Tuesday, May 2, 2023

International Wildlife Museum a unique tourist spot in Tucson.

 

This isn't necessarily a spot I would have at the top of my list of places to visit, however we decided to check it out & it ended up being a pretty unique experience. One of the places that is included in the Pogo Pass is the International Wildlife Museum in Tucson. If you don't know what a Pogo Pass is it is a one time pass you purchase then over the course of the year from the day you purchase the pass you'll get into a variety of different venues for free saving you hundreds of dollars. Use code 6c8d10a3 to get a pogo pass for $60 each. Anyway, enough about the Pogo Pass let me tell you a bit about this museum. First and foremost it is located at 4800 West Gate Pass Blvd Tucson, AZ 86745 & is $10 per adult and $5 per child. :)

The International Wildlife Museum is a collection of over four hundred lifelike taxidermy specimens which are on display in a building that looks like a fort/castle. In front of the museum is a pond with a bridge you can walk over & see the fish swimming below. You will also find a large lion statue to snap picture with along with a cheetah near the front door. The building has an easy self guided system, the building loops around back through the gift shop but just in case they do provide maps so you know which exhibit you are in. 


I like that they had different areas dedicated to certain subjects such as a room completely filled with birds, a predator & prey section and more. Some areas of the museum you are allowed to touch, for example the room that has a bunch of different horn & antler types along with some skulls and teeth have a sign that says "please touch" so you are able to see what the different antler types feel like. Along the way through the museum they have some specimens that are out in the open & able to be touched, it was so neat to be able to feel how different animals you wouldn't normally get to touch feel. However it should be noted on the maps of the museum they have a note asking you to stay on your side of any roped areas, so if a specimen is on the other side of a rope please don't touch it. 

I loved the collection of butterfly & moth specimens they have, I collect them myself so I like seeing the massive collection they have. We also saw some gigantic puzzles in frames that adorn the walls through out the museum, I've never seen puzzles that big before. We also really liked how they had everything grouped and staged through out the museum, for example they have a giant mountain set up with mountain goats lined up along the mountain which is neat to see as that is how it would be out in the wild. They also had hand sanitizer stations set up along the way for you to use if you felt like you needed a refresh.

In total I would say we were there for about an hour to an hour and a half which is pretty good for a spot like this. If you get thirsty or a little hungry they have a few snacks along with an icee machine in the gift shop, though I was a little surprised they weren't selling framed butterfly specimens in the gift shop. We had a good time walking around looking at everything & talking about the different animals together. If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

**This is not a sponsored post, we used our pogo pass in order to get in however we weren't provided anything from the museum.**

2 comments:

Christina Ferguson said...

What a fabulous activity for a family outing. There is something to interest everyone. It would encourage great discussions also.

Marysa said...

I haven't heard of this spot in Tucson. Sounds like an interesting place to explore. It is nice to learn some new things there too.