WEST TUCSON. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of Tucson's star attractions, with good reason. Part zoo, part natural history museum, and part botanical garden, the facility is set on 21 acres and is home to numerous animals that roam freely within invisibly-fenced enclosures. After checking out the exhibits in the main visitor center, wander along two miles of paved pathways, where you can catch sight of endangered species such as the Mexican wolf, thick-billed parrot, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, and the Gila topminnow; and not-so-endangered critters like leafcutter ants, black bears, river otters, bighorn sheep, coatis, beavers, coyote, javelinas, black-tailed prairie dogs, termites and roadrunners. And don't miss the captivating cactus garden or the Hummingbird Aviary!

EAST TUCSON. This well-planned, 17-acre zoo features all of your zoo favorites, including polar bears, jaguars, ostriches and much more. The Aviary exhibit, with its array of birds, is a popular destination, as is the South American exhibit. With more than 500 rare animals, the zoo is active in helping endangered species such as Siberian tigers and ruffed lemurs.