The desert setting for the museum is spectacular, but the docents made the experience great. We arrived in time to see the free fly raptor show, then heard a presentation on the life cycle of the saguaro and enjoyed walking the grounds. High quality experience from start to finish. Hint: Reserve your Uber ride back to town if you don’t have your own transportation.

Sonora Desert Museum is so much more than a museum! It's a botanical garden, aquarium, zoo, enrichment center and gallery! It's got big animals, fish, rodents, reptiles and birds! The plant life is extraordinary and it's all labeled throughout so you can learn more about native plants without guessing! It's a complete program from start to finish and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of every hour we spent there! We took the opportunity to participate in the Avian Experience with an amazing team and two stunningly gorgeous owls! I highly recommend spending a day in Tucson at this amazing discovery!

We met up with friends. Non of us wanted to miss this opportunity to get together and to see the museum. We were glad there were electric scooters to rent. Very thankful. Amazed at the variety of animals we saw! Well done in every way! Even the restaurant rice bowls were YUMMO. Very glad we went!

One place in Tucson you should not miss. It’s in the beautiful Tucson mountains with wonderful hiking trails nearby. The drive to the museum is gorgeous. You won’t be disappointed. Allow enough time to see all the exhibits. Don’t rush. I’ve lived in Tucson and every time I visit I have to go to the museum.

A mixture of zoo, desert plants, and aquarium. A bit west of town surrounded by unending sightings of Saguaros. Stiff entry fees almost force you to buy an annual membership. Best to visit on more temperate days because most of the activities are outdoors. There are special programs like the raptor exhibit which are only offered once a day. But mostly you grab a map and do a comprehensive walk- through which might take 4-5 hours. Best to follow the signage or you'll wind up lost and doing circles on your route. The aquarium is neat and almost every thing is on display. But you'll also see animals in the wild who choose to remain in their outside habitats. On this trip we saw bobcat, mountain lion, javelin, bighorn, and a variety of birds. Also groves cultivated for bees, butterfly, and agave. Water and restrooms are available along most of the walkway. But the sun beats down so you'll need some protection. Eateries are so-so. Could be expensive to feed a family. One sit down restaurant closes by 3 PM.

We went with another family and spent 3 hours there. The museum includes many things in a slightly small scale but with good variety. Kids enjoyed the 12:30 pm talk about rattle snake and Gila monster.

I visited this museum with a friend of mine from Tucson and it was wonderful. They have a great walking loop trail that is both informative and worth taking. This is a great place to see animals as well. We did not see any javalinas, but the mountain lion, Cayote, and lots of snakes could be seen. Not to worry as they are all separated from people by either a netted area or in glassed in areas. Reptiles are also on display. This is a wonderful place to visit for groups or alone. Lots of educational information is available and guides were present to answer questions. Well worth a few hours to explore and learn about the desert. Great photo opportunities as well.

Hesitated paying $29.95/person, but it was worthwhile. We spent the whole day here wandering around and visiting the offerings. There was more to see than expected. The cacti and variations of them were amazing. We went in December and the weather was ideal to walk around to see the flora and fauna. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was the animals on the property. I am hoping that they are there because they could not be released into the wilderness as they seemed unhappy and unable to roam freely in the space that they had. I’m not a fan of zoos so I may be biased. Otherwise, I enjoyed walking around the outdoor museum. They offer sunscreen in the restrooms, which I thought was great. I can see why bringing water, wearing sunscreen and a hat is vital when visiting during the hotter months. A must visit in Tucson!

Had a fun day at the Desert Museum yesterday with our family of four. Make sure to check the time for the Raptor Free Flight exhibition on their website. For a special treat the Avian Adventure is unique. You get to meet and hold an Eurasian Eagle owl. So cool! The Free Flight trainers were great. There are plenty of water stations throughout the facility so bring a water bottle and the food available to purchase was quite good.

This was amazing!! You can feed stingray, see a bobcat or ocelot. It is accessible by stroller or wheelchair (most of it). Lots of gift shops and places to buy food. Plan on spending 3-5 hours there. There are shaded places- bring water and sunscreen.