Small Business Spotlight - Guadalajara Mexican Grill in Tucson!

 

When we go on trips, we always try to stick to local restaurants instead of big chain restaurants & I love being able to share them with my readers after we visit. On a recent trip to Tucson, we had originally set out to visit a small old school diner, however there was an event going on and it was packed, so we drove back to a Mexican restaurant we had spotted while driving through town. That restaurant was called Guadalajara Mexican Grill. We ended up arriving at just the right time! After we had been seated there was a big rush of people who came to eat as well, however one of the servers had called out so many of the people who came after us had to wait for a table to open up.

Even with a smaller staff our waiter did a good job at keeping up on our drinks and making sure our table was alright. It was a lot of fun having someone come around to handmake salsa & guacamole at our table, and it is nice you are able to choose your spice level on both. We went with the medium on the salsa & are glad we did, as it was pretty spicy so I can't imagine how much hotter a higher level would have been. Both dishes were quite delicious, especially the guacamole! It always bugs me when I can taste the lime/lemon a lot of spots use to keep their guacamole fresher, and this one didn't have any since it was fresh. 

The margaritas were quite large & if you had a party with you that wanted to drink, they had a fun margarita fountain you could purchase. The menu was quite large & there were a ton of delicious entrees to choose from. We all ended up with a dish we were quite happy with and everything was cooked just right! Everyone left feeling happy & full, but not over stuffed. We would happily stop by and visit this spot again the next time we were in Tucson. 

If you are in the Tucson area & want to stop by for a visit, this location is located at 4901 E Broadway Blvd Tucson, Arizona 85711.

Looking for more adventures in Tucson? Type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog.

💗This post is not sponsored. I love sharing awesome new spots I find with my readers!

Small Business Spotlight - Mourning Star Curio Shop in Tucson, Arizona!

 

I love visiting oddities shops anytime I am near one, so I was excited to check out Mourning Star Curio & see what they had in store for me. I love that it is tucked away in a cute historic little alley way of an old building, it almost feels like ducking into a train station waiting platform. The shop itself feels whimsical & the lighting and decor really helps add to the ambiance. 

They had a wonderful selection of products from a number of local artists. You can find prints, stickers, crochet plushies, jewelry, cups, taxidermy, insect specimens, and much more tucked away into this little shop. Although the store was a little smaller than I expected (width wise), the owners did a fantastic job with picking out the perfect shelves and displays to make the store not feel cluttered. 

It was lovely looking around at everything the shop had to offer. I ended up grabbing a pair of earrings and some delightfully scented incense and my daughter picked out a print she wanted. My mother & step-dad also ended up buying a few things while we were there. During check out I was able to pick out a free stone from a little dish she had on the counter, there was a nice assortment of moon and star shaped stones to choose from. She also put everything in a little gift bag with a little bit of tissue paper to keep everything in place. Next time I am back in Tucson, I am sure I will stop by again to see what is new! 

If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog.

💗This post is not sponsored. I love sharing awesome new spots I find with my readers!

Yuletide at Old Tucson!

 

Did you know there is an old western town in Tucson that was built in 1939 & is a movie set used in multiple movie scenes including moves like the Three Amigos & Tombstone and shows like Little House on the Prairie. That location is called Old Tucson! It is still open as a filming location & when there isn't anything being filmed there you can visit to explore the town or participate in one of their holiday events. On December 23rd, we took a road trip to Old Tucson to experience Yuletide the old west way. The tickets may seem slightly pricey however all of the shows & rides at the park are included in the price of admission & there is quite a bit to do. 

When you first arrive, the first show is the opening ceremony. You'll learn the story of how the "West Pole" came to be & how Santa made his secondary home Old Tucson. Santa is brought into town in a wagon & he welcomes everyone to Old Tucson with a tree lighting ceremony. However, things don't go quite as planned when Jack Frost shows up to try & ruin the night. Everyone at Yuletide is invited to help join in the festivities to chase Jack Frost away and show the power of Christmas Magic. 

For entertainment there are magic shows, stunt shows, trivia games for kids, live blacksmith demonstrations, The goofs on the roof which are two adorable elves that sit on top one of the buildings talking with all of the guests. There is also a horse drawn carriage ride where you can sing Christmas carols, a train ride that takes you around the circumference of Old Tucson allowing you to see some sights & buildings you aren't able to see from inside of the town. 

That isn't all, they had a small movie theatre playing classic holiday movies, a small maze for kids, skee ball, a carousel, face painting, a shooting range, photo opportunities & you can explore Jack Frosts layer to see what he has been up to at Old Tucson. If you are looking for a way to warm up in the chilly night there is hot chocolate for sale along with a few spots to grab food or you can head inside for some in doors activities like pictures with Santa, Story time with Mrs. Claus or write a letter to Santa. There is also a small museum with movies props from films/shows that have taken place there, two sweets shops and of course gift shops. 

As mentioned, there was a lot to do! We went from one show or ride right to another, they kept the schedule packed and well organized. We spent a few hours at Old Tucson & enjoyed everything they had to offer especially the stunt show. There were a few neat stunts, but that isn't what really made the show, the actors themselves are what made the show quite entertaining. While this event might be over for the time being, if you are close & able to travel to Tucson you should consider visiting this event at the end of 2024!

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. This was not a sponsored review, we paid to get into the zoo ourselves. I enjoy being able to share spots like this with my readers who may not be able to visit in person but are still interested in learning more about these spots, or for anyone planning vacations in the area. 

Tucson Botanical Gardens Review & Giveaway!

 

We are always looking for new things to do whether it is where we live, or in cities we are visited so on a recent trip to Tucson we deiced to stop by the Tucson Botanical Gardens. The botanical garden is a beautiful & peaceful little spot tucked away right in the middle of Tucson in-between some shopping centers & a neighborhood. I like that the botanical gardens not only offer a wide selection of native plants to look at, but they also have a large collection of gemstones, a butterfly pavilion & art exhibits that change throughout the year. It is $15 per adult & $8 for children, which is a pretty good price for the amount of time you'll spend here & everything you'll get to see. On the day we arrived there wasn't a ton of visitors, so we were able to find a parking spot up near the entrance & explore the garden at our own pace without a large crowd around us. Everything is self-guided, there is a map at the entrance you can take a photo of to find your way around or you can just explore and see what you find. In total I would say we were here for about an hour as we took our time walking around looking at the plants & spent quite some time inside of the butterfly pavilion. 

During our visit we were able to see some beautiful sculptures on display that were created by John Benedict. Each piece is made from a combination of steel, copper, glass and other natural materials. It was neat seeing some of the recycled pieces he used in the art including chains & more. The pieces were gorgeous & very detailed, a few of them would be lovely to have in my own garden. The kids really enjoyed some of the critters such as the toad that was wearing a top hat with a little pipe in his mouth. The gardens did a wonderful job at intertwining the sculptures within the gardens, so everything flowed together & felt like it belonged in the spots they were placed. This exhibit is being featured until January 14th, 2024 so there is still a little bit of time to see it before it is gone. 

We were also lucky to catch the La Calavera Catrina which featured Dia De Los Muertos sculptures by Ricardo Soltero as this exhibit ended on the 31st of December. The sculptures were placed into a small, enclosed area in the middle of the garden that made it feel as if you were transported to another location. I loved how many poinsettias were lining the garden in front of the sculptures. Throughout the entire botanical garden, you will find spots to sit down & take a break or just relax and watch any wildlife that might be around. The day we went it was cloudy & raining off and on, but we did still manage to see a hummingbird or two. 

There were so many cool varieties of cactus & other types of plants. I've seen tons of cacti in my life, but some of the cactus they had on display I've never seen. I actually found quite a few different plants & cacti types that I'd love to own and have in my own home or garden. I liked the different themed areas they had including a herb garden where you could touch & smell different herbs like thyme, sage, mint, etc. however because it was raining it made it harder to actually smell the fresh herbs. They also had other areas with food growing, a Zen garden & more. We had a lovely time walking around together as a group looking at everything the botanical gardens has to offer. They have a restaurant on site where you can grab lunch, however we didn't stop in as we had lunch shortly before we arrived. 

I did enjoy walking around and seeing all of the plants on display, but my favorite part was the butterfly pavilion. They had a small area where they had a bunch of cocoons on display with several that had recently emerged & drying out inside of the window. Inside of the pavilion they had some tropical plants, some small pond areas with gorgeous fish & of course tons of butterflies all over including the walls, flying around and even on the ground so you had to watch where you were stepping. The blue & purple morph butterflies were gorgeous, I loved seeing glimpses of their gorgeous colors fluttering around and chasing each other. 

🌼 GIVEAWAY 🌼

One lucky winner is going to receive two day passes to visit the Tucson Botanical Garden. They will be good until the end of 2024! 

This is open to Arizona Residents! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 01/09/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering at least one of these questions.

What is your favorite type of plant?

What theme of sculpture would you love to see featured at the Botanical Gardens?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is easiest if you log onto Rafflecopter using the Name/Email Address option. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Disclaimer- The Tucson Botanical Gardens provided two passes for this review & two passes for the giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Exotic Animal Experience in Arizona!

 

When we visit fun new places that I think others will enjoy, I like sharing them here on my blog! This time around it isn't really a review of the location just some fun highlights of when we visited. Why isn't it quite a full review? When we had visited this location, it was under another name & address. Shortly after we had paid a visit to the farm, they moved to their new location taking the exotic animals with & have the farm animals at another location as part of the new mobile petting zoo services they offer. The exotic animal portion is now called Ghost Ranch Exotics which is located just outside of Tucson, Arizona. We personally loved getting to go on the exotic animals tour as we were able to see & pet Capybaras, Patagonian Maras, a red-rumped agouti, a kangaroo & more along with being able to feed porcupines and other animals. This is a spot we paid for on our own while on vacation to Tucson and it is not sponsored by the ranch. 

They have several different packages depending on your budget & what kind of animals you want to interact with. We opted to do the all in exotic animals package which allowed us to feed & pet the farm animals which included ducks, goats, pigs, emus, and chickens plus the exotic animal tour. During our visit they had a bunch of baby goats you were able to pick up & hold, they were so cute and sweet. I've been to a lot of zoo's & small owned locations like the Ghost Ranch Exotics, from what I saw while we were there, the animals are well taken care of. They looked healthy, they looked happy & seemed to really enjoy all the attention they were getting. Appearance wise they looked well groomed, after getting to pet them your hands didn't feel disgusting & were not overly dirty. They had a wash station where you could wash your hands & hand sanitizer if you wanted to use it. 

It also included a tour through the exotic animal areas, in each area we were handed some food & told which animals we were able to give the food to. There were only a few animals that weren't able to be pet during this tour which were the porcupines (you were still able to feed them carrots) & the birds. The package we purchased also had the kangaroo included so after the exotic tour we were taken to another area to see the kangaroo & a warthog. We got extremely lucky & there weren't any others who had purchased the kangaroo part at the same time so the four of us were able to be with the kangaroo & staff member by ourselves almost the entire time until another couple joined us toward the end. 

On your way out you can stop by the gift shop to purchase a souvenir from your trip. Not only do they have personally branded items such as clothing, notebooks, and more, but you can purchase peacock feathers, porcupine quills (they shed them naturally just like bird feathers) & some other goods. I bought a cute Capybara pin & a Halloween themed fridge magnet that has a kangaroo on it.

I have no idea what the new location looks like, but the old location was pretty well kept for how many animals they had. We had an amazing time seeing all the animals, getting to pet them & feed them. We were there for about two hours in total. Cost wise it is different now from what it was when we visited & their new website doesn't state if the costs are per person or per group. When we had paid it was per person but was a lot less than the currently listed prices so maybe it is for a small group? The price for the all animals experience at the new location is $375. They also have other options for certain animals if you'd like to only see certain animals. 

What is an animal you've always wanted to have an interaction with??? Is this a spot you think you'd want to visit??

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

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.**

Golf N' Stuff - Tucson, Arizona.

 

My family & I always enjoy getting outside to do activities together when the weather is nice. One of our favorite things to do is mini golf, we have both indoor & outdoor courses here which makes it great because we can enjoy the weather when it is nice or escape the heat in the summer. Some of you who have been a follower of my blog for a while have seen me talk about the POGO pass before, but if you haven't it is an local attractions pass that can be purchased for $60 per person & it gets you into a number of activities for free saving you hundreds of dollars. You can get a Pogo Pass for a discounted cost $59.99 using code 6c8d10a3. You can learn more information about the pogo pass by visiting my review here. One of the places included in the Phoenix/Tucson POGO Pass is Golf N' Stuff in Tucson. It is located at 6503 E. Tanque Verde Rd. Tucson, Arizona 85715.

With your pass you will be able to get a free round of mini golf, a free round of laser tag & a free round of the bumper boats. Each will need to be used on a separate occasion, if you do not live near Tucson but will be in the area for vacation you can either use the trips on the different days you are there or visit once in the morning, leave & then visit later in the day you can claim your visits. 

When we were on a mini in-state vacation we stopped by Golf N' Stuff while we were on vacation to claim our mini golf visit. They have two different eighteen-hole courses you can complete & you are free to choose which you'd like to do. We got lucky & visited on a day when there weren't a lot of people golfing as it was closer to when they were going to close and it was also a little rainy that day so we mostly have the course we choose to ourselves. 

Like most mini golf spots the course could use a little bit of updating as some spots were a little beat up, but overall, we really enjoyed the course. It was well set up; each section was pretty cute and the holes themselves were fun. My favorite hole was the one near a miniature Victorian house because I love how older homes like that look. We were able to go at our own pace which was very enjoyable & fun since we weren't trying to rush so a group behind us could play next. We spent a little over an hour there playing golf, then we went inside to play some of their arcade games. They have a wide range of arcade games for all ages & it didn't cost a lot to play which is a bonus. 

You can find more Arizona attractions, events & restaurants by clicking the "Things to do in Arizona" link on the right-hand side of my blog or click the purple link in this sentence. 

**This is not a sponsored post, we stopped by here as a family & I decided to share about our experience with my readers.**