Food, Art & the Desert: 36 Hours in Tucson, Arizona

While Arizona’s newly arrived Michelin Guide has put a fresh spotlight on the state’s culinary scene, Tucson’s gastronomic credentials go back much further. Tucson became the first U.S. city to earn the UNESCO gastronomy designation in 2015, and a decade later, that relationship between land, culture, and food still defines the city.

Here, heritage wheat passes from local farmers to celebrated bakers. Chiltepin peppers turn up in coffee, mesquite flavors for dinner and desert ingredients that have sustained communities for generations are finding new life on modern menus.

Add sprawling murals, luxury resorts and some of the Southwest’s most iconic desert landscapes, and a weekend getaway may suddenly seem like nearly enough. Here’s where to eat and spend your time in “The Old Pueblo.”

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Start With Art and the Outdoors

Begin downtown, where Tucson’s history is painted onto the sidewalk, and by that, we mean the Turquoise Trail. This designated 2.5-mile stripe of teal is one you can follow throughout the downtown area, as it winds past historic buildings and cultural sites in the Presidio District through some of the city’s oldest streets.

For an older masterpiece, travel south to Mission San Xavier del Bac, the historic mission on the Tohono O’odham Nation, before turning toward the landscape that has inspired so much of Tucson’s art and cuisine.

Saguaro National Park bookends the city with two districts and miles of trails through forests of its namesake cactus. On the west side, pair a hike with the nearby Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a largely outdoor museum devoted to the plants, wildlife and ecology of the region. There’s another art gallery, which is indoors, and offers a break from the searing heat while exploring.

Shift to retail therapy in the afternoon by heading to  La Encantada, Southern Arizona’s only luxury shopping center. The two-level open-air destination mixes upscale shopping with stores like Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, West Elm and more, along with dining in courtyards with mountain views. If the timing is right, join a community event, as the center often hosts outdoor yoga, art festivals and seasonal holiday events, too, like snow machines in December. 

Taste Why Tucson Is Different

Mission Gardens

To understand Tucson’s culinary scene, start where Tucson itself began.

Mission Garden sits near the base of Sentinel Peak at the site of the O’odham village of S-cuk Ṣon. Archaeologists have documented approximately 4,100 years of continuous cultivation here, and today the living agricultural museum grows heritage crops and heirloom plants representing the cultures that have farmed the Tucson Basin for millennia.

Yet those ingredients aren’t confined to a museum plot, as prickly pear, chiltepin peppers, tepary beans, Sonora white wheat and mesquite continue to move through Tucson’s kitchens, bakeries, farms and coffee shops.

Start at Seis Kitchen, where the menu travels through six culinary regions of Mexico with dishes ranging from breakfast chilaquiles to tacos with calabacitas (squash medley) and giant burritos. Save room for La Estrella Bakery, a longtime Tucson favorite known for freshly baked Mexican pastries and pan dulce. Inside the Mercado includes locally roasted Presta Coffee Roasters and El Zumitos with fresh juices, smoothies and aguas frescas.

Keep the appetite up this weekend, because there are more note-worthy restaurants to explore.

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For an even deeper look at the region’s Indigenous foodways, arrange a tour of San Xavier Cooperative Farm. Run by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, the farm grows traditional desert crops and offers tours exploring its community gardens and farming practices.

Where to Stay

The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

To stay near La Encantada and Tucson’s upscale Catalina Foothills region, head to Westin La Paloma, a 250-acre resort backed by the Santa Catalina Mountains. Six outdoor pools, a 177-foot waterslide, an adults-only pool with a mineral waterfall, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and La Paloma Spa make it easy to build some actual downtime into the weekend.

JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa

For easy access to the desert, Saguaro National Park and more, stay on Tucson’s west side at JW Marriott Starr Pass. The resort offers hiking, Hashani Spa, golf and a multi-tiered pool complex complete with a lazy river and waterslide. Its daily experiences include an afternoon Tequila Toast, stargazing tours summer nights and seasonal Thai Chi classes,, making the resort feel like an extension of the destination.

The Leo Kent Hotel

To keep downtown outside your door, check into The Leo Kent, a Tribute Portfolio hotel filled with locally curated artwork and contemporary Southwestern design. Its St. Cruz restaurant continues the local theme with regional ingredients, cocktails and an unmistakably downtown energy.

Visit Tucson

www.visittucson.org