Four nights in Tucson, AZ (visit #2)–Winter Warmth trip

We were in Tucson in early February 2021, as part of our Winter Warmth Trip. Read about our first visit in 2019 here, our third in 2022 here, and our fourth in 2023 here. And I finally wrote a Tucson Favorites post!

Bugsy and a cactus while hiking in Sweetwater Preserve
hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak

It’s a long drive from Marfa to Tucson! We don’t normally like to pull eight-hour driving days, but we were so excited to get to Tucson that we decided to push through, and then packed our Tucson time with as much eating, drinking, and hiking as possible–which is easy to do, since Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy (the first in the US! San Antonio is now too!), has around 20 breweries (the list from these travelers puts our beer tourism to shame), and is surrounded by five mountain ranges and the Sonoran Desert. What’s not to love?

Campground

small Airstream and big buses at Sentinel Peak RV Park
tiny Airstream amidst giant buses at Sentinel Peak RV Park

For the second time (we first Airstreamed in Tucson in 2019), we stayed at Sentinel Peak RV Park, the closest park to downtown Tucson. The park itself isn’t terribly scenic, but it has all the basic amenities, and the location is fab. Public transportation is available outside the campground, downtown is a short drive away, and the Mercado San Agustín commercial district is even closer. Walking to the MSA area is a breeze, and you *can* walk to downtown, but be careful! Tucson apparently is not much of a pedestrian town, and we found that drivers were not very pedestrian-aware!

Eating

loads of carryout from The Little One
we ordered so much food from The Little One

Our favorite food in Tucson since we started visiting 25 years ago (?!) (remember from last Tucson post, J’s brother got his PhD and started his family here) is at The Little One, formerly known as Cafe Poca Cosa. It’s a tiny downtown carryout-only (in early 2021 at least) cafe with tables on the sidewalk out front, and local artisans gifts inside by the register. We ordered a huge lunch and then a million a la cart items to stock our fridge.

tacos at Boca Taco
unphotogenic tacos from Boca

Last time in Tucson we loved Boca Tacos so much that it was on the top of our must-eat list for this visit. This time we loved it a little less. Their outdoor seating was very pandemic-friendly, and I very much enjoyed the salmon taco and cauliflower taco, but J’s experience was just ok. The nighttime scene on Fourth Avenue seemed a little weirder than pre-pandemic: fewer places open, more aggressive panhandlers, and very loud cars cruising up and down.

We ended up getting another meal from Boca, this time carryout salads for a picnic in nearby Catalina Park (not to be confused with Catalina State Park, our next destination!). They make a good, BIG salad–ask what proteins you can add as a topping.

tacos and a tamale at Taqueria Pico de Gallo
deliciousness form Taqueria Pico de Gallo

The best new (to us) food we had in Tucson (actually South Tucson, for some reason designated as a separate city despite being completely surrounded by Tucson and just a mile from downtown) was a recommendation from our Southern Arizona expert, Uncle Jim: Taqueria Pico de Gallo. They have all the authentic tacos your taco-craving heart desires, and even non-traditionals like fish and shrimp for pesky pescatarians like me. Unfortunately, they were out of fruit cups when we stopped, and unfortunately, J wouldn’t split a horchata with me, and I didn’t think I could handle the sugar all by myself. If you go, please get a fruit cup and a horchata and tell me all about them.

Drinking

Beer

I think I’ve mentioned this before: in the early days of Airstreamdog, we’d try to visit as many unique breweries in a town as possible–as in, not go to a brewery twice if there were other breweries to be tried. I guess we’ve gotten lazy, but nowadays, if we find breweries we really like, we’re more likely to return to those than to try an unknown. Sorry for you, dear reader, but it has worked out pretty well for us.

So, the two breweries we visited were not new to us, but two we knew we liked:

Pueblo Vida has our favorite beer in Tucson. In the pandemic-times, they are just a to-go window, but they’ll let you sample beers they have on tap.

Bugsy having a beer at Borderlands Brewing
the patio at Borderlands

Borderlands has a big, shady, dog-friendly patio, and yummy IPAs and sours, which are our go-tos.

Cocktails

Bugsy at the patio at Cup Cafe
the patio at Hotel Congress

Hotel Congress has been a Tucson landmark for over 100 years, and its Cup Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. We had a great time on the fantastic dog-friendly patio people-watching and listening to live music. How often do you get to do that these days?

Bugsy having a cocktail at the MSA Annex
the courtyard at MSA Annex

We had to get a drink at the MSA Annex down the street, one of our favorite spots last visit. It’s a very pandemic-friendly spot, with fooderies and drinkeries operating out of shipping containers surrounding a central courtyard with tables. We were lucky to grab a table to enjoy the sun and a cocktail from Westbound.

cocktails at The Hut tiki bar
the patio at The Hut

We were drawn to The Hut, a tiki bar on Fourth Avenue, by the sounds of a Grateful Dead cover band playing as we walked by. I wasn’t able to finish my sugar-bomb of a cocktail, but they have an awesome patio and the band was really good!

Coffee

The Boxyard courtyard
The Boxyard

Somehow we hadn’t come across The Boxyard before! It’s a(nother) super cool cluster of shipping containers serving food and drink around a central courtyard, on Fourth Avenue. We got coffee from Freight Train, which unfortunately has closed since, but apparently another coffee shop will be taking their place.

Bugsy having coffee at Caffe Luce
working at Decibel Coffee Works

Looking to do some early afternoon work, we tried to get coffee at Decibel Coffee Works in the MSA Annex, but they close at 1:00 and we missed them. We asked a fellow patron also stymied by the shop’s hours for a coffee+patio recommendation and ended up at Caffe Luce by U of A, a nice spot for computer time.

Hiking

hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak
hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak
hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak
hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak

Our first hike in Tucson was Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak, a pleasant 9-mile out-and-back starting near town; it wasn’t toooo crowded, and has lots of saguaros and big views from the peak. Uncle Jim likes the Hugh Norris trail better, and a hiker we passed recommended the Kings Canyon trail, so maybe we should have done this loop instead. A wrong turn on the way to the trailhead took us to Sweetwater Preserve and we’d remember it for later…

hiking through Madera Canyon
hiking Madera Canyon

Then it was Bugsy’s turn to hike (she only goes on every other or every third hike now because of her bad back) so we ventured to Madera Canyon, 45 minutes south of Tucson. The scenery there is quite different–less desert, more forest–and the Madera Canyon Nature Trail is a pretty 5.3-mile out-and-back through the canyon, past prime birding areas. It was really crowded after 10:00, so go early!

hiking through saguaros in Sweetwater Preserve
hiking in Sweetwater Preserve
hiking in Sweetwater Preserve
hiking the Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak

For our last hike, we wanted something close to town and Bugsy-friendly, so we returned to Sweetwater Preserve, which we’d spotted from our first hike to Wasson Peak. The preserve is absolutely gorgeous, but again, go early! It’s very popular with hikers, trail runners, equestrians, and mountain bikers. Getting passed repeatedly by bikes isn’t super relaxing, but because of the location, scenery, and dog-friendliness, we’ll be back. If you’re a saguaro fan (and who isn’t) this place is for you!

Disc golf

playing disc golf at Santa Cruz River course

One of our new favorite activities is disc golf, and we’ve had fun seeking out courses on this trip, like in Austin. Tucson has several courses, and on our last morning in town we played a quick round at the Santa Cruz River course (not located at Santa Cruz River Park; yes we made that mistake) and it was a good time. Not super scenic, but a nice, open course with a mountainous backdrop and some horsey neigh-bors.

To Do

Bugsy at the Tucson Together mural
  • Hike the 12-mile Yetman Trail on this list of best hikes
  • Hike and maybe camp in Cochise Stronghold, part of Coronado National Forest
  • Get a cocktail at the Ritz Carlton: I read somewhere that the cocktail lounge has a patio with gorgeous views. I want to relive the fun we had feeling fancy at the Waldorf Astoria in Park City!
  • Visit the Museum of Miniatures
  • We’ll have more nearby to-dos on upcoming posts because our next three stops are in the general Tucson area!

We love Tucson and can’t wait to return! Keep sending us your recommendations and we’ll add them to our list!

13 Replies to “Four nights in Tucson, AZ (visit #2)–Winter Warmth trip

  1. I can highly recommend going for a drink at the Ritz Carlton. We got to have dinner there a few weeks ago as my boss was staying there and it has beautiful views. Go there for a drink just before sunset because once it got dark, a family of javelina ran right past on the patio.

    We’re heading back to Tucson next week for our second round of COVID jabs, so we’ll have to eat at Taqueria Pico de Gallo – Uncle Jim hasn’t steered us wrong yet!

  2. Well now, we finally get to the fun part of our little winter adventure… Tucson does indeed have a lot of great food choices and I will add a couple for your future visits.. First and foremost you have to give up this Vegan mess when you visit such a gastronomic delight as the city of the sun.. I suggest: El Guerro Canelo (but only the one on S. 12th st).. for the best Sonoran Desert Dog in America.( the hot dog with everything including the kitchen sink on it).. However a small warning: I haven’t visited that particular Taco joint in about 7 years. Seems South Tucson has become a haven for the illegal migrants that Tucson seems bent on housing these days.. There is a good bit of crime in that area and you are advised NOT to venture into South Tucson after sundown.. A lunch visit should be ok I’d think. Also El Charro Cafe on N. Court Ave. serves great Mexican stuff and finally Mi Nidito on S. 4th Ave. if you happen to be a fan of president Clinton.. They have his “personal” table set up for you but alas the food is only mediocre..
    You didn’t mention the Sonoran Desert Museum which may have been closed when you were there for the pandemic.. I know you’ve visited it before and it is a MUST for any visitor to the Tucson area..
    Your mention of the Hotel Congress was good also, but you failed to mention its most important place in history: John Dillinger was captured there trying to crawl out of a window… However, he later escaped so I guess it’s not that important..
    I’m happy you guys got to spend so much time running around my adopted home town.. A place that like a lot of America has lost some of its luster but is still a great place to visit..

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