Two of the greatest places to take kids in the Tucson area are the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Old Tucson Studios. Kids will also get a kick out of the Sabino Canyon tram ride, the Reid Park Zoo, Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, and the Pima Air & Space Museum.
They'll also enjoy Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Rd. (tel. 520/296-5442; www.traildusttown.com), a Wild West-themed shopping and dining center. It has a full-size carousel, a scaled-down train to ride, shootout shows, and miniature golf next door. Basically, it's a sort of scaled-down Old Tucson. If the kids are into miniature golf, take them to Golf n' Stuff, 6503 E. Tanque Verde Rd. (tel. 520/296-2366; www.golfnstuff.com), which is right next door to Trail Dust Town. Not only is there a miniature golf course, but there are also bumper boats, go-karts, batting cages, laser tag, a climbing wall, and a video-game arcade. Between these two side-by-side attractions, you've got plenty to keep the family entertained for hours.
All Aboard! -- If you've got kids who idolize Thomas the Tank Engine, then you'd better schedule your Tucson visit for the second or fourth Sunday of the month. On those days (with a few exceptions), the Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum, 3975 N. Miller Ave. (tel. 520/888-2222; hometown.aol.com/ienglish), sends out little engines that think they can. The trains chug around a variety of layouts built in different model-railroad gauges. The museum is open from 12:30 to 4:30pm 2 days each month. Admission is free. In July and August, the museum is closed.
