DAILY TOURS AND ECO-STATIONS
Our daily tour schedule will return October 1. Wearing a mask is required when the group cannot maintain 6-ft of social distancing. Masks are also required inside buildings at Tohono Chul.
To receive the most up-to-date information, please follow us on Facebook, visit our website, or read our email newsletters.
When available, all public tours are included in the price of admission, no reservations are necessary. At this time, private group tours are also on hold. For bus tours, corporate or destination management companies please contact marketing@tohonochul.org.
Reptile Ramble
August 27 – November 12 | Fridays | 10am | Overlook
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 snakes, perhaps a lizard or even a tortoise. Free with admission.
Birds of Prey – Night & Day
October – December | 2nd and 4th Wednesdays | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Children’s Ramada
Naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Kathie Schroeder joins 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. Free with admission.
No presentation on November 24, 2021.
Butterflies and their Plants
Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.
Explore the seasonal world of butterflies and discover the plants favored by caterpillars and adults. Free with admission.
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.
(on hold) EVENT | Stories in the Garden | Children’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 | Children’s Ramada |
Oct-Dec, Feb-Apr | 2nd & 4th Wednesdays | 11a.m. to 1p.m.
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 | Overlook |
mid-Aug to mid-Nov & Mar-May | 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 Bird Checklist (PDF)
Gallery Buzz –
Catch the latest 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.
Butterflies and Their Plants –
Explore the seasonal world of butterflies and discover the plants favored by caterpillars and adults.
Desert Landscaping –
Unearth the how-tos for using native and arid-adapted plants in water-saving landscapes.
Art in the Gardens
Get to know the sculptures and art pieces that embellish our gardens.
Eco-Stations at the Overlook
These touch carts, staffed by 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 tide zones of the Gulf of California and witness how the desert changes as you travel inland
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
Living side by side for millennia, plant use has shaped people along the way