2419 North Orchard Avenue: Spacey Little Free Libraries

Little Free Libraries tend to be creative places built by creative people. But this one (actually two), which David Aber found on August 28, 2021, tops all of the ones I've seen:

If you're planning to stay a while, note that the bench is on the west side of Orchard, so it'll be shaded somewhat during the afternoon.

Here's a photo looking south along Orchard Avenue on February 1st:

Location: Just northeast of the corner of Grant & Columbus

Hours: Sunrise to sunset

Parking: Street parking

Hoffman Mini Park

In case you're new to Tucson, it's divided into neighborhoods — each with its own neighborhood association. Some of them are more active than others. The Rosemont West Neighborhood Association has a pocket park:

David Aber found it on November 30, 2020. It's in one of those unique Tucson areas with streets that meet in, um, unusual ways. He sent this helpful map:

The parklet is on 1/10 acre. Its amenities include a Little Free Library, a bench with shade, a flagpole, and a neighborhood association bulletin board.

LOCATION: 10 blocks southwest of Broadway & Rosemont

HOURS: Sunrise to sunset

PARKING: Street parking

Shady benches and Little Free Library

In the El Monte Neighborhood is this spot. It's shaded from the hot western sun. A Little Free Library is stocked with books; if you'd like to share, bring one along.

Location: A block west of Alvernon between Calle de Soto and Calle Ensenada

Parking: Parking along El Camino Del Norte is a tight squeeze. There's some parking in front of the homes on side streets.

Hours: Daylight hours

Miramonte Park(let)

This place is called a “park,” but I'd call it a pocket park. It's packed with benches, a table with a checkers-chess board, a sandbox, a quote by Emerson along the winding sidewalk, and a Little Free Library at the street corner.

Location: Just southwest of Speedway & Alvernon at the corner of 3rd & Richey

Hours: Daylight hours (I didn't see any lighting in the park)

Parking: Street parking

Tables, a library, and greenery

On the south side of Arroyo Chico at Malvern — southwest of Broadway & Country Club, along the popular Arroyo Chico bike route — is a pocket park with a Little Free Library. I got the news from the Arizona Daily Star in their October 12 story Fun little libraries popping up in Tucson neighborhoods, and I stopped by to take some photos on October 30th.

Here's the whole parklet:

One of the tables, shaded by an umbrella, had a box of colored chalk for drawing on the table top:

The other two table tops are covered with handpainted tiles...

...and one had a couple of bottles and wands for blowing bubbles:

I'm not sure if all of this will still be here when you are, so you might want to bring your own (and leave it for others to use when you go?).

Then, of course, there's the library:

Location: The south side of Arroyo Chico (between Tucson and Country Club) at Malvern

Hours: Daylight hours (as usual, I suggest waiting until 8 or 9 AM for the sake of neighbors’ rest)

Parking: Street parking in the area

Update (January 29, 2015): The parklet now has a sign saying Broadmoor-Broadway Village neighborhood / Malvern Plaza.

Update (August 4, 2016): Today's entry in the True Tucson blog (click there to visit the blog's current front page) has an article Here's one of Tucson's best pocket parks. There are lots of photos.

Sit on a Gila Monster, share a book

It’s tucked away under a spreading mesquite tree, on the northwest corner of 10th Avenue & 2nd Street, in the art-rich Dunbar/Spring neighborhood. It’s my favorite Pocket Park — so far, at least! Here's the scene:

This particular Heloderma suspectum enjoys reading books — or (at least) putting her or his front foot on an open book:

You can join your six-foot-long buddy by sitting on her (or his... if you know, please leave a comment below) bumpy back (being there is sort of like getting a massage) — after you’ve chosen a book from the Little Free Library at the gila monster’s head.



Be sure not to miss the museum-esque surprise behind the Gila Monster’s tail. (Hint: Thanks to artists Hirotsune Tashima and Jason Butler, this is where I found out that the scientific name of our scaly friend is Heloderma suspectum.)


Update (November 27, 2013): There's a mural on a cistern just west of this scene. Click there to see a photo on today's Tucson Murals Project blog post.

Location: Northwest corner of 10th Avenue & 2nd Street

Hours: The best hours for reading are between sunrise and sunset (unless you bring a flashlight). The gila monster is pretty well-shaded... but, in early mornings and late afternoons, you may get some strong sunlight.