US Travel Guide - Tucson

Tucson Entertainment

Cultural life in Tucson, by and large, reflects the ethnic and social diversity of the city, ranging from the conservative retirement communities at the outskirts to the progressive artists centered around the university district. Within this range, you will most certainly find some cultural event that suites your own tastes and preferences. This guide will help you navigate between venues of venerable Western culture and provocative presentations of avantgarde art, so that you may, eventually, come across a performance that is memorable one way or the other. It will also, hopefully, show you where to go in the Old Pueblo just for some plain fun.

The Performing Arts--classical music, opera, theater, and dance

Thanks to continuous cultural sponsorship, Tucson has managed to support both an opera and a symphony orchestra for several decades now without without interruption. Both the Arizona Opera and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra perform at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall, the main venue for high culture downtown.

Ever since David Speers took over as General Director of the opera in 1998, hokey stage sets have become a thing of the past, and the generally improved quality of productions will hopefully help the opera continue well into the 21st century. The future of the Symphony Orchestra looks bright as well, as director George Hansen has refined the orchestras sound to new and impressive heights, and if you're here during the month of May, you may listen to that sound on a balmy evening at Tucsons Hollywood Bowl, the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center--don't forget to bring blankets and sweaters since it still gets chilly at night during that time of the year.

For performances by out-of-town large ensembles in classical music, jazz, and dance, the most popular venue is Centennial Hall on the University of Arizona campus, the citys largest concert hall (check listings in the local papers for "UApresents" schedules), while local chamber orchestras and folk musicians prefer the smaller, more intimate Berger Performing Arts Center on the west side of town. The Temple of Music and Art downtown is home to the Arizona Theatre Company, an excellent regional theatre that reliably presents the classics (mostly Shakespeare).

If you are culturally more in tune with the progressive camp mentioned above, check out the Borderlands Theatre or the Invisible Theatre for avantgarde political productions (although you might also find romantic comedy or musical on their performance schedules these days). For laughs, take yourself and your family to the Gaslight Theatre, Tucsons only dinner theater, where patrons munch on sandwiches and ice cream cones while watching Western dramas with lots of music, slapstick and practical jokes. Dance aficionados should definitely see a performance at the Orts Theatre of Dance, the citys leading modern dance troupe, or watch the Southwest Dance Company present its unique mix of ethnic and classical dance.

Generally, to find out whats happening in the arts and whos coming to town, read the entertainment pages of the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen, especially the "Caliente" section in the Friday edition of the Star, or grab a free copy of the Tucson Weekly which is published every Thursday.

Night life--Live music, jazz, blues, rock, folk, and country

If you're intent on partying till the early morning hours, you will have to face the fact that most bars in Tucson close around 1 a.m. However, you can eat a Mexican dinner, have a cappucino while listening to a local folk singer, listen to a chamber concert, watch the latest European art movie, plus attend a heavy metal concert on one single night, and still go to bed at a decent hour. The variety of Tucson nightlife defies stereotypes about the kind of entertainment a Western town has to offer. In fact most clubs offer alternative rock instead of country and western music. The blues is also very much alive in Tucson, and well represented by such names as the Bad News Blues Band, Tony and the Torpedoes, singer/pianist Lisa Otey, and Lori Davidson and the Intruders, all of them taking turns at the Boondocks Lounge, Berkys Bar, Margarita Bay and various other clubs. Check weekly listings in the papers for details. Venues for live jazz are rarer; try the Cafe Sweetwater on 4th Avenue on Friday and Saturday nights, or the Cascade Lounge at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort for light dinner jazz on Thursday to Sunday afternoons.

While the western section of downtown is dominated by the temples of high art, the eastern part belongs to the "dark" forces of alternative rock, centered around the legendary Club Congress on the ground floor of the equally famous Hotel Congress. Its featured as "The Worlds Darkest Nightclub", and once you've stepped inside, you will see why it deserves that title (if you can see anything at all). Right across the street from the club there is the Rialto Theatre, a vaudeville theater that has been restored to its glorious old past, now featuring big names in blues and rock from out of own.
Tucson has a number of good folk music groups, most prominently among them the Mollys, who have won national and international acclaim with their mix of Irish and Mexican musical traditions. Folk musicians can frequently be heard performing at local coffeehouses and bookstores, such as the cafe at Borders Books & Music on Oracle Road.

For the quintessential experience in Mexican music, go to El Mariachi on Drachman Street and listen to the restaurants house band, International Mariachi America, play several sets every night. If you're a true Mariachi fan, you may want to come back for the world-famous Bank One International Mariachi Conference during the last week of April, then stay for the Cinco de Mayo celebrations to enjoy still more popular Mexican music and dance. Also in May, the local Tohono O'odham people celebrate their cultural traditions at the Waila Festival on the UofA campus, presenting their particular mix of German polka and Mexican norteno music known as waila. This is also a good time and place for sampling native foods such as Indian frybread with powdered sugar or honey.

And of course there are various places for country and western, but for the most authentic brand, you'll have to drive to the out-of-the way Li'l Abners Steakhouse Friday or Saturday night to hear Dean Armstrong and the Arizona Dance Hands play. If you enjoy country dancing, you must join the up to 3000 patrons crowding into the dance floor at the New West on Ina Road, an establishment which frequently features famous country and western acts such as Asleep at the Wheel.

For laughs, check out Laffs. Laffs Comedy Caffe on Broadway is the only comedy club in town. Here, local stand-ups usually open for bigger names from cable TV comedy shows. Since show schedules vary, its usually a good idea to call ahead and find out who is scheduled.

Movie houses

Most movie theaters in the city are of the common multiplex type found in any American city, but the recently refurbished theaters at El Con Mall and the Foothills Mall stand out among the crowd, especially the El Con because it features stadium seating plus a cafe serving gourmet coffee and bakery goods. Gourmet coffee was in fact introduced to Tucson theaters by the Loft Cinema, a movie house near the university that presents foreign and independent films nightly, as well as The Rocky Horror Picture Show every other Saturday night, which has been running for more than twenty years.

Museums and galleries

Tucsons art scene is very much alive and thriving, particularly on the gallery and studio level. There are plenty of museums and galleries displaying the entire range of artistic styles from realistic paintings of Southwestern scenes to cutting-edge multimedia installations. Although it is still a mainstay of traditional Western art, visitors should be aware that Tucson is slowly becoming a driving force in cutting-edge international contemporary practice, with progressives such as the Dinnerware Contemporary Art Gallery, Elizabeth Cherry Contemporary Art and Arte Spazio spearheading the movement.

The Tucson Museum of Art, the main exhibitor of contemporary art in the city for more than forty years, has recently been expanded to include both Western Art and contemporary experimental works, as well as a gallery of pre-Columbian pieces. A little further to the east, the University of Arizona Museum of Art offers a good sampling of famous 20th-century sculpture and a collection of Renaissance art. The Center for Creative Photography across the street houses one of the best collections of photographs in the world, including the work of renowned photographer Ansel Adams. Its archives, which are open to the public, contain the works of hundreds of other first-rate photographers.

The citys real strengths, however, reside in its science and history museums, particularly the on-campus Arizona State Museum with its splendid displays of Native Southwestern art, and the Arizona Historical Society Museum, devoted to the local history of Native Americans, Mexicans and pioneers. Further to the north, in the foothills district, the adobe-style DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun shows the canvasses and bronzes of Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia, a local artist who had developed a large international following already during his lifetime. Another foothills arts complex featuring several upscale galleries has recently opened close to DeGrazias gallery on the corner of Campbell Avenue and Sunrise Road. See the 'Visiting the City' section for a more complete listing of museums and galleries in and around Tucson.

Gambling

Both casinos in the Tucson area are located on tribal lands, and, hence, alcohol-free. There are no floor shows either, but plenty of buffet-style eating. The Casino of the Sun, operated by the Tohono O'odham Nation, has been recently enhanced to offer all kinds of video games on top of traditional gambling. Like the Desert Diamond Casino, which is run by the Yaqui tribe, its open 24 hours, and every dollar you spend there contributes to the development of Native American people.

Sports and recreation

The University of Arizona in Tucson is home to the Arizona Wildcats, one of the nations most successful mens college basketball teams, winners of the 1997 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. The womens softball team has also been a national champion. Most college sports events take place on the UA campus. Games involving the Tucson Sidewinders, the local baseball team, are held at Tucson Electric Park on the south side of town. While college athletics have a large following here, the most popular recreational activity in Tucson is golfing. The city, consistently dry and sunny throughout the year, is famous among golfers all over the world. Green fees vary from course to course and from season to season, with municipal courses like the Fred Enke Municipal Golf Course offering lower rates than resorts such as the Ventana Canyon Golf Courses in the foothills.

Due to its near-perfect weather conditions, Tucson is also a center for hot-air ballooning. To see coyotes, javelinas, deer and other desert wildlife from high above, book a flight with one of the professional balloon companies such as Fleur de Tucson Balloon or Southern Arizona Balloon Excursions.

The horse racing season at the recently expanded Rillito Park Racetrack lasts from early February into March, with more races scheduled at the Pima County Fair in April, along with horse shows, gun shows, and various kinds of other diversions.

Year-round greyhound racing takes place Wednesday and Friday nights at Tucson Greyhound Park on the south side of the city.
Finally, no entertainment guide to the Old Pueblo would be complete without the Tucson Rodeo, La Fiesta de los Vaquereos as it is called in Spanish, the largest winter rodeo in the US. If you're here in late February, you just simply can't ignore it.

Kids stuff and family fun

Tucson offers a variety of diversions for kids, some of which can be very enjoyable and educational for adults, too. Proposing to take them to the zoo is usually a sure bet, and while Reid Park Zoo offers a good variety of assorted international animals, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is more unique in presenting creatures of the desert in their natural habitats, with spectacular desert views. Another sure winner is a visit to Old Tucson Studios, a Western theme park and movie location surrounded by giant sahuaro cacti, not too far from the Desert Museum west of the city. Cowboy stunts and gunfights are also available in Trail Dust Town on Tanque Verde Road, especially during Trail Dust Days. On a hot summer day, your children will certainly enjoy a visit to Justins Water World, a Disney-inspired theme park around water, or a ride down the giant waterslides at Breakers Water Park. Local kids are known to spend endless hours at amusement parks such as Golf N'Stuff and Funtasticks, and once your own youngsters find out about them, chances are you will have to spend some time there, too.

Klaus Gehrmann