Sonoran Studies: Trips, Tours & Classes for adults and families
These programs are offered to the public to create a better understanding of our Sonoran Desert through enjoyable and informative experiences, and provide opportunities to learn practical applications for working and playing in balance with our environment.
If you have considered taking our in-depth docent training program, but are not ready to commit the time, you may be interested in our new Sonoran Desert Naturalist Certificate program (Learn more).
Cancellation Policy
For part or full day classes, a full refund less 25% cancellation fee will be given. For multi-day programs specific cancellation fees apply. No refunds can be made within 7 days of any program.
Holiday Gift Certificates
How about a Sonoran Studies Gift Certificate? View the details page for more information and to purchase your gift certificate.
Photo by Robert Graf
Jul 26, 2008 - Jul 26, 2008
They use night as their cover and are shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. But we'll throw some light on one of the most intriguing desert animals - bats! Learn how they make our desert more beautiful and more livable. Join us as we separate fact from fiction on the 28 different bat species in Southern Arizona, then take a trip out onto the ASDM grounds to study the animals in action!
Aug 23, 2008 - Aug 23, 2008
Tucson is the sun capital, right? Find out how you can reduce your utility bills by tuning into the sun's seasonal path. This tour will take you to residences where the owners do just this. Visit the Solar Store, Civano and Armory Park del Sol, the largest sustainably built in-fill project in the country. Meet with utility, policy, and engineering experts. Includes a delicious solar-oven cooked Sonoran lunch. This course is co-sponsored by the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
Juan Quezada making a pot
Sep 13, 2008 - Sep 17, 2008
Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in the famous pottery village of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua. Visit potters in their homes and watch them work, using the same techniques employed by the ancient inhabitants. This is a unique opportunity to experience the village and purchase pottery directly from the artists. Visit the ruins of Paquime, the archaeological site that inspired Juan Quezada to reinvent the pottery process that became a local industry. This trip takes place over Mexican Independence day which is a day of fiesta. There will be a parade, rodeo, dances and general merry-making. Price is all inclusive, based on double occupancy. Transportation is ...
Sep 20, 2008 - Sep 20, 2008
We'll provide you with food for the belly and some food for thought and on this day tour of local farms. Learn how the San Xavier Cooperative Farm's return to traditional foods is reaping cultural as well as health benefits. Travel further south to Arivaca and harvest fall crops at the Aqua Linda Farm. Enjoy a lunch prepared from seasonal, local ingredients, and find out about farmer-direct Community Supported Agriculture opportunities. Price includes a take-home bag of fresh produce.
Oct 18, 2008 - Oct 19, 2008
Have you ever thought that you would like to become more knowledgeable about your desert surroundings? This two-day natural history course is the answer. Through indoor lectures and outdoor hikes, both on the museum grounds as well as in the Tucson Mountains, we cover the following topics: definition of a desert biome, climate of the Sonoran Desert, geology of the Southwest and southern Arizona in particular, Sonoran Desert flora, fauna and ecology, environmental issues and conservation initiatives of the region, and human history of the region.
This course is introductory level, and it is a requirement for those who are pursuing our Naturalist Certificate program.
Oct 25, 2008 - Oct 26, 2008
Spend your weekend looking back in time. Did you know the nearby San Pedro River Valley has nine megafauna kill sites? Visit the Murray Springs Clovis site near Sierra Vista and study the evidence for the hunting of large Ice Age mammals by Clovis people. If you want to see much older fossils, then we'll take you to a petrified Late Cretaceous Rudist reef near Bisbee. While the Rudists used to be the primary reef builders of their time, they now are extinct. Imagine that! We'll picnic on top of a reef constructed 85 million years ago.
And, while in the Bisbee area, we would be remiss to not spend some time admiring her beautiful blue and green copper minerals. We'll explore the geology and history of this famous mining town, as well as that of Warren, the "company town" that supported the Bisbee mines. Includes one night double occupancy accommodations, probably at the Copper Queen Hotel and one picnic lunch. Leaders are Glenn Minuth and Sonya Norman.
Decorated Altar
Oct 26, 2008 - Nov 2, 2008
Immerse yourself in the culinary and cultural traditions, folk arts and archaeology, and lively celebrations of the Days of the Dead in Southern Mexico. The colonial city of Oaxaca lies in a mountain-rimmed valley about 300 miles southeast of Mexico City at an elevation of 5,200 feet. With the blending of Old World tradition and living native cultures, the region is known for its outstanding baroque architecture, indigenous artisans' villages, magnificent archaeological sites, museums, contemporary art galleries and culinary traditions. With its spring-like climate, the pace is relaxed and unpretentious.
This tour is truly a feast for the senses. Enjoy vast colorful markets bursting with dazzling arrays of dried chiles, fresh herbs, colorful vegetables, tropical fruits and fresh-cut flowers for your room. Visit the great ruins of Monte Alban, the ancient city of the Zapotecs. With the historic colonial city as our base, we will journey to nearby villages, meet indigenous artisans and witness their use of native materials to create whimsical carvings, ancient- styled pottery, ceramic folk art and their world-famous hand-woven textiles. Tour Oaxaca's impressive ethnobotanical gardens to learn more about the history and use of native and cultivated plants of the region.
And during this festive time of Dias de Los Muertos (Days of The Dead), richly colored flowers liberally adorn gravesites, pungent incense fills the air and music and candles light ...
Nov 1, 2008 - Nov 1, 2008
In the Australian Outback everyone does it. In the Sonoran Desert the rain in vain falls mainly down the drain. See how this bounty is harvested at a housing co-op, on neighborhood streets, in urban homes and in a community garden. Calculate how much water can be collected off of your roof and find out how you can divert and store rainwater. This tour is co-sponsored by the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Brad Lancaster of the Sonoran Permaculture Guild and author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (www.harvestingrainwater.com) is the instructor.
Nov 2, 2008 - Nov 2, 2008
Learn how to create simple, low-maintenance, legal, and effective household graywater harvesting systems that use gravity to direct graywater directly into the landscape (no stinky tanks) where it passively irrigates landscape plantings. This can greatly lower water consumption and water bills, while enhancing and beautifying your yard. We will discuss how to create graywater systems, graywater-harvesting guidelines, materials and suppliers, graywater-appropriate soaps and detergents, marrying graywater- and rainwater-harvesting earthworks, and how to maximize your graywater-irrigated landscape's potential with passive solar design, food production, and oasis design. We will also discuss tax rebates for rainwater- and graywater-harvesting systems. After this discussion we will tour four residential sites in central Tucson, all within walking, bicycling, or driving distance of one another. On this tour we will see graywater used with indoor and outdoor showers, baths, and sinks, washing machines and communal laundromats, and 3-way diversion valves and/or multi-drain options allowing graywater distribution to the landscape or the sewer. Note: all graywater systems toured will be graywater systems installed/retrofitted within existing construction. Instructor: Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for ...
Nov 15, 2008 - Nov 18, 2008
Follow this watercourse through the quaint towns of Arizpe, Banamichi and Ures and discover the rich gastronomic and ranching heritage of rural Sonora. The scenic route offers a fascinating glimpse into 400 years of northern Mexico's history, including the miner's strike that precipitated the Mexican Revolution. Visit mission churches, bird in Masocahui canyon, taste artesanal Piloncillo (sugarcane), observe the making of Bacanora (agave liquor) and prepare traditional Sonoran recipes including tasty carne asada, queso cocido and pastries. Spend the last night at a beautiful hacienda. Call La Ruta at 886-6555 for reservations.
Dec 3, 2008 - Dec 3, 2008
Perhaps no individual has left a more indelible impact on the cuisine, culture, commerce and customs of southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico than 17th -century Jesuit priest Father Euesbio Francisco Kino. Indefatigable explorer, humanitarian, and Renaissance man, Kino was beloved by the Pimans among whom he spent 24 years.
On this full-day tour to Sonora, Mexico, ethnographer, historian and author Thomas E. Sheridan will transport us back to Father Kino's time to appreciate the hardships and legacy of this intrepid padre. Our luxury motorcoach will provide present day vistas of the deserts, mountains and river valleys where Kino labored.
We'll journey to Magdalena, Sonora to visit the church and Kino rotunda, where Kino is buried. Then onward to the pueblo and spectacular mission church at Tubutama, in the Altar Valley of Sonora. On our return we'll visit the delightful mission at San Ignacio noted for it's carved ...
Dec 6, 2008 - Dec 6, 2008
In the Australian Outback everyone does it. In the Sonoran Desert the rain in vain falls mainly down the drain. See how this bounty is harvested at a housing co-op, on neighborhood streets, in urban homes and in a community garden. Calculate how much water can be collected off of your roof and find out how you can divert and store rainwater. This tour is co-sponsored by the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Brad Lancaster of the Sonoran Permaculture Guild and author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (www.harvestingrainwater.com) is the instructor.
Mar 2, 2009 - Mar 10, 2009
The Best of Baja - Whale Watching & Natural History
Join us for this comfortably paced, comprehensive and diverse whale watching and natural history learning vacation in one of the most storied places on earth. Desert delights abound during the scenic road trip between the border and fabled Scammon's Lagoon: Boojum forests, immense cardon cacti, and brilliant spring flowers. Enjoy two days with boating on Scammon's, the gray whales' largest and best-protected migratory destination, where biologists often count over 2000 gray whales and several hundred newborn calves during our visit! ASDM teams up with Baja's Frontier Tours to give you ...
