Downtown Tucson: An Audio Tour by an Author and Historian
- 1–1.3 hour
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
See Downtown Tucson’s historic mansions and homes on this affordable self-guided walking tour. • Find out how downtown Tucson transformed from a prehistoric village into an architecturally rich neighborhood where some of the Southwest’s leading architects left their mark • Hear from producer Jim Turner, a historian in Arizona who’s authored or co-authored nine books on the state’s history • Do it all in an hour or linger at stops along the way with complete control over when you start and finish • Get unlimited use before your booking date and after it • Use the virtual tour option at home Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive a ticket with instructions and a unique code listed under “Before You Go”. Then simply install the VoiceMap app and enter your code. The app displays directions to the starting point, and when you’re in the right place, just pop in your headphones and tap start. VoiceMap has automatic GPS playback, with turn-by-turn directions. It also works offline.
Inclusions
What's included
- VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
- Lifetime access to this tour in English
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
What's not
- Food/Drink
- Smartphone and headphones
- Personal expenses for admission fees not included during the tour
- Transportation
Itinerary
This self-guided walking tour starts outside the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum, once an 11-acre Spanish fort, where you’ll learn what daily life was like for early settlers in the late 1700s.
You'll pass by Sonoran row houses made of adobe bricks like Casa de Cordova, which was restored and dedicated by First Lady Betty Ford in 1974.
The tour passes by what historians call the "mansions on main street" which include the Tucson Museum of Art.
The tour passes by Café a la C’Arte where you’ll find delicious pastries
You'll pass by the J. Knox Corbett House which, like many of Main Avenue’s sophisticated 1890s and early 1900s mansions, owes its appearance to two innovative and imaginative architects, Henry Trost and David Holmes.
The tour passes by the Christopher Franklin Carroll Centennial Park. You'll hear about the park while you walk.
The tour passes by the Franklin House. You'll hear about the original owners while you walk.
The tour passes by El Presidio Bed and Breakfast. You'll hear about what the B&B was like previously under different owners.
The tour ends in front of El Charro Café, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson and home of the chimichanga.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
3.9
- 59
- 49
- 31
- 21
- 13
Ratings come from 23 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- VoiceMap Audio Tours
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
How it compares in Tucson
- Its from-price is 81% below the median of the 98 experiences we list in Tucson.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 24 of 98.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Tucson
Tucson is a Sonoran Desert city in southern Arizona, ringed by mountains and saguaro cactus forests, with Spanish missions and a distinctive food culture.
Tucson lies in a desert valley in southern Arizona, surrounded by the Santa Catalina, Rincon, Tucson and Santa Rita mountains and by forests of tall saguaro cactus. The historic downtown has adobe barrios, Mexican-influenced architecture and the University of Arizona. Mission San Xavier del Bac, a white 18th-century Spanish church on the southern edge of the city, is known as the White Dove of the Desert.
Top-ranked sights in Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Town Artisans.
Special offers in Tucson
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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