Rio Rico Resort & Country Club has been voted the number one resort in Arizona for 2002 by Arizona Business magazine. It's a big place, not only boasting its own golf course but also featuring a retirement community, The Villages, with four different neighborhoods and plenty of amenities. The resort sits on a mesa 4,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the lush Santa Cruz River Valley and has been in operation since 1972.
Not far away is Tombstone, known as "the town too tough to die," and a national historic site, which saw the infamous "Gunfight at the OK Corral" back in the late 19th century. If that's too touristy, you can take a wine tour to the Arizona and Sonoita vineyards, also near by, or go birdwatching and view wildlife at the Patagonia/Sonoita Creek Sanctuary, the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, or the Ramsey Canyon Preserve. There are even a few ghost towns dotting the landscape in these parts, and a Ghost Town Trail, all mapped out for you. If you want to go down to a border town to shop for silver or leather goods from Mexico, try visiting Nogales. Finally, there's a fine Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson itself, and the Green Valley Titan Missile Museum in that location, complete with a defused missile.
For more information on the resort, contact them at 420/281-8451, fax 520/281-8444 or visit their Web site, www.rioricoresort.com.
