Tuba City is mostly a base, not a destination — the rewards are within an hour's drive. In town, the historic Tuba Trading Post is the headline stop, and the small Navajo Code Talkers exhibit (when open) is worth a look. Cross U.S. 160 into the Hopi village of Moenkopi for a different cultural texture entirely.
Out of town, three remarkable sites lie within a short drive: the Moenave dinosaur tracks just west on Route 160, the eroded badlands of Coal Mine Canyon to the southeast, and the historic Cameron Trading Post on the Little Colorado River about half an hour south. The eastern entrance of the Grand Canyon (Desert View) is about an hour and a quarter from town.