The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden. Bordering Saguaro National Park west of Tucson, is the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. The mission of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert. Gift shops offer an excellent inventory of native products, jewelry, shirts and hats, pottery, children's items, books, gems and minerals, and other southwest merchandise. Food and refreshments are also available. The Conservation and Research Department encompasses the scientific functions of the Desert Museum. Their activities range from conducting ecological research in the Sonoran Desert region to advising education, and collections. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute fosters conservation through the arts.
