Old Tucson Studio

Kevin had today off of work so we took advantage and spent the day hanging out as a family. We went to the Old Tucson Studio, which is a location in Tucson where western movies have been filmed since the 30's. It was surprisingly large and the buildings all look authentic, but to my knowledge everything was props. Some of the most famous western have been filmed at this location including many John Wayne movies.

The only bad part about our excursion was that we went on the one day of the year that it rains in southern Arizona. It was about 50 degrees and because of the inclement weather, a lot of the games, booths, and other activities were closed. Huge bummer! We had fun though with a train ride, carousel ride, "horseless carriage" ride, a stunt show, dancing can can girls, a tour of a "mine" that was directed by the funniest and cutest old man I have ever met, and a pony ride!

The other bad part of our trip to the Studio was our lunch. Be forewarned: if you ever go for a visit, eat before you go or bring a sack lunch! We ate at the BBQ restaurant so highly recommended on their website and the food was so gross that none of us finished! The beef brisket, prickly pear chicken, and BBQ chicken sandwich must have been cooked earlier in the morning and then left in a hot pan or something all day so that it dried out and had a burned under flavor. Kevin's biscuit and Anslie's corn on the cob were even over cooked. The only thing that was actually tasty was the thousand island dressing that I had with my salad (that included a really old, wilted slice of tomato). And at about $12-$15 per plate, that is just not acceptable!

Besides the pony ride, I think Anslie's favorite part was the saloon show at the end of our trip. She loved the can can girls and was itching to get up and dance with them the entire time! At the end of the show the girls stuck around to pose for pictures and Anslie was the first to run up for hugs and pictures. One of the girls was really sweet and stayed late to hang out and dance with Anslie for a while.

This experience was a new one for our family and we had a fun time! I'm glad we went!