Things to Do in Flowing Wells

Tucson Stained Glass sprawls its diverse selection of glass-related supplies, tools, and workstations across 5,000 square feet of space. The shop's diverse selection of classes showcases the artistic versatility of glass, appealing to an assortment of interests with sessions in glass casting, fused mosaics, wire wrapping, and more. Amid its uninhibited creativity, Tucson Stained Glass also keeps shelves upon shelves stocked with materials, such as glass for cabinet doors and skylights.

On October 2, 1964, Sarah and Nelson James’ nanny dropped them off at Farmer John’s Meat Packing Plant for a visit with their father, the plant’s owner. When she returned to pick them up, the children had vanished. Less than a month later, their father’s body was discovered in the plant’s recesses, but mystery still surrounds the actual series of events that led to all three disappearances.

The Slaughterhouse invites guests to experience the eeriness that has plagued the plant ever since, all for the benefit of charitable causes. By hosting haunted houses and spooky events, The Slaughterhouse has raised more than $40,000 for organizations such as the American Diabetes Association. Visitors interested in befriending the venue’s mischievous specters can embark on ghost tours, which explore the premise’s haunted depths. Alternatively, on-the-go partiers can select from a rental fleet of trailers packed with haunted-house-style frights or sound-system-equipped hearses, ideal for proving coolness to judgmental teenage vampires.

Michael Huhn founded Desert Divers to share the love of diving he cultivated while swimming among the menagerie of colorful sea life in the warm, limpid waters of the Sea of Cortez. Over the past 30 years, he’s recruited a staff of dedicated instructors that schools nascent underwater explorers in introductory lessons and intensive scuba-certification classes. The staff members equip students with most necessary gear for the classes, which cover maritime topics ranging from first aid and fish identification to deep diving and how to fashion sleeping octopuses into temporary helmets. Many classes require that participants first take an open-water scuba course, which bestows diving fundamentals and can eventually lead to certification. The center welcomes all past open-water students back for free refresher courses, helping former pupils sharpen their skills in advance of upcoming dives and snorkel-throwing tournaments. To further refine aquatic abilities, Desert Divers leads new graduates out on field trips to such dive-friendly locales as San Carlos, Mexico, and Key Largo, Florida.

Since he took his first flight more than 25 years ago, Arizona Balloon Safaris' CEO and FAA–certified pilot, Randy Long, has lifted more than 20,000 passengers into the sky—including celebrities such as Shakira. Though Mr. Long has flown hot air balloons across both states and parallel dimensions, he calls the Sonoran Desert his home base. As the sun paints an orange glow across the desert's rocky bluffs at dawn, Mr. Long and his passengers ascend up to 3,000 feet into the air. From here, the pilot points out the desert's plants and wildlife, such as coyotes, roadrunners, and jackrabbits. He ends each flight the same way; back on the ground, he pours his passengers some champagne, congratulates them on earning their wings, and starts thinking about the next day's adventure.

The FAA-certified commercial pilots at the helm of Southern AZ Balloons have glided groups across Tucson for more than two decades. During aerial adventures, the luxurious, wind-blown aircraft float as low as the treetops and as high as 3,000 feet. Varying heights present extravagant photographic opportunities, including of mountain ranges and of Catalina. Finally, after travelling anywhere from four to 15 miles, balloons coast to a landing for celebratory champagne brunches.

Trapezes, lyras, and slings dangle above the stage and classrooms at Zuzi!, a nonprofit organization with an affinity for the expressiveness of modern dance and the gracefulness of aerial maneuvers. The source of this passion rests within cofounder and artistic director Nanette Robinson—who is a certified Skinner Releasing Technique instructor—and radiates outward to talented teachers who lead dance classes ranging from aerial and ballet to funk. It also fills the studio’s troupe of performers who frequently pack Zuzi!’s 135-seat theater for seasonal performances, including an annual Winter Solstice Concert. Their mission also involves spreading the message of modern dance as far as possible, which is why they schedule an open aerial class during Friday happy hour and offer classes for kids as young as 4 years old.