Day Trippin' › Arizona › From Tucson › Vulture City
The drive from Tucson to Vulture City takes about 2 hr 56 min (northwest of Tucson), by real roads from ZIP 85701. Along the way we found 70 stops within a short detour: 15 coffee shops, 2 bakeries, 12 ice cream and treats and 23 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Tucson) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Tony the Marine, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ghost town
A restored 1860s gold-mining camp outside Wickenburg with original buildings and guided tours in the cooler months.
Heads-up: Open Thursday to Sunday in season. Dirt paths with little shade.
First third Middle third Last third Vulture City
About 2 hr 56 min by road, heading northwest from the middle of ZIP 85701. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Dairy Queen (Marana), Starbucks (Marana), Nico's Mexican Food (Marana), R&R Pizza Express (Marana) and Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch (Picacho). The page lists 26 in all, in driving order.
Starbucks in Marana, Fair Trade Cafe in Phoenix, Valley Coffee Company in Phoenix and Bomboba in Tolleson. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Nico's Mexican Food in Marana, R&R Pizza Express in Marana, Subway in Wymola and Iron Skillet in Toltec.
Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, Tea House in Phoenix, Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum in Sun City and Morristown Store in Morristown.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.