The modern city is a desert paradise where you can go on morning hikes in the nearby, snow-topped mountains. Then, returning to desert life, your afternoon can be spent surrounded by rattlesnakes, javalinas, cacti and other wildlife.

Visitors can also enjoy golf, horseback riding, backpacking, biking, along with great shopping and dining. Tucson is 100 miles south of Phoenix and 100 miles north of the Mexican border at Nogales. Average February temperatures are in the high 70s day and mid 40s days. tucsonaz.org

Tohono Chul Park and Nature Center is a botanical garden featuring the many varieties of desert plants. It's a wonderful place for young and old, with an outside tea room. tohonochulpark.org. The nearby Reid Park Zoo is also a great place to experience. tucsonzoo.org

Davis-Monthan Boneyard: On the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Base in Tucson is a huge outdoor display of vintage aircraft. Including museum buildings housing historic artifacts, it covers almost a century of war and peacetime aviation. dm.af.mil