Reid Park Rose Garden

There are a lot of “parks within a park” inside Tucson's popular Reid Park. (You'll find several of them on this blog.) It's also one of our best places to take a long walk (or run) on the new path surrounding it — though the better-known path is around Randolph Park, just to the east.

One of the hardest places to locate — unless you have directions, or you've been there before — is the Rose Garden. It's toward the west end of the park, a ways from Country Club Road. (More directions below.) Inside a circular fence, you'll find paths between the rose bushes and benches where you can sit — but not much shade other than the central ramada.

It's not open all of the time. For instance, when I went by this evening, the gates were locked: The garden is closed from (this year, at least) January 1 to March 18, waiting for the spring bloom.

Location: Turn east from Country Club at Eastland Street and drive to the farthest parking lot. (Here's a Google Map.)

Hours: The gates are generally open from morning to evening. It's closed from 9:30 to noon Thursdays, and during much of the winter. I like morning hours best... especially during our hot summer months. (To check current hours, try calling the Parks and Recreation office or Reid Park administration. I'll try to get a good number and update this post... or, if you find a good number, please leave a comment below.)

Korean War Memorial

On August 8, 2011, I posted photos of the plaques and other artwork at the Korean War Memorial; you can click there to see that entry on the Tucson Murals Project blog. But the flags weren't flying that day. I found a photo by Wayne (no last name) on a March 10, 2007 article:

(The original article is These Colors Don't Run Eagle Strike! Tucson, AZ welcomes the Caravan 3/10/2007 with River of Flags.)

The park is surrounded by a circle of lawn. There's not much shade at the memorial itself, so you might want to avoid mid-days in the summer. If you're out on your bike on the El Paso-Southern Greenway (a new trail between downtown and the Kino Sports Complex), the trail runs just north of the memorial. [Note: As of the start of 2014, only parts of the trail are finished.]

Location: Northeast corner of East Ajo Way & Forgeus Avenue. Parking is to the northeast; turn north on Forgeus, then right.

Hours: Not well-lighted at night.

Sentinel Plaza

Just across the Santa Cruz from the Garden of Gethsemane is Sentinel Plaza:

A plaque near the entrance tells the story (click for a larger view):

There aren't any picnic tables, but there's a small covered area near the back. Of course, there's lots of sitting room along the paths. And the art is great; there are more photos in the Sentinel Plaza page on TucsonArt.info’s Public Art page.

Location: Just off the west I-10 frontage road, north of Congress. (If you search the Internet for Sentinel Plaza, you'll probably find the new apartment complex on the south side of Congress. It's across the street from this place.)

Hours: No lighting, except from lights along Interstate 10 and Congress.