Side Trips
Destination & Conference Services will be offering five tours for Left Coast Crime attendees and their guests. All tours are four hours and include roundtrip transportation from El Conquistador Tucson, admission fees, taxes, service gratuities, and bottled water. All five tours will be offered the following days and times. There is a 12 person minimum for each tour. If tours do not meet the minimum enrollment they will be cancelled and registrants will be offered another tour or a refund.
Dates & Times
Tuesday, March 14, 2023: 1:00–4:00 PM
Wednesday, March 15, 2023: 1:00–4:00 PM
Thursday March 16, 2023: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Tour Options
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: $119
Sabino Canyon: $99
Biosphere 2: $119
San Xavier del Bac Mission and downtown historical tour: $79
Pima Air & Space Museum: $119
Please download the flyer with all the details about the tours. Information for making your reservation is on the final page.
 Tucson Botanical Gardens
2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712
(13 miles from El Conquistador)
website
Among mature trees and expertly cultivated foliage at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, specialty gardens such as the Cactus & Succulent Garden, Barrio Garden and Herb Garden highlight the diversity of native plants while offering a lush oasis in the heart of Tucson. Tropical butterflies from around the world are featured in the Cox Butterfly & Orchid Pavilion October through May. Experience year-round tours, community events, classes, and art exhibits, as well as the creative, seasonal menu of Edna’s Eatery.
 The University of Arizona Museum of Art
1031 North Olive Road, Tucson, AZ 85721
(13 miles from El Conquistador)
website
The University of Arizona Museum of Art advances the academic and research mission of the University, inspires critical dialogue among campus and community audiences, and celebrates art as essential to our lives through the stewardship and interpretation of its expanding collection of art and archives. The University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA) has been the beneficiary of several seminal donations of artwork since its inception. The generosity of donors of art over the years has made it possible for the Museum to grow into a world-class collection. Although the Museum’s holdings span many cultures and eras, the core collections include the art of Europe and the United States, from the Renaissance through Contemporary.
Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum
 196 N. Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701
(13 miles from El Conquistador)
website
The Presidio Museum is a reconstruction of the original Tucson Presidio built in 1775. Docent tours give visitors a glimpse of what life in the Presidio was like for soldiers and other residents. Additional highlights include an original 150-year-old Sonoran row house and a 2,000-year-old prehistoric pit house. Living History Days are held on the second Saturday of the month from October through April to allow visitors to experience firsthand Tucson’s history. The Presidio Museum is managed by the Tucson Presidio Trust for Historic Preservation, a not-for-profit entity whose mission is to guide and aid in the interpretation of history at the Presidio San Agustín through research, education and living history experiences.
 San Xavier del Bac Mission
1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson, AZ 85746
(23 miles from El Conquistador)
website
A National Historic Landmark, San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. In 1783, Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain began construction on the present structure using money borrowed from a Sonoran rancher. He hired an architect, Ignacio Gaona, and a large workforce of O'odham to create the present church. Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico. The last resident Franciscan of the 19th Century departed in 1837. With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States. In 1859 San Xavier became part of the Diocese of Santa Fe. In 1866 Tucson became an incipient diocese and regular services were held at the Mission once again. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet opened a school at the Mission in 1872. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity now teach at the school and reside in the convent.
Pima Air & Space Museum
 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756
(24 miles from El Conquistador)
website
The concept for the Pima Air & Space Museum began in 1966 during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the creation of the United States Air Force. Earlier the commanders of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center recognized that the historic World War II and 1950s era aircraft stored on the base were rapidly disappearing into smelters and that the flames were consuming not just metal, but the aviation heritage of the country. On their own initiative, base officials began to set aside examples of the many types of aircraft stored in MASDC’s yards. These planes were placed along the base’s fence line so that the public could see them through the fence. The display quickly became very popular with the local community but viewing the aircraft through the fence was somewhat unsatisfying. In 1966, Colonel I. R. Perkin, the commander of MASDC joined with members of the Tucson chapter of the Air Force Association to found the Tucson Air Museum Foundation of Pima County whose goal was to create a publicly accessible museum based around the aircraft already collected on the base. On May 8, 1976, the museum’s gates opened to the public.
 Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2021 North Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743
(24 miles from El Conquistador)
website
Among mature trees and expertly cultivated foliage, specialty gardens such as the Cactus & Succulent Garden, Barrio Garden and Herb Garden highlight the diversity of native plants while offering a lush oasis in the heart of Tucson. Tropical butterflies from around the world are featured in the Cox Butterfly & Orchid Pavilion October through May. Food and drink are available at Phoebe’s Coffee Bar and the Ironwood Terraces.
 Saguaro National Park
2700 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743 (West)
3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730 (East)
(West 25 miles from El Conquistador, East 28 miles)
website
Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset. In the Tucson Mountain District (west), the park is open to vehicles from sunrise to sunset daily (Actual times vary throughout the year). In the Rincon Mountain District (east), the park is open to vehicles from 5:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Kit Peak National Observatory
1031 North Olive Road, Tucson, AZ 85721
(66 miles from El Conquistador)
website
Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy and daytime study of the Sun. Sharing the mountaintop site with the National Solar Observatory, KPNO, founded in 1958, operates three major nighttime telescopes and hosts the facilities of consortia which operate 22 optical telescopes and two radio telescopes. Kitt Peak is located 56 miles southwest of Tucson, in the Schuk Toak District on the Tohono O’odham Nation. The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 AM – 3:45 PM for daytime visitors and tours. Visitors are not permitted on observatory grounds after 4:oo PM unless registered for an evening program.
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