You are here

Home » Grand Opening of Educational Patio at Saguaro National Park East

Grand Opening of Educational Patio at Saguaro National Park East

Share
By NPT Staff - October 7th, 2019
A grand opening will be held for this outdoor educational patio at Saguaro National Park on October 14/NPS

A grand opening will be held for this outdoor educational patio at Saguaro National Park on October 14/NPS

It took a few years to accomplish, but a 2,500-square-foot outdoor facility for interpretive programs, special events, and other programs has been built at Saguaro National Park's Rincon Mountain Visitor Center.

This "outdoor classroom" also will offer visitors with spectacular views of the Rincon Mountains that are not visible from any other location within the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center building.

The history of this space dates to 2015 when, with the help of $180,000 in support from Friends of Saguaro National Park, Saguaro National Park replaced the 55-year-old interpretive exhibits in the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center with new, bilingual exhibits to help visitors understand the story of Saguaro and appreciate the connection between people and place. But unlike the (newer) Red Hills Visitor Center in the Tucson Mountain District, the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center had no outdoor interpretive space where rangers could provide talks to visitors and school groups.

In 2017, with the help of $65,000 in support from Friends of Saguaro National Park, national park staff began designing the 2,500-square-foot, year-round, fully accessible, outdoor program space next the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center. The space was designed to include a hardened surface, accessible benches, a shade structure, and an educational donor mural created by local artist Gail T. Roberts.

The grand opening ceremony for this space is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, October 14, at Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Mountain Visitor Center (3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730). The ceremony will include the debut performance of “Among the Saguaros” composed by Katy Webster and performed by the Southwest String Quartet.

“This project would not have been possible without the support from our donors, notably; TEP, Diamond Ventures, Southwest Gas, Richard Schoen, Virginia Van Der Veer, The Spears Family, Friends of Volunteer Al Solomon and Western National Parks Association (WNPA)” said Fred Stula, executive director of the friends group.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.