We had gotten some recommendations for Tucson attractions and restaurants from a former resident. One such was Biosphere 2. I vaguely recalled that this place existed in the 1990s (based on news coverage) but I didn't recall what had happened to it. It seemed to become a sort of cultural joke, and I think they even made some comedy on the general topic. After researching it a bit, it seemed worth checking out. The site is located about 45 minutes north of Tucson. You drive through the outer suburbs and then a small town or two to get there. The original idea was a self-contained, sealed site where human survival for space-related missions could be simulated. After that phase ended, the facility had passed through other university ownership, but is now managed by the University of Arizona. The philosophy now seems to be 'we have this expensive facility that would be hard to replicate - how can we make good use of it and maybe generate some income?'. The answers are to conduct large scale research in some areas, utilize it for associated degree programs in things like life sciences, and to open at least major parts of it for public tour access. You enter via a gated road and park at the visitors' center. There you either buy tickets or check in if you purchased them beforehand online. In addition to the standard tour, they offer some add-on more in-depth tours of some areas, but we did not sign up (or pay extra) for these. After check in, you walk along a paved path above the rest of the original complex. Then you arrive at the point where you descend to the buildings themselves. These are a series of interconnected super-sized greenhouses, basically. Each one has some variant of an ecosystem inside - desert, tropical rainforest, ocean, etc. The walking tour is well-marked as you follow large arrows around the complex, through doors, within the buildings, etc. There is a phone app that you download at the start (which is important, as there is almost no signal once you reach the complex) which plays numbered video segments on your phone as you progress through various stations. It actually takes a while to first enter the sort of enclosed environment I was picturing, but once you get there it continues in that way from pod to pod. I think the entire walk took us around 90 minutes or so, but you could linger more. This spot isn't probably something that absolutely everyone would be interested in, but I liked it. It is certainly unique - you're unlikely to find something similar or of this scale in many other places. I thought it was well worth a visit while we were in the area. If you're at all inclined towards an interest in science, you'll probably enjoy it. read more

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What a cool place! Learned loads about how scientists tried to replicate what the earth does so they could do different earth science tests in a controlled environment. Still so much testing and learning going on! Did the Lung tour as an add on and learned about how the pressure balance was maintained. Long drive, but so pretty!! read more

Nice experience. Lots of learning opportunities. There is some walking through so be prepared but worth a visit

My initial visit to this remarkable location was truly delightful. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to experience it. It offers a profoundly educational journey with an abundance of sights, making it an exceptionally worthwhile endeavor. I would suggest opting for all three guided tours to gain access to areas not available through the self-guided option. I am particularly pleased that this establishment is conveniently situated near my residence. Please consider bringing some refreshments, as the cafe is currently closed. Be prepared for a considerable amount of walking and exploration. read more

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I got to check this place out a little bit when I was out here for the Tucson Marathon. The race had used this venue and the surrounding roads as the starting area for the race. Its name is Biosphere 2 as it is modeled after Earth, Biosphere 1. It is currently owned by the University of Arizona where their scientists continue to do their research. The biomes that they have under glass are ocean, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savanna grassland, and fog desert. I would love to return and check out the place in more detail. If environmental science is your thing, you should come check this place out! read more

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Biosphere 2 is a science and engineering wonder! It is a great place to show human's effort to recreate different ecosystems in controlled environments. Great learning experiences for kids and myself along with its history - something we won't be able to experience in other places. read more

Biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

We have never met a museum that we didn't love and Biosphere 2 delivers. What a checkered history it has, and it is now owned and operated by U of Arizona. The tour is self guided with the app on your phone. The walk is well marked, they make it very easy. We had our own headphones which was a real plus. Half of the tour is outdoors so be prepared, it was 92° on our day. Check out the documentary SPACE SHIP EARTH on AppleTV Even in the failure of the original concept, much good is happening here. read more

Biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

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We love the Biosphere and are considering getting an annual membership. It's about 50 minutes from the university and a great place to get away from Tucson for a few hours. The staff is always willing to answer questions and make sure you are following the correct path. This list recent visit we added on the $12 tour of the lung. We were able to go below the main level of the biosphere and see a portion of the machinery that operates the system. Very much worth the adventure out there! read more

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I took a tour while I was vacationing in Tucson. The different greenhouse biomes were fascinating and really cool to see. The living quarters and expensive tour of the library, not so much. I would recommend not paying extra for those guided tours, and just skip forward to the greenhouses. They've recreated different climates from all over the world, with thriving ecosystem and established trees and plants. There is even a 700,000 ocean tank that they are currently rehabilitating in order to replant corals on the reef. read more

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What an amazing place. Inspiring and gave me hope that our future generations might survive the heating planet. They're doing great work and deserve to be supported. read more

Very unique! The app was very informative for the self guided tour. The staff were friendly. Fascinating to learn about the science and research done here. Definitely worth visiting if you visit Tucson. read more

Great experience!!!! Learned so much about the history and research and love that it's still being used for research today. We opted to book the optional/additional lung and library tours and glad we did! Got to see really cool features and functions in person which was way better than just reading about them :) very clean all throughout and knowledgeable/friendly staff. Wish we could eat the fruit that was growing inside! read more

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We were excited to take our 11 year old granddaughter to the Biosphere 2. The weather was perfect. My granddaughter was so interested in everything. The self guided tour was amazing. read more

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I'm from Tucson and hadn't been to Biosphere 2 until recently; I've officially found a new favorite place to take family when in town. The campus is beautiful and features a self-guided walking tour. I took about an hour and fifteen minutes to walk through start to finish and listen to some of the tour, which according to their website is exactly how long they expect people to visit. And while I didn't use it, there is also an accessible route to the different areas. My visit was kind of impromptu, and I went wearing ballet flats and a sundress. While I wouldn't recommend this, you can take the tour at your own pace so this was not an issue. In addition to good shoes, I would make sure you're well equipped with water and sunscreen. A lot of the tour is outside and you're subject to our Sonoran desert. If you like The Martian, The 100, or Lost, look no further - Biosphere 2 feel like you've been immersed into an unreal science fiction fantasy. read more

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Highly recommend visiting the Biosphere 2, this is such an incredible piece of science.

This is truly such a unique and must try experience. I'm in awe to this day of what I've seen here and learned. It's a fairly easy experience to have, plenty of accessible spaces. The story and education behind it all is really impressive, it continues to be a work in progress of new and old projects coming through. I'm excited by the development. The views and feel of the spaces themselves are really so great, it's hard to explain how unique it is to travel through the Biosphere. A heads up to download the app entirely before and/or there before walking if you'd like to have the audio and videos available for viewing during the walk around. read more

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My husband and I went back to the Biosphere after having been gone from AZ for a while. Such a great experience! Everyone was so helpful and friendly that it made the entire day especially wonderful. Make sure you take the tour of the Lung....definitely worth it! Everyone should go see this. I give it a10 stars if I could. Bravo guys... bravo! read more

Biosphere has been on my list of places to check out for a while now. We had family visiting from Texas and they wanted to go, so this was the perfect opportunity. Overall, it's 4 stars for me simply due to the experience of that day. The weather wasn't great. Not biospheres fault. Just nature. And, actually I'm glad it was pouring rain, we always need more moisture is AZ. It just made for a wet and cold day walking around the property. The tour takes about 60-90 minutes. Self guided tour requires you to download the app. Cell signal is not good out there, they have wifi in the building. The tour is half inside and half outside. They have different areas you can visit such as the LEO (landscape evolution observatory), mangrove, ocean, desert, and rainforest. I can imagine on a nice day, it's great to walk around outside. The area I enjoyed most was the desert since it's not like our desert here in AZ, it's more the type of desert region found in Baja Mexico. It was lush, green, with flowers. The ocean area is neat too. The rainforest was cool, but a bit of let down, you can walk in and look at it, but can't walk through it. Open for Tours Monday-Sunday 9am-4pm Adult $27, Senior $25, Child (5-17) $15 Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day We went on a Friday and there were plenty of people visiting but didn't feel crowded. read more

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It's 90% walking outside and 10% of the indoors. The walking path inside is soooo short. I feel 25$ is too expensive to see very little plants. Oh and it's not stroller friendly. read more

this was a great experience. it is a little bit of a drive but once you arrive there is a large parking lot. it is a self guided tour that you can hear through a downloaded app on your phone. there are two extra tours you can sign up for: the lungs tour and the library tour. we did the lungs tour after we walked through the full experience on our own. It is quite. a bit of walking in different habitats from humid to hot and dry, so bring layers. we learned a lot and our favorite part was the lung tour. our tour guide was claudio and he has been working at the site since the first experiment. will definelty be returning read more

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Visiting Tucson for the day so we decided to stop by the biosphere on our way down from Scottsdale. We are so happy that we did so! It's honestly a really fun experience. The price is very fair and it is a self-guided tour. They do offer guided tours as well, however, we chose to do the self-guided. You download an app, and at each stop (about 115 of them) the app tells you more about each location. You start outside to get views of the exterior and then you move into the desert dome, after that you head into the ocean dome and end in the jungle dome. You can make it a quick stop or spend as much time as you'd like. It's open from 9am to 4pm and there is no set arrival time. The last tours are allowed in at 3:30pm so it's a really freeform type of experience. I would highly recommend to anyone. read more

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Super cool experience! My husband and I went to the Biosphere on a Sunday and had no issue getting tickets. It is recommended you purchase tickets in advance, as they only have 40 slots available per every 30 min. It's nice because you can see how many slots are available when you book - that way you know ahead of time how many others will be going through at the same time. The tour itself is very organized. They have an app for it that you can download either beforehand or on their wifi if you choose. We brought earbuds as to not disturb other groups or have to weed through which audio we were listening to. There was a fairly big group in front of us using a single phone on full volume, so I was happy we had the earbuds. The employees walk you through how to use the tour as well before you set out. It is *mostly* handicap accessible - the group in front of us had someone in a wheelchair, and we overheard that their lift is currently out of order (Aug 2022). Unfortunately, they aren't able to see the living quarters or the lower level. The rest of the tour, there are both ramps and steps available. The tour is approximately 1 mile in total, so be prepared for that! It is also mostly outside. We really enjoyed learning about the Biosphere experience and all the research that is being conducted there. I would highly recommend checking this out, especially if you're a science nerd like me :) read more

Biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

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Information was interesting. Glad we went to see Biosphere 2, I always wanted to go and see. read more

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Imagine wanting to recreate life on earth inside an enclosed land-based Arc in search of scientific possibility and innovation. One of every plant, some animals, even it's own ocean along with a crew including a scientist and a physician or two, and then imagine your Eden quickly degrading into a hell scape without enough food, oxygen or medical care. Welcome to Biosphere 2, the experiment that went horribly wrong in the desert outside of Tuscon, and now a university research center (originally, Columbia University and now run by the University of Arizona) and spot that tourists can visit and do some disaster gawking. Enjoyable, fascinating and a little moldy (yes, growing on the walls) Biosphere 2 is worth a visit if you have a morbid fascination for failed experiments, 90s futuristic architecture, indoor rainforests, or university laboratories. read more

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What a surreal experience! Felt like I was in the ISS!! What a most interesting time and enjoyable, peaceful day. Just amazing what Man can do!!! Even bought a fee things at their gift shop!! read more

Biosphere 2 - Inside! Just a sneak peek! What fun. - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

This is a very interesting and fun place. I came here with my husband on a Sunday and we made it just in time to do the self tour before they closed. We arrived at 3pm and they close at 4pm but try to have everyone out no later than 4:30pm. The self tour with listening to each audio video took us about 70 minutes. Keep in mind there are multiple times you need to go up and down stairs. This isn't a problem for us, but if you're slower moving then the tour may take you longer. Make sure to download the app prior to arrival so that you are ready to go with the self tour. Please remember to bring headphones. There were so many people without them and they were listening to the audio out loud and it was very distracting when I was trying to listen to mine on my headphones. The fact that there is an ocean and a rainforest in the middle of the desert is just mind blowing. This is definitely a great place to visit and I want to come back to do the lung tour. read more

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First part of the tour is self guided. This worked well. Self guided means self paced. So much to see. Learn. Absurd. The history is also rich. The second tour into the "lungs" was guided. This was fantastic. Our guide, Orville, was knowledgeable, engaging and kept our group focused the full tour. He is a gifted educator and speaker. His personal touch made the tour exceptional. Highly recommend. Will repeat simply to learn more about this amazing facility. read more

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I've always wanted to visit here and we decided to do a little staycation in Arizona. We took a quick trip down to Tucson and made this one of our destinations. The site is run by the University of Arizona now and is used for research. They obviously still have COVID precautions in place. So instead of a tour guide you use an app on your phone. They did a pretty good job with the app but it just wasn't the same as a real guide. Still all things considered it worked well enough. My family of four really enjoyed the walking tour. My 17 year old daughter who is into biology and wants to attend the UoA in a year was really impressed. Plus she got a ton of great photos to post online. I love things like this and definitely want to come back when the real tour guides return. read more

Biosphere 2 - Ocean at biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

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The place itself was awesome however the guide Claudio was unprofessional and rude and since I use a walker (I felt this place was not handicap friendly due to a lot of stairs with no ramp access to see a lot if the exhibits) be spoke rudely to me and my family choosing not to assist us when we had questions. Due to his actions my family nor myself will go back which is sad because this is a great place to see. read more

If you're in Tucson stop on by the Biosphere 2. Learn about how the scientist lived, studies they we're working on and how the Biosphere functions. Buy your ticket online and down load the App which is for the self guided tour. The beginning of the tour will be outdoors as you walk around the property stopping at various points of interest. The best part of the tour is inside where you can walk through the garden and rain forest area. I do wish that they would allow us to see more of the inside property. I could see through a window one of the apartments of the scientist. It was really cool to be able to see what the living conditions were for them. I would've liked to have been able to go upstairs to the library even though it's several flights up. I would've liked to have seen the doctors office, Kitchen, research lab, even if it was just from behind the glass window. $25 for a self guided tour is a bit steep. I think $15 is a fair price. Having said that, I did enjoy the trip and I am glad that I stopped by. It is something that I've been wanting to check out for a while now. read more

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I'm embarrassed to say I've lived in Arizona intermittently for about 8 years, primarily in Phoenix, and I had never heard of Biosphere 2 until this week. A family member has been visiting and suggested we check it out... I'm so glad we did! What very important work has been done, and is being done at this site. Allow 2 hours to visit. Dress in layers for the different climates you'll experience. read more

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The future is here, and it was done like 20 years ago! Innovations and biological reserves like this are so important for us all looking forward. So much to say about this place but let's just say they have a man made Tropical forest and ocean in the middle of the desert Go to support and understand what the Biosphere 2 is all about. You will not be disappointed with what you find. - Get Involved - Future Proof World - Biological Innovations read more

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I highly recommend anyone do this tour. While we went during COVID, and it was empty with tourists, it was fascinating. You can only go in the main dome and the Rain Forest but it was still worth the cost. I wish they could have had a live tour guide versus the phone tour, but it's the times we are in. You learn why they ended up pumping oxygen in and why it failed. The structures are unreal. Go, even during Covid and paying full price, I'd do it again. read more

Biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

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Everyone should see the Biosphere2. Interesting human experiment as well as environmental effort.

Absolutely a wonderful place to visit. Enjoyed the rain Forrest, the ocean was interesting, just a reminder to definitely wear comfortable shoes..... read more

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I read some negative reviews and almost backed out. Glad I didn't. I had a great experience! Staff were friendly and helpful. There is WiFi throughout the facility. Also, video rooms and placards with info throughout. Not sure what those 1-stars were talking about. Worth a visit! read more

Biosphere 2 - Museums Near Me - Oracle, Arizona

Employees are rude. Soooo rude. My family went today and the woman behind the counter that we showed our tickets to just said "follow the red arrows and download the app and start here with the first video". Also she told me that "there are some stairs but there will be separate paths so you can use your stroller". Well the App DID NOT WORK. We saw other people with iPads and we asked what those were for and they told us "if your app isn't working they give you the iPad". Which is interesting because I pulled up my app and she(the woman we showed our tickets to) saw that mine wasn't working right there at the counter to which she said "oh don't worry the videos will load"- the first video did but none of the rest worked. Anyway, once we got to the "kitchen" the person working said "you should leave your stroller because there's a lot of stairs" lol.... I said "will the path loop around and bring me back here so I can get it?" He said it would. It did not. So once we figured that out we had to walk all the way around the building to retrieve my stroller. Once you walk through the different biomes, (Does it smell like mold inside or is it just me?) and you exit the rainforest which brings you back outside, the red arrows disappear?? No one told us this would happen. Maybe the app explains this? We wouldn't know. They say it's 50/50 indoors and outdoors but it feels more like 70% outdoors. Don't go when it's 110* degrees out because you'll be miserable and apparently so will all the employees. On our way out we saw a family completely struggling with zero direction. Apparently they weren't even told to "follow the red arrows". This place is a joke, don't waste your money. If your interested, watch a YT video on it. read more

Really fascinating Definitely bring the entire family It's an amazing experience to be in The Lung Feels futuristic and like a glimpse of the possibilities of food production on other planets Definitely check it out read more

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Was really nice but the self guided tour was sad compared to the guided tour from before, they used to show you more cool places but oh well. The staff was very nice and took some photos for us and made up for it :) the rain didn't stop us from having a great time and it was very quiet! A bonus! Hooray! read more

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Just went today with my mom while she was in town. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and how often do you get to wander around a Biosphere? lol I'd agree that $25 per person is a bit steep for what it was, but overall it was really cool to learn about how the property just started with some lady building a house, and then it slowly expanded to more and more buildings and I'll let you learn the rest. It's really more like a 45 minute tour, unless you're walking super slow and reading every single sign that you see. We drove over an hour to get out there, but it was still totally worth it. I had a great time hanging out with my mom who I rarely get to see, we experienced a very humid rain forest, saw cool plants, lots of insects and reptiles running around and the staff both inside the main office and throughout the Biosphere were all super friendly. Our app wouldn't bring up one of the videos, so the gentleman brought us back to the sign and gave us all the details from memory and it was very informative. Don't let some of the folks scare you off because they claim it's not worth the time or money. Go try it and see how you like it for yourself. I personally loved it, and I am not even close to a fan of science or agriculture lol read more