Classic Westerns come alive on the dusty streets of Old Tucson Studios.

It's Hollywood in the Arizona Desert

WEST OF TUCSON, Ariz. — A visit to Tucson isn't complete without a stroll through Old Tucson Studios, where the streets are paved with the footprints of Western movie heroes.

More than 200 films and 250 TV shows have been shot at Old Tucson Studios. John Wayne filmed four of his biggest movies here (Rio Bravo, El Dorado, McLintock, and Rio Lobo). Clint Eastwood rode to fame here as the Outlaw Josey Wales. Old Tucson is even where Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short yucked it up as The Three Amigos. Does the mission photo (right) look familiar?

While still considered a functioning studio, Old Tucson doesn't draw big Hollywood productions as it did in its heyday. But Old Tucson still commands an audience, with half-a-million visitors annually.

The studio also hosts corporate functions, picnics and special events. Corporate groups can even dress up in Western costumes and film their own western movie shorts. See more Old Tucson photos.

Step into a Reel Western
The guided tour is interesting if you like westerns. Our fact-filled guide was brimming over with terrific anecdotes and knowledge of the studio's history. Spring through early summer are the best times to go. Mid-to-late summers can be scorching. (What did you expect? It's the desert.)

There's plenty of things to do for the kids, including a train ride, pony ride and carousel. Old Tucson also has several live-action shows during the week: a comedy show, the can-can dance revue, and the action-packed gun show and stunt show, all of which are as good, if not better than, any theme park. (Call ahead for showtimes).

Once Upon a Time in the West
At its height, Old Tucson was considered the premiere studio for filming western movies. Columbia Pictures built the studio in 1939 to film "Arizona," their western epic starring William Holden and actress Jean Arthur. To create a realistic look, producers wanted a natural backdrop with steep hills and those iconic Saguaro "pitchfork" cacti. And talk about realistic. The production team enlisted the help of several Tohono O'odam Indians, who combined clay, water and straw to make traditional adobe bricks that were used in building the set pieces. Old Tucson sits on the edge of the Saguaro National Park, a 91,000-acre reserve blanketed by millions of giant saguaro cacti.

The last major Hollywood westerns shot here were The Quick and the Dead and Tombstone before a devastating fire swept through the studio in 1995 that interrupted production for several years. Much of the studio was rebuilt and reopened in 1997 to a new crop of western movie fans.