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"There are three antique malls in Tucson all within 20 minutes of one another," said Dwight Schannep who, along with wife Christy, owns the oldest of them, 17-year-old American Antique Mall at 3130 E. Grant Road at Country Club Road. "We've got 43 different "shops" listed on our map," said Schannep of his mall. Schannep's mall has multiple dealers offering a cornucopia of items, everything from jewelry and paintings to Native American handicrafts including pots, baskets and beadwork. Schannep and his wife are also both credited appraisers. The mall's selection includes rare, historic items like turn-of-the century postcards and early photographs of Native Americans. "We try to have something for everybody," said Schannep. Their website has a sampling of the goods available at www.americanantiquemall.com. About his inventory, Schannep noted: "Seldom do we have the exact same things that other malls have." And if Schannep doesn't have it at his mall, he'll direct you down the road to other Tucson antique dealers, like Copper Country Antiques Mall, owned by Phillip Gaillard. Copper Country Antiques is just one and a half miles from American Antiques at 5055 E. Speedway. If unique is what you seek, you're likely to find it here, along with memorabilia like "Fred" the "winged" buffalo on the store's rooftop. Fred is the mascot for the "Buffalo Bistro" inside the mall, which serves food all the time and chef-prepared, Italian cuisine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Copper Country boasts 32,000 square feet of floor space filled with what Galliard calls "treasures of decades past." "Everything that you can possibly imagine is in here, stuff that dates all the way back to the 17th century, " he said about Copper Country, which features more than 160 antique dealers under one roof. For more information visit www.coppercountryantiques.com. ___ There's a lot more to see and do than you might suspect, aside from shopping, while visiting Tucson. Just ask Kimberly Schmitz, Director of Communications and PR for Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau. She'll tell you the city's manmade attractions, like its newest museum, Mini-Time Machine of Miniatures, at 4455 E. Camp Lowell, as well as its natural draws, like Arizona Sonora Desert Museum at 2021 N. Kinney Road, are as distinctive and unique as its antiques and collectibles. "It's spectacular," she said of the miniature museum's collection of tiny houses and room settings depicting different lands and time periods, both real and imagined. "It's a world-class museum in a brand new building with Smithsonian quality for everything from kewpie dolls to a miniature Christmas town and Halloween display." The natural wonders, like the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, are just as spectacular - and enticing. "It's much more like a zoo with more than 1,300 species of flora and fauna, species native to the Sonoran desert like the Gila Monster, rattlesnakes, black bears and bighorn sheep," said Schmitz. "And the drive out there is stunning." Schmitz said there are a couple of other must-see attractions in the Tucson area: Titan Missile Museum at 1580 West Duval Mine Road just off Interstate 19 in Sahuarita south of Tucson, and Old Tucson Studios at 201 S. Kinney Road. "It's the only nuclear missile silo in the world that is a museum," noted Schmitz about Titan, which offers one-hour guided tours of the 103-foot missile visiting launch control and allowing guests to experience a simulated launch. Old Tucson Studios is an entirely different sort of diversion. Said Schmitz: "For movie and history buffs, it goes well beyond a Western-theme park. It's a great place to see the history of Hollywood moviemaking in the desert." Other points of interest: - Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way A five-acre oasis of natural beauty, inspiration and education about the natural desert featuring 16 gardens with diverse themes. - Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Rd. The largest aviation and space museum west of the Rocky Mountains, housing more than 250 aircraft and offering visitors access to a wide array of flight exhibits, from pre-Wright brothers aircraft to space exploration vehicles. - Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. 2nd St. Founded in 1864, the Arizona Historical Society's Tucson museum houses the world's largest collection of historic Arizona artifacts, photos and documents with more than a half-million relics featuring interactive and traditional exhibits on Arizona's mining, ranching and urban histories. __ The uniqueness of the Tucson area's character filters right down to food and restaurants where visitors can indulge in fine Southwestern cuisine including some local delicacies. "Tucson's known for our Mexican foods north like the "Sonoran hot dog" wrapped in bacon and fried with beans, chili, onions, peppers and anything else you'd like to put on top," noted Schmitz, adding one of the best places to consume the tube steak delicacy is El Guero Canello, a big permanent, walk-up taco stand with two locations at 5201 S. 12th Ave. and 2480 N. Oracle Road. Another tasty alternative could be El Charro Cafe at 311 N. Court Ave., billed as the nation's oldest Mexican restaurant. Established in 1922 and continuously operated by the same family, the establishment serves innovative Sonoran cuisine. And if your tastes run more toward fine dining, don't pass on J Bar at 3770 East Sunrise Drive on the grounds of the Westin Paloma Resort, which serves the world-renowned cuisine of award-winning chef Janos Wilder. For more information, check out the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau's Web site at www.visittucson.org or call (520) 624-1817. |
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