Photos: Pima County's new visitors center
Visitors and local Tucsonans check out Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
The center, open from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, features various displays and interactive exhibits designed to help people explore the sites and sounds of Southern Arizona.
There are eight displays, shaped to resemble mountains, which include information about arts, culture, food, innovations, attractions and wildlife. There is a Heritage theater as well as an interactive topography map of Southern Arizona and a Sonoran Desert diorama.
The center also features three displays with artifacts from Southern Arizona's history such a piece of adobe brick from Tucson's Presidio Wall.
Pima County's new visitor center
Terry Friedrich, visiting from Kansas City, looks at a display of artifacts from tribes in Southern Arizona at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
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Olivia Toy checks out an interactive map of the region at the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center inside the historic Pima County Courthouse on Jan. 22, 2020. The center has reopened after being closed by the pandemic for more than a year.
Pima County's new visitor center
Diana Schwartz, volunteer, walks through Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Rena Craine, left, volunteer, shows Barry Lavine, center, and Becky Beauchamp, visiting from Michigan, a map about hikes in Tucson at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Arick Griesmer, employee for Pima County facilities management, checks out displays at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Becky Beauchamp, left, and Barry Lavine, visiting from Michigan, enter Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Carol Caughron, center, and Robert Douglas, full time RVers, look at a display of artifacts at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
A piece of adobe block from Tucson's Presidio Wall is enclosed in the center of Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
One of eight displays shows the different wildlife within Southern Arizona at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Kim Lauber, center, volunteer, helps Heather Wuelpern, left, director of communications for Tucson Metro Chamber, and Diana Cortez, administrative coordinator for Tucson Metro Chamber, at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Carol Caughron, center, and Robert Douglas, full time RVers, a display of artifacts from tribes in Southern Arizona at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020. The center features various displays and interactive exhibits designed to help people explore the sites and sounds of Southern Arizona.
Pima County's new visitor center
People check out a topography map of Southern Arizona at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020. The topography map has six buttons which light up certain areas of Southern Arizona such as mountains, cities and towns, highways, borders, rivers and tribal lands.
Pima County's new visitor center
Jeff Gicklhorn, right, program coordinator for Pima County, talks with Rena Craine, volunteer, about the interactive Sonoran Desert Diorama at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020. Gicklhorn was one of a team of people from Pima County's office of sustainability and conservation who oversaw the content of the center.
Pima County's new visitor center
A spot on the floor marks the southeast corner of an old adobe wall, which was used to protect the early days of Tucson from Indians in the early 1800's, at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
A smartphone barcode is placed next to a screen in every display at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020. Visitors can use their camera from their smartphone to scan the barcode which will prompt the phone to open visittucson.com for more information.
Pima County's new visitor center
A display showing the arts and culture of Southern Arizona and Tucson at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Pima County's new visitor center
Along the information desk is a line of brochures about attractions in Southern Arizona, such as Colossal Cave and the Sonoran Desert Museum, at Pima County's new visitors center, Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, inside the Historic Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz. on January 22, 2020.
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
For the first time in the pandemic, the January 8th Memorial and the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center are now open at the historic Pima County Courthouse downtown.