Heritage & Culture

Heritage & Culture 1-Day Itineraries 
These can be combined to create multi-day itineraries.

Willcox & Amerind Foundation
Start off with a visit to the Amerind Foundation. The Amerind collection offers a glimpse of ancient life-the dwellings, tools, ceremonies, clothing and even children's toys. The museum also houses an art gallery featuring Western artists such as Frederic Remington. Break for lunch and kick up your feet for a relaxing and delicious meal at the Triangle T Ranch. Located in the beautiful Texas Canyon where you can also enjoy unique desert views of boulder and rock formations. Experience firsthand the operations of a sheep ranch at the Karoo Genetics sheep ranch. This tour covers everything-how the dogs herd the sheep, the food grown on the ranch to sustain the sheep, the breeding programs, and the business aspects of the operation. Wrap up the day with a tour of Rex Allen Museum located in Willcox. This Arizona Cowboy Museum honors Rex Allen, the singing cowboy star.

Bisbee & Tombstone
Wander around and explore Bisbee, a mile-high city located in the Mule Mountains of Southern Arizona. Once a bustling mining town, the downtown area now consists of shops, restaurants, and inns maintaining a turn-of-the-century feel. Stop for lunch at the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee. Experience the way a real meal should taste-from homemade pastas to freshly prepared desserts. The chef believes that "any meal worth eating is a meal worth taking the time to prepare." His recipes range from traditional French to Southwest and Continental cuisine. Explore the past in Tombstone, Arizona, where the discovery of silver was just the beginning. It was also home for celebrated Old Westerners such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton and McLaury families-infamous for their legendary gunfight at the OK Corral. Don't miss Boothill Graveyard, Bird Cage Theatre, OK Corral, and the Tombstone Courthouse.

Anza Trail
Discover the Spanish history of the American Southwest along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. Southern Arizona is the gateway to this 1,210-mile trail that commemorates the route followed in 1775-76 by Spanish commander Juan Bautista de Anza ll, who led a party of more than 200 colonists on an expedition from Mexico to found a new presidio and mission near the San Francisco Bay. The Southern Arizona portion of the tour includes the following sites: The Tumacácori National Historical Park, located on Interstate 19 about 18 miles north of Nogales, was first listed in 1691 as an outlying vista by the famous Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. The Presidio de San Ignacio de Tubac was founded in 1752 in response to a Pima Indian revolt. The ruins of the presidio can be viewed through an underground archeological exhibit at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. Have lunch at the charming village of Tubac which is full of art galleries and restaurants to fill an afternoon. The Mission San Xavier del Bac is acclaimed as one of the finest examples of Spanish mission architecture in the United States. It is a graceful blending of Moorish, Byzantine, and late Mexican Renaissance styles.

More Anza sights

The Anza Trail Interpretive Exhibit is located on the west side of Picacho Peak State Park and overlooks the Anza Trail through the Santa Cruz River Valley.

Casa Grande Ruins Monument was named by Father Kino when friendly Pima Indians took him to see the mysterious abandoned complex.

The 4.5-mile hiking and biking portion of the Anza Trail goes from Tumacácori to Tubac. It meanders through the shaded Santa Cruz River Valley and closely follows Anza's original route.

The Santa Cruz River Park is a multi-use trail within the historic corridor and follows the dry Santa Cruz River Valley.

Picacho Peak State Park offers extensive hiking trails through the area and is especially beautiful during the April-May wildflower season.