Many visitors to Tucson arrive unprepared for what they’ll discover: The impressive cultural richness of our city, the awe-inspiring natural beauty of our Sonoran Desert and the overwhelming abundance of the region’s activities, events and places of interest.

The average guest of the Royal Elizabeth stays between five and eight days and most tell us two things—they wish they had planned for more time in Tucson; and they look forward to planning future visits to more fully enjoy the lifestyle and amenities of our city.

Located on the high desert of Southern Arizona, just 50 miles from the Mexican border, Tucson is embraced by natural beauty. From our massive “sky islands” with mountain peaks reaching 10,000 feet into the deep blue sky to our lush high desert valleys and rolling grasslands, Tucson and Southern Arizona offer visitors nearly every type of recreation and climate imaginable. Snow skiing, swimming, hiking, biking, birding, fishing, caving, astronomy, dining, shopping, art, history and culture—all await you in Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Tucson is a relaxed, friendly and welcoming community. Though our metro-area population is just over one-million residents, the city is as comfortable as a small town. Tucsonans pride themselves in their progressiveness and social consciousness. This is a genuinely inclusive community where all are welcome and diversity is embraced.

Couples, families with children, visitors traveling alone, gay and lesbian travelers and the many that will arrive from global destinations will equally feel embraced by Tucson and its people. It is a city that allows all people, residents and visitors alike, to be themselves and contribute in their own way to the colorful fabric of our community.

At nearly 500,000 residents, The City of Tucson is also a perfect blend of small town and modern city. With the University of Arizona contributing tremendously to Tucson’s identity and notoriety, our “college town” culture is driven by intellectuals and artists alike. Here you shouldn’t be surprised to meet a cardiac specialist that plays in a local band or an optical scientist who performs in a local theatre production. It’s this mix of purpose and passion that keeps our neighbors and our community healthy, aware and expressive.

Throughout the year you’ll find an abundance of activities to suit a variety of interests. While many regard Tucson as an international destination for outdoor recreation, remember that ours is an artistic town and creativity weaves its way throughout the community in many, many forms especially by way of culinary talent, live theatre, visual arts, music, dance, poetry, history, ethnic culture and spiritual arts.

For information on current events here in Tucson, we recommend consulting the Tucson Weekly. This, in our opinion, is Tucson’s best source of event listings and reviews for a wide variety of mainstream and more obscure happenings in art, film, music, dance, sports, clubs, dining, local news and politics and more.

We also highly recommend the resources offered by the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau. This first-rate team of passionate Tucson professionals will help connect you with Tucson and Southern Arizona long before you arrive. You will also do well to request the latest edition of the Tucson Visitors Guide. It’s a beautiful and highly-useful publication and is something you will want to have in your hands before, during and after your Tucson visit.