University of Arizona, Tucson, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The University of Arizona is a public research university in Tucson, Arizona, founded in 1885 and holding its first classes in 1891. Its campus, a short distance from downtown, mixes historic brick buildings with museums, gardens and open lawns that anyone can walk through, and it is a good way to understand how Tucson grew from a desert town into a university city.

The story behind it

The university was authorized by the Arizona territorial legislature in 1885, decades before Arizona became a state in 1912. It is the state's land-grant university, and its early years were modest, with a small group of students and only a few buildings on the edge of town. Old Main, finished in 1891, is the oldest building on campus and a reminder of that beginning.

Over the twentieth century the campus grew into a major centre for research, with a strong reputation in astronomy and the study of the desert Southwest. The Arizona State Museum, founded in 1893, is among the oldest museums of its kind in the region and still sits on campus. The Wildcats, the university's sports teams, are a big part of everyday Tucson life.

What to look for

• Old Main, the brick building from the early years of the university, which shows how small the original campus was compared with today.
• The wide, tree-lined pedestrian paths of the central campus, where students cross between lecture halls, libraries and lawns.
• The Arizona State Museum, whose building and collections reflect the long Native history of the region.
• The desert plants used in the campus landscaping, including cacti and other native species that set the grounds apart from universities elsewhere in the country.

Tips for your visit

• Allow one to two hours for a relaxed stroll across the central campus, and longer if you plan to go inside a museum.
• Go in the early morning or late afternoon, since Tucson is hot for much of the year and shade is valuable.
• The outdoor areas are easy to wander, but museums and some buildings keep their own schedules, so check current opening hours before you go.
• Main Gate Square and Fourth Avenue are close by for food and coffee, and parking on campus is limited, so check signs or arrive on foot.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Tucson is a good choice if you like your sightseeing with a puzzle attached. You reach the university on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you see. One ticket covers the whole group.

Family Scavenger Hunt: Bunny vs. Fox in Tucson suits families who want to keep children engaged while they explore. The route passes the university as part of a longer walk, the app explains each place as you get there, and a puzzle on the spot keeps everyone looking closely. One ticket covers the whole group.

Tucson Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. turns the campus and its surroundings into a detective walk. You get to the university on foot between other stops, hear about each place from the app, and solve a puzzle there. One ticket covers the whole group.