These air-conditioned campus attractions can help you beat the heat on your next break
The Universe of Science exhibit at Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium immerses visitors in the wonder of scientific discovery.
Nick Letson/Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
Tucson's familiar swelter has been creeping up for weeks, but the solstice on Friday made it official – summer is here.
An afternoon walk is miserable without shade or air conditioning. Luckily, there are more than a dozen museums, centers and other attractions open to visitors on or near the main campus that offer not only a respite from the heat, but a chance to create art, stargaze, learn the stories told by tree rings and more.
Explore campus attractions below – with plenty of water and sunscreen for the walk there.
African American Museum of Southern Arizona
1303 E. University Blvd.
Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closes at 3 p.m. on Fridays)
Among the newest additions to campus, the African American Museum of Southern Arizona opened in 2023 on the ground level of the Student Union Memorial Center. The museum's exhibits highlight African American life and history in Southern Arizona. Exhibits include one on the U.S. Army's buffalo soldiers, and another with oral histories from prominent Black Southern Arizonans. The museum maintains a strict no-photo, no-video policy. The museum will be closed through July 18 but will consider requests for tours. Admission is free.
The Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum includes exhibits on Arizona's mining history, a timeline of the evolution of minerals, and a gallery of shimmering rare gems.
Chris Richards/University Communications
Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum
115 N. Church Ave., Suite 121
Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ticket sales end at 3 p.m.)
The first floor of the historic Pima County Courthouse in downtown Tucson is home to a U of A museum dedicated to telling both the story of both gems and minerals – a unique feature among museums of its kind. Museum highlights include a collection of Arizona minerals on loan from U of A optical sciences professor Stephan Koch and an exhibition featuring Atelier Munsteiner, German gem-cutters famous for their "fantasy cut" gemstones. The museum is also one of only three in the world with a sample of the asteroid Bennu, collected by the U of A's OSIRIS-REx mission. Tickets are $15 for visitors age 13-64, $10 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for children age 4-12 and for Arizona college students with ID, and free for anyone younger than 3. The museum will close for a summer recess on July 1 and will reopen on July 15. From Aug. 5-16, the museum will offer $5 admission to everyone.
Arizona State Museum
Virtual exhibits only
The Arizona State Museum's 100-year-old north building, which housed its exhibits and public programs, is closed indefinitely for repairs. While its physical doors are closed, the museum is partnering with sister institutions, businesses and cultural festivals around Tucson and Southern Arizona to offer in-person exhibits, pop-up exhibits, free talks and hands-on classes. The next pop-up exhibit will part of Tucson Comic Con, Aug. 29-31. The next free program, "An Archaeological Examination of Domestic Dogs in the Southwest," will be held at Whiskey del Bac on July 17. Check ASM's calendar of events for other talks, master classes and travel excursions. Online exhibits also allow visitors to learn about pottery, baskets, jewelry and much more, with new exhibits posted regularly. The museum's gift shop and sales of Indigenous art are also available online.
Center for Creative Photography
1030 N. Olive Road
Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Center for Creative Photography is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, with "Picture Party: Celebrating the Collection at 50." The exhibition includes more than 100 photographs and archival objects from CCP's vast collection of 300 archives and some 120,000 prints. The exhibition invites viewers to join visual conversations about the ways artists have used photography since its earliest days. Through June 30, the CCP's Center Galleries will host "Chill Zone: CCP's Summer Experience," a self-guided space where visitors can slow down and cool off while exploring art books and digital photo collections. The center will be closed on July 4 and 5. Admission is free.
Guided tours of the Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences are available by request.
Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
1703 E. Mabel St., Room 260 (entrance located outside the northwest corner of Skaggs building)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only.
Housed in the Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, the museum was founded in 1966. Its collection includes hundreds of pharmaceutical antiques, John Dillinger's chewing gum and a collection from a pharmacy that once operated at Disneyland. Through Aug. 2, the museum will offer a banner exhibit from the National Library of Medicine that revisits the story of aspirin. Guided tours of the museum are available by request. Admission is free.
Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
1601 E. University Blvd.
Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The U of A's signature planetarium has offered respite from the heat for five decades. This year, Flandrau sports a newly minted title as a top 10 planetarium in the U.S. – No. 4 – according to USA Today readers. Its rotating schedule of astronomy programming and laser light shows is available online. Admission to planetarium shows – which also includes access to the center's science exhibits – is $27 for adults 16 and up, or $19 for visitors age 3-15. Adults visiting only for the science exhibits pay $15, while ages 3-15 pay $11. Another option: the $85 family pass, which provides unlimited admission to the exhibits and planetarium shows until Aug. 31. Discounts are available for military, seniors, EBT cardholders and students with ID.
Jim Click Hall of Champions
McKale Memorial Center, 1 National Championship Drive
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Hall of Champions showcases the accomplishments of the University's 18 intercollegiate sports as well as the heritage and traditions of more than a century of Arizona Athletics. Accessible from inside McKale via the mezzanine, or from the University of Arizona Mall. The hall is free to visit. Visitors should be aware that the hall is occasionally closed for private events.
John E. Greivenkamp Museum of Optics
1630 E. University Blvd.
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum's extensive collection includes antique and historic telescopes, microscopes, lenses and cameras dating back to the 18th century, all spread across exhibits on six floors of the west wing of the Meinel Optical Sciences Building. Visitors can enter from the north-facing entrance off the University of Arizona Mall. A self-guided tour on the museum website will start visitors at the third-floor lobby before taking them up to the eighth floor and descending to see the exhibits. Admission is free.
The U of A's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research holds the world's largest collection of tree-ring specimens – a few of which visitors are able to examine during a free 90-minute docent-led tour.
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
1215 E. Lowell St.
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Established by A.E. Douglass, the originator of the science of tree-ring dating, the lab holds the world's largest collection of tree-ring specimens. Visitors with smartphones can take a self-guided tour by scanning the signs near each exhibit. The lab also offers a 90-minute docent-led tour featuring an introduction to dendrochronology and a chance to examine specimens. Admission is free.
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter
9800 E. Ski Run Road, Mount Lemmon
Wednesday through Sunday year-round. Day tours and picnic tours by reservation only; SkyNights stargazing, 5:30 p.m.
Sometimes escaping the heat means hiding out in the mountains, and the SkyCenter offers a respite with a window to the wonders of the universe. Email the SkyCenter to schedule a 90-minute daytime tour, which includes tours of the SkyCenter facilities, and solar viewing, weather permitting. Daytime tours are $10 per for adults and $5 for children age 7 and older. Starting around sunset, the popular SkyNights stargazing program guides visitors through a five-hour tour of the night sky – with binoculars and telescopes – to view planets, galaxies and nebulae. Schedule a spot on a tour on the SkyCenter's ticketing page. SkyNights admission is $60 for ages 7-17 while 18 and up pay $85. Visitors should be aware that monsoon storms can cancel visits with little warning.
Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab
527 N. National Championship Drive (on the east side of Arizona Stadium)
Summer schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m., or by appointment for groups of 10 or more.
Tours begin at Steward Observatory dome, at 933 N. Cherry Ave., before a walk down the street to the Mirror Lab. When visitors arrive to the Mirror Lab, they'll get to explore the instruments, research and engineering that make it the only facility that can cast mirrors for the world's biggest telescopes. Visitors must wear closed-toed flat shoes for safety and comfort and must leave behind all water bottles, bags and other items. The 90-minute tours are open to anyone over age 10, but children must be accompanied by an adult. General admission tickets cost $25; the cost is $20 for ages 10 to 17 and for students with ID.
When the Poetry Center reopens in early August, it will sport a new green space near its entryway – in addition to its library of more than 60,000 books of contemporary poetry.
University of Arizona Poetry Center
1508 E. Helen St.
Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Poetry Center will reopen on Aug. 5 following a green space renovation project. The center's collection includes more than 60,000 books of contemporary poetry that visitors can peruse in the center's main reading room. The children's area is dedicated to youth and features a selection of books appropriate for toddlers to young adults. Check out the center's events calendar for a lineup of readings, community classes, workshops and more. Admission is free.
Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures
1430 E. Second St., Room 453
Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Anyone who finds themselves on campus with their kids would do well to stop by Worlds of Words on the fourth floor of the College of Education building. The center is home to the largest collection of global children's and adolescent literature in the U.S. The center's featured exhibit this summer, "Stitching Stories: Hmong Customs and Symbols as Told through Storycloths," highlights the oral and textile storytelling traditions of the Hmong people. The center will be closed June 30 through July 4. Admission is free.