I♥Tucson Reason #3 - Raider's Reef

241 (of) EVERYTHING awaits you at Raider's Reef

A long time ago, when IHeartTucson was just a little swabbie, we heard the tales of the search for the Seven Lost Golden Cities of Cibola. These stories were full of swashbucking adventure, desert survival, enchanting magics, and vampire/human cross-species romance. In one of the tales, our adventurers ran across a pirate ship in the middle of the desert, stranded there many years prior due to a ginormous tidal wave which swept it up from the gulf of California into the flat basin of the Sonoran desert.

It is hard to believe that Tucson has once again turned the dreams of our childhood into a reality - imagine our surprise encounter with the Raider's Reef galleon that had been washed ashore conveniently on Golf Links just east of Wilmot.

The ship was conveniently stranded next to a Circle K, where the pirates
loaded up on energy drinks and Slim Jims.

Recent upgrades like the border hedge and cell phone tower have added both
a touch of class and modern amenity.

As a disclaimer, IHeartTucson must state openly that we have not yet had a chance to board the Raider's Reef but we are sooooo looking forward to doing so. We are huge fans of Midieval Times and the Renaissance Faire and think that a pirate-themed dinner theater show housed in an actual ship is just the most awesomest thing ever. We can just imagine all the waiters dressed up in their high seas finest, everyone saying "ARRR" alot, big tankards of grog, and the cast making some of the customers "walk the plank" if they don't speak in proper pirate-ese.

No need for an anchor - we're in the des-ARRR-t.

The exterior theming at Raider's Reef is just top notch - from the impressive masts (sails were down when we saw it), to the beautiful bow figure, to the full-scale anchor. Another touch we love is the cheeky Gentlemen's Cabaret sign which must have been put there as a joke by those pirates to show us how rough and "manly" they are. Although a bit un-PC and sexist, we believe this just adds to the fun and think the kiddies will love this place even more than Chuck E. Cheese's. We will definitely enjoy a Cabernet (sauvignon) to along with the rollicking pirate festivities.

This fair maiden keeps an AYE on you as you pass by.

For the budget-minded out there, I would like to share that I was able to get a printable Free Admission Coupon from the Raider's Reef website which is actually good on any day of the week! We're definitely going to become regular fixtures there - I may even take my boss there for lunch one day as she is a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Get your eyepatch ready, and polish your peg-leg - Raider's Reef awaits for you mateys!

We love how they found someone as lovely as their bow figurehead to
model for their advertising.