Tucson in the News
While we normally have plenty of content on what to do, what to eat, and where to stay when you visit Tucson, this post is special as we’re rounding up noteworthy stories about Tucson that have been in the headlines both nationally and locally. Tucson is an amazing city for dining, hiking, golfing, sightseeing, and so much more, but it is also an incredible place of research, health, entrepreneurship, and education.
WHY VISIT TUCSON?
Making the New York Times’ list of 52 Places to Go in 2023, Tucson is described as, “a rebounding center of art and adobe with centuries-old ties to Mexico.” The author provides further recommendations for your visit: “take the Tucson Origins Tour by Borderlandia, which specializes in tours of the U.S.-Mexico border area, for a deep dive into history. Then explore the famed Etherton Gallery and Andrew Smith Gallery, both in new spaces. Don’t forget Barrio restaurants like the local coffee drinkers’ favorite EXO Roast, housed in an 1885 adobe home, and the Coronet, which moved to the neighborhood in 2019.”
And that isn’t the only time that Tucson has been featured in the New York Times. In 2019, they shared a story of their 36 hour adventure in our city, saying, “foodies, cyclists and the aesthetically inclined will find much to like in this desert city, home to a new bike-share system, adobe architecture and restaurants that reflect a mix of cultural influences.” The LA Times has also featured a weekend trip review. Here’s our take on an itinerary for a 3 day trip to Tucson.
LET’S EAT!
A few of the small plates from our foodie adventure at Bata Tucson
Now, let’s talk about the foodie scene. Pack your stretchy pants as Tucson has an incredible heritage as a foodie town. Most folks assume that Tucson has good Mexican food with our proximity to the Mexico border (which is 100% correct!), even NPR had a great feature on Tucson’s Mexican cuisine with their POV on why Tucson should be getting more national attention than it has. In 2004, Tucson was named the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and the food options do not disappoint. The Smithsonian Magazine weighs in on why Tucson is deserving of this UNESCO title, “the city is packed with restaurateurs, chefs, farmers and ranchers who nurture a vibrant food scene.” The best part? Prices aren’t crazy like they are in some of the larger foodie cities like Chicago.
Tucson’s food scene feeds a wide range of flavors and budgets – from the James Beard America’s Classics winner, the Sonoran Dog at El Guero Canelo, to an inventive small plates menu at Bata, named one of 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit – there’s something for all taste buds. The Washington Post gives their run down on where to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner (hint: 47 Scott is a great dinner spot!). And local Tucsonans have known all along that we’ve got a lot of great eats - but the word started to get out in 2016 when the New York Times called Tucson an “Unlikely Food Star.”
Since then, Tucson has been home to numerous food award finalists. Chef Maria Mazon, owner of BOCA Tacos y Tequila was in the top 5 on Top Chef Portland. In 2022, Tucson proudly had 3 James Beard Award semifinalists - Maria Mazon of BOCA Tacos y Tequila (Best Chef: Southwest), John Martinez of Tito & Pep (Best Chef: Southwest), and Don Guerra of Barrio Bread (Outstanding Baker). If you haven’t booked a reservation yet for Tito and Pep, don’t wait - they made the 2022 New York Times list of the 50 restaurants they are most excited about. And there’s always something new and exciting just around the corner - here’s an article by Tucson.com that highlights several of the restaurants opening in 2023.
Go EXPLORING
Now that you’re salivating, here’s some ideas for staying active. Colossal Cave is a dry cave, just southeast of Tucson and has been featured in the LA Times for its quirky tour (and history). Held a secret for over a decade before the land was bought by the state to protect its integrity, Kartchner Caverns is now open to the public. Featured in Atlas Obscura, they share some of the history of this well-preserved wet cave.
SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY
Biosphere2. Photo by Arizona Daily Star
Tucson has been making headlines in the science world, too. Did you know that the University of Arizona is one of the nation’s leading universities in the fields of science and medicine? The UofA is home to the James Webb Space Telescope, which, since its launch, has been giving astronomers some incredible, and unprecedented, views of space. According to this article by A News, astronomers have been able to see new glimpses into how new stars are being formed, and how they interact with gas and dust in their host galaxies. The images being obtained are nothing short of awe-inspiring. This has been able to launch research into how the beginnings of stars can affect the formation of larger systems and, eventually, entire galaxies. Pretty incredible!
Beyond even the amazing research this space program spearheads, it has been shown that the economic impact of the University of Arizona space program on Tucson rivals that of the Super Bowl, as seen in this article. Reports indicate that the space program is bringing in about $560.5 million dollars to the local economy.
In addition to the space program, Tucson is also well-known for the Biosphere 2. Originally constructed over 35 years ago, Biosphere 2 is the world’s largest earth science experiment (The New York Times calls it strange). It was intended to be completely self-sustaining, and it contains five of earth’s unique biomes. And yes, if you ever saw the movie Biodome, it was loosely based on this. Besides being a super cool tourist attraction that you can visit, Biosphere 2 has recently made the news once again. Scientific American has highlighted the evolution in contribution towards climate research. In early 2023, a team of four scientists were sealed in an 11,000 square foot vessel for six days as they researched the possibility of hosting humans on Mars. The mission was a success, and we are so proud that Tucson has a hand in furthering this groundbreaking research. You can read more about their mission in this article from 12News.
READY TO VISIT?
As you can see, Tucson is a diverse and thriving city that offers something for everyone! From it’s amazing food scene to its natural beauty and groundbreaking research in science and medicine, Tucson continues to make headlines for all the right reasons. Tucson is truly a city worth exploring and experiencing and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our incredible home! If you’d like to come see for yourself how amazing Tucson is, click here to reserve your stay at one of our upscale vacation homes! Your home away from home is waiting for you at Vacay in Tucson!