Arizona 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide - (Page 78) Tucson and Southern Arizona To Dine For Celebrate sundays with an elegant brunch in the Old World charm of Tucson’s Arizona Inn. entrées are accompanied by breakfast pastries, soup, salad and fresh fruit and dessert. At el Charro Cafe in Tucson, the country’s oldest Mexican restaurant operated by the same family, try the house specialty Carne seca. Taste buds explode with traditional sonoran and innovative Tucson-style cuisine. Janos’ eclectic menu brings tastes from around the world to Tucson diners. French technique, fresh local products and seasonal influences come together in memorable, avant garde dishes. start the day with hints of southwestern flavor – breakfast on the patio at Tohono Chul Park Tea Room, also in Tucson. Or, cap a stroll through the gardens of this urban oasis with lunch or afternoon tea. Adobe southwestern Cuisine adds new excitement to the town of sierra Vista’s dining options. Dishes reflect influences from Latin America, Cuba and Native Americans. Historic stables Restaurant at the Tubac Golf Resort overlooks the 18th hole. From Frangelico French toast to chipotle spiked caesar salad and cornhusk halibut en papillote, the chef crafts a hole-in-one. To make a day (or two) of it, explore the salsa Trail, made up of restaurants in Graham County, including the towns of safford, Thatcher and solomon. You’ll find a selection of family-owned eateries featuring outstanding enchiladas, menudo, huevos rancheros and burritos, among other southwestern delicacies, and, of course salsa. For a trail map, see the Graham County Chamber of Commerce website: visitgrahamcounty.com, or call (888) 837-1841. 78 • salsa Trail ©AOT A r i z o n A o f f i c i A l S tAt e V i S i t o r ’ S G u i d e columns and outstretched arms into the desert sky. Slow growers, the first arm doesn’t appear until the plant is 40-75 years old. When you see a 40-foot saguaro, know it has stood on that spot for about 150 years. No two are alike; the number of arms varies from two to more than 20. Look for tops that have spread into broad fans; these cristate saguaro are uncommon. Drive the six-mile gravel Bajada Loop in the Tucson Mountain (Saguaro West) District to see dense stands of the namesake cacti and to view petroglyphs – rock art probably left by the Hohokam people 1,000 years ago. The Rincon Mountain (Saguaro East) District is larger and offers more varied terrain. Mica Mountain peaks at 8,666 feet. Saguaro and other desert plants give way to grassland, oak woodland and pine forest at higher elevations. From the visitor center, the paved eight-mile Cactus Forest Drive accesses picnic areas, and interpretive and hiking trails. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum promotes insight into the complexities of the surrounding ecosystems. More botanical garden and zoo than museum, two miles of trails lead through the mostly outdoor facility. Exhibits are living, not static, displays of more than 330 animal and 1,200 plant species. Three attractions in the area lead from Old Hollywood and airplanes to a sanctuary grounded in the more distant past. Old Tucson Studios has been the setting for hundreds of movies and television episodes. This Western theme park entertains with gunfights, stunts, musical revues and guided movie-history tours. Aviation aficionados find Pima Air and Space Museum a dreamland of planes and helicopters. There’s even a Presidential plane on the tour. Trace the history of flight among one of the largest aircraft collections in the world. A satellite facility, the Titan Missile Museum, chronicles the Cold War era. The deactivated Titan II and launch silo are the only such facilities remaining and are open to the public. San Xavier del Bac Mission stands as an exquisite work of art and faith. Known as the White Dove of the Desert, the architecture blends Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance influences. The church is an active parish, with daily mass, serving primarily the Tohono O’odham tribal members. Step inside to appreciate the glittering high altar, frescoes, carvings and statuary. A video shown in the museum details the extensive conservation and restoration work of the interior. Colossal Cave Mountain Park lies southeast of Tucson in the Rincon Mountains. During tours of the dry limestone caverns – always a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit – you’ll hear tales of train robberies, jail breaks and hidden treasure. Could there still be gold stashed in the underground labyrinths? La Posta Quemada Ranch in the park offers trail rides, picnic and camping grounds and a museum. http://www.visitgrahamcounty.com
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