# Christmas break with kids in Tucson, 2026 > 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. - Last checked: 2026-10-21 - 6 places’ holiday hours; 4 dated outings - Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/tucson/christmas-break/ - This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/tucson/index.md - City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/tucson/llms.txt ## Open or closed: Dec 24, Dec 25 and Jan 1 - **Children’s Museum Tucson**: Christmas Eve closed; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day not posted. Their page says: “The Museum is closed on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” Source: https://childrensmuseumtucson.org/tucson-hours/ (checked 2026-10-21) - **Reid Park Zoo**: Christmas Eve not posted; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day not posted. Their page says: “Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day” Source: https://reidparkzoo.org/visit (checked 2026-10-21) - **Tohono Chul**: Christmas Eve 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day closed. Their page says: “Christmas Eve: 8 am – 3 pm Tohono Chul, the Garden Bistro, and Children’s Museum Oro Valley are closed on New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, & Christmas” Source: https://www.tohonochulpark.org/visit/ (checked 2026-10-21) - **Pima Air & Space Museum**: Christmas Eve not posted; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day not posted. Their page says: “Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas Day” Source: https://pimaair.org/plan-your-visit (checked 2026-10-21) - **Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium**: Christmas Eve not posted; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day not posted. Their page says: “Closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.” Source: https://flandrau.arizona.edu/ (checked 2026-10-21) - **The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures**: Christmas Eve closed; Christmas Day closed; New Year’s Day closed. Their page says: “The museum will be closed on the 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. We will close at 12pm New Year's Eve and be closed on New Year's Day.” Source: https://theminitimemachine.org/plan-your-visit/ (checked 2026-10-21) ## Christmas Eve - **Santa Photos at Tucson Mall** at Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85705. When: Nov 13–Dec 24, 2026 (closed Thanksgiving). Time: Most days 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Dec 24 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; hours change by day, full schedule on the booking page. Price: See photo packages on the booking page. 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). Official page: https://whereissanta.com/mall/0487 (checked 2026-10-19) ## Between Christmas and New Year’s (Dec 26–30) - **Winterhaven Festival of Lights** at Winterhaven neighborhood, Near Country Club Rd. and Fort Lowell Rd., Tucson, AZ. When: Nightly Dec 12–26, 2026. Time: 6–10pm. Price: Free; donations to the Community Food Bank encouraged. A whole neighborhood lit up, on wide walkable streets. Parking is at nearby businesses, schools and churches. Official page: https://winterhavenfestival.org/faqs/ (checked 2026-10-18) - **LightsUp! at Tucson Botanical Gardens** at Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712. When: Nov 27, 2026–Jan 10, 2027, Tuesday–Sunday. Time: 6–9:30 p.m.; last tickets sold at 9 p.m. Price: Timed tickets sold online or at the door. More than a million lights, dancing trees and glowing luminarias along the garden paths. Nights do sell out, so book ahead for weekends. Official page: https://tucsonbotanical.org/lightsup/ (checked 2026-10-30) ## New Year’s Eve and Day - **LightsUp! at Tucson Botanical Gardens** at Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712. When: Nov 27, 2026–Jan 10, 2027, Tuesday–Sunday. Time: 6–9:30 p.m.; last tickets sold at 9 p.m. Price: Timed tickets sold online or at the door. More than a million lights, dancing trees and glowing luminarias along the garden paths. Nights do sell out, so book ahead for weekends. Official page: https://tucsonbotanical.org/lightsup/ (checked 2026-10-30) ## About this list - Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city. - How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com). - Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list. - How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote. ## FAQ ### What’s open on Christmas Day in Tucson with kids? 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. ### What can we do with kids on Christmas Eve in Tucson? Open with posted hours: Tohono Chul (8 a.m.–3 p.m.). On the calendar: Santa Photos at Tucson Mall. ### What’s open on New Year’s Day in Tucson? None of the places that post New Year’s Day hours says it’s open. ### What can we do with kids on New Year’s Day in Tucson? 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. ### What is there to do with kids between Christmas and New Year’s in Tucson? Winterhaven Festival of Lights and LightsUp! at Tucson Botanical Gardens. Check each one’s calendar for the exact nights; some close on certain days. ### How do you check these holiday hours? 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](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/).