Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
The Desert Museum is ranked on TripAdvisor.com as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country and the #1 Tucson attraction. Unlike most museums, about 85% of the experience is outdoors! The 98 acre Desert Museum is a fusion experience: zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum, and aquarium. Beyond merely an attraction, the Museum's conservation and research programs are providing important information to help conserve the Sonoran Desert region. The Desert Museum's Art Institute inspires conservation through art education and gallery exhibits. The Museum's publishing division, ASDM Press, has produced over 40 books and guides on the natural and cultural history of the Sonoran Desert region.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum sits on saguaro-studded hills overlooking mountains and valleys in the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O'odham. Home to over 230 animal species and 1,200 varieties of plants, it offers botanical gardens, four aviaries, an aquarium, and an art gallery. Unlike most museums, much of the experience is outdoors across a 98-acre campus. The Museum offers encounters with the wildlife, vegetation, natural history, cultures, art and beauty of the Sonoran Desert. Founded in 1952 by William H. Carr with backing from Arthur Newton Pack, it interprets the region through integrated exhibits of native plants and animals. Conservation and research programs help restore habitats and safeguard biodiversity. The Art Institute inspires conservation through art education, and Desert Museum Press has produced books and guides on the region's natural and cultural history.
