Sonoran Desert Museum

The Sonoran Desert Museum wasn’t even on our radar until we had lunch with my cousin Donna who has lived in Tucson for the last few years.

A cactus garden at the Sonoran Desert Museum

The stunning beauty of a cactus garden

It is so helpful to have friends or family members in an area we are visiting for the first time! My cousin and her husband have been Arizona residents for many years. They lived in the Phoenix area until a few years ago when they moved to Tucson to be near one of their children. We met for lunch and she graciously gave us a long list of “must visit” attractions for both areas where she had lived. Accordingly we planned our excursions from Rincon Country RV Resort to Saguaro National Park, Bisbee, Tombstone, Boothill Graveyard, Sonoran Desert Museum, Pima Air and Space Museum and BK Tacos for Sonoran Hotdogs while staying in Tucson. Donna also advised us to visit the Apache Trail, Chompie’s Deli and Scottsdale when we went to our next destination in Mesa AZ.

BK Tacos

A red and white sign with a 3-D hotdog showing all the toppings on our way to Sonoran Desert Museum

BK Tacos Sonoran Hotdog sign in the parking lot

The interior of a Mexican restaurant on our way to the Sonoran Desert Museum

A view inside BK Tacos

Sonoran Hotdog

Intrigued by the idea of a Sonoran Hotdog, we started our journey to the Sonoran Desert Museum with lunch at BK Tacos. Right in the parking lot BK Tacos shows you what to expect in a Sonoran Dog with a very cool 3-D sign which made the perfect photo op. Inside the restaurant resembles pretty much every taco joint in America. But we weren’t there for the tacos.

A white bowl of guacamole with a spoon and a basket of tortilla chips on our way to the Sonoran Desert Museum

Buttery Guacamole and Chips at BK Tacos

A white tray with plastic lidded containers of toppings for a hotdog on our way to the Sonoran Desert Museum

As if there wasn’t enough of our Sonoran Hotdogs we were offered additional toppings!

Now that’s what I call a Sonoran feast! Have you ever had a Sonoran Hotdog?

After an appetizer of buttery guacamole we were served our first ever Sonoran Hotdog. Their award winning Sonoran style hotdogs are wrapped in bacon and served in a freshly baked bun unlike any we have ever seen. The unique bun is very fluffy and melts in your mouth. It is a great foil for all of the flavors and textures that fill the bun. But there is so much more to a Sonoran Hotdog than just a squishy soft bun and bacon wrapped dog. It also includes a myriad of toppings such as whole pinto beans, grilled and fresh onions, fresh diced tomato, mayonnaise, and a dash of yellow mustard. Then it is finished off with their secret jalapeño sauce with a side of plump, tasty, grilled yellow pepper. Not your normal hotdog!

International Wildlife Museum

A stone platform with a huge bronze sculpture of a male lion just before we got to the Sonoran Desert Museum

“A Lion’s Roar”
An original bronze by Lorenzo Ghiglieri

A large stone building with wild animal sculptures just before we got to the Sonoran Desert Museum

Lots of animal sculptures let you know that you’re at the International Wildlife Museum

Scenes along our route to the Sonoran Desert Museum

Mountains line the highway along the route to the Sonoran Desert Museum

Stunning landscape en route to the Sonoran Desert Museum

A tan stucco Mexican style home on our ride back from Sonoran Desert Museum

Loved this stunning hacienda on the mountainside.

A white house with lots of windows seen on our ride back from Sonoran Desert Museum

The views from this mountainside abode are spectacular!

The roads were steep and this driveway steeper!

The Sonoran Desert Museum

When we left BK Tacos we were ready to walk off the calories at the Sonoran Desert Museum. The drive there was peppered with a few stops to take pictures of the International Wildlife Museum (which was closed due to Covid), landscaping and a few of the stunning homes built on the mountainsides.

Who are those masked strangers? They are a pair of Javelina sculptures.

A brown wood entry gate to the Sonoran Desert Museum

Welcome to the Sonoran Desert Museum

We were welcomed at the Sonoran Desert Museum by a pair of masked Javelina (a breed of hog) sculptures. But we were astounded by the beauty of the desert gardens as we walked through the gates. The facility is vast so we were very happy to have a well marked map to guide our way.

A pair of green lizards on rocks at the Sonoran Desert Museum

Our Hershi would have just loved to chase this pair of lizards!

A tan and orange sign with a green frog at the Sonoran Desert Museum

This sign was just too cute not to share!!!

A white and green cactus at the Sonoran Desert Museum

Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus

A group of green and white cactus at the Sonoran Desert Museum

Don’t let those fuzzy tips fool you. They are quite prickly.

Beside all of the stunning cactus and succulents we got to see all sorts of wildlife in their natural habitat. We were told to be on the lookout for Bobcats, Gray Foxes, Javelina, Cardinals and Coyotes. And we had seen all but the Coyotes. As carefully as we scoured the terrain looking for them, there were none to be seen. None that is, until we headed back to our car. And right there in the parking lot was a big beautiful and a little intimidating Coyote! He was polite enough to stand still and pose for my photo.