Each year, my high school teacher Mark Hedge plans a field trip to Arizona. He took any student from the Biology Club that wanted to go.
I was able to go two years and it was one of my favorite school trips! We would leave the school one morning; stay two nights in Tucson, Arizona and then head home the following afternoon.
These are the three educational places he took his students each year:
3 places you must visit near Tucson, Arizona
1. Kartchner Caverns State Park – The caverns are actually above ground, and are still a living cave. Water runs through causing it to change and grow. A shuttle takes you up to the caves where you can see the original entrance on the side of the hill. You have to walk through a sealed tunnel where you walk through a mist of water. Since the caves are still forming, any outside particles can disrupt the natural process.
As you walk through the caves, you see the artistic stalagmites and stalactites rising and falling around you. You look down at what seems like a pool of mud and see a path through the pool where the original founders waded into the cave. That same path is used for maintenance and research today. During the Rotunda/Throne Tour you will even enjoy a light show and music that highlights the majestic Kubla Khan, the largest column formation in Arizona named after the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Photo by Mike Lewis.
2. Sonora Desert Museum – In a hidden oasis in the desert you will find the Sonora Desert Museum. This outdoor museum has been called a zoo, museum and botanical garden all in one.
As you wonder down the dirt paths, you are led from birds of prey, to reptiles, amphibians and mammals. With great hands-on exhibits, tons of animals and presentations, you will have no problem spending an entire day at this hidden sanctuary.
3. The Biosphere 2 – The Biosphere 2 offers a very unique experience. It was originally built to research the way Earth works by recreating the different biomes and conditions that are present on Earth. In both 1991 and 1994 two different groups of researchers were locked inside this giant glass building to study survival.
What appears to be a giant glass greenhouse is actually a huge research experiment. Tours are offered that actually allow you to travel through the different biomes. While the tour does consist of a lot of walking and climbing stairs, it is truly an amazing experience. One minute you are walking through a desert environment and the next you are next to a huge waterfall or a banana tree. 
As you walk through the facility you learn about the two groups that lived inside of the Biosphere 2 and the challenges they faced.
Have you been to any of these locations? Where else in the Tucson area do you like to visit?
Check out these books by researchers who lived in the Biosphere 2:
The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2: The Human Experiment
Life Under Glass: Inside Story of Biosphere 2
Taysha Ham hails from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
A student at New Mexico State University, Taysha is majoring in agricultural communications with a minor in journalism.
This summer she is completing a social media internship for Venture Time Travel.
Why not check out these other posts by Taysha “;.