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Adult Classes and Trips
Saguaro Fruit HarvestJune 20, 2026 | | High summer is the beginning of the O’odham calendar, as this is the time to harvest saguaro fruit. Spend the morning gathering fruit in the O’odham manner, using a harvesting pole made from the ribs of the giant cactus. The class begins with a blessing and song by our O’odham friends who share their family stories about the importance of the saguaro. We learn about different ways that the fruit is prepared and preserved, and about the animals that use the saguaro for food and shelter. This class will take place entirely outdoors at a site a few miles from the Museum. Price and Registration Details |
Prickly Pear Harvest
August 16, 2026 .jpg) | August is the season that the beautiful red fruit of the prickly pear cactus ripens. Join us in harvesting this fruit, cleaning it, practicing three different ways of rendering juice from it, and learning how to make jelly. But, the fruit is only half of the edible goods! The tender green pads can also be eaten. There are oh-so-many prickly pear species! Find out about our local ones, as well as those from southern Mexico that have been bred for over a millennia to be spineless. We’ll show you how to select, clean, grill, and pickle the pads, as well as share other natural history bits surrounding the nopal. Price and Registration Details |
Northern Spain via the Slow TrainSeptember 10 – 24, 2026
.jpg) | Cider, Bronze-Age Castros and Mining, Paleolithic Caves, Sea Cliffs, el Camino de Santiago, the Guggenheim, Iberian Geology, Fishing Villages, Local Wines, Asturian and Basque Gastronomy The rain in Spain falls mainly north of the plain. And that is why the land is emerald green. This is the land that the Celts originated from, and that the Basques continue to inhabit. On this tour we learn about Bronze Age castros, Roman gold and iron mining, and Asturian and Cantabrian traditional lifeways. As a counterpoint to the old, we visit Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum of modern art, and learn about and taste Basque culture. We explore the hinterlands of farms, forests and hamlets, criss-crossing the Camino de Santiago. Our coastal route follows the narrow-gauge local train, the FEVE, from which we hop on and off for stays at seaside towns, where we drink apple cider and enjoy regional seafood and Asturian fabada. Then there is the fairytale scenery: the northern edge of the peninsula falls dramatically into the Cantabrian Sea in steeply tilted rock walls. To complement the landscape, we share lessons on the geology of the Iberian Peninsula. Itinerary and Trip Details Prices and Registration Details |
Spain: Moors and Christians, Olives and Wine Tracing the Cultural and Agricultural Roots of the Southwest
September 26 – October 7, 2026 CANCELED  | In the Southwest we use the adjective "Spanish" frequently and loosely. Indeed, many elements of our culture originate in Spain. But, the 16th - 18th century Christian Spain that colonized the Americas was the sum total of its previous occupants - Arabs, Jews, Visigoths and Romans. Join us in an exploration of the cathedrals, synagogues, markets, farm towns, ancient castles and sunny beaches with an eye for the influencing factors of these peoples. Tour a late 19th Century rice processing plant, bird the estuary and rice fields of La Albufera, follow the evolution of Iberian Copper Age pottery through its refinement into Baroque ceramic art, and see the masterpieces of El Prado. During the fall grape harvest you will tour a rural winery, walk fields and orchards, make paella, even see the Holy Grail... Destinations include Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo and Madrid. This trip is very personalized with a maximum group size of 14. Itinerary and Trip Details | |
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