Tubac Village

Great shops with lots of colorful art to purchase. Has a feel of a Mexican village. Lovely way to spend an afternoon.

I grew up in the area and always enjoyed going to the Tubac Village to explore all the shops. Some are still there and many newcomers have joined over the years, so inevitably, it has changed a lot. I miss the days when it was more rustic, but it's still a nice escape from Tucson. You can spend a full day cruising around through the shops and galleries. You'll find an eclectic mix of art, antiques, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, new and vintage Native American jewelry, and more. Tubac is sleepy town and not everyone has the same business hours or schedule, so plan on verifying business hours in advance for specific shops you want to visit, otherwise, go there with a flexible mindset!

We went on a Tuesday in September and a lot of the shops were closed and there were some empty storefronts, too. I guess Covid could be to blame for some of the problems but be cautious when you visit.

We came here a few days ago after seeing a advertisement in the Tucson Visitor's Guide and we weren't disappointed.Tubac is the real deal, with lots of really cool shops and stores. Heck, there's even an App you can download for your phone. Tubac is an old 1691 Mission town, that has been reborn as an artists community. Nearly half of the stores are galleries, the rest are jewelry and outdoor yard places. If UR looking for that one of the kind rusting javelina for your backyard desert scape, then you'll find it here.Another reason to come to Tubac is the food. There's lots of choices, but we were shocked by the layers of tasty goodness you'll find at Elvira's http://www.elvirasrestaurant.com/ It's the best Mexican food we've ever had, at any price. Really! Like Five Stars Plus.Enjoy!

To Tubac, and back. Mostly it's a pathetic little grouping of retailers without a clue. There are some Art Galleries, and a few mexican restaurants (most of them bad) and some historical stuff, but as I say, it's all very commercialized and the junk they're selling is just that, junk. I went down on Monday. I was going to have a lunch at Soto - which is a good Mexican Food Restaurant. Nope. All restaurants closed. One would think that as slow as business is during the Covid Pandemic that extended hours would be in order; not so. I drove on down to Nogales and found all kinds of restaurants open. NP. Anyway, as far as Tubac goes, the only thing I find there to be worth any value other than Soto PK Outpost, was the Tubac Market - and that was very very good. Quality all the way and a little deli in back. Nicest and most interesting thing to do in Tubac.

This is one of my favorite spots. An historic village dating back to the early 1600s. Its town motto is "Where Art and History Meet"Lived here for 10 years and it's calling my name again. The first time I visited this artist village I bought a house. It took just an afternoon of walking the unpaved streets and visiting the shops and galleries to know I belonged. The town does not have any traffic lights or evening street lights. All the shops close at 5:00 so make sure you come early to shop and stay for dinner. The sky is so clear you feel like you can touch the stars. The observatory bans out door lighting that faces up or over head street lights AZ is a free range state so cattle can roam in your backyard. Along with deer, coyotes, javalenaRattle snakes. Small pets can not be let out alone.Sounds dangerous but they do not come by often in the populated areas mostly just keep to the open planes. Once you leave the main road the streets are no longer paved. Neither are the 6 streets that make up the village "downtown" so to speak. One of the best Mexican food restaurants can be found in this little village. Elvira's has come from across the border and blessed this town with a five star eatery. You foodies will love it. Haven't had time to explore the rest of the new restaurants but will be here for a few weeks will post as I do.

Always a good time and place to take visitors from out of town. We included another 15-20min and stopped at the border for pictures too.