The Carriage House. This Mother's Day brunch is buffet-style, including bottomless mimosas and bloody Marys. The Carriage House is dishing out everything they have, including chorizo chilaquiles, house-cured smoked salmon, pork loin, Tortilla Espanola with artichokes, lemon bundt cake and more. This also includes a carving station, salads and desserts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 12. 125 S. Arizona Avenue. $45 for adults, $25 for kids 7-13 and free for kids 6 and under. Bottomless drinks $14. Details here.
Tavolino Ristorante Italiano. If you prefer individual dishes to buffet-style, Tavolino has you covered. They're serving specialty dishes all day, such as minestrone soup with chicken, polenta filled with shredded short rib, homemade cannelloni filled with shrimp, ribeye steak with chimichurri and more. Sunday, May 12. $9-$35. 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Details here.
The Coronet. The Coronet is keeping it classy on Mother's Day with a collection of garden dishes, including a steelhead salad with walnut, spinach and vinaigrette; eggs and hominy polenta; rosemary ham with chive whipped potatoes; and arugula, shallot and brie galette. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12. 402 E Ninth St. Dishes range from $8 to $24. Details here.
Hacienda Del Sol. This ranch-style resort is covering nearly every type of meal for their Mother's Day feast. They're serving up breakfast fare with eggs benedict, omelets and a waffle bar; a ham and prime rib carving station; multiple salad types; a seafood station with salmon, shrimp, crab and ceviche; chicken, jambalaya, crab and mushroom entrees; and nine different desserts to top it all off. And for drinks, they have orange and prickly pear mimosas. 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 12. 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. $75 per adult, $32 kids age 7-14. Free for kids 6 and under. Details here.
Christ Church Mother's Day Concert. Did you not make it over to Amazon to buy your mom a Mother's Day gift in time? Maybe you did get her a gift, but just want to treat her to a little something extra special? The Christ Church Ringers, a five-octave English handbell ensemble, and Gabriel Ayala, a Grammy-winning guitarist, are putting on a concert over at Christ Church United Methodist. It will score you some major mom brownie points, and you'll get to see some incredible and unique music while those points are racking up. A win-win. 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12. Christ Church United Methodist, 655 N. Craycroft Road. Free, but donations are appreciated. Details here.
Mothers' Day at Old Tucson. Happy Mothers' Day to ladies of all sorts! Old Tucson is letting women and girls of all ages in free for the weekend, and moms get a free carnation while supplies last. It's the least moms deserve for bringing order to the wild, wild west. They'll also be raffling off a package, offering wine tastings and fudge pairings for just 25 bucks on Sunday, and serving a special meal for the weekend. Three cheers for moms everywhere! 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 12. Old Tucson, 201 S. Kinney Road. Free for women and girls, $19.95 for adults and $10.95 for kids ages 4 to 11. Details here.
Mother's Day Specials at The Loft Cinema. There are two polar-opposite screenings going on at the Loft Cinema for Mother's Day. First, a fun and raucous Mamma Mia sing-alongat 2 p.m. If you feel like combining your love of ABBA's music, Meryl Streep and public singing, this is the event for you (and your mamma). But if you're feeling like watching a much more dramatic film, the Loft is also screening Mommie Dearest at 7:30 p.m. Whether you feel like brushing up on your Hollywood drama, or you just have some repressed memories you have to dredge up with your mom, this screening is sure to be a little more tense, although less horrifying. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 12. 3233 East Speedway Blvd. $12. Details here.
Fun in General:
Scottsdale Beer Company at Craft. Who doesn't love a good friendship story? Well here's one for you: Craft, A Modern Drinkery is hosting the Scottsdale Beer Company for a night of great brews. Representatives will be on hand to answer any questions, and you get to try out their selections. Tap list is: the Orange is the new Black Currant, a kettle sour; the Witty Retort, a Belgian Wit; the Adios Baby Chicken, a hazy IPA; and the Dank, a TIPA. Hott Bunz food truck will also be there, handing out some tasty grub. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 10. 4603 E. Speedway Blvd. Details here.
Party for the Planet. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is celebrating this tiny rock we call home. And what better way to do so than by hosting one of their biggest parties of the year? Sponsored by Tucson Foodie, the beer lineup includes: 1912 Brewing, Crooked Tooth Brewing Co., Button Brew House, Catalina Brewing Company, Pueblo Vida and more. Food trucks are The Curry Pot, Geronimo's Revenge, Fat Noodle and Pin-Up Pastries. This is all in celebration of Endangered Species Day, so there will also be presentations about the importance of protecting our terrestrial cohabitants. And as this happens in the evening, the museum is also hosting a series of walks under the stars to look for wildlife. Get ready for some beer, buddies and bobcats! $20. VIP $50. 21+ Saturday, May 11. 6:30 p.m. Details here.
The Last Mercado Flea Market of the season. Just like many other things in Tucson, the Mercado Flea Market is seeking refuge from the sun and heat for the summer. So this is your last chance to get over to the MSA Annex and enjoy some of the local food and wares until it reopens in October. This event includes over 40 local artisans selling all forms of vintage and collectible items. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 12. 100 Avenida del Convento. Details here.
HUB Ice Cream at Roadhouse. HUB Ice Cream is teaming up with Roadhouse Cinemas, making special flavor combinations for some of the biggest films of the summer season. They just released their "Galaxy black chocolate ice cream" for the latest Avengers, and through the next few weeks, they're doing specials for: Detective Pikachu (5/10) Aladdin (5/24) Godzilla (5/31) Toy Story 4 (6/2) and more. 4811 E. Grant Road. Details here.
CreativeMornings: May. CreativeMornings is a free breakfast lecture series for the creatives of Tucson... so, for most people in Tucson. Each month, they have a guest speaker speak to a theme. This month, Hotel McCoy's creative director and general manager Nicole Dahl speaks about her journey putting together her dream hotel. After attending the UA, she started working as a creative consultant for hotels, eventually opening her own 93-room, 1960s aesthetic masterpiece, Hotel McCoy. It's the type of place everyone, whether you're a free-spirited artist or a free-spirited artist's generally stern and disapproving uncle, wants to stay. Don't miss a chance to learn more about its origin story! 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, May 10. Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road. Free. Details here.
"For the Birds" Opening Reception. Have you heard? Bird is the word, and the Desert Artisans Gallery has a new exhibit opening up this month, with art by artists like Sharon Bertrand, Wanita Christensen, Nancy Cressler, Susan Libby and Judith Probst. Everything is avian! Flit on over to the gallery to celebrate this exhibit taking flight. We promise you'll have an egg-cellent time. Opening reception is 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 10. Exhibit open throughout May and June. Desert Artisans Gallery, 6536 E. Tanque Verde Road. Free. Details here.
Tucson Zine Fest. If Tucson were a piece of print media, it would probably be a zine, right? These tiny batches of independently produced, "mini magazine" sort of things are a delight, especially when they're produced by both local artists and artists from all over the world. So join butchers, bakers and zine makers at 191 Toole to treat yourself and support artists. (Just kidding about the butchers and bakers, but there will be comic book creators and plenty of other quirky artist types.) 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 12. 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Ave. Free. Details here.
Tucson Pops: Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and Irish Dancers. Have you checked out any of the Tucson Pops concerts over in Reid Park? You're not going to want to miss this one. The local boys chorus will be singing pieces like Ocasek's "Magic" and Donizetti's Overture to The Daughter of the Regiment. They'll also do some pieces from Phantom of the Opera, and then an Irish suite. That suite will be a perfect transition to a performance by Mechan Crownhart and Liam B oyd, local high schoolers who have competed internationally in Irish dancing. 7 p.m. Sunday, May 12. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Free. Details here.
Exist. You know about Cirque Roots, the local circus arts studio. You know that, as Carl Sagan once said, "We are all star stuff." At this event, art, science and even mythology come together in a multimedia mashup of projections, acrobatics, stilt dance, poetry and music to explore questions about what it means to be human in the universe. Prepare to be totally blown away, and to learn some science while you're at it. Prior to the show, Aaron Farber is hosting a free astronomy workshop at 5 p.m. and an art gallery inspired by the stars will be available for viewing at 6 p.m. 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11. Edward B. Berger Performing Arts Center, W. Speedway Blvd. $0 to $25 on a sliding scale: Pay what you can. Details here.
Black Renaissance. Hotel McCoy's celebration of black culture, created by local musician seanloui and designed to help the com1200munity learn more about black artists and their influence on mainstream culture, is back. This week, the emphasis is on spoken word. In the lineup are Stevie Rose, Teré Fowler-Chapman, Freddy Jay Walker, Stephanie Lyonga, P. SAVANT, Lance Guzman, Mario Guzman and Andrés A Portela. It's great when entertainment and education come together for one event. And it's even better when it's free! 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11. Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road. Free. Details here.
Magic Box at the Fox. In Literacy Connects' Stories that Soar! Program, K-12 students create stories with their own words and ideas through various literacy and arts programs. This event is a "Best of" performance, where you can see the wacky characters, sweet surprises and hilarious fun that comes from the minds of kids. The stories come to life through music, dance, comedy and more, in this night full of family fun and delightful imagination that you won't want to miss. 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11. The Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. $5 to $10. Details here.
Different Strokes: An Evening of Erotic Performances. This show, created to showcase Tucson's marginalized dancers (especially queer and trans people of color), is back! If you love erotic dance but are pretty sick of typical cis- and heteronormative clubs, then you won't want to miss some of Tucson's hottest artists, as well as the debut of some new ones. Proceeds benefit trans youth via SAAF and the Thornhill Lopez Center. Doors at 8 p.m. with a cocktail reception hour, and dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, May 11. 17 E. Toole Ave. $10 suggested donation. 19+ only with ID (yes, 19.) Details here.
Second SundAZe Family Day at TMA. Looking for something classy and unique to do with your mom for Mother's Day? Why not take her to the Tucson Museum of Art? The good news is it's free for second Sundays, and the museum is hosting tons of activities. Take pics with mom in the photobooth, or with a DYI frame. Make paper flowers, or sit down and make necklaces together. And, of course, check out all of the art! Let's hear it for museums, moms and the month of May! 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 12. Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 N. Main Ave. Free. Details here.
National Public Gardens Week. Aren't we lucky to live in a world where public gardens exist? Where you can stroll around and learn about different kinds of trees to your heart's content? We are even luckier to be celebrating 10 years of National Public Gardens Day, created by the American Public Gardens Association to raise awareness of all the community and environmental enrichment that public gardens bring. This year, they're announcing National Public Gardens Week for the first time, from May 13 to May 19! Both Tohono Chul and the Tucson Botanical Gardens have several special events going on, but perhaps most notable is Tohono Chul's free admission for the day! 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 10. Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. Free. Details here.
Train Day at the Depot. You can always count on the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum to put on a fun, family-friendly event. This day is no exception! Train Day was established by Amtrak in 2008 to spread info to the public about the advantages of railway travel. It's on the Saturday closest to May 10, to honor the anniversary of the completion of the United States' first transcontinental railroad. Technically, Amtrak doesn't celebrate it anymore. But we still can! And we will! With train rides, an arts and crafts show, a diesel simulator and plenty of popcorn and soft drinks available. Let's get in trains in the membrane! 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11. Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, 414 N. Toole Ave. Free. Details here.
Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch. Steam Pump Ranch always has something fun going on. This week, it's their usual farmers market full of local goodies, plus a special craft for kids. Just in time for Mothers' Day, they can create a desktop photo holder, which will be a perfect way to display a photo of Mom with the kids, perhaps taken at the farmers market at Steam Pump Ranch. Don't forget that if you walk or ride your bike via the shared-use path, you can pick up a $1 coupon for one of the vendors at the Parks and Rec booth—just be one of the first 20 people to get there. 8 a.m. to noon. Saturday, May 11. Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road. Free. Details here.
Events compiled by Tirion Morris, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.
