Old Tucson Studios is a visit to the Old West --well, Hollywood's version of it anyway, and that's the Old West that we know and love. It is located in Tucson Mountain Park, just west of the beautiful city of Tucson. The Tucson Mountains form a barrier between today and yesterday, so as you look east towards Tucson, you see only the Sonoran Desert.

When the world-famous Old Tucson Movie Studio was set ablaze by arson in 1995, the backdrop for some of Hollywood's greatest movies went up in smoke. Favorites films such as Rio Bravo, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Three Amigos, and, more recently, Tombstone with Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer, were filmed there. The television series High Chaparral made its home at Old Tucson, as well as episodes of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and countless TV commercials.

Click here for an almost complete list of movies filmed in Old Tucson

Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, the studio was opened to the public in 1960. It soon grew into a park where visitors could not only get a taste of the Old West, but could learn how movies were made and see props and visit locations that would evoke fond memories of some of their favorite western stars and movies.

Museums, Exhibits & Guided Tours
For both the movie buff and the fan of the Old West, one can find throughout the park famous movie sets, film memorabilia and authentic items from the Old West. To enhance your experience, park tour guides offer inside stories from the archives of Old Tucson Studios about famous movies and movie stars. Tours are available.

A good way to start the visit at Old Tucson is the guided walking tour. You learn quite a bit about the movies made here and get, of course, to see the buildings used in these films. The guides have some good stories about movies and the people involved in filming here. Of course, there's no way to tell whether everything they tell you is absolutely true, but it's good fun to listen to them anyway.

The Theme park section features some rides for kids, including a vintage carousel and pony rides. There's also a narrow gauge train that takes you on a round trip thru the studio. This ride also takes you to the more remote sections of the facility.

There are a number of shows to enjoy thruout the day, including a dance show at the Grand Palace Hotel & Saloon as well as various gun fights.

My pictures of Old Tucson Studios