Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, may be chosen as the best botanical garden in the country.
USA TODAY'sΒ 10 Best Readers' Choice category for Best Botanical Garden features the popular Tucson attraction and 19 other nominees from 14 states, including a second Arizona nomineeΒ β Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden.
Voting is open through March 6 and the top 10 winners will be announced Friday, March 17. Garden enthusiasts can cast one vote per day in the category.
The Tucson Botanical Gardens are made up of 17 individual gardens with over 4,000 species available for the public to visit and view every weekday. The gardens also host several events for the public including "Dog Days", to encourage more visitors to the landmark. Tickets and more information on exhibits and the gardens can be found at Tucsonbotanical.org. Pascal Albright / Arizona Daily Star
Tucson and surrounding areas made appearances in other travel categories this year as well. Tucson's White Stallion Ranch and Elkhorn Ranch are up for Best Dude Ranch, as are Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia and Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe.Β
Voting for that category also ends March 6.
West of Tucson, the community of Ajo is nominated this year for Best Historic Small Town. Voting for that category ends Feb. 20.Β
All open contests can be found atΒ 10best.com/awards/travel.
Take a peek inside and learn the history behind some of these spots in and around Tucson.
