Tucson & Southern Arizona

Tucson was officially founded in 1775 and incorporated in 1877, but inhabitants and agriculturalists have lived in the area for more than 4,000 years. The city's history of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo culinary influences inspired its selection as the United States' first UNESCO City of Gastronomy and today, local chefs and bakers often appear on the lists of winners and semifinalists of James Beard Awards.

The rest of Southern Arizona isn't short on culinary and historical opportunities either. Thanks to their dry, sunny, and relatively mild climates, the Sonoita-Elgin and Willcox viticultural areas are home to dozens of wineries that are open year-round, and Patisserie Jacqui in Bisbee was a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for outstanding bakery in the nation.

Bisbee — a onetime mining town in the Mule Mountains — reinvented itself after the demand for copper cratered; today, it's a hub of artist studios and shops with Southern Arizona flavor. At nearby Tombstone, frontier history fans walk the boardwalks along the same streets Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday one did, and visit the O.K. Corral and other landmarks that memorialize the town's wild past. Or check in at one of Southern Arizona's dude ranches to get a taste of the cowboy life today. No matter your taste in adventure, you'll be able to satisfy it in Southern Arizona!