18 Best Things to Do in Tubac, Arizona

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The Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail (also known as the Anza Trail) is a trail that starts in Southern Arizona and stretches over 1000 miles. Anza Trail commemorates the route taken by Juan Bautista de Anza II, a Spanish commander who led an expedition from Mexico through the area from 1775 to 1776. The trail includes a visitor center where guests should begin their expedition, and includes many different hiking and biking opportunities, the Casa Grande Ruins, an interpretive exhibit, and the towns of Tubac and Yuba, Arizona. Anza Trail ends close at San Francisco Bay.

811 N. Euclid Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, Phone: 800-638-8350

© Tubac Center of the Arts

Located right off the main intersection in the village of Tubac, Arizona, the Tubac Center of the Arts is known for its art exhibits (nationally juried and changing seasonally) and allowing local artists to display their art prominently. They also provide a selection of art workshops, lectures by artists (both touring and local), a performing arts series, and a summer arts program for children. The center has multiple main galleries, a master gallery, and a studio. There are also frequent special events, like local bands, wine tastings, holiday themed events, and home and studio tours.

9 Plaza Rd, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-2371

© K Newby Gallery & Sculpture Garden

The K Newby Gallery and Sculpture Garden was founded in 1988. The goal of the facility is to exhibit art by using a diverse range of genres, mediums, and artists. The K Newby Gallery also seeks to be as charitable as possible while displaying art not only from well-known artists but also from local and emerging ones. Guests can spend an entire day on the grounds, enjoying the art found both inside the gallery and outside in the garden. The gallery has features works from artists like Esther Benedict, Mike Elsass, and Doris King.

15 Tubac Road, Tubac, AZ, 85646-4217, Phone: 520-398-9662

© Cobalt Fine Arts Gallery

The Cobalt Fine Arts Gallery focuses almost completely on Contemporary Southwestern artwork. The gallery is located in the well-known Arizona arts community, the village of Tubac, and regularly displays around 35 different artists, from the award winning to the local and emerging. Cobalt is run by a mother and daughter team and is perhaps most well-known for the Tubac Fall Arts and Crafts Festival, held annually in November. The gallery exhibits artwork from Fred Collins, Tom Philabaum, Barbara Meikle, and Cynthia Duff, and uses mediums like sculpture, painting, ceramics, and fine art glass.

5 Camino Otero, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-1200

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Located in one of the most historic villages in Arizona, the Flying Leap Tasting Room and Art Gallery in Tubac combines two exciting activities in one fun building. The tasting room at Flying Leap is located in a territorial blacksmith shop that is art itself, with adobe walls that were fired onsite over a century ago. Flying Leap offers a complex portfolio of their wines served alongside a light meal. The tasting rooms collaborates with the local TRUST Art and Fine Design gallery to pair their wines with fine art that can not only be viewed but also purchased.

10 Camino Otero, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-954-2935

© Tubac Art and Gifts

Tubac Art and Gifts is a fine arts gallery as well as a gift shop located in the heart of Tubac, Arizona. Featuring both original and archival artwork that is meant to be enjoyed in the gallery as well as taken home and hung on the wall, the gallery and store focuses on fun and colorful pieces that are pleasing even to people with no art background. The art in the gallery is produced mostly by local artists, with some regional and international artists thrown in. The gift shop also features other artistic mediums, from jewelry to functional wood art.

31 Tubac Road, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 575-640-6569

© Rogoway Turquoise Tortoise Gallery

The Rogoway Turquoise Tortoise Gallery has been around for decades, mainly due to the way that it combines fine art with an environment of fun and congeniality. The gallery prides itself on presenting art made in a variety of original media - paintings done in both acrylic and oil, bronze sculptures, Native American jewelry, art glass, handmade art clocks, gourd art, and more. They also host regular events, like Tubac Bonanza Days, which offers discounts on hundreds of pieces of fine art. Rogoway is constantly seeking out and accepting applications from exciting new artists as well.

5 Cll Baca, Tumacacori, AZ, 85640, Phone: 520-398-2041

© Stables Ranch Grille

Located at the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, Stables Ranch Grille serves up regional American fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The dining rooms offers hungry guests stunning views of the Island Green and the Santa Rita Mountains, and the patio is the perfect place for watching the sunset while enjoying their happy hour specials. Live entertainment is offered Friday and Saturday nights. They also operate the Stables Bar, a full bar with a cowboy theme with sombreros and saddles. Stables Ranch Grille is open seven days a week and has attracted Western film stars like John Wayne for decades.

1 Ave De Otero Road, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-2211

© The Big Horn Galleries

The Big Horn Galleries has galleries in both Tubac, Arizona and Cody, Wyoming. Both galleries were designed to highlight the finest in Wildlife and Western artwork, as well as artwork focusing on the Landscapes of the West. The gallery in Tubac opened in 2002, in a town known as the place “where art and history meet.” It especially focuses in on Southwestern artists. Guests to The Big Horn Galleries can enjoy the artwork and also take-home original prints, jewelry, books, posters, and other artistic gifts. The gallery also offers high quality art and custom framing.

1167 Sheridan Galleries, La Entrada de Tubac, Building K, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-9209

© Feminine Mystique Art Gallery

Focusing only on female artists, the Feminine Mystique Art Gallery displays more than 85 of them on a rotating basis. The gallery has a variety of media like pottery, watercolor, acrylic, cards, oils, jewelry, wood, and glass in their small shop. The majority of the artwork featured is contemporary in nature, and all of it is original. The gallery also offers art workshops and new artist introductions. The Feminine Mystique Art Gallery is located in the beautiful park-like La Estrada and is wheelchair accessible. The area is full of art galleries, restaurants, and other shops.

La Entrada de Tubac, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-0473

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Following the motto “Contemporary, Challenging, and Cutting Edge,” this often edgy and exciting gallery is located in the heart of the historic art village of Tubac, Arizona. The gallery curators focus on purveying artwork in all mediums, including sculpture, painting, jewelry, multimedia/mixed media, and photography from both emerging and established contemporary artists with an emphasis on those originating from the Southwest. The curators are always seeking work that deviates from the norm and brings new energy into Art Gallery H. The gallery is a member of the American Artist Guild. They also hold monthly special events and art auctions.

8 Plaza Rd, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-820-7000

© La Esplendida

La Esplendida has been offering the best in home decor and jewelry in Tubac, Arizona since 2001. Above the stop, in an apartment, the staff offers a wide variety of classes. Downstairs, they sell a selection of some of the finest home goods in the area. They sell one of a kind furniture, including dining room tables, benches, and sofa tables. They also sell clothing options for the adventurous, like wallets, hats, ponchos, and sandals. It is also a wonderful place to shop for gifts for all occasions, with a picture frames, wine bottle holders, bracelets, earrings, and more.

5 Hesselbarth Lane #3, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-9515

© Avalon Organic Gardens and EcoVillage

Sitting on 220 acres of sustainable land in Arizona, the Avalon Organic Gardens and EcoVillage is one of the largest of its kind in the world. These gardens are self-sustaining farm and community and the staff at Avalon also go out of their way to provide education and workshops. The grounds were founded in 1994 and now features a shop selling their organic goods, horse programs, seminars, guided tours, and special events. One of the largest events is the Earth Harvest Festival, with camping, live music, and organic foods. It is generally held in October every year.

2074 Pendleton Drive, Tumacacori, AZ, 85640, Phone: 520-603-9932

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Focusing on local, private tours, Baja Arizona offers tours of Tubac, Arizona as well as neighboring towns Tumacacori and Nogales. The tours are designed for either solo tourists or groups of up to five people. Guests will take the tours in a comfortable van (either an 8 or 15 passenger), and dogs are always welcome (for a small, additional fee and provided they can sit comfortably on a lap). Tours last between one and two hours and include a knowledgeable tour guide who informs guests about the history of the village as well as showing them any important local sites.

La Entrada de Tubac at Plaza Road, Phone: 520-987-0076

© Untamed Confections

Untamed Confections sells unique confectionary creations out of Tubac, Arizona. The business is small, and family owned, and all of the candy made there is made in small batches only. The craftsmen and women at Untamed use only organic ingredients in their creations, and the only sweetener in use is honey (no corn syrup can be found anywhere on their ingredient list). The store also tries to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. Guests will enjoy visiting the shop, taking a tour, enjoying one of their special events, and learning about this special, environmentally friendly local candy company.

2221 Interstate 19 Frontage Road E-101, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-2908

© Elvira’s

Originally located in Nogales and opened in 1927, Elvira’s moved to Tubac in 2009. Elvira’s focuses on serving only the best in Mexican cuisine. Some of the dishes at the restaurant have even won awards for their taste and creativity. Guests of legal drinking age often enjoy the Elvira’s tradition of adding a tequila shot to any meal for a small fee. The restaurant also offers free, live entertainment while dining on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. There is also a gift shop on site, the Angeles y Diablitos, which sells a diverse variety of Mexican themed merchandise.

2221 E. Frontage Road, Bldg A, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-9421

© Shelby’s Bistro

Shelby’s Bistro is known not only for its beautiful architecture and interior design, but also for its artfully crafted meals meant for any occasion. They are open for lunch and dinner, as well as offering happy hour options. The restaurant has been a staple in the Tubac art community for over 20 years now. The Bistro offers traditional Americana food options like burgers, salads, pastas, and chicken done a variety of ways. They also cater for special events and create specialty menus for parties thrown in house. It has regularly been called a top destination in Tubac.

19 Tubac Road, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-276-7535

© Tubac Jack’s Restaurant

Creating hearty Southwestern cuisine with their own signature style, Tubac Jack’s Restaurant offers fresh food, live music, and incredible atmosphere. While all of their options are delicious, they are perhaps best known for their “world famous” green chili stew as well as making multiple dishes with the Mexican specialty, calabacitas. The bar portion of the restaurant, the Dirty Redhead, shakes up a unique selection of signature cocktails in addition to beer and wine options. The restaurant not only serves lunch and dinner, they also own and operate their own AirBNB listing on-site. Tubac Jack’s also sells t-shirts.

7 Plaza Road, Tubac, AZ, 85646, Phone: 520-398-3161