Old Tucson

Who knew that a western themed amusement park could be so fun? I sure didn’t, but this was a lovely surprise. There are events planned for every half an hour, which is basically the entire time that the park is open. The best shows is the Hollywood stuntman and the gunfight. The men are absolutely hilarious and double as comedic improv actors as well as stunt men. I didn’t care much for the cancan or the shows in the theater but they’re worth a second of your time, especially if you have a middle aged adult the gals can flirt with as they definitely crank it up a notch for the cameras. The park certainly makes the most of all of the employees with several doubling in other roles throughout the day. Their passion is contagious and you just can’t help but enjoy yourself!
There are several free rides including an a autopia buggy drive, the train around the park where you can see several exhibits, and the merry go round. As far as food is concerned the barbecue is amazing and the kids meal is a great deal. The popcorn is a nice deal for 2.50. All in all this was a wonderful Sunday afternoon filled with tons of fun for an admission under $ 20. I recommend this much more than tombstone!

Complete waste of time and money. Expensive. Nothing to see. Save yourself a trip. Definitely skip this place.

This is a really cool wild west theme park. The shows and some of the rides were included with admission so that’s cool. If you’re a fan of old Western movies and you like historically-​themed parks, you’ll get a kick out of this place.
The beers at the Saloon are cheap too. $ 2.50 Barrio pumpkin Porter. My girlfriend was so excited taking pictures of everything that she pulled a leg muscle.
If you tour the place yourself without going to any scheduled shows, you can probably see everything in 30 minutes. The shows are pretty neat though. It’s a good spot to take kids to too. They have vintage-​style horseless carriages you can drive.

Mostly this review is a warning to fans of Rio Bravo: After the fire in 1995 that destroyed most of the north end of «town» the owners, for whatever reason, chose not to recreate the buildings that burned, but instead built entirely new ones. This means you will be entirely unable to get any sense of «being there» in Rio Bravo when you visit. This does not mean that Old Tucson is not worth visiting. It only means you should be aware of the changes and not be disappointed when you get there.

We are at old Tucson for nightfall. Arguably the most popular attraction in Tucson, this time of year.
I realize there aren’t a lot of attractions in Tucson, but do yourself a favor, and avoid this one. — It’s a money grub.
The venue is over priced, to begin with. but, the excessive entry fee is just where the fun begins. Many of the attractions come with an extra five dollar charge.
It’s unfortunate, because they could legitimately make more money if they added more staff to the various food stands located throughout the poorly lit park. Case in point, the ice cream stand. Only one person manning the register and scooping ice cream with 30+ people in line. Ridiculous. I just walked on by. No thanks.

Enjoyed the shows we caught: gun fight, musical history, and Hollywood stunt. Our three children (5 – 10) got a kick out of train ride, antique car driving, and haunted mine. We were lucky to visit on a cool day in July and fyi we did not dine there. Also, the drive from Tucson was very scenic.

I’ve lived in Tucson for three years and this is the first time I finally visited old Tucson! Family members who visited this place when they were kids warned me that the place was now touristy and run down. However, I found the place charming, educational, and fun despite the summer heat.
There were plenty of historical displays throughout most buildings, my favorite being the town hall. I loved the setup of the Grand Hotel and the show we happened to catch: some very talented singers singing to the themes of movies shot at Old Tucson for decades. My dad especially loved this as he remembered watching many of those movies as a kid.
After that we caught the stunt show, with three enthusiastic gentlemen performing an entertaining comedy about how stunts were performed on set. You could tell they loved doing what they’re doing and were genuinely having fun being goofy and engaging the audience. An extra special treat during this show: a proposal! It became a part of the show and the girlfriend was clearly surprised. It was cool that Old Tucson helped stage a wonderful life event!
Temperatures were in the triple digits during our visit and luckily there were plenty of buildings and attractions with air conditioning to escape the heat.
All in all, I plan to return when it’s cooler outside and come earlier as there are several interesting events scheduled throughout the day in various areas of the park. There’s definitely something for everyone here!

What a great thing to stumble on! We loved our tie at Old Tucson and can’t wait to go back!

Ah. a bit of dissapointment. and i wasnt even expecting much in the first place!
The sets were old, and not kept well. It was quite small and just a bit sad. The entrance fee (about $ 18? $ 20?) was just too high. It was somewhat corney too.
The saguaros you can see before you enter this set was worth seeing, they should have charged entrance fee there!

The highlight of our visit was to be a photo commemorating our visit, all of us clade in cowboy regal. That day the printer was not working so we were made to purchase a CD, for $ 50+ total. The photographer did not direct so often one of us is looking away. I was very let down. A week later I got photos from another festival in different garb and was given perfect direction as to how each photo would look, how to pose, when the picture was taken, and 1 perfect print for half of what I paid Old Tucson photography.
Park was empty, my fault on day choice.

Cute place not much for anyone under 55 to get excited about. Every movie made there was a LONG time ago. It also felt like a ghost town because it was a Monday and there was a threat of rain. But the staff were very friendly.

Tourist trap that costs almost twenty dollars to enter and offers very little in the way of history other than some old prop sets and buildings. I was not impressed as there was little effort in the upkeep of the surroundings and the park tries to nickel and dime you every corner. avoid

This place was great! Petting zoo, train rides, pony rides, a carousel, wagon rides and loads of history! What more could you ask for? All the staff were super friendly and helpful and oh my god, there’s a bathroom every ten feet. We have kids so that’s a feature that other parents can really appreciate. Just wish it was warmer out (rare 40 degree day) so we could have spent more time there.

Our family of 6 had a great time… how fun! What great history… a little hard to explain to the under 6 year old crowd, but the friendly staff made it a great day.

My best friend is a huge movie nerd and demanded we go here since our travel plans changed. This place used to be the second most visited place after the Grand Canyon, so off we went.
An old western village used in countless well known films. It felt authentic with a stage coach, a spot to pan for gold, and people dressed in western costume.
A really neat place with deep cinematic roots and history, Old Tucson Studios has a host of pluses in its favor. The biggest being the fact that the price for admission drops after 2pm. $ 18 isn’t bad for this place if you do want to come earlier in the day.
Great price aside, I found Old Tucson to be historically interesting. It has such a big place in western cinema and remains extremely relevant in movies to this day.
I found myself pleasantly surprised by the tours and show we saw. No, we weren’t there long (we got there at 3:30 and they close at 5), but it was enough time to explore the town, learn the extensive cinematic history, and catch the last show of the day which was really cute.
I’d recommend this to movie buffs. This place may even surprise the non-​buff as well. Give it a go.

Old Tucson is pretty fun if you have younger kids (5 – 12 y/​o) and it’s not 110 degrees.
There are plenty of interesting shows going on during the day. Western gun fight type shows. My kids thought they were great.
The gentleman driving the train when we were there was incredibly outgoing and kind. Top notch customer service.
It’s a bit off the beaten path (short drive over narrow desert roads) but overall, worth the trip!

Tucson is a little boring in my opinion. Sorry people of Tucson. Great eating and drinking, but not a whole hell of lot else to do except golf in the winter.
All that being said, we had a blast at Old Tucson Studios. This place is full of great history from movies past and kind of present (love the Three Amigos!). We enjoyed the live shows in the streets and in the theatre. We also did the cheesy haunted mine, which was entertaining especially considering it was free (with the price of admission). We drove the old timey cars on rails, which if fun for little kids and immature adults (me).
They have some decent fast food options (BBQ and Tex-​Mex) as well as BOOZE. I had a few margaritas with some good tequila while I was there. Their beer, wine and liquor prices were actually fairly reasonable for a tourist attraction. Finally a place that doesn’t make you feel ripped off! I would also recommend checking out some of their craft stores as they have some unique artisan wares as well.
This place is fun for both families with kids and adults looking for something to do in Tucson.
Enjoy!

Tourist trap. Not remotely worth your money unless you’re a huge western buff. You can see cool posters outside without paying to enter. Just expected a lot more from this place but maybe others feel differently.

After reading reviews about this place I was on the fence as to whether it was worth going. I decided to go ahead and try it and I AM SO GLAD I DID!
I guess if you don’t like western movies or TV shows then you might not like this place but then you still could. It was very entertaining.
Here are my recommendations:
Arrive here at the opening time which was 10:00 a.m. on the Friday I went. Begin with the Old Tucson Historic Tour which takes about 30 minutes. Our guide was Marty and he was excellent. After the tour is over and your introduction to Old West Transportation go to the the Grand Palace Saloon for the Musical Review. Food opportunities are somewhat limited. Your best choice is going to be Big Jakes BBQ. Also take advantage of the several gun fight re-​enactments that take place on the different streets in town that are explained on the tour map that is given to you when you buy your ticket.
I would also highly recommend the Hollywood Stunt Demonstration which was a real crowd pleaser and alot of humor thrown in. There is enough to see and do until the park closes which was 5 p.m. the day I visited. Also for those who remember it, you can visit the old High Chapparal set from the western TV series of the same name. There is also a 5 minute train ride that encircles the entire park which gives you a good idea of the lay of the studios. Also be sure to attend the Old Tucson – A Musical History of the Silver Screen.
The Studios are located about a 15 minute drive from 1 – 10. I thought it was interesting that there was no signage along the route showing where to go so be sure you use GPS or get written driving directions. The location and drive out to it are beautiful.
This is a fun family place to go for the day. It is both indoor and outdoor. Where shoes for walking in the dirt. Check their websites for up to date activities. I think they close in the summer due to the heat.

Wer sich die Träume seiner Kindheit bewahrt hat oder noch Kind ist und träumt — von diesen wilden Zeiten des noch wilderen Westens, in denen Cowboys und andere wilde Kerle das Leben prägten, dem sei ein Besuch der Old Tucson Studios warm ans Herz gelegt. Hier atmet man die Luft und den Geist, den John Wayne so hervorragend verkörpert hat.
Rio Bravo — der Westernklassiker mit John Wayne wurde hier gedreht. Und so viele andere mehr!
Die Old Tucson Studios sind ein großes open-​air Filmstudio (1,4 qkm) und liegen ca. 15 Meilen westlich von Tucson. In 15 Minuten ist man von Tucson aus dort, in der Sonora-​Wüste von Tucson mit den Millionen von Kakteen.
Man betritt das Gelände durch die Fassade einer alten Grenzstadt und taucht dann ein in die Illusion der Zeit des Wilden Westens. Vorher muss man allerdings noch Eintritt bezahlen:
— $ 17 für Erwachsene
— $ 11 für Kinder (bis vier frei)
In der Filmstadt einige staubige Straßen mit diversen Gebäuden der Westernzeit: Der Saloon, das Haus des Sheriffs mit Zellen, Pferdeställe, Munitionslager, Waffenschmiede, Kirche, Bahnhof, Galgen, Wäscherei, und und und. Einige sind richtige Gebäude, die man betreten kann, andere reine Fassade, dahinter nur Stützen für die Wände.
Eine kleine Eisenbahn mit dampfender Lokomotive fährt um das Gelände und durch die Landschaft. Wer will, fährt mit. Im Saloon finden regelmäßig Aufführungen statt, wir sahen eine fetzige Can-​Can-​Vorstellung.
Im gesamten Gelände laufen Angestellte in historischen Kostümen herum, sprechen einen an, laden zum Tanz ein, ziehen den Colt und drohen einen umzubringen — da ist ständig was los. Das alles in typisch amerikansich lockerer Atmosphäre mit viel Spaß und Freude.
Vor dem Sheriff-​Office stand der Sheriff höchstpersönlich, lässig an das Geländer gelehnt, die rechte Hand locker auf dem im Halfter steckenden Colt — man weiß ja nie! — und in der linken Hand ein Mobilephone am Ohr!!! Das ist der wilde Westen heute.
Wir haben es einen Tag lang ausführlich genossen, in einer Ecke des Geländes einer Filmaufnahme zugeschaut. Mehrfach am Tag gibt es Live-​Aufführungen, Stunts etc. Gigantisch gut der Lassowerfer, das Duell auf der Hauptstraße mit Prügeleien, Schießereien und Toten. Schaut euch die Fotos an.
Zu guter Letzt noch einige historische Daten:
Die Studios wurden ursprünglich 1939 erbaut, 1995 aber durch ein Feuer zum Großteil vernichtet. Zwei Jahre lang dauerte der Wiederaufbau.
Hier sind hunderte von Filmen gedreht worden, Rio Brave wohl einer der bekanntesten, aber auch Tombstone, High Chaparral, Schneller als der Tod, Unsere kleine Farm. In einem kleinen Museum wird die gesamte Geschichte der Filme von Old Tucson Studios dargestellt.
Träume und Illusionen werden hier Realität, wer sich Träume und Illusionen bewahrt hat, sollte unbedingt einen Besuch machen. Wer nicht, macht besser einen großen Bogen drum herum und zählt die Kakteen.

I took my Lone Ranger, Western movie lovin’ father to experience where the classics were filmed. 70 bucks later for the four of us, we were in — a tourist trap. The drive out there was the best part as the scenery is amazing. It is a fake little old west town– school house, dentist, saloon, boarding house, chapel, cemetery etc. The stunt show was unimpressive even with a hunky dark haired extra. We took a train ride around, rode the carousel, drove the old fashioned car track… skipped the BBQ (yes they have turkey legs like the Renaissance fair).
We went unknowingly on the Steampunk convention days… what a hoot! They were dressed to the nines… swilling bug light with their goggles and laser guns. Now that was quite the sight!
There is a tiny museum, with some costumes of Hollywood Stars… but my advice, skip Old Tucson Studios.