Tucson Weekly: Museums (December 28

MUSEUMS

ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 949 E. Second St. 628-5775. Continuing through February 12: Pieced Connections II is an exhibit of 12 historical quilts from 1840 to 1940 in a variety of patterns. Continuing through April: Crossroads: The Photographic Journey of Norman G. Wallace. Wallace's photos highlight railroad construction, rural life and historic sites during the Mexican Revolution. Ongoing: One Hundred Years of Fashion: Social History and Self-Image, a series of exhibits displaying accessories women tolerated for the sake of fashion. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.
ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM. 2021 N. Kinney Road. 883-2702. www.desertmuseum.org. Continuing through April 15: The Raptor Free Flight Program, featured daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., explores raptor habits and habitats and allows visitors to see these Sonoran Desert birds of prey engaged in unstructured activity. Barn owls, Harris hawks, American kestrels and peregrine falcons are among the birds on view. The museum ranks among the world's top 10 zoological sites, and features a large collection of native plants and wildlife. The museum also features a coati exhibit, pollinator gardens, a mountain lion exhibit and a hummingbird aviary among many other natural habitat displays. The Ancient Arizona interactive exhibit recreates fossils and gives museum visitors a chance to see what ancient Arizona was like 100 million years ago. Museum hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is $8.95, $1.75 for kids 6 to 12 and free for children 6 and under. Group discounts are available. Call 883-3022 for registration and information.
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM. UA campus, University Boulevard east of Park Avenue. 621-6302. The oldest and largest anthropology museum in the region brings to life the culture and history of the greater Southwest from the time of mammoth-hunters to the present. The museum's rich and varied collections are among the most significant resources in the nation for the study of Southwest anthropology. Continuing through June: The Pottery Project: 20,000 Pots, 2,000 Years features an extensive American Indian pottery collection recently named an official project of Save America's Treasures. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.
FLANDRAU SCIENCE CENTER AND PLANETARIUM. UA campus, University Boulevard east of Cherry Avenue. 621-STAR. The science center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, featuring a series of interactive exhibits and planetarium shows. Telescope viewing hours are from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children under 13, and $4.50 for seniors.
FORT LOWELL MUSEUM. 2900 N. Craycroft Road. 885-3832. On permanent display: The View from the Barracks, a photographic exhibit allowing a look at the daily life of enlisted men in the garrisons of the Southwest; and We Served at Fort Lowell, an exhibit documenting army life at the fort.
PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. 6000 E. Valencia Road. 574-9658. The museum regularly displays 250 military, commercial and civilian aircraft, including a full-scale mock-up of the Wright Flyer, presidents Kennedy and Johnson's Air Force One, the Super Guppy used by NASA, and more. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admittance at 4 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and military, and $4 for children ages 10 to 17. Free for aviation buffs under age 10.
SOSA-CARRILLO-FRÉMONT HOUSE MUSEUM. 151 S. Granada Ave. Guadalupe Art Exhibit/Territorial Christmas features traditional and contemporary images of the religious folk symbols of the Southwest and Mexico, and allows you to relive Christmas in the Old West. The exhibits continue through January 29. Walk in the footsteps of the pioneers and experience Tucson's history as guides lead you to more than 20 historic homes and sites throughout historic downtown Tucson every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon through March 31. Walking tour fee is $5 for adults. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 628-5774 for information.
TOWN HALL MUSEUM. Old Tucson Studios' Town Hall Museum features three exhibits celebrating the rich history of Arizona and the culture of the American West. In partnership with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, Old Tucson Studios presents Minerals of Bisbee. A History in the Movies exhibit tells the story of a deserted landscape becoming America's premiere Western film studio, and includes rare costumes, photos and movie posters. Shamanism, Magic and The Busy Spider tells the history of the Abenaki Indians through the artwork of their people. Call 883-0100 for information.
TUCSON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. 200 S. Sixth Ave. 792-9985. Bring the kids for Parachute Games December 29 and Dinosaur Crafts December 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dinosaur Canyon by Rob Meyer Productions features four life-size dinosaurs ranging from 8 to 30 feet in length. This New West Gallery exhibit runs until 2003. Museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is $3.50 for kids 2 to 16, $5.50 for adults and $4.50 for seniors. From 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, admission is only $2 per person. The third Sunday of every month is free for all.
VETERANS MUSEUM. MarketPlace USA. 3750 E. Irvington Road. 740-9429. Displays depict contributions made by area veterans. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. Volunteer docents are needed.