El Presidio Historic District marks the spot where the city of Tucson was born as a Spanish military fort in the 18th century. This central district is today a lively hub filled with museums, art galleries and stores. Join a walking tour with a guide for a greater understanding of the rich history of the settlement. Imagine the area as it was for soldiers in the 1700s.
Follow the Turquoise Trail, which meanders past the many attractions of the historic center. Make your way through the exhibits of the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum. Inspect the pit house dating back two millennia and see the 150-year-old Sonoran row house. The museum building is a reconstruction of the original Tucson Presidio from 1775.
On the western edge of the museum stands Old Town Artisans, an open-air set of shops and galleries set around a traditional adobe building dating back to 1922. Purchase crafts and artisanal items and sip coffee in the courtyard. Join a tour of the 19th-century La Casa Cordova next door, one of the oldest surviving adobe homes in the city.
Stop at Romero House Potters to see their collection of ceramic arts or attend one of the workshops and classes. Browse the works on display in the J. Knox Corbett House, a gorgeous mansion of Mission Revival design.
The Presidio Historic District is in the center of Tucson, in the southern region of Arizona. It lies between the zones of Barrio Anita, Historic Fourth Avenue and Menlo Park. Ride a bus to one of the many stops in the neighborhood or take the tram to the SL/Congress/Church stop and walk north for a few minutes to reach the area. Explore the surroundings for other highlights such as the Fox Tucson Theatre, the Tucson Music Hall and the Leo Rich Theater.
