Drive or Fly – We Buy

Our staff here at Tanque Verde Ranch recognizes how hard you work and we would like to help give you the summer vacation that you deserve. That’s why this summer we are offering two packages that not only offer you wonderful all-inclusive activities, but also help you with your travel expenses.

Continuing on from May 26^th, we would like to thank you for making the drive to the Ranch by offering you a gas credit on your reservation. When booking your stay, you can choose between our three first class lodging options – the Salas, Casitas or Haciendas. The all inclusive rates include deluxe lodging with 3 hearty meals daily, supervised children’s programs for kids 4-11, all horseback trail riding and lessons, fishing, guided hikes, nature programs, mountain biking, bingo and many other family activities.

The longer you stay the more gas credit you receive! If you stay with us for 2 nights, you will receive $100 in gas credit. By staying 3 or 4 nights, you will receive $175 in gas credit. Stay 5 or more and receive $225 in gas credit.

This offer lasts until September 2^nd so call and book your summer vacation today and let us Fill Up Your Tanque.

If your commute requires you to fly to us, well we will help you there as well! Continuing from June 15^th until August 31^st, we will be offering you an airfare credit of $299 with any 3-night all-inclusive stays! Like Fill Up Your Tanque, you have the choice between staying in our Salas, Casitas or Haciendas. The all-inclusive rates include your deluxe lodging with all meals included, all horseback trail riding and lessons, fishing, guided hikes and nature programs.

Take advantage of our fantastic packages and come to Tanque Verde Ranch for an incredible experience with incredible views. Click here for more information, or call 1-800-234-3833 and book your summer vacation today.

A Week at Camp – A Lifetime of Memories

Tanque Verde Ranch may take it’s claim to fame as the largest Dude Ranch in the United States, but it also has built quite the reputation for its Supervised Kid’s Program and Summer Overnight Camp.

Starting June 29 thru August 3^rd, Tanque Verde Ranch will offer it’s 15^th annual Summer Overnight Camp in both 7-day and 14-day sessions to campers ages 9 through 16 years old.

Each camper will be assigned their very own horse to ride and will be responsible for daily grooming, bathing, feeding, and saddling daily, with assistance from knowledgeable counselors. Campers will learn how to become independent riders as they enhance their skills and form a deeper relationship with their horse as they participate in 640 acres of trail and lope rides, barrel and keyhole racing and team penning.

“What makes our program unique and successful is we not only provide kids with activities that entertain and engage, but more notably educate and teach kids the importance of working together,” said Lisa Bedient, Tanque Verde Ranch Kids Program Supervisor.

In addition to the horse education, the Ranch offers many other on and off site field trips – tennis, hiking, arts and crafts, swimming and nature programs, mountain biking and more! “Our caring and knowledgeable team will ensure a safe and fun experience for your child,” said Bedient.

If you’re interested in this exciting opportunity, you can register online by clicking here, or pick up your registration form at the Ranch’s Front Desk. For more information, contact lbedient@tvgr.com. Cost is $1500 per week and is subject to Arizona prevailing tax.

LeighAnn Kindberg – The Tanque Verde Sweetheart

Tanque Verde’s LeighAnn Kingberg has been the Director of Revenue Management and Reservations for almost six years and has played many roles at the Ranch in years prior, but most guests recognize her as the cheerful cowgirl that always takes their phone call reservation. When guests arrive, she greets with hugs and wears a constant smile. She’s known for remembering past guests on not only a first name basis, but more importantly she can determine a person by solely his or her voice.

LeighAnn spent much of her childhood in the Tucson area until moving to Seattle at the age of 12. She graduated from Shorecrest High School in Seattle and continued her education at the University of Washington, where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Business and Public Administration.

From the age of 14 she worked retail for Bon Marche but emphasized her “heart was truly in the hospitality industry.” In fact, she had always dreamed of not only working as an executive at a resort, but also owning one. After graduation, she began her hospitality journey at the Westin Hotel where she spent six years as a reservationist and eventually worked her way up to the Reservations Manager.

In 1999, LeighAnn relocated back to Tucson where she became a team member of Shop Natural, a Natural Food Warehouse, holding the title, Director of Operations. In 2007, she saw an opening at Tanque Verde Ranch for Front Desk Manager, applied and began her journey with the Ranch. In 2008 she shifted roles to assume the Director of Guest Services. With each day passing, Leigh Ann’s relationships with guests grew stronger and so did her love for the ranch.

In 2009, she moved into her current position, Director of Revenue Management and Reservations. “Tanque Verde Ranch is a magical place and I work with an amazing team that puts it all together to make the experience for our guests unlike any other,” she said. “What a better collaboration of my passion where I truly am a part of creating make lasting relationships and memories for people all over the world.”

With hospitality burning inside of her, she has recently continued her education through Cornell University and received several certifications including: Revenue Management, Masters in Hospitality Management, Lead Customer Team Focused Groups, Hospitality Management and CTA for Tucson AZ from the Visit Tucson Office.

LeighAnn’s passion for “service and gratitude” is also translated towards community members of Tucson. Every week, LeighAnn teaches a life skills class to mentally challenged adults who are learning to mainstream into society. “I teach them how to balance a check book, find a job, cook, clean and many other important life skills – those things most of us take for granted.” LeighAnn emphasized that the class she teaches is very rewarding and is a reflection of the importance of giving back to the community.

In her spare time, you can find LeighAnn spending time with her dogs, Linus and Charlie, but every now and then she is known to escape the desert to enjoy a couple hours of snowboarding. All in all, she considers the ranch her home away from home and all the guests her extended family members. “I love what I do and who I do it for,” she said. “This is what keeps a smile on my face day after day!”

Savor the Flavor of the Ranch

Discover a new culinary adventure with this perfect for summer recipe! Bring a taste of Tanque Verde’s southwestern flavor to your backyard BBQ with this Watermelon Feta Salad, sure to quench all your tastebuds. (For a printable version of these recipes for your recipe box, click here, print and cut.)

Celebrate Independence Day Cowboy Style

Make sure to bring your appetite to our country fair and pig roast because you will want to go back for more of our tantalizing BBQ buffet. With everything from a mouthwatering apple cinnamon-brined whole suckling pig, baby back pork ribs, ribeye steaks, smoked turkey breast, burgers, hot dogs, and an array of salads, sides; our buffet is every cowboy’s dream!

If it’s sweets you’re craving, well we have that covered too! Our mouthwatering desserts include homemade ice cream, strawberry rhubarb and peach cobbler, as well as bourbon apple pie.

The night will be filled with many country fair games and activities. Kids of all ages are sure to be entertained by the apple bobbing, three-legged races, pie toss, sack races, horseshoe throw, face painting, cow roping station and duck pond.

As your children participate in the various games and activities, kick back and enjoy live music!

Festivities start at 5:30pm on Thursday, July 4^th and end at 8:30pm.

Bring the whole family and celebrate the 4^th in style. The price for festivities is $50 for adults and $25 for children 10 and under.

Click here to view more information or call 1-800-234-3833.

Spelunking in the Summer Sun

Summers at the ranch are jam-packed with fun adventures – from fantastic morning rides to the breathtaking sunset rides followed by a filling outdoor BBQ down at the Cottonwoods. But it in the afternoon, a dip in the pool can be refreshing or an adventure “spelunking” or cave exploring might be the perfect remedy for a warm afternoon.

Tucson has two great spelunking adventures close by. With a constant temperature of 70 degrees, the caverns holds many treasures, history and stories to behold besides the cool respite from the Arizona sun.

Colossal Cave

The first people lived in Colossal Cave Mountain Park over a thousand years ago. Around 900 A.D., the Hohokam Indians formed a thriving community, farming in the valley below Colossal Cave and using the Cave itself for shelter, storage and as a religious shrine.

In 1884, four men held up a mail train near Pantano, a tiny town east of Tucson and just south of Colossal Cave, and got away with $72,000 in gold and currency.  Sheriff Bob Leatherwood rounded up a posse and trailed the bandits to a “hole in a mountainside”—Colossal Cave in the Rincon Mountains. Escaping through another exit, the bandits were later captured by the posse nearly 70 miles away in Willcox, AZ. After arrests were made, the caves was thoroughly explored, unveiling the back entrance and the bandits’ lair, which included the remains of a campfire, food and clothes—but not a trace of the $72,000.

Colossal Cave is currently on the National Register of Historic Places and was erected thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) who constructed the buildings, walkways, and wiring in the mid 1930’s. The hand-set flagstone walkways and handrails are exactly as installed by the CCC. These days, however, Colossal Cave is wearing new lights and is more breathtaking than ever before.

Kartchner Cavern

Forty miles southeast of Tucson, under the limestone rock of the Whetstone Mountains, lies Kartchner Caverns. It was discovered in 1974 by Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, two amateur cavers from Tucson. A simple cleft in the rock led to a fantastic underground world they called Xanadu.

Except for telling the Kartchner family, who owned the land, they kept the cave a secret for years, fearing it would be vandalized. Eventually, Tenen and Tufts came to believe that the best way to protect the cave was to turn it into a state park. The Kartchners agreed. Years of legislative wrangling ensued, but Kartchner Caverns State Park finally opened in the late 1990s.

The cave is host to a wide variety of unique minerals and formations. Water percolates from the surface and calcite formations continue to grow, including stalactites dripping down like icicles and giant stalagmites reaching up from the ground. Tour guides will unveil this fascinating underground landscape during a memorable 1½ hour tour.

The Kartchner Cavern’s Discovery Center features museums exhibits, a large gift shop, regional displays, theater, and educational information about the caverns and the surrounding landscape. There are also campgrounds, hiking trails, lockers, shaded picnic areas, a deli, an amphitheater and a hummingbird garden.

Both cave tours are a great way to explore the history of Tucson besides seeing some of mother nature’s greatest subterranean masterpieces. While kid’s Summer Camps take advantage of these tours, but guests can also take advantage of these great adventures on most warm afternoons throughout the summer. For more information on these exciting excursions check out the websites for Colossal Caves or Kartchner Caverns, or if you visit the ranch just ask our front desk staff! They will surely lead you in the right direction to make an underground memory of a lifetime.

Meet at The “Tanque”

The land of Tanque Verde, which is Spanish for “green tank” or “green pool,” was named for its seasonal river that provided an ancient water source and gathering site for the local Pima Indians. Now in the day and age of the 21^st century, the land of Tanque Verde is still used as a common meeting ground for people around the world.

Among Tucson resorts, Tanque Verde is considered truly stands out as a unique setting for a conference or event with its awe-inspiring scenic views, variety of meeting venues, exceptional catering, teambuilding activities, and of of course the deluxe, southwestern- style accommodations all helping bring companies together – both large and small.

Many companies use teambuilding exercise to extract the best out of their workforce. Tanque Verde’s teambuilding will literally urge employees to work smarter and not just harder, in an effort to deliver the desired results that most companies need and want. In addition, the activities help foster better and open communication, as well as improve professional relations, trust, understanding and co-operation.

Teambuilding favorites include Dudeos, Team Penning, and Foot Rodeos.  Private group activities or events can also be arranged, such as private Breakfast Rides, BBQs and Mexican fiestas. These exercises incorporate authentic dude ranch activities, allowing groups to bond over something unique and reflective of the Old West spirit.

Our experienced conference staff will help you personalize every detail of your conference or event. The Ranch offers several unique teambuilding activities that will enhance your group’s cooperation, decision-making skills, and encourage teamwork.

The Arizona dude ranch setting is sure to make a lasting impression for your future meeting or conference, just as it did for centuries for the Pima Indian people and just as it will for generations to come. As the old adage goes “teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results,” and Tanque Verde Ranch is the perfect setting to make this happen!

For more information, please click here, or call 1-800-234-3833.

The Diary of Golden Eye – The Long Journey Begins

The day has finally arrived. Golden Eye and 26 of his four-legged, Tanque Verde Ranch friends are about to embark on their 2-day journey from the lush desert of Tucson, to Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert in the land of 10,000 lakes.

Golden Eye appeared impatient and nervous waiting for his ride to arrive. Even though he had packed his bag days ago, he scanned his array of belongings once again to make sure he didn’t forget anything.

“Golf clubs… check. Mr. Squiggles… check. Toothbrush… check,” he said under his breath.

Only minutes later, the bright, yellow shuttle van and trailer emerged from the distance. Golden Eye turned to his friend, Jim Bankson, TVR’s General Manager, and anxiously asked, “Do you think the other campers are going to like me? Do you think the bears will chase after me? Jim, I don’t know if I’m ready for this!”

Jim just chuckled, put a hand on Golden Eye’s mane, and responded calmly.

“Golden Eye, I’m going to let you in on a little secret – Every camper has the pre-camp jitters, but guess what! The Cote Family owns Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert just like they own Tanque Verde Ranch, so all the staff and campers there are just like your family here at the Ranch. You will feel right at home.”

As Jim loaded the shuttle van and trailer with all of Golden Eye’s saddlebags, he suddenly stopped and asked Golden Eye a question.

“Are you going to let Mr. Squiggles (Golden Eye’s Teddy Bear) ride up front or in the back next to you?” Golden Eye nodded towards to the back. “I figured you would want him close to you during the journey,” said Jim.

Once Golden Eye and his fellow four-legged friends were loaded, they said their goodbyes to the TVR staff. They all waved out the back window until the TVR staff was out of sight. It wasn’t until they drove down the road a little ways that Golden Eye’s pre-camp jitters finally turned into excitement. “Here we go, y’all,” he said. “We’re finally on our way to camp!”

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