8 peculiar places to visit around Arizona
There are plenty of Arizona attractions that fit the category of unique, odd or peculiar. And summer is a good time to celebrate our state’s quirky nature.
The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson is one place to do so. The museum transports visitors to different eras and fantasy lands via its teeny, tiny displays. Arizona also is the home to the site of a perfectly preserved asteroid strike that happened 50,000 years ago near present-day Winslow. Meteor Crater offers tours, a discovery center and moonlike terrain. Then there’s Arcosanti, an unfinished, experimental, eco-friendly “city” in the high desert that offers daily tours, periodic educational workshops and arts performances.
Add some odd roadside attractions, energy vortexes and curious castles to the mix and there’s plenty of to keep you entertained.
Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures
This Tucson museum is the brainchild of Walter and Patricia Arnell. Its name comes from the notion that visitors are transported to different eras and realms via the 400 miniature houses and room boxes in the whimsical collection. Sights range from an 19th century British home to an Irish fairy-tale castle to a tiny Western streetscape featuring animals on motorcycles. Take advantage of docent-led tours at 1 p.m. daily. From 1 to 4 p.m. every second Saturday, children can make take-home miniature pieces during the museum’s Kids Create Family Fun Program.
Details: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive, Tucson. $9; $8 for seniors and military; $6 for ages 4-17; free for age 3 or younger. 520-881-0606, theminitimemachine.org.
Arcosanti
An experimental city in the scrubby high desert fits any list of quirky attractions. Arcosanti is the brainchild of the late Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri, who originally found his way to Arizona to study with Frank Lloyd Wright. Soleri started constructing his urban prototype city in 1970 based on his concept of “arcology,” or the blending of architecture and ecology. About 7,000 volunteers have participated in the construction, and about 60 residents live in this “city” intended to house 5,000 when complete. Ceramic and bronze wind The view through the vaults at Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti near Cordes Junction. bells are made to support ongoing construction. Tours are offered daily and workshops periodically. Arcosanti hosts music and theatrical performances under the stars. A cafe is on site, and guest rooms are available (without air-conditioning) for $30 to $100 per night.
Details: Tours at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. daily, except for major holidays. 65 miles north of Phoenix on Interstate 10 at Exit 263, north of Cordes Junction. $10 suggested donation per person. 928632-7135, arcosanti.org.
Meteor Crater
This city nestled in the red rocks is a great getaway any time of year. While there, you’ll see references to Sedona’s vortexes by those who believe its rock formations transmit a palpable spiritual energy. You can have your aura photographed, talk to a mystic and take a spiritual-journey tour. Or you can just enjoy the beauty, fresh air and plentiful hiking trails.
Details: Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center, 331 Forest Road. 800-2887336, visitsedona.com.
The Thing?
$15 to $20; free for age 2 or younger. 5025 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix. 602-256-3221, tovreacar rarosociety.org, tovreac astletours.com.
Tom Mix memorial
1930s Hollywood. The Tom Mix Memorial honors the silent-screen star who did his own stunts and was a bona fide cowboy. He died here in 1940 after crashing his yellow 1937 Cord Phaeton convertible into a dry wash. The plaque says, “In memory of Tom Mix whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old West in the minds of living men.”
Details: State Route 79, 20 miles south of Florence. Free.
Mystery Castle
When Boyce Gully was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he left his wife and 5year-old daughter in Seattle and moved to the desert. He started building what would become Mystery Castle, using desert rock and all kinds of reclaimed materials, at the base of South Mountain. After his death in 1945, his daughter, Mary Lou Gully, visited the home and remembered she once had asked her father to build her a castle. She lived in the house for many years and gave tours of the 18room structure until her death in 2010. Through the Mystery Castle Foundation, tours are still offered October through May; the complex has many stairs and is not wheelchair accessible .
Details: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays from October through May. 800 E. Mineral Road, Phoenix. $10; $5 for ages 512. 602-268-1581, mymys terycastle.com.