Touring Tucson with Children

YO-YOS AND MOUNTAIN YAMS

"Mom said we're going to have fun in Tucson. What's a Tucson?"

Traveling with kids can be anything from the most fun you've ever had (watching their little faces light up when they spot a hummingbird's nest at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) or sheer torture (searching desperately for a rest room with a chocolate-covered 30-pound toddler under one arm and a six year old making increasingly urgent pleas). It's exhausting; it's exhilarating; and it's an adventure.

By the second day, the kids If You've Done It, You Know It.

If You Haven't, Read On . . .

We were having a ball; the snacks were gone; the littlest one had proved himself violently allergic to the sunscreen; and the toys had been locked in the trunk of the car as a last-ditch attempt at peacemaking.

Here are the high and some of the low moments of the trip. (The italicized quotes are unedited comments from the little folks.) Before we left Phoenix, we gathered ideas from Tucson kids and their parents about their favorite activities. The list was a long one: Gaslight Theatre it offers great hot-weather entertainment because its old-fashioned melodramas are geared to children, and it's indoors.

Reid Park Zoo kids love zoos, and this is a good one.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is world-renowned

for its native habitat exhibits, and adults will enjoy it as much as kids.

Sabino Canyon take a picnic lunch and spend the day.

Pima Air & Space Museum - the older kids will like it, and the grandparents will love it.

Tucson Children's Museum - participatory exhibits keep everybody busy - and it's cool inside.

Arizona Children's Theatre Company - it presents imaginative productions just for kids.

Downtown Saturday Night take the stroller and hit the streets for entertainment and food.

Kitt Peak and the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium - this is a must for the big kids and anybody who's interested in the stars and planets.

And, last but not least, were persistent rumors about a "yo-yo factory" that welcomes kids.

We made a preliminary scouting trip with a 14 year old and an eight year old as our guides. They made their mark in Tucson, added their own editorial comments on the list (the eight year old scrawled "no giant roller coaster") and went back home to Tulsa, satisfied that their mission had been accomplished. Then we confidently presented the list to our hearty crew and imposed the harsh reality that whatever fun we had in Tucson must occur within the next three days. In a trip planning session, we let the kids set the agenda. Well, okay, we influenced them somewhat with a few comments like, "There are some great souvenirs at the ball park." Upon which one kid remarked, "What are souvenirs, and why do you want me to have one?" (She found out, and now her parents' vacation budget is forever wrecked.) We drove from Phoenix to Tucson by way of Saguaro National Park, spreading a lunch across a picnic table and letting the kids climb rocks. This is where the fateful sunscreen application occurred, triggering a series of events that landed us in the first-aid room (it's well-equipped, by the way) of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Once that excitement was behind us, we learned why this place ranks high on most kids' and parents' lists. It's fun, it's educational, and it's a place where a family can spend an entire day. There are free strollers available; the rest rooms are clean and equipped with changing stations; and there are snack treats as well as food. The exhibits are well done, and most of them (PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 38 AND 39) The youngsters accompanying our author on her vacation to Tucson discover plenty to hold their interest - sometimes they are even quiet. Five-year-old Wyatt Wilkinson seems mesmerized by a sunset viewed from a perch in Saguaro National Park.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) The animals at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum fascinate the youngsters, especially the hummingbirds and the otters. Three-year-old Caitlin Wilkinson takes a rest break. Seven-year-old Jordan Stinson finds a quiet, shady spot to escape the hubbub of travel and to spend some time with her coloring book.

They were built with the 36-inch-tall individual in mind. The snakes, scorpions, and other critters hang out at eye level behind a glass wall, and the desert cats crawl into a special sleeping spot that is separated from pintsize visitors only by glass. “Why don't you like the giant hairy scorpion? It's the best thing here.” “I liked that big ol' bird with the little mouse in its mouth. That was cool.” The hummingbird exhibit was definitely a hit, especially with the older kids. The plastic flaps keeping the hummers inside the exhibit were a source of endless fascination for the littlest ones. When the vigilant(but gentle) docents convinced the tots that playing with the flaps could possibly harm the birds, we unsuccessfully tried to sign them up as chaperons for the rest of the trip. The birds were busy building their nests, and they favored the bright-red hair on one good-humored little boy.Leaving the museum and heading back to Tucson via Gates Pass Road, the kids spotted some hikers winding their way to the top of a craggy butte, and at least one of the moms lectured on the dangers of climbing to such dizzying heights.

“Look at these big mountains. I sure hope

TRAVELING WITH KIDS

we get to see one of those mountain yams.” “They're not yams. They're rams.” “No they're not.” “Are too.” “Are not . . . .” Meantime the photographer among us, always on the lookout for a flaming Arizona sunset, instructed the driver (through a mouthful of candy) to park the van. He saw his picture. The only catch was that the wind was howling; the temperature was dropping; and the best shot was to be had right up there with the climbers. The kids, fired up by the challenge, were up the butte and in photography position in no time.(Getting down was another matter, but we'll skip that part.) "What's so special about the sun going down?" "Why do people throw trash in the park instead of a trash can?"

All too short visit to the Pima Air & Space Museum only whetted the kids' appetites for more of its 180 vintage airplanes. Driving to the museum past the graveyards of hundreds of old military aircraft, the taxpaying adults in the caravan were openmouthed. We were separated from the planes by razor wire topping tall chain link fences. The kids were more impressed by the experience at the museum itself. Going through the indoor portion of the museum with little kids is a challenge because there is a lot to see, read, and comprehend. Touring the outdoor exhibits of the planes, some of which you can actually board, is more fun for them.

"I want to ride this airplane. I think we can if we ask that lady."

"Lookit those little animals crawling in the hole. I like them better than the airplanes."

Whizzing past the Reid Park Zoo before the kids figured out what it was, was, indeed, a coup. We had heard wonderful things about the zoo, but time was short. Speaking of eating the kids really enjoyed a meal at Carlos O'Brien's because of the balloon artist who fashioned an "Arielle" who looked for all the world like she had just emerged from the set of Walt Disney's modern animation classic The Little Mermaid. They did, however, note that Tucson doesn't have nearly enough McDonald's to suit them. (One on every corner would be about right, they agreed.)

TRAVELING WITH KIDS

Next stop was the yo-yo factory, complete with a personal yo-yo lesson from Don Duncan, son of the founder of the original Duncan YoYo's company. Some of the kids missed this leg of the trip because school had started for them back in Phoenix. The rest of us kids - big and littlehung out with Duncan and added such phrases as "World on a String," "Punching the Bag," and "Rocking the Baby" to our vocabulary, if not to our repertoire of yo-yo tricks. Duncan, a modest gentleman who could double as Mr. Rogers, showed us around his tiny "factory" and taught the kids how to wind a yo-yo properly, how to shorten the string to accommodate little folks, and how to do your basic yo-yo moves. After the television set in his office survived an encounter with an errant yo-yo, he calmly, in his best Mr. Rogers voice, showed a seven year old how to identify the "circle of danger" that surrounds every yo-yo. We had a lot of fun in Tucson. We saw a lot of cool stuff and made plenty of notes for "next time." It's a kid-friendly (and parent-friendly) destination with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities that defy almost any tricks the weather can play.

his tiny "factory" and taught the kids how to wind a yo-yo properly, how to shorten the string to accommodate little folks, and how to do your basic yo-yo moves. After the television set in his office survived an encounter with an errant yo-yo, he calmly, in his best Mr. Rogers voice, showed a seven year old how to identify the "circle of danger" that surrounds every yo-yo. We had a lot of fun in Tucson. We saw a lot of cool stuff and made plenty of notes for "next time." It's a kid-friendly (and parent-friendly) destination with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities that defy almost any tricks the weather can play.

We asked the kids for their vote on the best part, and we should have been ready - but we weren't - for their reply: "Getting home and ordering pizza."

Additional Reading: To discover more about the attractions of Tucson for youngsters and grownups, we recommend Tucson to Tombstone, a guidebook by Tom Dollar. The author shares his storehouse of knowledge - both fact and legend - as he treks from the desert floor to riparian canyons and alpine forests atop majestic mountains. The 96-page softcover book features 128 full-color photographs, maps, and travel tips and costs $12.95 plus shipping and handling. To order, telephone toll-free (800) 543-5432; in the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., (602) 258-1000.

Phoenix-based Trudy Thompson Rice is a veteran of road trips with kids. Although her first such outing involved a brand-new 1976 Mustang and a carsick six year old, she maintains that any trip is more fun with people under the age of 12 along. Jeff Kida lives in Chandler, is unmarried and has no children, so this excursion was "a real eye-opener" for him.

WHEN YOU GO

When planning a trip to the Tucson area, check with the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, (520) 624-1817, or toll-free (800) 638-8350. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum can be reached at (520) 883-2702. For information about taking your kids into the "land of Yo," call Don Duncan's Yo-Seum at (520) 322-0100.