Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum - Tuesday 09/22/2026
Trip Cost: $14.00
The University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum is a non-profit organization through the University of Arizona Foundation dedicated to providing public education and the preservation of its extensive natural history collection.
The museum moved in 2022 and now occupies one wing of the Historic Pima County Courthouse in downtown Tucson. The museum has 12,000 square feet of exhibit space with three major galleries: Mineral Evolution, Arizona Gallery, and the Gem Gallery. The museum features interactive, touchable, and digital content (video, photos, audio, and visuals). The collection is worldwide in scope while emphasizing minerals from Arizona and Mexico.
Find out more about the museum here.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club at 8:30 AM for departure at 9:00 AM. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or GVR Camera Club nametag if you have one. For those carpooling, $5.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver.
We’ll convoy to the El Presidio Parking Garage, 165 West Alameda Street, which is an easy walk to the museum. Be sure to bring your parking ticket with you – the museum has arranged with the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center for our parking to be validated (more on that later). Please note the El Presidio Parking Garage has a low 6’ 2” overhead clearance. We’ll gather at the January 8, 2011 Memorial on the west side of the courthouse before heading to the museum.
At the museum, we'll be provided a gallery overview after which we'll be allowed to disperse to take photos. Museum staff and docents will be available to answer questions and explain the displays. There are no restrictions on photography equipment or what can be photographed. For flash photography, the museum just asks us to be mindful of other guests as the flash tends to travel around the gallery bouncing off the reflection from the display cases.
We’ll go to the Perche' No Italian Bistro at 12:30 PM for an optional and leisurely no-host lunch. The trip will resume at 1:45 PM.
Following lunch, we’ll return to the Historic Pima County Courthouse and visit the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center. Be sure to stop by the front desk to have your parking validated (otherwise, parking will be about $7.00). While there, you’re welcome to check out their exhibits, learn about area attractions, and browse their gift shop. While at the courthouse, be sure to check out the Dillinger Courtroom and the January 8th Memorial. You can also return to the Gem & Mineral Museum – it’s open until 4:00 PM.
Darrell Rude will be our trip leader. Contact Darrell at 907-227-4244 or email at with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event. Please add your trip leader's email and phone number to your contact list so you don't miss out on any important updates.
GVR requires that every person participating in club's field trips must sign a waiver absolving GVR of any liability. You will be required to sign the waiver at the Photography club before the trip departs.
The last date to cancel for a refund is September 15, 2026. If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Co-Chair Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com. We may have people on the wait list to take your place.
If you have to cancel on the day of the trip, please call Darrell as soon as you know you cannot make the trip.
NOTICE:
All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.
Be sure to have your GVR card with you for each and every field trip. Without it, you won't be allowed to go on the trip. No refunds will be granted for failure to comply with this requirement. To protect GVR and club member benefits, GVR has implemented a new process that requires each field trip participant to come into the club and scan his/her GVR card to confirm eligibility. We no longer have the option of typing in your name or GVR number – only the physical GVR card will do.
We will no longer meet in the parking lot. We will meet in the GVR Photography Club where you will scan your GVR card confirming your eligibility to go on the trip. We’ll also review important/late-breaking information, pair up drivers and riders, provide driving directions, and give participants a chance to visit the restrooms prior to departure. Again, be sure to have your GVR card with you.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.