Valley of the Moon Brings Magic to the Desert

OutBack

This is one in a series that uncovers the untold stories of LGBTQ+ life beyond the city, celebrating queer resilience, creativity, and community in Arizona's suburban and rural areas. Read the full series here.

Unicorns. Wizards. And secret tunnels.

That’s just some of the magic at Tucson’s Valley of the Moon — a full-blown fever dream of a magical cloudland where imagination takes center stage, sometimes literally.

Tucked into midtown Tucson, this enchanted historic fairyland is a two-and-a-half-acre oasis featuring theater productions, tours and markets.

Think gardens, sculptures and figurine-laden alcoves that transport visitors into another dimension.

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And honestly, it kind of does.

From preschoolers to teens and adults, Valley of the Moon attracts “everyone who has a sense of whimsy and wonder,” said Dante Crossroad, a board member, community access steward and head of the theatrical department.

It has also become a haven for the LGBTQ+ community and others since the 1930s.

Above all, the goal is to promote the idea that “kindness to all is the golden key to happiness,” Crossroad said.

Historic roots

Valley of the Moon was founded by George Phar Legler, an Indiana native who moved to Tucson in 1917. He worked on the railroad and later served as a part-time postal clerk, according to the organization’s website. He died in 1982.

The inspiration began when Legler created an early, smaller version outside the window of a 14-year-old girl who was dying of tuberculosis. After her death, her father asked Legler to help his grieving wife.

Legler decided to create “a place where everyone could express their imagination and heal the mind and spirit,” according to the website. He built Valley of the Moon from 1923 to 1932, enlisting the help of men experiencing homelessness, who traded labor for room and board.

A whimsical cat figurine dressed in medieval attire, playing a stringed instrument, surrounded by lights and rocks. — The grounds of Valley of the Moon in Tucson are strewn with whimsical creatures, like this bunny that harkens back to the time when the founder ran a live bunny theater. Photo: Geri Koeppel

There, Legler staged primarily one-man shows. In the 1940s, he added the Bunnyland Theater, which featured live fashion shows with tailor-made outfits, according to an August 1947 article in California Rabbits Magazine.

Today, Valley of the Moon is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Tucson Historic Landmark. It is run by the George Phar Legler Society Inc., which includes eight directors and a cadre of volunteers.

Get a “unicorn sound bath”

Volunteers at Valley of the Moon handle everything from leading tours to maintaining the grounds and performing in biannual productions.

With a grant from the Robert B. McMillen Foundation, Crossroad was hired in January 2026 for a temporary role to expand public access to the site.

Currently, the grounds are open for free at various times on the first Saturday of each month. Themes vary, but Crossroad said the first Saturday in May is always popular because of the Beltane celebration — a Gaelic May Day tradition — which sometimes features performances from the Hags of Tucson and Cirque Collective.

The third Sunday of each month features a free Magical Marketplace in the parking lot, with local arts and crafts vendors from 2 to 5 p.m. Historic docent tours are also available; tickets start at $5 and are free for members and children ages 7 and younger.

Other paid events include wellness classes such as qigong, an ancient Chinese breathing practice, and meditation. The venue also hosts “unicorn sound baths” led by Resident Unicorn Richard Crummitt of Tucson, as well as summer day camps for children. The property is also available to rent for private events.

A group supporting each other

The biggest draws at Valley of the Moon are its interactive, roaming original theater productions, which run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 to 7 p.m. on Sundays in April and October.

This spring’s production, “Fantastical Creatures Great and Small,” follows a veterinarian apprentice who travels far from home to treat not dogs and cats, but dragons, unicorns, and jackalopes.

Watercolor Golightly of Tucson said she and her 8-year-old child will both appear in the April production.

“Something that’s really important to me as a mom is having my child in versatile places that show art and community and acceptance and all different types of people,” Golightly said.

Valley of the Moon fits the bill.

“When my child started expressing that they wanted to be wearing dresses and have long hair and do things that most people relate with femininity, it was extra important to have safe places where they could freely experiment with what it is to be a human being with no fear of judgment,” Golightly said. “And that is something that we have at Valley.”

She added: “There are a lot of gender-fluid people at Valley and a lot of gender-nonconforming folks. And there’s punk rockers, and there’s Mormons, and they all support each other and hold each other.

“It’s about what we have in common, but it’s also celebrating how unique and different and delightful everyone is.”