Howdy! I’ve decided to start a new theme park based column aptly named Theme Park World and I’m kicking it off with a review of the Arizona based Old Tucson. Here’s a little background for those unfamiliar, from Wikipedia:
“Old Tucson (aka Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona (1940), it has been used for the filming location of many movies and television westerns since then, such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo(1959), El Dorado (1966), Little House on the Prairie TV series of the 1970s–1980s, the film Three Amigos! (1986) and the popular film Tombstone (1993). It was opened to the public in 1960 as a theme park with historical tours offered about the movies filmed there, along with live cast entertainment featuring stunt shows, shootouts, can-can shows as well as themed events. It is still a popular filming location used by Hollywood.”
I have family in Tucson, Arizona so I am always interested in checking out local attractions when I’m visiting. I’ve been visiting Tucson for almost 16 years now and last year was my first visit to Old Tucson. I recently went again for spring break last week as my second visit, both times taking my son. My review will mostly encompass the most recent visit but I will include details from the previous trip. Before I continue with my thoughts I will include my son’s impression, he loved it. He went when he was 5 and again as a 6 year old and enjoyed it tremendously both times. This is important because as a SoCal resident my son has been spoiled with multiple visits to Disneyland and Universal Studios as well as trips to Legoland and the San Diego Zoo, so for him to have that experience under his belt says a lot about the universality of Old Tucson.
As a theme park it doesn’t compare to the big names in terms of rides or attractions but what it lacks there it makes up in charm and immersion. I’m not a big thrill ride guy personally so that’s not necessarily what I look for in a theme park, in fact my emphasis is on “theme”. Old Tucson as you might have guessed has a Western theme with cowboys, outlaws, can-can dancers, lawmen, and stuntmen roaming the park modeled off an old west town at all times, nailing the “theme” pretty well. In fact the reason I enjoy this park as adult is the feeling of immersion that one gets, it delivers on the promise that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland didn’t. You really feel like you’re in a cowboy movie with the locales and shoot-outs to prove it.
The attractions are limited, there’s a train ride around the park that doubles as a studio tour, regular stage coach rides through town, a petting zoo, a magic show, a stunt show, a walk-through mine, and several other activities to fill out your day. Both times that I went the park wasn’t crowded and I had no issue navigating the park in a timely manner with little to no wait. Due to scheduling we weren’t able to watch the stunt show this year, what I can tell you is that the show I watched last year was fun and funny, reminding me of the old western themed stunt show Universal Studios Hollywood used to have. This year we watched the funny can-can show and a short/educational musical about Billy the Kid, both of which were entertaining and kid friendly. Speaking of kid friendly, I should address a slight accessibility concern that might impact families with sensory issues. The outdoor shoot-outs are rather loud so be warned that if you have a family member that’s sensitive to noises you might want to avoid those demonstrations. Luckily they are scheduled making them easy to avoid or prepare for, other than that as a parent to a child on the spectrum I can safely say that the rest of the park’s experiences are extremely sensory friendly.
I very much enjoyed my visit to Old Tucson and would recommend to any families interesting in trying something new for a family vacation. There were tourists from all over the world while I was there and seemed to be a great destination for families on spring break. When my son and I go we dress up as cowboys to help add to the experience, unlike other theme parks cosplay is encouraged at Old Tucson which is a huge plus. If you like Knott’s Berry Farm or Frontierland in the Disney parks then you are absolutely going to love Old Tucson. It’s not exactly Westworld however that’s probably for the best. With summer vacation around the corner it’s definitely worth your consideration, for more information and tickets click here.
