Searching for the perfect Arizona vacation getaway

Searching for the perfect family vacation getaway in Arizona? Check out some of these great destination spots! From the Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum to the Faraway Ranch, you will find a variety of destinations to make your vacation perfect! Enjoy your getaway to Arizona with some of these great attractions: University of Arizona - Tucson, Arizona/ It is a state land-grant university. The University has 37,217 students studying 334 different fields at the bachelor’s, masters, doctoral, and first professional level. Night time and day time studies are available as well as specialty classes. UA Phone: Switchboard - 520-621-2211; Visitor Center phone: 520-621-5130. The University of Arizona was approved by the Arizona Territory's Thieving Thirteenth Legislature in 1885. The city of Tucson had hoped to receive the appropriation for the territory's mental hospital, which carried a $100,000 allocation instead of the $25,000 allotted to the territory's only university (Arizona State University was also chartered in 1885, but at the time it was created as Arizona's normal school, and not a university). Sixty-nine of these freshman students were National Merit Scholars. The UA has over 2,200 international students representing 122 countries. International students comprise approximately 6% of the total enrollment at UA. Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum & Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame - Willcox, Arizona. Do you remember the Singing Cowboy, Rex Allen? Rex Allen had a varied and interesting career, from making movies and singing to working for the legendary Walt Disney. Rex Allen died in 1999 in Tucson. Location: 150 N Railroad Ave, Willcox, Arizona 85643. Rex Allen, 1920-1999, known as the "Arizona Cowboy" and "Mister Cowboy," brought much pride to the people of Willcox, Arizona. Rex was a real cowboy legend starring in western movies. Born Rex Elvie Allen to Horace Allen and Faye Clark on a ranch in Mud Springs Canyon, forty miles from Willcox, Arizona, Rex Allen would grow up to become a popular entertainer known as "The Arizona Cowboy." Chiricahua National Monument - Willcox, Arizona. Can you envision a forest of rocks? Truly a forest of rock! Then you need to visit the Chiricahua (pronounced cheer-i-cow-ah) means wild turkey. By the mid 1900’s most of the turkeys were gone and in 2033 Gould’s wild turkeys were released back into Chiricahua Mountains by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Wild Turkey Federation (yes, there is one.) As with most creeks in Arizona, the creeks run in spring during snow melt and late summer during the monsoon, otherwise the beds are dry. Location: Superintendent: 12856 East Rhyolite Creek Rd, Willcox, Arizona 85643. Phone: 520-824-3560 Faraway Ranch - Willcox, Arizona. This is the home of Neil and Emma Ericson, built in the late 1890’s near Chiricahua National Monument. Emma Peterson was also a Swedish immigrant. Once at Bowie, Emma opened the Fort Bowie Hotel and met Neil Erickson. Shortly before her marriage she purchased a log cabin on the site of the present ranch house from Jay Hugh Stafford (sometimes spelled Ja Hu). The homestead tract ran from a point east of the later ranch house west along Bonita Canyon.The first improvement Neil built on his site was a large stone cellar (about 15 feet by 16 feet) constructed between 1888 and 1890. Presumably their original log cabin was demolished to make room for the new ranch house. The ranch house was built in two phases, a two-story board and batten house in the late 1890s and a two-story adobe "el" on the south and west sides of the original house about 1915. The original part of the cabin consists of two rooms each about 13 x 12. The cabin was constructed around 1880. Location: 1.5 miles west of Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center (39 miles from Willcox) Fort Bowie - Bowie, Arizona. Fort Bowie commemorates the bitter conflict between the Chiricahua Apaches and the U. S. Military. The fort is located on a 1,000 acre site. The remains of Fort Bowie are carefully preserved for history. On August 25, 2006– the 90th anniversary of the National Park Service – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne launched the National Park Centennial Initiative to prepare national parks for another century of conservation, preservation and enjoyment. Since then the National Park Service asked citizens, park partners, experts and other stakeholders what they envisioned for a second century of national parks. Fort Bowie was abandoned by the military in October of 1894. Bowie, Arizona Copper Queen Mine - Bisbee, Arizona. The Copper Queen Mine is now available for tours lead by tour guides that are retired Phelps Dodge employees. The mines closed in Bisbee in 1975. Prior to its closing the mining industry had been in Bisbee for almost 100 years. Lt. Dunn and his men headed for a spring in the Mule Mountains to camp for the night. Bisbee is located approximately 90 miles southeast of Tucson. Directions from Tucson: Interstate 10 East to Exit 303, Highway 80 - Benson, Tombstone, Bisbee. Highway 80 East approximately 49 miles to Bisbee. After the tunnel, take the 2nd exit - Historic Bisbee exit. Exit right. The Queen Mine Tour driveway entrance is 50 feet straight ahead. Parking ins available at the tour site.Tour times: 9 am, 10:30 am, Noon, 2 pm, 3:30 pm. Kitt Peak National Observatory - Tucson, Arizona. This observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy and daytime study of the sun. The Kitt Peak National Observatory is home to twenty-four optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research institutions. You can stargaze at Kitt Peak with their Nightly Observing Programs. Call 520-318-8726 for reservations. You will see highlights of the particular time of year like planets, multiple star systems, planetary nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. Directions: From Tucson, find Ajo Way (Hwy 86) and head west. About 40 Miles from Tucson turn left onto Hwy 386 (signs will say Kitt Peak). The grounds are closed after 4 pm so walk straight to the Visitor Center.

Come with Penelope SanMateo to the old west designed area of Pinnacle Peak in Tucson. The area is filled with unique shops all having the appearance of being from the 1800s although there are modern businesses inside many of them. There are also places to tavel back in time. Taking an Arizona vacation offers you so much to do that spending some time strolling around Pinnacle Peak in Tucson is a welcome break.