Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

A few weeks ago I visited the Desert Museum while extended family was in town. It had been several years since I last visited and I so enjoyed the time we spent there! Spring is the perfect time to visit before the heat of summer becomes too oppressive.

If you've never been, the Desert Museum is part zoo, part natural history museum, part botanical garden, part aquarium, art gallery and institute. The majority of the museum is outdoors with plenty of paved and gravel trails to follow. I loved the native flowers and plants that filled the walkways. I took way too many pictures of every bloom I saw, tucking away ideas for future watercolor paintings. The Sonoran Desert proved once again to be an infinite source of inspiration for me. 

The Desert Museum is one of my top 5 things to do in Tucson. I think it's a great introduction to the abundance of life that you can find in the Sonoran Desert. No matter your favorite desert critter, they probably have it in an exhibit. We got to see the big horned sheep, tarantulas, javelinas, otters, lizards, hummingbirds, tortoise, and my niece's favorite, the fish which prompted her to sing Baby Shark at the top of her lungs.

I quickly visited one of the art galleries while my family continued on to see another exhibit. I took a walk around the quiet gallery and told myself one day I will have my art hanging in this gallery.