If You’re Tired of Doing the Same Ol' Thing

There are two kinds of Tucson weekends.

There’s the “I have absolutely no plans, so I’m going to sit on the couch and somehow spend $47 ordering food” weekend.

And then there’s the other kind.

The kind where you wake up Saturday, remember that Tucson is one of the most interesting cities in the country, and realize you could probably leave your house for two days and still not experience everything this place has to offer.

So, in the spirit of getting off the couch, here are five things worth doing around Tucson this weekend, September 19–20.

And yes, there’s a little real estate in here. We are a real estate company, after all. We promise not to ruin your Saturday with a mortgage calculator.

1. Head up Mount Lemmon and pretend you’ve escaped Arizona

Tucson has a pretty ridiculous superpower: you can go from desert heat to pine trees without leaving the area.

This weekend, Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is hosting its Oktoberfest, with German food, music, drinks and mountain scenery that makes you briefly question why you ever complained about living in the desert. The event begins September 19 and runs weekends through October 11. (Visit Tucson)

You can also check Visit Mount Lemmon for information on the mountain, restaurants, lodging and other things to do while you're up there.

It’s also a reminder of why Tucson’s location is so special.

You can have tacos for lunch, be surrounded by saguaros, drive into the mountains and end the afternoon somewhere that smells like pine trees.

That’s not a bad Saturday.

2. Go eat your way through TucsonTucson doesn’t casually have good food.

Tucson has a UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation, and the city’s food culture is built around generations of Sonoran, Mexican, Indigenous and cross-cultural influences. Tucson became the first U.S. city designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015. (Visit Tucson)

Explore Tucson’s City of Gastronomy guide or Tucson City of Gastronomy if you want to see what makes the designation more than just a fancy title.

In other words: if your weekend plans don’t involve eating something spectacular, we need to have a conversation.

Hit a Tucson farmers market. Find a breakfast burrito. Try something you can’t pronounce. Go somewhere you’ve driven past 300 times but never entered.

The point isn’t finding the fanciest restaurant.

It’s finding the place you’ll still be talking about three months later.

3. Catch some live music

Tucson’s music scene has never needed to scream for attention.

The city has long been known for independent artists, intimate venues and musicians who actually seem interested in making music instead of merely standing near a fog machine.

This weekend, The Century Room has Samba de Sonora featuring Nossa Bossa Nova on Saturday, September 19, with performances at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. (Extra Chill)

That’s the kind of Tucson night that works beautifully: good music, good food, a little atmosphere and absolutely no requirement to pretend you enjoy bottle service.

4. Take the scenic route

Here’s a completely free Tucson activity:

Drive around.

Seriously.

Pick a neighborhood you don’t normally visit and explore it.

Head toward the Foothills. Wander through historic neighborhoods. Drive around Sam Hughes Historic District. Take a look at the architecture. Find an old adobe house. Find a ridiculous custom home. Find the house with the landscaping that makes you wonder whether the owner has a full-time gardener or simply gave up on having a normal water bill.

This is also where real estate gets interesting.

A city tells you a lot about itself through its neighborhoods. Tucson has midcentury homes, historic properties, contemporary desert architecture, ranch homes, mountain-view estates and everything in between.

You can also explore Catalina Foothills homes with Stratton Group and get a better feel for what is actually happening in the local market.

That variety is one of the reasons people stay here.

5. Watch the sunset somewhere that makes you stop talking

Tucson sunsets are basically cheating.

A good one makes everyone pull out their phone even though they have 600 pictures of the exact same sunset already.

Head toward Gates Pass, A Mountain, the Foothills or another west-facing overlook and give yourself 30 minutes without checking your phone.

You’ll survive.

Actually, you might enjoy it.

Gates Pass is part of Tucson Mountain Park and is specifically known for its scenic views and sunsets. The park includes approximately 20,000 acres and roughly 62 miles of shared-use trails. (Pima County Arizona)

And if you happen to start thinking, “You know, I could see myself living over here,” congratulations.

That’s how real estate starts.

Not with a Zillow search.

With a feeling.

The Tucson Real Estate Quiz

Okay, you knew this was coming.

The Catalina Foothills is one of Tucson’s most recognizable high-end residential areas, and recent market data puts the median sale price there at about $710,000.

So here’s your question:

A home in the Catalina Foothills recently sold for around the current median.

What do you think it sold for?

A. $425,000

B. $575,000

C. $710,000

D. $1.4 million

And remember, a median is not a prediction of what every house is worth. It’s simply a snapshot of the market.

That’s why real estate gets a lot more interesting when you stop looking at the city as one giant number.

Go Live a Little

The best thing about Tucson isn’t that there’s always something to do.

It’s that you don’t have to spend a fortune doing it.

You can eat something incredible, listen to live music, drive into the mountains, watch the sunset and explore neighborhoods all in one weekend.

And if you’re curious what those neighborhoods actually look like from a real estate perspective, that’s where the team at Stratton Real Estate Group Tucson comes in.

Because we don’t just help people find houses.

We help people figure out where they want their life to happen.

And sometimes that starts with getting off the couch.

Quiz Answer: C — approximately $709,530