Arizona History Museum

Cost to get in, Covers all of AZ history. Exhibits are pretty good. I seen everything in about and hour. The Staff was exceptional.

I am a very big fan of museums and an even bigger fan of history, so this spot is right up my alley. Having been multiple times in the last few years, I have enjoyed the various exhibits to explore each time. There is a good balance of text to objects & images (though there is quite a bit of reading to do throughout the exhibits). The historical society does a great job of branching out to various topics of AZ history, though the mining exhibit notably stands out. The exhibits are kid-friendly for the most part, though some spots can get wordy. I would like to see more touch-interactive spaces; even just flaps over the answers to true/false questions would be a great start. Overall, I would highly recommend taking multiple trips to focus on specific histories, though this is a great place to take it all in without getting overwhelmed as well.

Nice history musuem. Displays cover the history and people of Arizona.

This museum was amazing! There were quite a few built items so that you could actually see things to scale; including, a mining shaft that you can walk down and see equipment, different types of homes of pioneers and natives, various carriages, etc. There were a lot of plaques to read, but it was interesting to see the history of Arizona. There is an interactive portion for children. The staff was nice and the place was quiet. Ticket price was really cheap and street parking out front was free today (meters were covered).

Pros: Very educational and enjoyable for all ages, everything is kid friendly, even adults can easily enjoy the most kid-focused area, touches on a wide range of Arizona history, cool immersive sets, good value Cons: you will have to park and walk a bit Fantastic museum! I highly recommend! There are so many cool things here: Santa Ana's uniform, finely crafted Spanish silver, Native American history and culture, immigrant culture, early life in Arizona, mining, gemstones/minerals, early history of Arizona as a state, vehicles (a stagecoach, chuckwagon, Studebaker), and some really depressing art on people who've died crossing the Mexico/US boarder. They also have a cool little gift shop. This museum perfectly encapsulates the history of Arizona in pretty much all its aspects; one of the best museums I've ever been in!

Hello Arizona! Look at your history. I came here by accident while on my whirlwind tour of Blue Star Museums. Thankfully this awesome museum of massive historical proportions was a participating member. Thank you for this amazing program to expose military members to the arts. There were many exhibits detailing the state of Arizona. I also learned about the Studebaker car named after Arizona Sheriffs. Something I did not know. The exhibits cater to adults as much as children. Many items on view were relevant to the great state history. There were also many activities for kids to participate in to include a mine recreation, and historical play areas. I would recommend this museum for all ages to experience a trip back into the history of Arizona.

With a brochure in hand, I found my way to the Arizona History Museum. I was impressed, it was more than expected. If I were to highlight my favorite area, it was the mining section. Something for everyone. Two 👍👍 and a round of applause 🙌

This was a very pleasant visit. The exhibits were quite professional and enjoyable. The Historical Society has another museum in Phoenix which is even better. Nonetheless, don't blow this one off.

Highly recommended. This gem of a museum transports one to another time and place. Very well-curated museum with an exceptional collection. Who knew that Studebaker was a wagon maker first?! The ole' West has such an incredibly rich history.

I came here on Saturday for their free entry for Arizona Statehood Day. I believe they are offering free admission Feb. 10, and Feb. 13-17. I was pleasantly surprised by how big the museum was and I really enjoyed learning about AZ history.

Never met a museum we didn't like and the Arizona History Museum is no different. There is so much to see and there are many themed rooms to visit. This is not a quick in/out event. Take the time to absorb what they have to offer. Totally engaging and i know way more about Arizona. On a hot July date being inside is also a big plus. Excellent bathrooms thanks for that. Validated covered parking or metered street parking.

Never before have I seen a bobcat skin rug! Don't think I'd want one in my house, but it was only one of many interesting relics they have in this museum. I really enjoyed seeing the antique camera as well. My trip was unplanned, but since I was in the area and saw the sign, I wanted to see some Arizona history. That's exactly what I found.

It was smaller than I had expected but it was a wonderful experience with lots of interesting information on the State. Wish they had more information on the parking situation and that they have a parking garage out back.

I greatly enjoyed my visit, don't be turned off by the sparseness in front area. there are great exhibits in the back areas. Parking can be a problem and plan for at least 2 hours

INCREDIBLE VENUE. First time visiting. Located adjacent to U OF A this museum is worth a visit! Very detailed exhibits re history of AZ with a visiting display of Barry Goldwater at time of review. Mining, genealogy, minerals, culture, history, all presented with exceptional display and content. Sound available on most. The HAM radio display (until 2022) was a big draw for me. Masks mandatory. Provided if needed. Plan on returning with guests and family.

Part of the Arizona Historical Society, the museum is a preeminent source for information about the region's past. Grab your visiting seniors and tiny children. It's going to be hours of a brain-expanding, educational experience! To do -- do not use street parking, unless you are planning on a 30 minute visit. Instead, park down the street (heading west, one block) in the UA's Main Gate Garage off of Second and Euclid. There is a lot specifically for museum visitors and, once you pay your fee at the museum counter, you will be provided a slip to exist the parking garage at no cost. Now to the goods. The museum is situated on mostly the ground floor, with an extra mezzanine level. Both are wheelchair and carrier accessible. But, for some reason, you have to ask the receptionist in the lobby if you would like to use the elevator to get to the mezzanine. Back to the offerings. The museum has more than one dozen small sections. You can learn about: John T. Joelser, an architect who designed the original museum, and the 150+ year history of the museum, with a collection of Spanish Colonial silver, photographs, personal items and artwork. The Mexican revolution, and Geronimo. The museum even has several guns Geronomi owned. The Silverbell Artifacts, a collection of several dozen pieces found in the 1920s. The origins of these artifacts are unknown. Some say they provide evidence that a colony of the Holy Roman Empire must have been in the Tucson area during the 8th or 9th century. Fascinating. Arizona's mining history, with an actual replica of an underground mine that is creepy as all get out! With mannequins hiding in the cut and everything! My favorite, though, were the minerals on display. Wulfenite, cerussite, malachite and more. What a treat! How people lived decades upon decades ago. What is apparently obvious is that native folk and the early settlers were teeny-tiny people. The shoes, the beds, the desks -- everything is child sized. The exhibitions obviously have not been updated for years upon years. But it is a treasure trove for researchers and curious minds. The museum's Research Library and Archives is available Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also know that this is only one of the Arizona Historical Society's museum. Others are found in other parts of Tucson and also in Tempe, Flagstaff and Yuma. Others in Tucson include the Fort Lowell Museum and the Downtown History Museum. Interested in signing up for or gifting a membership? Fees are $50-$1,000, depending on the level you prefer. There's even a household level. Students can sign up for a $25 membership. And bonus: The museum has a lovely courtyard area that is perfect for reading, quiet time and meditation. There is a water fixture that makes a lovely sound, and a small watercourse said to hold Arizona pupfish. I did not spot any during my visit.

Located on campus and there's free validated parking by the museum. The museum itself is pretty extensive and comprehensive. The pen that President Taft used to sign, ratifying AZ as a state, is on display, as well as the gun Geronimo handed over at his surrender. The only thing is that the museum closes at 2pm, which is kind of early. I went after lunch and had to rush through everything. Will definitely return at some point to spend more quality time in each exhibit.

My fiancé and I visited this museum on 3/17/2021. We had a good time seeing all of the updated and newly modeled exhibits. Growing up in 520, it was surprising to learn so much about the history of Tucson , it's surrounding areas and how some things came to be. Az history museum was fun, informative and educational in a nicely climate controlled environment. Our family can definitely recommend that you take the time to come and check it out!

I was pleasantly surprised how cool this place was. Wish I could have stayed longer but I had to run, so many cool exhibits to see. 10/10 recommend

We had the opportunity to take an hour and a half and wander through the Arizona History Museum this week, and I'm glad we did. I enjoyed my time there more than I thought I would. I do think the museum needs some work, however. First off, all of the employees we interacted with were nice, especially the woman running the "interactive" portion in the upstairs rooms. She was very friendly and interested in answering any questions we had. The museum itself is larger than I thought it would be, but it's laid out a little bit strangely, with dead ends here and there. Not a big deal, but it could be better. The flow of the information works well enough, in my opinion. There are clearly some gaps in historical information given in the exhibits and some lack of details, but there's an ok overall explanation of AZ/Tucson history. It's good enough. Many exhibits need work, however. There were a few with signs fallen over, so I didn't know what I was looking at because I couldn't see what they said. Many exhibits (ones without artifacts) were coated in dust. There were various pieces of building equipment just sitting in the middle of rooms. The place just seems to need a little bit more TLC. The best part of the museum is definitely the replica mine they have built in. It was fun to walk through. Some of the interactive displays seemed like they would be fun for kids, too. And I always enjoy seeing artifacts of different times, of which they have many. The prices are also very reasonable at $5 for adults. I think that $5 was definitely well spent. And it's more convenient to get to now with the streetcar. The stop is right around the corner. So is this the best museum? No. But it is a decent museum, especially for people who just like spending time in museums. It could be quite a bit better if they'd tidy it up a little bit, but I'd still go back as is. Maybe not this year, but I'll definitely go back some time in the future. And I'm happy we have this museum in our city.

Very interesting and much larger than I thought it would be. Spent several hours in the museum.

I took my three boys (ages 11 and under) to the museum as part of a cub scout activity. We were a very small crowd hoping to get some exposure to Arizona's past. While there were many great displays and some good information - and as another reviewer mentioned, a wonderful quilt exhibit going on - there really was quite a bit lacking about native Americans in the area. The only real displays regarding native Americans focused on Geronimo, and his surrender. Growing up in Missouri, I was used to hearing more about the natives and their way of life, and some displays on the merging of the two (not always a pleasant experience) to help provide info on the full history, not just 1800 - 1900. The first part of the museum was overrun by quilts - the current exhibit. Wonderful quilts with a little "story" for each one. The details and colors were wonderful. The mining area was really cool and fascinated the kiddos. The giant drilling machine, sorting machines, and the walk in "cave" were all fun and well done. Upstairs was a hands on area - clothes to dress up in, a general store with some checkers to play, a wicker hut that kids could climb in, and more. It's one thing to describe what a bed might feel like in the "old days" but to sit on one was another thing entirely. Thank you, Temperpedic, for your space age materials. And thank you bakeries for making me delicious soft bread because I'm pretty sure I'd have starved to death if I had to cook "off the land" way back when. They had an old transportation section with old cars, carriages, saddles, and more. Kids loved all that and many pictures were taken. The old "bar/saloon" was pretty cool, too. I wish it had been "interactive" as having people sit at the bar while someone pretended to serve drinks would have been a lot of fun. Last was a section devoted to the turn of the century - mock rooms that showed typical bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and more. There were displays of mannequins wearing styles of the day, and gadgets and tools as well. Sadly, they were all behind a large wall of plexiglass. There was SO much stuff behind there it was really hard to see it all, and the lighting was nice and soft - but that means a bit dark. Or put simply, it was hard to see all of the good stuff back there. I'm no historian, but I've lived 40 and three quarters years so I know a bit about history. At least my own. At least the parts I can remember. And so I feel qualified to make two suggestions. First, add some native American history. Please. It just *should* be there. Second, break up that area with the Victorian dresses and hodgepodge of gadgets/devices/tools and put some more of it in either individual cases, or just on shelves where people can get closer to it. Thank you.

Great collection. Lots of exhibits. Good documentation of the history of Arizona. Some wonderful examples left from early residents. Well preserved.

It's has too much of that yard sale museum look, too many items displayed with too little context. The Geronimo exhibit is interesting, but some of the permananet exhibits feel extremely dated.

Great informative experience. Very helpful docents. Don't miss this and it's quick and fun

This place was great to learn about AZ history. It was interactive and the staff love their job, you can tell by the way they interact with the public. The kids loved the hohokam, the 2nd floor interactive history which was a plus. It was a fun time.

Really sad museum. I don't think the people who put the displays together have any education with curating. Poor layout and hard to make your way through exhibits. Really needs to be gutted and redone. Save your 5$ and skip this one.

What a treasure! We enjoyed the informative displays, interactive exhibits and the fact we were lucky enough to tour the museum while they had a quilt exhibition. It enhanced the surroundings with bright colors and incredible workmanship. The mining display was the best.

If you have an interest in history then you'll like this place. They had a lot of interesting big exhibits, and just the little odds and ends type stand alone exhibits gave information that I had not seen before, and I've visited quite a few museums that's main focus on the the very early 1900s and before. My favorite exhibit here was their upstairs 1870s life in and around Tucson, where they displayed what the homes, work, and daily lives of three different families would be like. The enormous mine replica display was fascinating also, as well. If any of this stuff interest you then, it's worth the trip.

I definitely do not recommend. Te museum needs updating. It is not laid out well and has several dead ends. It was not very interesting. The transportation exhibit like most ended in 2000. The mining exhibit was, comparatively, the most interesting.