Helldorado Days
Arizona Assoc. of RV Parks & Campgrounds
RVers using GoCampingInArizona.com to identify the RV parks they can use as base camps while attending festivals and other special events, from Tucson to Tombstone
Snowbirds have already started arriving at Tombstone RV Park in Tombstone, for the city’s famous Helldorado Days festival. The Oct. 21 - 23 celebration includes live music and street entertainment, including gunfight reenactments.
According to Tombstone RV Park’s owners, snowbirds not only come for Helldorado Days (www.tombstonehelldoradodays.com). Many of them also stay through the winter.
“Turns out, there’s lots to do in southern Arizona,” said Jo Ann Mickelson, executive director of the Arizona Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, which hosts a travel planning website at GoCampingInArizona.com.
Many snowbirds use campgrounds and RV parks listed on the website as base camps that enable them to make excursions to various fall festivals and scenic attractions across the southern part of the state, from Tombstone to Tucson.
Here’s a sampling of some of the unique activities taking place across southern Arizona this fall and winter:
All Souls Procession
— All Souls Procession in Tucson: Tucson has a major procession on Nov. 6 in celebration of the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, which honors the memory of family members and friends who have died. The procession, in downtown Tucson, includes people walking with elaborate, creative and even macabre costumes, as well as parade style floats. Visit www.allsoulsprocession.org for more information.
La Fiesta de Tumacacori
— La Fiesta de Tumacacori: This event takes place Dec. 3 - 4 at Tumacacori National Historic Park, 45 miles south of Tucson, where Spanish missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino established his first mission in Arizona near the Santa Cruz River. Guides will lead tours of the mission and walks along the Santa Cruz River. There will also be craft making activities, pinatas and roughly 50 traditional food and craft booths. Visit www.nps.gov/tuma
Luminaria Nights
— Luminaria Nights/Fiesta de Navidad in Tubac: From Dec. 2 - 3, Tubac’s streets will be lined with luminarias, which are votive candles that are set inside small paper bags that are weighted down with sand. The luminarias provide a special sense of holiday atmosphere in the downtown area, where vendors offer homemade food and refreshments, as visitors check out the art shops and enjoy holiday music. www.tubacaz.com.
Wings Over Willcox
— Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival: This event, scheduled for Jan. 12 - 15, honours the sandhill cranes, hawks, owls, eagles and roughly 500 other species of birds that make their temporary or permanent home in the Willcox area. Activities include birding and photography tours, as well as activities for children. www.wingsoverwillcox.com.
Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase
— Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase: This Jan. 28 to Feb. 12 event is the world’s largest gathering of gem, mineral, and fossil buyers and sellers. Hundreds of dealers set up shop in various venues around town, including the Tucson Convention Center, to buy and sell gems and minerals. www.VisitTucson.org.
Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering
— Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering in Sierra Vista: This event, slated for Feb. 3 - 5, is an annual gathering of poets, musicians, singers and storytellers. www.cowboypoets.com.
Tubac Festival of the Arts
— Tubac Festival of the Arts: This Feb. 8 - 12 event, the oldest art festival in southern Arizona, is Tubac’s largest art show of the year, featuring about 170 visiting artists. www.tubacaz.com
La Fiesta de los Vaqueros
— La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson: This Feb. 18 - 26 event at the Tucson rodeo grounds features a parade, as well as various rodeo competitions sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. www.tucsonrodeoparade.org.
Based in Phoenix, the Arizona Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds markets campgrounds, RV parks and resorts through GoCampingInArizona.com, and its printed campground and RV park directory, the "2016 RV and Camping Guide to Arizona", which is available free of charge online. The 32-page color guide contains a travel planning map, as well as detailed descriptions of more than 60 campgrounds. Download in digital format here, or order by emailing a request to arizonaarvc@aol.com.