DAILY TOURS AND ECO-STATIONS
CLOSURES! IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ
For your health and safety and for that of staff, volunteers and the general public all of Tohono Chul is closing for two weeks starting Tuesday, March 17. This is a necessary precaution given the best available science about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to contain its spread. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and keep you updated as we approach Tuesday, March 31.
The closure includes:
- Any and all access to the gardens, Museum Shops, Exhibit House, and the Garden Bistro
- Events including the Spring Plant Sale, Plan Your Estate Seminars, Sundays in the Garden Concert Series, and the Sonoran Spring Gala
- All classes and travel
Beyond this two-week closure, we have also canceled all events, classes, and travel through the end of April including exhibit openings and new member tours. As we near the end of the closure, we will keep you informed of our other daily offerings, be they limited or canceled.
Your patience and understanding during this difficult time is greatly appreciated. Thank you so very much!
To receive the most up-to-date information, please follow us on Facebook, visit our website, or read our email newsletters.
All public tours are included in the price of admission, no reservations are necessary. Private group tours are also available. For non-profit and education groups please contact sspikes@tohonochul.org. For bus tours, corporate or destination management companies please contact marketing@tohonochul.org.
Butterflies and their Plants
Year-round | Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.
Nature lovers, shutterbugs and bug lovers will get an in-depth glimpse of some of the most engaging creatures in the Sonoran Desert, butterflies! View the Butterfly ID Guide here.
Free with admission.
Birds of Prey – Night & Day
2nd & 4th Wednesdays | February 12 to April 22 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Children’s Ramada
Naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Kathie Schroeder rejoins us with her Harris’ Hawk buddy Sueño and two new friends Poppy, the Western Screech Owl, and Banshee, the Barn Owl. Discover the different habits of birds of prey who hunt by night or by day, and get to know a collection of the most unflappable birds in town.
Weekly Happenings
MONDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 10a.m.
TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Year-round: 8:30a.m.
ECO STATION | Winged Things | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
TUESDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 10a.m.
EVENT | Gallery Buzz | Oct-Apr: 11a.m.
TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’?
Mar-Apr: 10a.m.
EVENT | Stories in the Garden | Chidren’s Ramada | Year-round: 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Ocean to Desert | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
WEDNESDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m.
TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Year-round: 8:30a.m.
EVENT | Birds of Prey – Night & Day
February-April, October-December
Periodically 2nd & 4th Wednesdays | 11a.m. to 1p.m.
Check Tohono Chul’s website for the Birds of Prey – Night & Day Schedule
ECO STATION | Rock & Ruins | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
THURSDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m.
EVENT | Gallery Buzz | Oct-Apr: 11a.m.
TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’?
Mar-Apr: 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Desert Chow | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
FRIDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m.
TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Year-round: 8:30a.m.
TOUR | Connecting Plants & People
Year-round: 11a.m.
EVENT | Reptile Ramble | mid-Aug to mid-Nov & Mar-May (not in summer or winter): 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Creepy Crawlies | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
SATURDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m.
TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Year-round: 8:30a.m.
TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’?
Mar-Apr: 10a.m.
TOUR | Butterflies & Their Plants
Year-round: 11a.m.
TOUR | Desert Landscaping
Year-round: 9a.m.
ECO-STATION | Prickly Plants | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
SUNDAYS
TOUR | Walk in the Gardens | Year-round: 10a.m.
TOUR | Art in the Gardens | Oct-Apr: 12p.m.
TOUR | Butterflies & Their Plants
Year-round: 11a.m.
Activity Descriptions
Walk in the Gardens –
Experience Tohono Chul while learning some of the basics of the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.
Birds of Tohono Chul –
Learn to identify residents and those just passing through, plus information on habits and habitat.
Download Tohono Chul Park’s Bird Checklist (PDF format)
Gallery Buzz –
Get an in-depth and behind-the-scenes look at our changing art and cultural exhibits.
Stories in the Garden –
Traditional and original stories about the desert and its creatures in the Children’s Ramada.
Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’? –
Bring your camera to capture the colors of spring and develop more than a nodding acquaintance with our annual wildflowers. View the Wildflower ID Guide here.
Reptile Ramble –
Learn to identify resident reptiles and find the answer to the age-old question, “Why do lizards do push ups?” Be prepared to meet a few non-venomous reptiles, perhaps a lizard or even a tortoise, and a few venomous, rattlesnakes and or a Gila monster.
Connecting Plants and People –
Discover the edible and useful plants of the Sonoran Desert.
Desert Landscaping –
Unearth the how-to’s for using native and arid-adapted plants in water-saving landscapes.
Art in the Gardens
Meander the trails and paths in search of both permanent and changing outdoor sculptures.
Eco-Stations at the Overlook
These touch carts, staffed by Park Docents, feature hands-on Sonoran Desert learning opportunities for visitors of all ages. Stocked with everything from binoculars and hand lenses to mounted specimens and scientific models, and supplemented with an amazing array of feathers, bones, skins, and plant parts, these investigation stations allow for a full range of sensory experiences.
Winged Things – Mondays
From birds to butterflies, a look at the winged things of the skies
Ocean to Desert – Tuesdays
Explore the relationship between the Gulf of California and the coastal Sonoran Desert
Rocks and Ruins – Wednesdays
Explore Tucson Basin geology and archaeology
Desert Chow – Thursdays
Follow the predator/prey trail and explore a tangled food web
Creepy Crawlies – Fridays
Sometimes scary, but always cool! – spiders, scorpions, snakes and lizards
Plants and People – Saturdays
Spiny and downright hostile, plants are well adapted to our desert environment