How can anybody disagree with this choice? The walk from Main Gate to Old Main—with its stretch of stately palm trees, manicured lawns and flashes of color from all sorts of flowers—is lovely. The area around Old Main is considered a mini-arboretum, with mesquite trees, cacti, willows, palo verde, pine trees and much more. The campus arboretum has two self-directed tours where you can see long-established greenery imported from all over the world. One fave: The sour orange grove, a shady walkway just east of Gila Hall. Check out the UA Web site for a complete list, a detailed tour map and photos.
Runners up:
2. Tucson Botanical Gardens
2150 N. Alvernon Way
326-9686, tucsonbotanical.org
3. Tohono Chul Park
7366 N. Paseo Del Norte
742-6455, tohonochulpark.org