Yesterday our family went to visit Old Tucson Studios, a fun and historical attraction where western movies and shows have been filmed since 1939. Old Tucson was home to The Little House on the Prairie and has seen major western movie productions, including scenes from Tombstone. The film history of Old Tucson alone is a reason to want to visit. Growing up in Arizona, I remember a family visit to the park when I was just 7 years old. I was very excited to share this fun experience with my husband and 4 year old daughter.
Being in Arizona my entire life, I’m not very amused by the saguaro cactus. Our drive from Phoenix to Tucson changed my mind. I can honestly say I’ve never seen this many beautiful saguaros together.
We arrived at the park in the early afternoon and spent the entire day there. We had so much fun looking at the movie props and stages.
Walking through the town was a great history lesson. My daughter was very interested in all the buildings and asked many questions. She was very curious about the adobe schoolhouse.
We really felt like we were in the Old West! Horse drawn carriages and characters in western clothes definitely added to the fun.
We watched several of the shows including a shoot-out and full contact stunt demonstration.
The stunt demonstration was a great show! My daughter asked if we could watch again as soon as it ended.
We ate lunch at Big Jake’s BBQ. The sarsaparilla was a necessary drink for an authentic cowboy experience.
We loved getting dressed up for a family photo!
In addition to all the shows, tours, and shops there were plenty of kids activities too. The carousel and car rides were completely free with your park admission and the horse ride was by donation. My daughter so excited to ride the horse!
By the end of the day we were sure we would visit again soon.
Be sure to check out the Old Tucson website when you plan your visit. You can also connect with Old Tuscon on Facebook and watch videos on their YouTube channel.
I was not compensated in any way for sharing our experience.