Tucson

The country's finest saguaro forests in two districts framing the city, the Rincon Mountains with the 13 km Cactus Forest Loop Drive to the east and the denser Tucson Mountains to the west.

💡 The ticket is valid for seven days in both districts, and the park is not one of those applying the $100 surcharge to non-resident visitors. The visitor centres open from 9 am to 5 pm from October to May, and from 8 am to 4 pm in summer. Come at sunset, when the saguaros stand out in silhouette. Price: $25, about €22, per vehicle; $15, about €13, on foot or by bike.

One of the world's largest aviation museums, with more than 400 aircraft on 32 hectares, including B-52 bombers, an SR-71 Blackbird and Kennedy's Air Force One, plus hangars on the Second World War.

💡 Allow half a day and a hat, as most of the aircraft are outdoors. Last admission is fairly early in the afternoon, so check it before setting off. Price: $22.50, about €19, ages 13 and over; $16, about €14, ages 5 to 12.

Aeroprints.com / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Part zoo, part botanical garden and part natural history museum, mostly outdoors on 40 hectares, where pumas, coyotes, javelinas and hummingbirds of the Sonoran Desert live in natural enclosures.

💡 Arrive at opening time, as the animals are active in the cool of the morning: 8.30 am from October to May, 7.30 am from June to September. There is almost no shade, so bring a hat and water. Combine it with the western district of Saguaro National Park, 10 minutes away. Price: $29.95, about €26, ages 13 to 64; $24.95, about €21, ages 3 to 12.

A canyon below the Santa Catalinas where a cottonwood-lined stream runs among saguaros, explored by a narrated shuttle up a 6 km car-free road, with Seven Falls in the next canyon.

💡 Take the shuttle to the end of the line, then walk back down the road in an hour and a half, or via the Phoneline Trail, higher and wilder. Departures are hourly from 9 am to 4 pm. Price: shuttle $15, about €13, adults, $8, about €7, ages 3 to 12; plus $8, about €7, per vehicle for parking.

Lee Adlaf from Birmingham, AL, USA / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The only survivor of the 54 Titan II nuclear missile silos on alert from 1963 to 1987, toured with a guide down to the control room and the silo still holding a disarmed 31-metre missile.

💡 Book online, it is compulsory; from June to September, the museum is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You need to be able to go down and up 55 steps, as there is no lift. Combine it with Mission San Xavier, on the same I-19 motorway. Price: $19.50, about €17, ages 13 and over; $15, about €13, ages 5 to 12.

Mike McBey / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)