Many people, if asked, would be hard-pressed to come up with reasons to visit a city in the middle of the desert. Yet somehow, visitors flock to Tucson, Arizona. Located in the Sonoran Desert where five mountain ranges and one seasonal river meet, Tucson's appeal is a combination of stark, beautiful scenery, blooming desert plants, rich history, reliably clear weather, upscale shopping, and unique attractions that simply cannot be found anywhere else. Known by such nicknames as "The Old Pueblo" and "The Sunshine Factory", you cannot help but fall in love with the city's southwestern charm.

Formerly the capitol of the Arizona Territory, Tucson's distance from the new capitol, Phoenix, has helped it to remain distinct. It is currently the second largest city in the state of Arizona, and a major retail shopping destination for much of the southwest. As a center for Native American art, the city is replete with galleries of varying price ranges in which you can buy original artwork. The 4th Avenue Shopping District is a popular one because it takes the form of a street rather than a mall, while Trail Dust Town is unique, in that it was built from an old Western movie set. For upscale shopping, La Ecantada is a mall with a view.

With so much open space in and around Tucson, some of the most popular activities are outdoor ones. The city is very bike-friendly, with some streets closed to vehicular traffic altogether. There are five public golf courses in the area and numerous outdoor swimming pools where residents can escape the heat. The nearby mountain ranges offer ideal terrain for hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and even skiing. The desert landscape is home to a wealth of interesting animals, which you can visit at the Reid Park Zoo or observe for yourself in the city's 120 public parks.

The heat and dry air are Tucson's most distinguishing climatic features and the ones that have made its most unique attraction, the airplane graveyard, possible. It is also what makes the presence of the Botanical Gardens so miraculous. Other popular attractions include the DeGrazia Gallery of the Sun, a historic art gallery and museum, the Pima Air and Space Museum, and the Titan Missile Museum. Yearly festivals such as the Gem and Mineral Show, the All Souls Procession, and Rodeo week also draw in visitors from all over the country.