Why Tucson Has a Rodeo Parade Museum

Rodeo Parade Museum.

The phrase made me pause the first time I heard it, as I tried to make sense of those words together as a unit. I wasn’t aware that rodeos had parades or that parades had museums – until I moved to Tucson.

Tucson rodeo parade and museum wagon

Rodeo

Officially known as “La Fiesta de los Vaqueros,” Tucson’s Rodeo takes place for nine days in late February. It’s a big enough deal that schools take off the Thursday and Friday of Rodeo Week. There are roping and riding competitions, a large parade, kids’ events, barn dances, a rodeo clinic that’s also a fundraiser for local breast cancer patients, and something called “cowboy church.”

Rodeo parade

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros was first held in 1925, as a way to preserve Tucson’s cowboy-era culture, while also bringing in tourist dollars.

The idea came from winter visitor and Arizona Polo Associaton president Frederick Leighton Kramer. He met with local business owners, cattlemen, and probably some of his polo buddies to organize the inaugural Tucson Rodeo, which they held at a polo field near his house.

 

Draft horses at Tucson rodeo parade drive-thru

Parade

Before the competitions began, however, there was a 300-person parade down Congress Street. Among the participants were ranchers, U.S. Army bands from the Buffalo Soldier 10th Cavalry and 25th Infantry Regiments, Leighton Kramer’s polo players, and artist/cowboy/part-time Tucson resident Lone Wolf in the impressive regalia of his Blackfeet tribe.

 

Painting of a Buffalo soldier at George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Phoenix.
Painting of a Buffalo soldier by Mary Gray at George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Phoenix.

Now considered the longest non-motorized parade in the U.S.  (possibly the world), the 2.5-mile long procession of horses, carriages, bands, folk dancers, and decorated wagons continues to be a part of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros tradition. In past years, it has attracted around 200,000 spectators.

 

Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum

Museum

When the historic vehicles are not on parade, they reside in the Tucson Rodeo Parade Musuem on the west side of the current rodeo grounds in South Tucson. Specifically, they’re exhibited in a couple barns and a hangar that’s a holdover from the property’s previous days as an early municipal airport.

After the first Tucson Rodeo Parade, the museum started collecting horse-drawn vehicles and restoring them. In some cases, families donated carriages that they no longer used after switching to automobiles.

Carriage at Tucson Rodeo Parade drive-thru

In 2021, many of these wagons and buggies were put on display outside of the museum for a special event (which is where most of these photos were taken), but that is a story for another day


Tucson Rodeo Stagecoach

– More Tucson Rodeo Info –

  • Tucson Rodeo history
  • The Town of Marana and rodeo
  • As far as I can tell, “Rodeo Week” in Tucson refers to the 5-day workweek in the middle of the festival. The Rodeo also includes the weekend before and after that, making the whole thing 9 days.
  • La Fiesta de los Vaqueros is one of the top 25 professional rodeos in the U.S.
  • Professional rodeos are the ones where the competitors do rodeo full-time (like professional ball players). There are also regional amateur rodeo circuits for people who just want to compete on weekends.
  • I learned about Tucson schools observing “Rodeo Break” or “Rodeo Vacation” from a friend who grew up here. He always had those days off – and he never went to the rodeo.

Museum Day Picks 2021

Arizona historical museum

Smithsonian magazine has an annual tradition of celebrating Museum Day, and many museums across the U.S. join in by offering free admission that day.

Smithsonian visitor center
Visitor center for Smithsonian museums in D.C.

I had planned to tell you – before Museum Day – about a few participating museums I’ve visited in the past. But life is weird right now and I’ve pretty much lost all sense of time, so September 18 came and went before I realized I hadn’t posted this yet. I’m still going to tell you about those museums, though. There’s one in Indiana, one in Washington, and five in Arizona. While I posted a similar list ahead of Museum Day a couple years ago, a lot of those museums weren’t participating this year. So, on to the new list!

2 Museums I’ve Visited While Traveling

Lenape specialist Mike Pace demonstrates traditional crafts to young museum-goers.
Mike Pace, interpreter and specialist on Lenape life and culture. Photo via Conner Prairie.

Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana

This is a living history museum that I loved visiting as a kid! I remember candle-dipping demonstrations and sitting in on a lesson in an old-timey one-room schoolhouse. They’ve added a lot of things since the last time I was there (many years ago), like make-and-take craft activities, a balloon ride, and the Lenape Indian Camp, which explores what life was like for members of the Lenape (a.k.a. Delaware) tribe in 1816 Indiana. 

  • Regular admission $20/adults, $15/youth (ages 2-12). $2 off when you purchase tickets online.
  • Closed Mondays.
  • Storytelling series: Thursday – Sunday evenings, September 16 – October 2. Hear about Indiana’s early history from expert storytellers, including former assistant chief of the Lenape tribe Mike Pace, who helped create the Lenape Indian Camp experience. Separate admission required for the event series: $10/adult, $6/youth.
  • Prairie Pursuits: various dates. Workshops on traditional skills for teens and adults. Upcoming class topics include blacksmithing, woodworking, cooking, and pottery.

 

Guitars at Museum of Pop Culture (EMP) in Seattle
Detail of “If VI Was IX: Roots and Branches” guitar sculpture, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, Washington

The museum formerly known as the Experience Music Project (EMP) has an atrium devoted to constantly-playing music videos (“Sky Church”), a towering guitar sculpture (“If VI Was IX: Roots and Branches”), and galleries for Seattle legends like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, as well as exhibitions on sci-fi, video games, and fantasy genre archetypes. Housed within a striking building designed by Frank O. Gehry, MoPOP is located at Seattle Center, near the Space Needle.

  • Admission prices vary, depending on factors like when you’re going and how far in advance you purchase tickets.
  • Closed Wednesdays.

 

Duck pond in Papago Park
Papago Park, Phoenix

5 Arizona Museums

Arizona historical museum - desert cities exhibit
Arizona Heritage Center’s Desert Cities exhibit

Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park in Tempe

An eclectic history of life in Arizona. On display are objects as varied as vintage vehicles, rock and mineral samples, maps, and re-creations of notable Arizonans’ homes and offices. There’s a new temporary exhibition (“Still Marching: From Suffrage to #MeToo”) on how Arizona women have worked to drive social change over the past century.

  • Regular admission $15/adults, $7/youth (ages 7-13).
  • Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Historical museum in Tempe, Arizona The permanent collection is grouped into themed rooms, like…

  • The People: Not only will you learn about the diverse groups that populated the Old West, but you can also read testimonies of people who saw the Phoenix Lights in 1997 and either did or didn’t believe they were UFOs.
  • WWII: Takes you inside a military barracks, Japanese internment camp, and a POW camp. Dark corners that should not be forgotten.
  • Desert Cities: Probably the most nostalgia-inducing area for those of us who grew up in Arizona, It focuses on the cultural changes in the Phoenix metro area during its post-WWII boom and includes an exhibit on local children’s t.v. show Wallace and Lladmo and an iconic statue from Bob’s Big Boy restaurant chain.

 

Vintage military plane
Via CAF Airbase Arizona Museum.

CAF Airbase Arizona Flying Museum in East Mesa

30,000 square feet of exhibition space devoted to the history of combat aircraft, plus a working maintenance hangar and active aircraft ramp. Located at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, this is my pick for enthusiasts of old military planes and memorabilia. In other words, if you’re my grandpa, this is the museum for you!

  • Regular admission $15/adults, $5/kids (ages 5-12).
  • Closed Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.

 

Lehi AZ canal
Canal near the Mesa Historical Museum.

Mesa Historical Museum  in Lehi (North Mesa)

The Mesa Historical Museum is housed in what was originally a school, built in 1913 in the very oldest part of the City of Mesa as we now know it. There is a replica of the one-room adobe schoolhouse that came before it, antique farm equipment and other artifacts from the area, and a couple rotating exhibits.

  • Regular admission $7/adults, $5/youth (ages 6-17).
  • Closed Sundays, Mondays, and major holidays.

  SMOCA

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) in Old Town Scottsdale

SMoCA is an art and event space with a permanent collection and exhibitions in the areas of contemporary art, architecture, and design. It’s part of Scottsdale Civic Center, along with Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, City Hall, Civic Center Library, and a bunch of restaurants and bars centered around a 21-acre park.

  • Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays.
  • Regular admission is $10/adults, free for anyone 18 and younger.
  • Pay-What-You-Wish admission on Thursdays and the second Saturday of each month.
  • Timed-entry reservations are now required for all admissions – even free tickets.

 

Tempe History Museum Concert
Spooky Kool Band concert at Tempe History Museum.

Tempe History Museum at Rural and Southern in Tempe

  • Always free (not just on Museum Day)!
  • Worth checking out if you’re in the neighborhood or going to a concert or lecture there.
  • They are gradually re-starting performances, including some outside in the Museum courtyard.
  • Closed Sundays and Mondays.
  • See their collections online.

 

 
 
 
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Tohono Chul

Tohono Chul Patio

Crested saguaro at Tohono Chul

Tohono Chul is a nature preserve just north of Tucson. On its 49 acres, you can find art, shops, gardens, a bistro, and lots of paths winding through the desert.

Tohono Chul paths

A Desert Corner

The name comes from the words for “desert corner” in the language of the Tohono O’odham (“desert people”), who were the ancestral inhabitants of this region.

Bee habitat

I’d heard about this beautiful place from my Master Gardener uncle long before we moved to Tucson. For awhile I thought it was called “Tohono Jewel.” It is a gem of a place, so that fits too.

Phillip and I finally made it in there when my parents and their friends who were visiting from the Midwest decided to spend a day in Tucson.

Tree with Lucy’s Warbler Nestbox.
Tree with Lucy’s Warbler Nestbox.

They drove down from Phoenix and met us at the entrance on a sunny morning in February 2020 – when we were all blissfully unaware what the next 12 months would bring.

 



I-10 freeway signs

Routes to Drive from Phoenix to Tucson

Tohono Chul is actually in a pretty convenient location for people making the trip south from Phoenix.

There are two main ways to get from the Phoenix area to Tucson:

1. I-10 Freeway (“the 10”)

  • 1.5-hour approximate drive time.
  • Quickest, most direct route.
  • Tohono Chul is about 15 minutes east of the 10 (exit at Ina Rd.)

2. Highways / Scenic Route (“the back way”)

  • 2.5-hour approximate drive time.
  • Slower, more interesting route through Florence to State Route 79 then to Copper Corridor Scenic Road (SR 77).
  • Tohono Chul is just west of SR 77, so this route practically drops you at its front door.


Large sculpture of a horned lizard.
“Regal Horned Lizard” by Dave Stone.

Art in Nature

Even though the sun was out, it was pleasantly chilly when we arrived. Many of the less cold-tolerant plants in the gardens were covered up because of a freeze warning, draped in sheets like furniture in an unused room of a Victorian mansion.

Cactus wren sculpture
Part of “Two Cactus Wrens” sculpture by Mark Rossi.

Of course, plenty of the cactus varieties there are unfazed by frost. For example, no one needs to cover 30-foot-tall saguaros. Which is good. They take care of themselves and tend to outlive us humans.

Friendly Crested saguaro

Which brings me to my favorite plant we saw that day: a friendly-looking crested saguaro! Crested saguaros have a rare mutation that causes them to fan out at top.

vulture sculpture by Kioko Mwitiki
“Standing Life-size Vulture” sculpture by Kioko Mwitiki.

While we didn’t go into any of the galleries, we did see several outdoor animal sculptures woven throughout the gardens, like a life-sized rusted metal vulture (by Kioko Mwitiki) and a much-larger-than-life horned lizard (by Dave Stone).

During the summer, it would be great to spend the morning exploring outdoor trails and then retreat into the galleries during the heat of the day.

Rock layers

There’s an outdoor geology wall that uses rocks from the nearby Santa Catalinas to illustrate the layers of stone under the mountains.

Moorish garden

The Desert Living Courtyard showcases several types of gardens you could DIY with plants that grow well here, including a moorish garden and a “barrio garden” that replicates a backyard garden space with art from upcycled materials. For each garden vignette, there’s a list of plants and materials you could use to recreate it.

El Charro

More Tucson Gems

After Tohono Chul, we ate lunch at the nearly 100-year-old restaurant El Charro. While there is a much closer location in Oro Valley, we opted to go to the original old building in Downtown.

It was the time of year where the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® happens at the Tucson Convention Center. If you don’t have time for the massive, main show, you can get kind of a sampling at dozens of smaller gem shows that spring up around it.

Hub ice cream parlor

I knew that we’d be in walking distance of Hotel Tucson City Center, which had its own free, open-to-the public show with 300 vendors selling minerals and fossils on their property.

Before our guests returned to Phoenix, we took a drive around Downtown, stopping for ice cream at HUB.

 

Butterfly

Everything Changes

I’m extra grateful we happened to go on that day a year ago, just before a certain coronavirus would shut everything down, when 2020’s dumpster fire was only a spark.

After being closed for months, Tohono Chul has reopened 7 days a week with pandemic precautions in place (details below).

Many Downtown Tucson restaurants are open for takeout. El Charro is celebrating its 99th anniversary with a special menu. HUB Ice Cream Parlor has remodeled and now has a walk-up window.

While the main Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® has been canceled for 2021, Hotel Tucson is hosting their own gem show, currently scheduled for April 8-25.

Hotel Tucson
Hotel Tucson City Center.

On a more personal note, my parents’ Midwestern friends were getting ready to launch their annual winter visit, when my dad received a cancer diagnosis and found out he would need major surgery right away.

It has all given him – and us – a new perspective.

After coming through his surgery successfully, he made himself a rule to focus on the moment we have now. It’s a good thing to practice.

Treasure your corner of the desert.

Desert plants at Tohono Chul

– More Tohono Chul info –

 

Tohono Chul

Re-opening protocols (as of February 2021):

  • Instead of buying admission tickets at the Park, you purchase tickets for a specific time online in advance.
  • Shops and Garden Bistro have reopened with limited capacity.
  • Masks are required. If you forget yours, you can call from the parking lot and they’ll bring one out to your car.
  • B.Y.O.B.: bring your own (water) bottle! Drinking fountains are currently off-limits, but there are hands-free water bottle refill stations available.

If you’re not ready to go in person, there are lots of videos and resources to enjoy Tohono Chul @ Home.

 

Tohono Chul

Walking Back to MMM

MMM

I realized recently that I hadn’t posted the video I took when we did our first Meet Me at Maynards (MMM) walk through Downtown Tucson.

Meet Me at Maynards video title card

So I went back to the footage I’d taken and finished putting it together into one video.

Rialto Theatre marquee, Tucson

Party Like It’s 2019

It’s been weird coming back to the photos and videos I took that day.

Even though it was just last year, it felt like I was opening a time capsule from another era or peering into a parallel universe – where no one is worried about COVID-19, because it didn’t exist yet. They are leaning in to talk to strangers, stuffing cash into tip jars, crowding in front of the main stage in the Hotel Congress plaza, walking under theater marquees crammed with upcoming show dates.

We still lived in Phoenix and were in town for Arizona International Film Festival (AZIFF). We didn’t know that we’d have a Tucson address less than two months later!

 

Duo Vibrato playing outside of Fox Theatre in Tucson during MMM

Band Together

Of course, here we are now in 2020. I’m glad to be in Tucson but heartbroken when I think about the things COVID-19 has put a stop to.

Since artists have been hit particularly hard, I’ve listed the bands / musicians from the video below. Consider supporting your favorite(s) with a Venmo tip, CD purchase, or social media shoutout. Some of them are doing livestream or socially distanced shows you can see too.

Also, several of the venues featured are non-profits that you can make tax-deductible donations to, including the Fox Tucson Theatre, The Screening Room, and The Rialto Theatre.

The historic Hotel Congress, which has also been closed due to COVID-19, re-opens October 1st.

Hotel Congress at sunset

Colossal Cave Coatis

Saguaro cactus

We were already on the road to Colossal Cave Mountain Park, when we realized we’d overshot our original destination. We had heard about the cave but hadn’t ever been there. So, instead of doubling back and trying to find the entrance for the nature preserve we had probably just driven through but weren’t sure how to access, we kept going!

Phillip and Quijote at Colossal Cave Mountain Park

We weren’t even sure if we’d be able to get into the park or if it was still closed due to the coronavirus. And we certainly weren’t planning on going into any caves since Quijote was with us. But it was Phillip’s birthday, and he voted to go see what we could find.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park entry sign

Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Colossal Cave is a dry cave system under the Rincon Mountains in the Tucson-adjacent community of Vail. Before being developed into a tourist attraction by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, the cave had served a variety of functions, including a shelter for the Hohokam people, train robber hideout, and guano mine.

Ocotillo

What to know if you decide to visit:

  • The park around the cave is open for hiking, camping, and taking in the views. (Free entrance. You just pay fees if you’re going on a cave tour or camping.)
  • Cave tours have restarted on a limited basis – currently only the Classic Cave Tour is available.
  • You can choose your tour time and book tickets online. (Adult $18 / child $9 / military or first responder $14) You can only enter the cave on a tour.
  • Face coverings and social distancing (six feet apart) are required during tours.
  • Under the roof of this cool rock structure built by the CCC is the cave entrance, Terrace Cafe, and gift shop.
  • Because the CCC were so instrumental in developing Colossal Cave Mountain Park, there’s a statue in honor of the CCC workers at the entrance to the terrace.

 

Stone building at Colossal Cave Mountain Park

There are also nice hiking trails outside the cave – I’m sure they’ll be even nicer when it’s not summery hot.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park trail
Saguaro cacti and view at Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Coatimundis

We were looking around the terrace when I overheard one of the staff tell the group waiting for their tour time that they often see coatimundis going in and out of the cave.

That stopped me in my tracks.

CCC statue at Colossal Cave

A coatimundi (or “coati”) is a long-nosed member of the raccoon family that mostly lives in Central America, but has also found its way into higher elevations of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico (Mt. Lemmon, for example).

Phillip and I have been on the lookout for one ever since we went to Chiricahua for the first time and didn’t see any there.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park map

We had no idea there’d be a chance to see one that day. Apparently, though, they’re a common sight, going in and out of the cave and hunting around the park for trash (which, of course, is on-brand for the raccoon family).

Coatimundi on top of hill

Moments later, we saw a young coati atop the hill above the cave entrance! He started sniffing along the edge, and then scampered down its sheer face and into the cave.

Phillip barely had time to snap photos, and I had my hands full with Quijote.

But we saw it.

It was like nature gave Phillip a colossal birthday surprise!

Colossal Cave and a coatimundi