Tanque Verde Guest Ranch

We had a great 6 day stay at TVGR!TVGR had been on my radar for a couple years. My husband had indicated an interest in doing a dude ranch visit, and I was attracted to the southwestern setting and cuisine and overall high ratings on Tripadvisor.We went at the end of June/early July. Mind you, it was hot. We had expected dry heat, but apparently the Tuscon area monsoon season started early this year, so it was muggy and hot. TVGR tries to make it bearable by moving all rides to the morning and offering things like water balloon fights for the kids in the afternoons. As a Floridian, I am used to the hot, and it was bearable for my family, but if you are from more temperate climes, you might want to avoid traveling here in the months of July and August.I was there to ride, so that was my main focus. I grew up riding English style, and it was great taking a couple horsemanship lessons to learn Western basics. I made sure to schedule 1-2 rides per day. The breakfast ride with the kids was fun. We did one Saguero Adventure Ride, which was nearly 4 hours of nonstop riding through the National Park. It was beautiful but very hot. It left at 7:15AM, and there was no official stop for breakfast. We were each given a bag of snacks, and we ate as we rode.After two lessons, I felt ready for the Lope Check. I've read a lot of complaints of the Lope Check, but I thought it was fair. According to one of the wranglers, 7 years ago, they passed a lot more guests, and there were a lot more accidents on the loping rides. I went for one loping ride, and... I fell. Oops. I was the sole guest who passed the lope check my week, and I fell when my horse spooked at a lope. Thankfully, I only had some scrapes and bruises, but it could have been worse. Having watched other riders fail the test, I don't think they should be out on the open trails at a lope. But I'm glad that I was able to lope on the trail. It was fun before the fall, and I might have loped again, but it was my last day.The non-riding activities were hit or miss and depended on the staff person running them. Fishing with Stephan was awesome. My husband is an avid fisher, and he learned new things from Stephan. The fishing lake is a bit of a joke, but it was still fun to be there with Stephan. The kids loved it. Archery was less fun as the arrows were in pretty rough shape, and depending on the staff member running things, the instruction or guidance could be nonexistant. Axe throwing was interesting but too hot at the times scheduled (and no shade in the area). I didn't try mountain biking, hiking, or any of the arts and crafts.The nature center stuff was generally pretty good. We went birding one morning, and it was pretty informational. The best lecture was the rattlesnake lecture that is given by Brian the herpetologist. I never thought I'd enjoy learning so much about rattlesnakes!We did the all-inclusive option. I was concerned about getting bored with the food, but they change things up enough that it was fine. Serving sizes are huge and assume that you're working like a ranch hand. I wouldn't say that the food was gourmet, but it was generally tasty. Desserts are their weak point. We stayed in a one bedroom Rincon Vista suite. It was located up the hill from the main hotel area, and it offered beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The room was very pretty and relatively recently updated. My kids loved the two Murphy beds in the living room (so much better than sofa beds!), and they also loved taking baths in the claw footed bathtub. I liked the big rooms and the decent amount of closet and drawer space. The room was kept well cleaned by the staff, who must have known our activity schedules, as we usually returned from our morning rides to a clean room.My kids did the kids club daily. My daughter was 6, but as there was a pretty low occupancy our week, they allowed her to be in the older 7-9 year old group, which meant she got to do trail rides (usually, the 4-6 year olds are only lead on lines in the pen and don't do trail rides). Usually, there are two rides per day, but in the summer, if it's too hot, they'll skip the second ride. I think there was only one morning when the kids were offered a second ride, and many still skipped it due to the heat. Both kids loved the kids club and were sad when our vacation ended.

I don't even know where to begin because my Tanque Verde Ranch experience was absolutely enchanting and down to earth for my soul. Right upon checking in, I was warmly greeted by Cheyenne to which she explained everything I needed to know and answered my questions about my ranch stay. I showed up a bit earlier before check-in to which I wanted to fully utilize the activities I signed up for with my all-inclusive package. The front desk graciously held my belongings plus even took them to my room once it was ready. The next two days flew by for me! I made the best use of my time coordinating stuff ahead of time. I did horse walks, basic and intermediate horseback riding lessons, axe throwing, archery, yoga, meditation, intermediate bike rides (bumpy in the desert and fast paced but still enjoyable and exhilarating), BB gun range, visited the nature center, made use of the indoor pool and whirlpool. I love keeping busy and best of all there were moments I could rest as well so had the balance of this trip to a T.I ate exceptionally well. The food they had varied according to the time of the day, like breakfast and lunch having a menu and buffet option and dinner being menu-based. The service was hospitable and folks constantly bussing tables/making it presentable for the next person. As a solo trip I felt safe and relaxed at TVR. I can't sing enough praises for this delightful ranch. The nighttime sky is also a sight to behold..something about the Arizona sky is quite dreamy and mystical. Next time I ever visit the ranch I want to make sure I do it on days where they do the cookouts and hopefully will get to try other activities like the evening stroll or fishing. There's so much more I could add but just know if you're looking for a place that's serene, welcoming, and not astronomical priced, TVR is the spot to check out. Keep calm and ride on!!

We came here for Father's Day. We had good experience. Their brunch buffet selection was not massive but it was indeed quality over quantity. I personally love their prime rib. We made reservation but it wasn't too busy when we got there. The area where they had the food was a little dark, they definitely need more lights in there. Will comeback for Prime Rib for sure.

Fathers Day brunch. Food that was available was good. Last available reservation was a 1:00 reservation. When we got there, we found out they would close at 1:30. The waitress said they might put more food out, wasn't sure. A very odd choice of sides including a couple of sour oysters, of course everyone dropped the oysters to the side. A few of us were able to get a portion of prime rib before they ran out, we just shuffled what we had around the table so everyone got at least a small portion. We were told they would bring another prime rib out but never did. Don't recommend for brunch.

We are local and spent an amazing weekend here for my birthday! It was cozy and very relaxing. We didn't partake in all the activities but prefer to make our own schedule. We enjoyed great meals in the dining room, hiked the beautiful trails, for a hot lava rock massage in the spa (wonderful), and watched the horse turnout! It was perfect for what we wanted and the staff was awesome too. Pricing isn't bad-some recent reviews state otherwise, but I guess it depends on what you think is pricey for the experience. The room was large and had a beehive fireplace. They also delivered a fire kit to the room when we called. On a hike we encountered a pack of curious javelina at the homestead. Such a cool experience. I'd love to return for horseback riding and maybe a craft. Lots of history here, so take advantage!

The outdoor event at Cottonwood is amazing, the food is delicious and the music was excellent. Highly recommend for guests visiting Tucson.

Food was fine, barbq and salads. Restaurant was empty and quiet. Service was friendly but slow considering our party of 9 was the only diners. Rustic setting appropriate for a guest ranch.

My husband and I stayed here as a honeymoon and loved it. This place is wonderful! Food is absolutely amazing and the staff couldn't have been friendlier and more accommodating! Room was comfortable and had beautiful scenery (javelina heights room) we enjoyed horse back rides, pool, cowboy cook out on Saturday night and the "famous" breakfast horse ride on Sunday morning. I can't stress enough how good the food was! Highly recommend stopping by and enjoying the views, restaurant, bar or getting a room and staying the weekend or as long as you can!

Great family spring break dude ranch! Nice, not too fancy just right. The staff and service were superior. The kids programs & all inclusive experience was a double thumbs up! We were able to ride horses and do all the activities, but did need to pay attention to the scheduling with the front desk. All of our waitlisted activities were accommodated!

We came for the cowboy cookout, but because of the rain it was moved inside. There was no clear sign directing where to go, no staff anywhere to tell you that you were headed in the right direction, and when we found where to go my dad opened a door and was snapped at that they weren't ready. When it did open we got in line, but then were told to go to a separate line to pay. The second line didn't have our reservation information, so wonder why we even made a reservation. It's a nice venue, but it's either understaffed or doesn't have competent staff.The food was not hot or even warm. I am assuming this was due to being inside, but the baked potato could not even soften the butter packet. I will say that our server getting drinks, Aidan, was super helpful and responsive. I wish we could have just tipped him I would probably skip the cowboy cookout if you are not getting the full outside experience. The outside experience in the past was great.