Tours
Desert Botanical Garden (www.dbg.org)
After a brief visit with the Garden Librarian, you'll have 2 ½ hours to enjoy the Desert Botanical Garden on your own. The main Desert Discovery Trail includes plants found in arid regions from Arizona to Australia, a cactus house and a succulent house. If you're interested in ethnobotany, the Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail may be of interest, while the Sonoran Desert Nature Trail provides an ecological overview of this part of the U.S. You'll also have the opportunity to walk through the Butterfly Pavilion ($2.00, not included), enjoying a semitropical environment populated with free-flying Monarch butterflies, or try a Prickly Pear iced tea at the Patio Café. The Desert Discovery Trail and Sonoran Desert Nature Trail are both wheelchair-accessible (the latter does have an uphill grade); anyone needing wheelchair accommodation should contact Becky Uhl, 480-965-9802 or buhl@asu.edu.
Cost - $25/person (includes transportation, entrance fee and Discovery Trail booklet)
When - Thursday Oct. 26, 1-5 pm
Pueblo Grande Museum (http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/pueblo.html)
Between ca. 400-1450 CE, the Hohokam built an amazing network of canals (up to 16 miles long and 10 feet deep) throughout the Phoenix area and developed an extensive trading network throughout the Southwest, before inexplicably disappearing. Set right in the heart of Phoenix, Pueblo Grande was one of the largest Hohokam settlements, holding up to 1000 people. View the remains of a ceremonial platform mound covering as much ground as a football field, several recreated Hohokam residences and a ball field, an exhibit discussing the Hohokam culture and canal engineering skills, as well as a short video introducing Pueblo Grande. The trail and residences are fully wheelchair-accessible; the trail up the mound is paved, but has an uphill grade. Anyone needing wheelchair accommodation should contact Becky Uhl, 480-965-9802 or buhl@asu.edu.
Cost - $15/person (covers transportation)
When - Sunday Oct. 29, 1-5 pm
