Things to Do in Tanque Verde

With a wealth of activities to while away the days beneath the Arizona sun, Triangle T Guest Ranch gives its visitors ample opportunity to relax amid beautiful southwestern scenery. The ranch sits among the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains at an elevation of 4,500 feet, ensuring comfortable temperatures for year-round horseback-riding programs, hiking, and jeep tours over its 160 acres.

For trail rides, the ranch's wranglers lead groups of explorers on horseback across diverse terrain from grassy hills to steep, rocky traverses that change every few minutes of the tour, offering riders plenty of opportunities for pictures and fresh inspiration for haikus. While riders negotiate twists and turns and marvel at the many intricate boulder formations along the way, their guides expound upon the ranch's long and storied history, from the first visits by Apache chieftains up through its 20th-century use by diplomats, writers, and entertainers including JFK and John Wayne. After their ride, participants can recount the memorable scenery and near run-ins with outlaws at The Rock Saloon and Grill, famous for the giant boulder behind the bar.

As the sun sinks below the Santa Rita Mountains, towering shade trees and adobe haciendas cast long shadows across Agua Linda Farm’s 63 acres. Over the years, this idyllic farm has nabbed attention from the press as well as visits from celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and John Wayne, who may have played hide-and-seek amid the rows of organic vegetables and flowers. In addition to a focus on sustainable agriculture, the farm strives to serve as a community hub. Farmsteaders Stewart and Laurel Loew host dinners, weddings, and scarecrow support groups in the adobe hacienda, and spark the imaginations of young horticulturists with family-centric spring and fall harvest festivals.

Each of the 18 fairways at Haven Golf Course presents golfers with a lush Bermuda-grass oasis in which to craft artful divots as they traverse the par-72 track. The Arthur Jack Snyder, ASGCA design leads playing groups along 6,905 yards of the Green Valley, clustering around a large elongated lake on one side and wrapping around several residential blocks on the other. Prior to embarking on their expedition, groups can warm up at the practice facility, complete with grass tees that mimic on-course lies.

Adjacent to the main championship course lies Haven's Tortuga Golf Course, a short par-3 course with holes that measure between 50 and 90 yards. This shrunken jaunt presents beginning golfers with an easy place to take up the game and more experienced golfers a place to practice air strumming their putter.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,905 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72 from the back tees
• Course slope of 123 from the back tees

Established by archaeologist William Shirley Fulton in 1937, The Amerind Museum aims to preserve and protect the legacy and heritage of the indigenous cultures of the Americas through educational programs, lectures, and a collection of tools, art, and materials from a variety of native ethnic groups. Within the stately Spanish Colonial–revival building, visiting traditional artists and an ever-changing gallery foster a connection between the distant past and the present, teaching guests about the still-living cultures that have called the region home for millennia. The exhibits span across the centuries with artifacts and treasures from various peoples and times, captivating curious visitors with displays ranging from late prehistoric Pueblo pottery, Hopi katsina dolls, and even an Apache war bow constructed and signed by Geronimo himself. Even the museum's campus speaks to the storied past of the area, with views of Texas Canyon's breathtaking rock formations and secluded picnic spots amid the natural beauty and lively conversation of ancient granite boulders.

Green Valley Lanes recently updated its facility to include a new scoring system with 32-inch LCD monitors and cameras, resurfaced and newly buffed lanes, and Brunswick all-wood professional pins. The biggest innovation, however, was the installation of rooftop solar panels, which allow the alley to be completely powered by the sun. But while the renovations have given the facility a modern luster, the rules of the classic sport remain the same, as couples, families, and pros alike engage in 10-frame competitions to see who can pummel the most pins and who can deliver the most heartfelt apology afterwards. The familiar beeps emanating from the video arcade act as a siren call for thumbs eager to twiddle the joysticks of games such as Street Fighter and Tekken 3, and bowlers can rest their throwing arms while savoring a cocktail or beer at the Wet Spot bar and lounge or slices of pizza crafted with homemade dough at the Perky's Pizza snack bar.