Do Tucson

Do Tucson

We know, to the outside world, Tucson is the land of peach and seafoam green, of kokopelli and howling coyotes, of golf courses and mountains. And while plenty of horn-playing kokapelli do dot our landscape, they hardly drown out all the non-co-opted funkiness that makes this town so great.

We came up with a baker's dozen spots that are musts for any local: If you haven’t been to them all, we figure you can’t really call yourself a Tucsonan just yet. Sure, we have some of the obvious tourist spots—San Xavier del Bac is a must, people—but we’ve also included several of the places that add to the wonderful duct-taped-ness we love about this place, too.

So take our tour, one that’s filled with everything from fried chicken to high art, and then you can call yourself a local.—Polly Higgins, Metromix