*Madera Canyon*
Located just east of Green Valley, in the dramatic Santa Rita Mountains, Madera
Canyon is justly famous as a bird watcher’s paradise. According to the U.S.
Forest Service, the canyon attracts some 14 species of hummingbirds among the
some 240 avian species that abound in this portion of the Coronado National
Forest. There are a number of campgrounds, picnic areas and several nature
trails open to public, including the adventurous 10.8-mile round trip hike to
Mount Wrightson, elevation 9,453 feet. Costs per vehicle are $5 for day use and
$10 for campers. You may also purchase a year’s pass to the canyon for $20, good
also at the Sabino Canyon and Mount Lemmon recreation sites.

*Anza Trail*
Historic Anza Trail was the route traveled by Tubac Presidio captain Juan
Bautista de Anza II in his campaign to establish what was to become the city of
San Francisco in 1775-76. Tubac was the official starting point of the
expedition, although the explorers actually began the trek from Old Mexico.
Today the old overland route is a National Historic Trail, and part of it winds
its way through the beautiful Santa Cruz River Valley, from Rio Rico to
Tumacacori National Historical Park to Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and
beyond, with trailheads at Rio Rico Drive, Tumacacori, Tubac and Rancho
Sahuarita. The trail is open to equestrians but off limits to mountain bikes and
ATVs.

*Tubac*
Historic Tubac was established in 1752 as a Spanish presdio, or fort, and is
believed to be the first European settlement in Arizona. Tubac became the
staging area for Captain Juan Bautista de Anza’s overland expedition which
resulted in the founding of what is now the city of San Francisco. Tubac village
was established in the 1880s and, in the 1940s, an Artists School was set up by
artist Dick Nichols. Since then Tubac’s reputation as an artists colony has
grown from that of a sleepy village with interesting historic sites and a few
galleries, to a bustling and thriving community with numerous fine shops,
galleries and restaurants. Annual events in Tubac include the Santa Cruz Valley
Car Nuts Show (January), Tubac Festival of the Arts (February), ArtWalk (March),
Juan Bautista de Anza Days (October), Tubac, An Art Experience (November) and
Luminaria Nights/Fiesta Navidad (December).

*Tumacacori*
Some 22 miles south of Green Valley, on Interstate 19, the Tumacacori National
Historical Park offers visitors a wonderful glimpse into Arizona’s fascinating
past. A mission was established there in 1691 by the famed ‘padre on horseback’,
Father Eusebio Kino. Remnants of an early church built by the Jesuits are
visible in the grounds, and a large church built by the Franciscans in the 19th
century still stands. The visitor center includes a lovely garden and fine
museum, and stands as the starting point for tours of the grounds led by Park
Service personnel. The grounds are open several evenings during the year—at full
moon—for special events, and on Christmas Eve luminarias light the church and
many of the buildings. For more information call 520-398-2341.

*Mt. Hopkins Observatory*
High atop Mount Hopkins, the second highest peak in the Santa Rita Mountain
range, the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona jointly oversee
the operation of the largest single-mirror telescope in North America. Guided,
all day tours—available from March through November—begin at the Whipple visitor
center near Amado, at the base of the mountains. The Visitor center is open
Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. For more information call
520-670-5707. (See also Day Trips from Green Valley, Kitt Peak, below.)

*Titan Missile Museum*
Named a National Historic Landmark in 1994, the Titan II Missile Museum—located
just north of Green Valley, off Duval Mine Road—attracts over 50,000 visitors a
year. Visitors can tour the former intercontinental ballistic missile site, from
ground level to the fascinating underground control room, daily from November
through April—except Thanksgiving and Christmas—and every day except Monday and
Tuesday from May through October. For more information call 520-625-7736.

*ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center*
Just north of Green Valley—off Pima Mine Road—the Asarco Mineral Discovery
Center offers visitors a chance to tour a large, open pit copper mine. There is
also a museum featuring huge ore-hauling trucks, and a gift shop with lots of
beautiful southwestern craft pieces made of copper. The center is open Tuesday
through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. There is a charge for the mine tour. For
more information call 520-6257513.

*Desert Diamond Casino*
Located just off of Interstate 19 and Pima Mine Road, the Desert Diamond
Casino—owned and operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation—offers a variety of
entertainments, many of them ‘big name’, and fine dining in the Agave
Restaurant. For more information call 520-393-2799.

*Mission San Xavier del Bac*
Between Green Valley and Tucson—exit 92 off Interstate 19—stands the justly
famous “white dove of the desert.” The present mission church of San Xavier del
Bac—there were two before it—was completed around 1797. Recent restorations have
brought out the true glory of this unique and magnificent building. A ‘must see’
for visitors to Green Valley.