Tucson’s Barrio Viejo is a “Top Place to Go in North America in 2024” in Conde Nast Traveler’s list.
“Go for a historic melting post galvanized by delicious dining and cultural programming,” the travel publication says.
“Sitting in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui tribes, Tucson has always drawn travelers looking for outdoor adventure. And now, they will have a whole new reason to visit: a revitalized downtown,” Conde Nast says in a piece written by Amber Gibson.
“In particular, Barrio Viejo, which has a significant mix of cultural influences, will receive a National Historic Landmark designation in 2024. Originally home to Mexican and Chinese immigrants, among others, the neighborhood boasts one of the largest concentrations of stylistically unchanged 1880s adobe buildings in the US, some of which have been converted into all-day cafés and restaurants. The new designation will likely light the fuse on even more restaurant and gallery openings.
“Barrio Viejo is also where Tucson’s oldest performing arts venue, the 300-seat Teatro Carmen, is currently being restored, with plans to reopen for live performances, film screenings, dining, and outdoor programming on its 8,000-square-foot patio. When in Barrio Viejo, shop for hand-glazed tiles at Carly Quinn Designs, sip a mesquite cold brew at Exo Roast Co., or learn about agave spirits at Crisol Bar, all within walking distance from the cool new Leo Kent Hotel that opened in summer 2023.”
Downtown highlights, including the Tucson Museum of Art, which marks its 100th anniversary in 2024, are a 20-minute walk away, Conde Nast points out.
By the way, last year Time named Tucson to its World’s Greatest Places 2023 list, lauding the city for its innovative restaurants, historic neighborhoods and new boutique hotels and calling it “The Soul of the Sonoran Desert.”
The NYT list
This year, the New York Times’ new list of “52 Places To Go In 2024” includes one Arizona destination, the recently designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni or Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
“Considered the ancestral homelands of more than a dozen Indigenous tribes, the monument preserves more than 3,000 Native cultural and historic sites, reflecting the area’s deep spiritual and sacred significance,” the New York Times says in an article by Gina Rae La Cerva. It also recommends that travelers book a Colorado River adventure with the Hualapai River Runners while in the area and that they “be sure to look up” to see a California condor.
Walking tour of the historic Barrio Viejo neighborhood south of downtown Tucson. Text by Bobbie Jo Buel. Photos by Mamta Popat. Produced by Rick Wiley / Arizona Daily Star 2020
