If you didn’t know that the Boyce Thompson Arboretum was the largest botanical garden in the United States, don’t worry, because I lived in Arizona for 10 years and I didn’t know either. Boyce Thompson Arboretum Source: vagabond54 / shutterstock Boyce Thompson Arboretum It’s a great way to get out and meet some locals, support local artists and the economy too.ĩ. Held on Saturdays and Sundays, the event usually draws people in the thousands.Ĭheck out their website for directions and a schedule, which changes through the seasons. There are also food vendors serving what can only be described as gourmet fare, much of which has a southwest flair. It sports nearly 200 vendors and artists, who display paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothing and lots of other wonderfully creative things. Located not too far from Florence, Art in the Park Sierra Vista is one of many you’ll find in rural Arizona but considered to be one of the best and oldest as well. Art in the Park Source: Art in the Park Sierra Vista / Facebook Art In The Park Sierra Vista Years later, at 60, Tom Mix died in a car crash on Route 79 near Florence now, there’s a small memorial to this man and the interesting tidbit of history in which he was involved. Mix was even a pallbearer at the lawman’s funeral. Tom Mix tried to help Wyatt in that endeavor and they became good friends. He was also friends with Wyatt Earp, who died nearly destitute in 1929 after trying unsuccessfully to sell his life story to publishers and movie producers, none of who were interested. Though Tom Mix isn’t famous these days, he was back in the beginning of the 20th century, as a handsome young actor who starred in many silent westerns. Tom Mix Memorial Source: Christine Cowen / Flickr Tom Mix Memorial There are free-weights if you’d like to pump up those tiny muscles before putting on your bathing suit.ĭon’t worry if this all sounds like a strictly kid facility, there are places for adults to swim laps that are off-limits to children.ħ. The facility also has an area to stretch and warm-up before you hit the pools. In addition to being fun, the facilities were built with safety in mind, so no matter when you go, there will be plenty of lifeguards on duty to watch those little ones frolic. Florence Aquatic Center Source: Michael Schoonover / Facebook Florence Aquatic CenterĪlso located on North Main Street in Florence, the Florence Aquatic Center is full of water-centered recreation amenities like waterfalls, slides, diving boards, and swimming pools. The mix of historic buildings and the surrounding desert landscape make any event held here one that’ll never be forgotten, making it one of the valley’s premier locations. The site is full of refurbished buildings, including a high-vault ceiling barn and two lake houses. Of course, it started out as a winery, and tours of the facility and wine tastings are still a big draw. Located on land that had previously been a brickyard, dairy farm, and a down-and-out plant nursery, The Windmill Winery on West Butte Avenue in Florence is as much sought after for its wedding facilities as it is for its wine. The Windmill Winery Source: The Windmill Winery / Facebook The Windmill Winery The museum includes a blacksmith shop, Native American implements and clothing, and even a noose and parts of a gas chamber left over from the town’s jail.ĥ. Located on South Main in Florence, the Pinal County Historical Society Museum has been in operation since 1959 and includes exhibits, artifacts and even magazines dating back to the ‘30s. They are often inexpensive or even free full of interesting, relics, artifacts, documents and photographs, and staffed by knowledgeable and enthusiastic locals who love sharing their home’s history with visitors. Historical societies and the museums they often manage are great places to go to learn about the history of the town in which you’re staying. Pinal County Historical Society Museum Source: Tony the Marine (talk) / Wikimedia Pinal County Historical Society Museum Since 1982, its historic downtown area has been on the National Register of Historic Places.īelow are 12 things to do in Florence. Though cattle are still big business, most mining operations are now run by large national companies and the independent desert prospectors of lore are now not much more than slowly fading memories.įlorence is the county seat of Pinal County, and as of the last census had slightly more than 30,000 residents. It saw its heyday during the cattle and mining booms which occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Located about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix in Pinal County, Florence is one of the oldest towns in the area.
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