Walking Tours

Downtown Historic Districts

Start: Arizona Historical Society Downtown Museum.

Finish: Hotel Congress.

Time: 5 hours.

Best Times: Weekends, when restaurants aren't packed at lunch.

Worst Times: Summer, when it's just too hot to do any walking.

Tucson has a long and varied cultural history, which is most easily seen on a walking tour of the downtown historic neighborhoods. Start your explorations in El Presidio Historic District, which is named for the Presidio of San Augustín del Tucson (founded 1775), the Spanish garrison built here to protect the San Xavier del Bac Mission from the Apaches. For many years, the presidio was the heart of Tucson, and although no original buildings still stand, there is a recent reconstruction of part of the presidio, and numerous structures from the mid-19th century remain.

After finding a parking space at the large public lot at the corner of Court Avenue and Council Street, walk 1 block east on Council Street to Church Avenue and 1 block south to the corner of Washington Street, where you'll find a reconstruction of part of the:

1. Tucson Presidio

Opened in 2007, this reconstruction of part of the Spanish fort that was the birthplace of Tucson is built of adobe blocks. Inside the walls and in an adjacent adobe building, you'll find displays on the early history of Tucson.

From the presidio building, walk 1 block south on Church Avenue and 1 block east on Alameda Street to Stone Avenue. Cross Stone, turn right, and walk half a block to the:

2. Arizona Historical Society Downtown Museum

This museum, at 140 N. Stone Ave., is housed in the Wells Fargo bank building and is the perfect introduction to the history of Tucson. Spend an hour or so here getting acquainted with the city's past, and you'll get much more out of the rest of this walking tour.

From the museum, head west 2 blocks on Alameda Street, turn right on Court Avenue, and continue north for a block to Tucson's premier crafts market:

3. Old Town Artisans

This adobe building, at 201 N. Court Ave., dates from 1862 and has numerous rooms full of interesting (and occasionally tacky) Southwestern crafts. The central courtyard has shady gardens. You could spend hours browsing through the assortment of crafts here, but keep in mind you've still got a long walk ahead of you.

Across Meyer Avenue from this building's southwest corner is:

4. La Casa Cordova

This building, at 175 N. Meyer Ave., dates from about 1848 and is one of the oldest in Tucson. Although the art museum owns five historic homes on this block, this is the only one that has been restored to look as it might have in the late 1800s. Each year from November to March, this building exhibits a very elaborate nacimiento, a Mexican folk-art nativity scene, with images from the Bible and Latin American history rolled into one miniature landscape full of angels, greenery, and Christmas lights.

Through a colorful gate just to the south of La Casa Cordova is the entrance to the:

5. Tucson Museum of Art

This museum houses collections of pre-Columbian and Western art, as well as exhibits of contemporary works. A visit will not only allow you to see plenty of art, but will also provide a glimpse inside a couple of historic homes that now serve as museum galleries.

After touring the museum, walk back up Meyer Avenue; at the end of the block, you will find the:

6. Romero House

This 1868 house may incorporate part of the original presidio wall, but it has been extensively altered over the years. At one time it even served as a gas station. The Romero House now contains the Tucson Museum of Art School.

From the Romero House, turn left onto Washington Street and then left again onto Main Avenue. The first building you'll come to on this side of the art museum's historic block is the:

7. Corbett House

This restored mission-revival-style building, at 180 N. Main Ave., was built in 1907. The house, which is set back behind a green lawn, is strikingly different from the older, Sonoran-style adobe homes on this block. On Tuesday at 11am, the Tucson Museum of Art offers a guided tour of the Corbett House.

Next door to this home is the:

8. Stevens House

Located at 150 N. Main Ave., this is a Sonoran-style row house completed in 1866. It currently houses the museum's collection of pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial, and Latin American folk art, as well as a cafe, and is entered through the art museum's courtyard.

Next door is the:

9. Fish House

This house, at 120 N. Main Ave., was built in 1867 on the site of old Mexican barracks. Named for Edward Nye Fish, a local merchant, it now houses the museum's Western-art collection. Some of the walls of this house are 2 feet thick, and ceilings in some places are made from old packing crates.

From here, head back up Main Avenue; on your right at the far end of the next block, you'll reach the:

10. Julius Kruttschnidt House

This house, at 297 N. Main Ave., dates from 1886 and houses a bed-and-breakfast inn. Victorian trappings, including a long veranda, disguise the adobe origins of this unique and beautifully restored home.

Across Main Avenue from the B&B is the:

11. Steinfeld House

This house, at 300 N. Main Ave., was built in 1900 in California mission-revival style and was designed by Henry Trost, Tucson's most noted architect. It served as the original Owl's Club, a gentlemen's club for some of Tucson's most eligible bachelors of the time.

Another block north on Main Avenue stands the:

12. Owl's Club Mansion

This impressive mansion, at 378 N. Main Ave., was built in 1902 and designed by Henry Trost in the mission-revival style, albeit with a great deal of ornamentation. It replaced the Steinfeld House as home to the bachelors of the Owl's Club.

Take A Break -- If you started your tour late in the morning, you're probably hungry by now. Continue north on Main Avenue to Franklin Street and walk east on Franklin to Court Avenue. Turn right onto Court, and you will find El Charro Café, Tucson's oldest Mexican restaurant. Be sure to order carne seca, the house specialty.

From here, continue south on Court Avenue and cross Alameda Street to reach:

13. El Presidio Park/Plaza de las Armas

This was once the parade ground for the presidio and is now a shady gathering spot for everyone from downtown office workers to the homeless. Here on the plaza, you'll see a life-size bronze statue of a presidio soldier, as well as a statue commemorating the Mormon Battalion's visit to Tucson in 1846.

Just to the east of the park is the very impressive:

14. Pima County Courthouse

Built in 1928, this courthouse, at 115 N. Church Ave. incorporates Moorish, Spanish, and Southwestern architectural features, including a colorful tiled dome. A portion of the original presidio wall is in a glass case inside the building.

From the courthouse, continue south 2 blocks (across two pedestrian bridges) to the colorfully painted:

15. La Placita Village

This complex of offices and restaurants, at 110 S. Church Ave., was designed to resemble a Mexican village. It houses Tucson's visitor center and also incorporates the Samaniego House, a Sonoran-style row house that dates from the 1880s.

Adjacent to La Placita Village is the:

16. Tucson Convention Center

This sprawling complex includes a sports arena, grand ballroom, concert hall, theater, pavilions, meeting halls, gardens, and some interesting sculptures and fountains.

Near the fountains in the center of the convention center complex is the historic:

17. Sosa-Carillo-Frémont House

This adobe structure, located at 151 S. Granada Ave., was built in the 1850s and later served as the home of territorial governor John C. Frémont. The restored building is open to the public and is furnished in the style of the period.

Continue south through the grounds of the convention center complex, and you will come to Cushing Street, across which lies the Barrio Histórico District. With its 150 adobe row houses, this is the largest collection of 19th-century Sonoran-style adobe buildings in the United States. In the early 1970s, the entire neighborhood was almost razed in the name of urban renewal and highway construction. About half of downtown Tucson, including the neighborhoods that once stood on the site of today's convention center, was razed before the voices for preservation and restoration were finally heard. In fact, if it had not been for the activism of the residents of the Barrio Histórico, I-10 would now run right through much of this area.

Start your exploration of the northern (and more restored) blocks of the Barrio Histórico neighborhood by crossing Cushing Street and then turning down Main Avenue, where you will find, on the west side of the street in the first block:

18. El Tiradito

El Tiradito (The Castaway) is the only shrine in the United States dedicated to a sinner buried in unconsecrated soil, and people still light candles here in hopes of having their wishes come true.

Wander a while through the Barrio Histórico District, admiring the Sonoran-style homes that are built right out to the street. Many of these homes sport colorfully painted facades, signs of the ongoing renovation of this neighborhood.

From the corner of Cushing Street and South Meyer Avenue, walk 3 blocks east and turn left on South Scott Avenue, where you'll find the:

19. Temple of Music and Art

This building, located at 330 S. Scott Ave., was built in 1927 as a movie and stage theater and is the home of the Arizona Theatre Company. Don't miss the little art gallery on the second floor.

From here, walk north on Scott Avenue, turn left on McCormick Street/13th Street, and then turn right onto Stone Avenue, which will bring you to:

20. St. Augustine Cathedral

The cathedral was built in 1896 and was modeled after the Cathedral of Querétaro, Mexico. Above the door, you'll see a statue of Saint Augustine as well as symbols of the Arizona desert -- the horned toad, the saguaro, and the yucca.

From here, walk east on Corral Street, turn left on Scott Avenue, and then turn right on 12th Street and right again on Sixth Avenue to reach the front of the old:

21. Carnegie Library

The library dates from 1901 and was designed by celebrated Tucson architect Henry Trost. The building now houses the Tucson Children's Museum.

Now head north on Sixth Avenue. In 1 block, you'll pass the:

22. Etherton Gallery

This second-floor gallery, upstairs from the popular Barrio restaurant, has long been one of Tucson's top contemporary art galleries.

Continue 1 more block north and turn right on Congress Street. In 1 block, you will see on the far side of the street the:

23. Hotel Congress

This hotel, located at 311 E. Congress St., was built as a railroad hotel in 1919 and once hosted John Dillinger, infamous public enemy number one. Today, the restored budget lodging is popular with European travelers and students, and has a classic Western-style lobby. There's a cafe here, and the lobby is well worth a stroll-through.

Walk out the back door of the Hotel Congress and cross the street to the:

24. Southern Arizona Transportation Museum

This small museum, at 414 N. Toole Ave., is on the grounds of the historic 1941 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Outside is an old steam locomotive, and inside are exhibits on the early days of railroads in southern Arizona. On the depot grounds, keep an eye out for the statue of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.