Fun at Old Tucson Studios, 11/03/2019

Old Tucson Studies is a movie studio and theme park located west of Tucson and only about 10 miles from Justin’s Diamond J RV Park (where we are staying). 

Built in 1939 for the movie, Arizona (1940), it was designed to be a replica of Tucson in the 1860s. The crew built 50 buildings in 40 days…and many are still standing! Buildings were added with each new movie filmed here. Over 200 movies were filmed here as well as 30+ TV movies/series. Go to the Old Tucson post on Wikipedia for a full list of them. 

It was opened to the public in 1960 as a theme park but filming of movies continued. A fire (1995) destroyed numerous buildings, old costumes and film memorabilia. Reconstruction efforts took two years and Old Tucson was re-opened in 1997. In 2011, new movie-quality sets were built and old ones restored to the pre-fire days. 

Many of the set buildings are used as stores (when there is no filming); others maintain the décor of the period they were represent or are used for park performances. 

The map of the park and a performance schedule for the day is provided at the entrance. There are historic tours, dance hall shows, gunfights on the street, a Hollywood stunt demonstration and more! We thought these were really fun, so be sure to check the performance times and locations when you arrive. 

Check out this armored stagecoach. And one way to get a tour of the park is with a stagecoach ride. 

We headed to the Grand Palace for a dance hall show shortly after we arrived. You can enjoy drinks and snacks when you are here, too.

We wandered around the park checking out the many movie-set structures: Sheriff’s Office (interior had a jail, etc.), old mine, and more.

This courthouse has been in many films, but the judge must be a newcomer (ha ha). 

Visitors lined the street to see the law vs outlaw gunfight. These guys put on a great show!

Our friends, Liz and Mike, spent the day with us here. It would not be much fun to be held in one of these portable jail cells!

We caught a second show at the Grand Palace. It featured the same performers but was a different presentation.

The Hollywood Stunt Demonstration was my personal favorite. There was: Old West street fighting, treachery in the bell tower, and a TNT explosion, too!

Here's Mike talking with the performers. They were great!

This gallows scene has appeared in many movies…do you recognize it?

In the NW corner of the park is the infamous Reno Locomotive. Built in 1872, it has appeared in nearly 100 movies and TV programs (Rawhide, Twilight Zone, Joe Kidd, Tombstone, and more). 

John wishes he had been born in the Old West! He would have fit right in.

This church (Crooked Creek Chapel, 1844) and cemetery have been used in many shows. The water tower in the Sonoran Desert can be seen for miles.

This is where the TV series, High Chaparrel, was filmed. Do you recognize the scene?

The hotel and schoolhouse were also featured prominently in many films.

As we were leaving Old Tucson, we came upon this lovely carousel. We didn’t go for a ride, but enjoyed seeing the kids who did. 

If you like the Old West (like we do) and the many movie and TV shows about it, you will enjoy a visit to Old Tucson! There are a few places to buy food or drinks; we had lunch at Jack’s BBQ. A good time was had by all!

Admission is $19.95/>12 years old; $10.95/ages 4-11; free/>4. For additional information including days/hours of operation and upcoming events, go to www.oldtucson.com.