 1990′s researchers underwent two missions where its residents were sealed into the facility for extended periods of time. Now currently owned & operated by the University of Arizona, it provides a fascinating look into this past history and serves as an ongoing research lab for the school. Plan to spend approximately 2 hours at the facility and allow for sufficient travel time as the facility is located a bit to the north of Tucson off of Oracle Road. Biosphere 2 is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving & Christmas from 9am – 4pm and reservations are not required. While up in the area you can also find afternoon dining just a bit further north in the town of Oracle at Nona Maria’s, an Italian restaurant, or the Oracle Inn, which is a steakhouse.
University of Arizona-Biosphere 2
32540 S. Biosphere Road
Oracle, Arizona 85623
520.838.6200
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