Tucson is a desert city, bordered east and west by saguaro cactus forests. Even within the city limits, kids might see javelinas (they look like chubby dark-colored pigs) scooting off into the mesquite or a long eared jackrabbit hopping away.Tucson is also a sunny city year round, but summers are toasty, with temperatures above 100 degrees.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels, all styles and price ranges, convenient to fun things to do with kids in Tucson: