Tohono Chul Park is a desert garden, nature preserve, and small cultural centre on Tucson's north side. Paths wind through Sonoran Desert plantings, demonstration gardens, art spaces, and shaded corners where birds and desert flowers do much of the work.
It is quieter and more intimate than the big desert sights outside town. Come in the cooler part of the day, give yourself time to wander rather than rush, and treat it as a good introduction to Tucson's desert ecology before heading farther into the mountains or national park.