What to do with kids in Tucson over Christmas break, from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. We read the holiday hours posted by six museums, zoos and play places: none of them opens on Christmas Day. Plus three dated outings on Christmas Eve and the days in between.
Dec 24 · Dec 25 · Jan 1
Holiday hours from each place’s own page, side by side. Many are standing rules (“closed Christmas Day”) that hold year to year, but a quick check that morning is worth it.
“Not posted” means the place’s own page doesn’t say. Call or check the morning of.
Day by day
Pick a day to see what’s on. Many places close early on Dec 24 and Dec 31, so check each card’s times.
Tucson Mall · 4500 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85705
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot). Pet photo nights on 2 evenings (Dec 7, Dec 14).
Winterhaven neighborhood · Near Country Club Rd. and Fort Lowell Rd., Tucson, AZ
Good to know: A whole neighborhood lit up, on wide walkable streets. Parking is at nearby businesses, schools and churches.
Tucson Botanical Gardens · 2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712
Good to know: More than a million lights, dancing trees and glowing luminarias along the garden paths. Nights do sell out, so book ahead for weekends.
Nothing posted for New Year’s Eve yet. Noon Year’s Eve events usually post in late November.
Tucson Botanical Gardens · 2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712
Good to know: More than a million lights, dancing trees and glowing luminarias along the garden paths. Nights do sell out, so book ahead for weekends.
Rainy-day backup
These don’t post holiday hours yet, so check before you go. More on our indoor play page.
Keep planning
November: things to do in TucsonEvery dated listing for the month, by weekDecember: things to do in TucsonEvery dated listing for the month, by week
Free things to do in TucsonFree days, free events and places that never charge
Free museum days in TucsonFree days, Museums on Us and EBT discounts, with who gets inIndoor play in TucsonIndoor playgrounds, toddler times, museums and classes, with prices
Library storytimes in TucsonBaby, toddler and preschool storytimes by day and branch
Thanksgiving weekend in TucsonParades, turkey trots and what’s open on Thursday
Christmas parades in TucsonParades and tree lightings with dates and start timesThe Nutcracker in TucsonBallet and touring shows, sensory-friendly flagged
Christmas markets in TucsonChristkindlmarkts and winter wonderlands with hours
This week in TucsonDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every Thursday
Good questions
Of the six places we checked, none posts Christmas Day hours as open; Children’s Museum Tucson, Reid Park Zoo, Tohono Chul and Pima Air & Space Museum are closed. A park or a drive past the lights is the easy plan.
Open with posted hours: Tohono Chul (8 a.m.–3 p.m.). On the calendar: Santa Photos at Tucson Mall.
None of the places that post New Year’s Day hours says it’s open.
On the calendar for Jan 1: LightsUp! at Tucson Botanical Gardens. Check each one’s own page before you go, since holiday hours can change.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights and LightsUp! at Tucson Botanical Gardens. Check each one’s calendar for the exact nights; some close on certain days.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 21, 2026, and we recheck them in early December and again the week before Christmas. How we choose and check.
One short email every Thursday evening with the best things to do with little ones in Tucson, through the holidays.
