Old Tucson — Attraction in Tucson

After paying quite a lot for a family of 5 to enter the park, I was quite disappointed after the first hour. We arrived just as the park was opening (10 am) and were surprised how few people were here. Walking down the main road all we saw were old time costumes for movie sets and pictures from the movies that filmed here...With 3 children between ages 7 and 2 this was not what we wanted to see. We saw some live horses so we walked closer to investigate. The people informed us that we would need to pay more money for horseback riding. In fact, even to ride the stage coach would cost more. This was really disappointing considering we had just paid a LOT of money to enter the park. We decided to go see a show (which doesnt cost extra). The can-can show was the first show and really we were not impressed. It was poorly performed and seemed VERY low budget. After this we decided to go pan for gold (surely this would be free, Right?....nope). However, panning for gold was closed anyway. At this point I was nearly convinced this place was as bad as my grandfather had told me.

I finally got smart. I looked at the map and it showed me all of the things that were labeled attractions and entertainment and if they cost extra. So we found all of the free attractions and did those. We rode the train, and drove the cars (similar to disneyland), rode the carousel, did the iron door mine, and went to the rest of the shows. And the day ended up being really fun!

If I were to recommend this place to others I would suggest the following:

Go see (most of) the shows!

Skip the can-can show but arrive in time to watch the hangman show (around 11:30am)

After that show--ride the train, do the carousel, ride the cars, and do the iron door mine.

Then go see the stuntman show! This is the BEST show. The actors are great and do a great show. I think this is the one show that gets the biggest budget.

After this show, go do the free rides again! Or you can walk around and tour the lot. Or get some food to eat for lunch,- just be ready to spend amusement park prices for food...

The last show about the sherrif is pretty short but does have quite a bit of shooting... this one takes itself a little too seriously and could use better character development. It was fun enough but I wouldn't stick around just for this show.

Overall I would say it is a pretty fun low cost amusement park..just dont expect a lot of amazing rides. The main attractions are the shows and 3 or 4...

We went in December for Yuletide, it was our first time visiting Old Tucson. Tickets were slightly pricey, but it included all of the shows, train ride, hayride, etc. so I think it evened out for the cost to get in. I'd say we were there for three and a half to four hours. They had holiday decorations & lights up, there were elves and carolers that helped bring you the holiday spirit. We had arrived just a few minutes before they opened & the line to get in was massive, but thankfully as soon as the opened the line moved pretty quickly so we weren't waiting in line forever. I thought the little museum they had with a lot of old movie props & information from films & shows that were filmed at the location was pretty neat. It was also cool being able to see the black smith working right in front of everyone.

The opening ceremony with Santa was fantastic, the only thing I would say they could change is maybe have some kind of rope or paint line in the dirt to show where everyone needs to be standing for it. People were spread kind of all over & when the staff started corralling everyone to where they needed to be there were a lot of rude people shoving and cutting in front of people trying to get the people who were already in the proper spot out of the way.

I felt like they had a lot to offer/do during the Yuletide event. There were quite a few shows to watch, a small hay maze for kids, a theatre showing classic holiday movies, a trivia game for kids, a carousel, story time with Mrs. Clause, Photos with Santa, a holiday sing along hayride, a train ride and more. All of the staff we had interacted with were friendly & helpful. The stunt show didn't have anything overly wild, but the actors are what made the show fun to see, we enjoyed the show & had a great time.

We didn't try any of the food options at Old Tucson so I can't comment on the price or how good the food was. I only gave it four stars as some of the prices in the gift shop & candy store were a bit high and on top of a semi pricey ticket to get in might make it harder for some families to be able to afford a trip. A tiny piece of fudge was $10 for plain & other treats and merch were pretty up there was well. Other than that we are glad we were able to visit & see what Old Tucson had to offer for the...

Visiting Old Tucson is literally like stepping back in time to the 1800s old West. The scenery and costumes are very authentic. The role players walking around Old Tucson are very helpful while staying in character.

I recently attended the Yuletide holiday event at Old Tucson and it was amazing! The holiday lighting and music along with the fragrance of baked desserts, hot chocolate, and the scent of firewood take you to a place and time I long for especially during the Christmas season.

There were a variety of performances throughout Old Tucson that repeated several times to allow each visitor to attend all of them. The acts included a magic show, a stunt show, photos with Santa, story time with Mrs. Claus, etc. Almost all of the shows are outdoors so check the weather and dress accordingly.

There is a story line that runs all evening long and you get bits of the story at each performance. It begins with the arrival of Santa at the "West Pole" for the lighting of the Christmas tree in the town square which is interrupted by the antagonist, Jack Frost.

There are carolers who appear in different places around town to sing traditional holiday songs. Watch for the elves who mysteriously appear on the roof of the courthouse to crack jokes and make witty comments to the crowd below.

The food in the park is decent, but way overpriced for the quality and portion sizes. The desserts are delicious, but also expensive. They do provide a small (8 oz.) beverage cup with your meal that is eligible for free refills anywhere in the park. Other than food and souvenirs there are no additional expenses beyond the admission price.

I would highly recommend purchasing your tickets online so you can save $5 per person. I also suggest you arrive 30+ minutes before the gates open in order to park in the main parking lot. Otherwise it may be necessary to park in an overflow parking lot that is a significant walking distance to the gate. I did not see any shuttle service operating the time I visited.

Old Tucson is definitely worth a visit anytime you happen to be in the...