Enjoy the garden and fountain in the inner courtyard. East of the church is the Hill of the Cross and a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes in France. Across the street is San Xavier Plaza built by the Tohono O'odham in 1979 where arts, crafts and food are sold. Special events include the Feast of San Xavier in December, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi in October and the San Xavier Pageant and Fiesta after Easter. Masses are held on Sunday and weekday mornings.
Visitors are welcome and flash photography is permitted within the church except during services.
A rest area provides a place to park. Once upon a time, a road made of wooden planks was constructed here in an effort to provide a reliable route for auto travel between Yuma, Arizona, and San Diego, California. The Plank Road was one car wide with turnouts for passing every 1,000 feet. There were no services and shovels came in handy. On the other hand, traffic wasn't a problem.