5 New Things to Look Forward to At the Ranch
2019 has been an excellent year for Tanque Verde Ranch with new activities, construction, improvements and more. There is so much to look forward to on your next visit! Here are 5 New Things to Look Forward to at the Ranch.
5. Several brand-new Mountain Bikes
Mountain Biking at the Tanque Verde Ranch has always been a high-demand activity. With the growing admiration for the sport, so is our bike inventory. Our bikes are fully equipped with full-suspension, a wide variety of gears, and more. When you take a mountain biking excursion, you can expect to take on the desert terrain like a pro. Be safe and comfortable with a helmet, water bottle, and gloves that are provided for you. Be sure to bring and wear tennis shoes, long pants and sleeves, and sunscreen for protection during your mountain biking excursion. Mountain biking activities are offered several times a week on our weekly activities schedule. You can find an assortment of different kinds of trail rides and experiences. For those who are experienced or want even more of an adventure, Tanque Verde Ranch now offers an ‘Explore More’ package. With the Explore More package guests can participate in all the Hiking and Biking activities with their night(s) stay. Stay at Tanque Verde Ranch for new, mountain biking adventure!
4. Buckaroo Bunkhouse Expansion, New Living Room, and Tennis Courts
The Buckaroo Bunkhouse is the main headquarter for Kids Club and many of their activities. The Buckaroo Bunkhouse sits on the west side of the property next to the horse corrals. There is a playground that sits right next to the Buckaroo Bunkhouse on the west side. The playground will be moved close by as the addition to the Bunkhouse will be built where the playground sits. The new expansion will allow for more space for the kid’s program and activities.
The living room off the main walkway of the Ramada Salas and the Bueno Vista Room has received a brand-new makeover. The living room has been updated with new flooring, décor, furniture, and more. You can expect to enjoy sitting in a new Lazy Boy recliner, and couches. The living room is one of two places that has a T.V. so now you can become even more comfortable while catching up on the evening news or checking the score of your favorite sports game. The living room remodeling has been already completed.
There are two new Tennis Courts in the works of being built. They will sit on the Northwest side of the property by the check-in building. The main entrance parking lot will also be remodeled as the tennis courts will sit where the parking lots are now. Tanque Verde Ranch offers several tennis activities on the weekly activities schedule or equipment to go and check-out anytime you would like to go and play on your own. You can participate in Tennis Pro Activities, Group Lessons, Double-Tennis Mixers, and more! Now with the new tennis courts coming, you can be able to get on the court when you want to play. Each tennis court will be 60 x 20 sq. ft. The tennis courts are expected to be complete by the fall of 2019.
3. New Activities
Tanque Verde Ranch offers many activities throughout the week, every week! We are always adding activities to keep guests entertained and coming back to experience something new. We’ve even added some to our annual Prickly Pear Harvest Package for this August!
Now you can find our Fused Dichroic Glass Workshop on our activities schedule. Make a memory for yourself and someone close to you. Each participant will create two beautiful dichroic glass stones that will be used to make two Sterling Silver pendants. There will be many colors to choose from to create multiple colored stones. We will cut three different kinds of glass, black for the bottom layer, dichroic for the middle layer, and clear for the top layer. Then, we will stack them together and place them in a very special kiln to fuse them. After fusing and cooling, you will use Don’s copyrighted Sterling Silver “Rock Wraps” to make your stones into pendants. Children welcome from age 8-14 with an adult participant. The Fused Dichroic Workshop usually takes place on Mondays from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Be sure to sign up in advance on TVRfun.com. Class is $65 per participant.
This year is also our third Annual Prickly Pear Harvest, and we sure are ‘sharpening’ up the fun! New this year you can find the Prickly Pear Pancake Breakfast Ride. Join us for the traditional ride, hike, or bike to Old Homestead where delicious pink prickly pear pancakes will be served! Not only will you experience the best of prickly pears and a whole enhanced activity schedule dedicated to the package but you can also get the Prickly Pear Syrup and Prickly Pear Pancake recipes right here, right now! Be sure to check out all the fun that is offered on our Prickly Pear Harvest Package
2. Vegetable and Herb Gardens – New Kitchen Excitement
Along with the construction, additions, new activities, and all the other excitement we’ve got some new ‘heat’ stirring up in the kitchen. We are so excited to introduce our new Executive Chef Janet to our kitchen and some of her great movements already taking place — like her vegetable and herb garden plans.
Janet has lived in Tucson for the last 17, and it truly has been ‘home’ for her. Janet has an abundance of culinary experience from Seattle, to Virginia, and Tucson – but Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson was the one to trap her heart. Janet is excited to incorporate the unique desert ingredients and pairing them with international dishes and flavors. Janet is also very ‘green’ and protective of the environment. She takes every opportunity to partner with local farms to ensure healthy, organic foods are used and distributed efficiently to reduce food waste. When Janet is not in the kitchen at the ranch (which is seldom), you can find her experimenting with new flavors and techniques at home. When she isn’t a Chef, she is more than likely spending time with her fiancé, Joe and her pup, Ripley. They enjoy swinging on the hammock, soaking in the beautiful Arizona sun. As new Executive Chef Janet takes on the next level of her career, Tanque Verde Ranch’s kitchen and selections are sure to be the latest craze. We welcome Janet to this new and exciting adventure!
Check out Janet’s recent feature on podcast, Bagels, and Broadway, with Valerie Smaldone.
https://omny.fm/shows/bagels-and-broadway-with-valerie-smaldone/playlists/podcast
1. Jeep Tours
Last but not least, the buzz that’s been getting bigger… Jeep Tour Adventures with Trail Dust Off Road Tours.
Tanque Verde Ranch welcomed Trail Dust Off Road Tours last summer, and it was a hit! This summer, the ‘cool’ ride is back, in more ways than one. Depart from Tanque Verde Ranch and ride up Mt. Lemmon in an open-aired jeep. The site-seeing will be superb among the several spots climbing up the mountain roads and trails. Atop Mt. Lemmon enjoy a quick snack or ice cream from the little general store and gift shop and take in Tucson’s most breathtaking views. The ride is sure to get your adrenaline pumping with the 34-mile energetic jaunt throughout the rocky desert terrain. See more about our Jeep Tours here.
These are just a few of the new things coming to the Ranch this summer and more reasons to make you want to come back. ‘Y’all come back now! Ya hear?’
