The Best Instagram Spots in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a vibrant and colorful city in southern Arizona. With its eye-catching murals, adobe homes, and desert landscape, there are so many incredibly beautiful Instagram spots in Tucson.
I didn’t know much about Tucson before I visited. I was totally blown away. The city pulses with creative energy and is full of color and art. This was my first time visiting Tucson, but it definitely won’t be my last.
During my two day trip, I rounded up the most Instagrammable places in Tucson for you. I’ve included a handy map with all of them at the end of this post. So, keep reading to check out the best Instagram spots in Tucson, Arizona!
And, if you’re looking for other Instagram spots around the world, I’ve got you covered with my Instagram travel guides to NYC, Las Vegas, Paris, Miami, Chicago, London and Porto (Portugal). Or, if you’ll be exploring more of Arizona before or after you visit Tucson, I also have travel guides to Scottsdale, Sedona, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and Tempe.
1. Greetings from Tucson Mural
Greetings from Tucson, by Victor Ving and Lisa Beggsis, is one of the city’s most Insta-famous murals.
It highlights many of the things that make Tucson so beautiful and unique including that it’s home to the University of Arizona, Saguaro National Park, Mexican culture and art, and also an incredible food scene (Tucson was the first city in the U.S. to be named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy).
Location: E 7th St & N Arizona Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705 (in the side alley).
Photography Tip: Visit the mural in the early morning or later in the afternoon when the sun isn’t too strong. As you can see, the lighting in my photo isn’t ideal because I wasn’t able to visit the mural when there was soft light. So, the mural and my dress both look bleached out.
2. Goddess of Agave Mural at Tucson Warehouse & Transfer Co.
Tucson’s warehouse district is a haven for arts and other creatives. This area used to be full of functional warehouses, but as those emptied out, creatives moved in. The area is now full of shops, residential lofts, artists’ studios and galleries.
You’ll also find Instagrammable street art throughout the warehouse district. One of my favorite murals is the large scale “Goddess of Agave” mural by Rock Martinez. It’s on the side of the Tucson Warehouse & Transfer Co. building.
Address: 100 E 6th St, Tucson, AZ 85705
Photography Tip: Forget your wide angle lens? No problem! You don’t need it here. Your photographer can easily stand across the street and capture the photo.
3. Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park is a 92,000 acre national park in Tucson. One of the most unique features of Saguaro National Park is that it’s split into two entirely different sections. One part of the park is east of the city of Tucson, and the other section is west of Tucson.
The other unique feature of the park is the sheer volume of saguaro cacti you’ll see. It’s truly magical!
Location: See the handy map below for the locations of both sections of the park. As marked on the map, we went to the west side of the park, which was closer to some of the other sights we wanted to see.
Photography Tip: If you don’t want to pay the $25 entrance fee for Saguaro National Park, you can take photos slightly outside the park where the landscape is very similar.
4. San Xavier del Bac Mission
San Xavier de Bac Mission, also known as the White Dove of the Desert, is simply one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen in my entire life. I can’t believe it’s located in the U.S. It’s a historic Spanish Catholic mission located on the Tohono O’odan Nation San Xavier Reservation.
The mission was founded in 1692, although the famous structure pictured below wasn’t built until the 1700s.
Location: 1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson, AZ 85746.
Photography Tip: Free tours of the church are offered from Monday-Saturday starting at 9:30am until 1:00 pm when the church is not in use. Ideally, come before the tours start. That will give you the best chance of getting a photo without people in it.
We didn’t know about the tours and came mid-morning. We had to be patient and wait for the crowds to clear.
5. Old Tucson
Old Tucson is a movie studio and theme park where countless Westerns have been filmed. It’s also one of the best Instagram spots in Tucson – it was literally created to be filmed and photographed.
It was built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, and it’s still a popular filming location. Over 400 movies, TV shows and commercials have been filmed there.
Admission is $21.95 and worth every penny if you want to take some old West style photos.
Location: 201 Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85735.
Photography Tip: Leave yourself enough time to the explore. The property is big and offers a lot of fun photo ops.
6. La Pilita Mural at Rosendo S. Perez Park
This beautiful mural by artist Martin Moreno uses traditional Mexican and Aztec imagery and symbols to convey the history and culture of Tucson’s Barrio Viejo neighborhood.
Location: Rosendo S. Perez Park at 424 S. Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Photography Tip: Depending on what time of day you visit, you may get some interesting shadows from the surrounding trees that you can play with. We visited close to noon.
7. Gilded Sunset Mural
This vibrant mural, titled “Gilded Sunset”, by artist local Issac Caruso was created as part of the 20th annual United Way Days of Caring in 2019 and is another eye-catching Instagram spot in Tucson.
According to a post on the artist’s Instagram account, it depicts “the history and ordinary life of a beautiful community. My goal was to capture the color and feel of this neighborhood’s incredible sunsets.”
Location: I319 W Simpson, Tucson, AZ 8570.
Photography Tip: Bring a wide angle lens. I didn’t have one with me. Since the mural is in an alley, I wasn’t able to capture the entire mural in my photo.
8. Colorful Homes of the Barrio Viejo
The Barrio Viejo neighborhood of Tucson, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods that has historic Mexican cultural roots, is full of brightly colored adobe homes and buildings.
Location: I dropped a pin on the map below for the entire neighborhood. But, we mostly just explored the streets close to the two murals we visited in the area – Gilded Sunset and Pilita.
9. Lodge on the Desert
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love a good boutique hotel. We stayed at Lodge on the Desert which has traditional adobe architecture, a great swimming pool, and loads of cacti and string lights scattered around the property.
If you want to stay at an Instagrammable hotel in Tucson, Lodge on the Desert is a great pick.
Location: 306 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85711.
10. Hotel Congress
Hotel Congress is a historic railroad hotel in downtown Tucson that was built in 1819. It’s known for being the site of the capture of John Dillinger in 1934, who was a notorious gangster and bank robber.
It’s now Tucson’s party hotel, and is home to multiple cafes, bars, nightclubs and music venues. If you’re looking for a quiet place to stay, Hotel Congress isn’t it. But you should definitely stop by during your time in Tucson.
Location: 311 Congress St, Tucson, AZ 85701
Photography Tip: If you like night photography (I do!), come by to photograph the hotel’s sign at night.
11. Fox Tucson Theater
The Fox Theater is a historic theater that opened up in downtown Tucson in 1930. It’s designed in what they call “Southwest Deco style” which is unique and eye-catching. I’ve never seen a theater like it. I didn’t have a chance to go inside, but I hear the inside is just as beautiful as the exterior.
Location: 17 W Congress St, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Photography Tip: Like Hotel Congress, the Fox Theater sign is great for night photography.
Where to Stay Near the Best Instagram Spots in Tucson, Arizona
- Lodge on the Desert is a charming and historic boutique hotel. This is where I stayed and we really enjoyed it.
- The Downtown Clifton Hotel Tucson is a stylish and trendy hotel. I haven’t had a chance to stay there, but would love to.
- If you’re a luxury lover, Hacienda del Sol is one of Tucson’s most high end properties. I haven’t stayed here yet, but I plan to!
Map of the Best Instagram Spots in Tucson, Arizona
Here’s a handy map of the most Instagrammable places in Tucson, AZ, for your trip!
That wraps up my list of the best Instagram spots in Tucson, Arizona.
Have you been to Tucson? If you have, did I miss any of your favorite Instagrammable places in Tucson? Let me know in the comments!
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can not wait to travel here!
shyy
it’s a very cool city!!
I know you posted in February, is that when you went?
I went in January, which should have pretty similar weather to February!
Thanks! My fiancé and me will get a photoshoot for our Save The Date and digital invitation. It was very useful ☺️
So glad it was helpful and congratulations on your engagement!