After Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument we headed east to Tucson, AZ. We decided to take AZ-86 to Tucson instead of I-8. This saved us some time and was a more direct route to Saguaro National Park but at times the road conditions were really poor on AZ-86. When I asked Penguin if he would go this way again he replied: “I am not sure,” so can’t say that I would recommend this route. It saves time, but your cabinets will be rattling.

We were in Tucson from 1/31 to 2/7 and we did as much as possible while the weather permitted. Unfortunately, a severe winter storm came through which limited our activity for a few days. Planning a trip to Tucson? Check out these things to do and places to visit. Don’t have time to read this now? Pin it for later!

Visit Saguaro National Park

Did you know that Saguaro National Park has both a West and East park? Our plan was to first explore Saguaro National Park West. When visiting the West park you have a few camping options. BLM land and Gilbert Ray Campground. We stayed at both.

There are quite a few different hiking options at Saguaro National Park West, but we decided on the Sendero Esperanza Trail. The trailhead was about 25 mins from Gilbert Ray Campground, and part of the drive was on a well-maintained dirt road. The hike was a moderate 5 miles with a 1,000 ft gain. The views were amazing during most of the climb, and I was fascinated by all the little nubs that grow into arms on the Saguaro Cactus. We planned on doing another hike the next day but the weather prevented us.

BLM Land Near Saguaro National Park West

For our first night, we boondocked on BLM land right off West Old Ajo Highway and South Camino Verde. This land was really busy with tons of RVs but we couldn’t beat the location. It was only seven miles to Gilbert Ray Campground where we were staying the next day, and 11 miles to the Saguaro National Park Visitor Center. I felt safe in this location and it was relatively clean but given how busy it was I would recommend it as an overnight stop.

Camp at Gilbert Ray Campground

If you are planning a camping trip to Tucson we highly recommend staying at Gilbert Ray Campground. This campground was peaceful, beautiful, away from the city, and close to Saguaro National Park. Unfortunately, it is so popular that it is almost impossible to get a reservation. We wanted to stay another night so Penguin got up early to try and get one of the first-come first-serve sites. He got there over an hour before the office opened, was still number five in line, but there ended up only being three spots available so we had to move on.

Since freezing temperatures were rolling in we knew we needed hookups to keep things simple by being able to use all our electric heat options. After a lot of searching, I decided that the RV Park at Pima County Fairgrounds was our best option so we headed that way. They do not take reservations and only had a few spots open but it all worked out for us. Our plan was to hike Saguaro National Park East since it was only 20-30 minutes from the Pima County Fairgrounds but unfortunately, the freezing cold weather made us cancel those plans.

Eat at Little Anthony's Diner / The Gaslight Theatre

We parked overnight at Little Anthony’s Diner using our Harvest Hosts membership. This diner is conveniently located in town and had great food at even better prices. The Fish and Chips is the Friday special. It is only $9.99 and includes a soda. They even let me swap out the fries for tots at no extra charge. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. Chris enjoyed his patty melt as well. In addition to the diner they have the adjoining Gaslight Theatre where they do nightly shows. If you are driving through Tucson you should check out Little Anthony’s Diner, and if you are a Harvest Host member this is definitely a good place to stop for the night if you want to be right in the city.

In the same parking lot was the Arizona Beer House so we decided to check that out Friday evening. Wow! What an amazing beer selection, we took a bunch to go. They had so many refrigerators of beer and beers on draft, that you can take to go in big cans or growlers. They also had board games which Penguin and I love to play. So we grabbed a Battleship and Scrabble and I won both! Arizona Beer House is definitely worth the visit.

Pet cats at El Jefe Cat Lounge

Penguin and I loooooooooooooove cats (we travel with two!) so when my brother mentioned there was a cat lounge in Tucson we had to check it out! If you love cats too then you should probably visit El Jefe Cat Lounge. It is three stories of chilling, petting, and playing with rescue cats and kittens. It is $12/per person for one hour of lounge time, comes with a drink (water, soda, coffee), and it’s only a few additional dollars for cat treats. In addition to lounge time, they have Cat Trivia Night, Yoga with Cats, and Cat Bingo. All of their cats are adoptable and come from Finally My Forever Home Rescue. Since November 2019 there have been 292 adoptions!

Eat at Taegukgi Korean BBQ House

“You guys like Korean BBQ?” That was the question my brother asked us and we replied with a strong “Yes!”. He took us to Taegukgi Korean BBQ House, and we would highly recommend this place. Funny enough, there is one in San Diego (our hometown), but we had never gone there. If you like Korean BBQ or if you have never tried it you should check it out. It’s a fun experience where they bring all the food out to you fresh and then you cook it on a gas griddle in the center of the table. We ate like kings for almost two hours and everything was delicious!

Visit Tombstone with this Groupon

My brother mentioned that he had a Groupon for Old Tombstone Western Theme Park, and Chris had watched the Tombstone movie not too long ago (an old favorite) so we decided to take a drive to Tombstone, AZ. The Groupon was a good deal, especially since Groupon was having an additional sale. It included admission to the Gunfight Show, Day Time Trolley Tour, and a round of miniature golf for two people. You can also walk around and see the OK Corral and places like the Oriental Saloon featured in the movie.

The Gunfight Show was cheesy but entertaining with audience participation, the trolley tour drove you around town and explained the history of Tombstone. We ended our day with miniature golf and the four of us were entertained. It is not the best miniature golf course but actually turned out to be pretty fun seventeen holes.

I wouldn’t pay full price for any of these activities, but if you can get a Groupon on sale then I would recommend it for an afternoon of fun. Here is an affiliate link to this Groupon deal. It appears to be one of these deals that come and go often so check back in a few days if it isn’t available. One thing of note is that Groupon states you wait 24 hours before redeeming this deal so you have to plan ahead for this one. I purchased the night before so it wasn’t a full 24 hours and I did not have any issues.