Savannah Guthrie Makes Emotional Return to Her Arizona Hometown—and Looks Back on Her Days as Local Sorority Sister

Savannah Guthrie, star of the "Today" show, lifted the lid on her upbringing in the Arizona town of Tucson when she invited the morning show cameras to join her on a tour of her favorite places in the desert locale.

The 53-year-old TV anchor, who graduated from the University of Arizona, introduced fans to her favorite restaurant and her sorority house, before visiting her mom, Nancy, who still lives in the same home that the reporter grew up in.

Ahead of the segment airing, Guthrie revealed the significance of her trip—and her desire to spotlight the many places in Tucson that helped her to become the person she is today, explaining to Tucson.com that she hoped locals would see the on-air tour as a touching tribute to their community.

"I think it’ll be a nice love letter to Tucson. That’s certainly the intent," she said.

First up on that love letter tour? Securing her favorite Mexican food at local eatery Old Pueblo, which she joked is her "No. 1 priority" whenever she visits home.

“It’s funny because, of course, my family is so used to it and it’s probably the last thing they want to have, but I insist on it at least one night,” she said.

The anchor noted she usually visits her family a few times a year, however, it is often a very low-key trip—nothing like the circus caused by the cast and crew who accompanied her on this journey.

“I’ll just say, we roll kind of deep with our camera crews and the producer, so, you know, we weren’t subtle. It wasn’t a low-key visit this time. Usually it is," she added.

The segment, which was filmed Oct. 17 and took about eight hours to complete, saw Guthrie traveling to Tucson and filing her days with several activities, including visiting her mom, which she said was "really cute."

Guthrie noted that she and the crew had "this incredibly ambitious schedule" that began in Saguaro National Park and ended at the University of Arizona. They also stopped at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Throughout their visit, they said hello to the mayor, Regina Romero, the university's president, Suresh Garimella, and the Desert Museum’s porcupine.

“He’ll be making his national debut on Wednesday. I got to walk him with a leash, which was hilarious and a great photo to bring home to my kids," the anchor joked.

The camera crew also got its own footage of the sunset from Gates Pass when Guthrie wasn't around.

“It was an aggressive schedule, let’s say that, but it was fun. We got a lot in,” the NBC star said.

Guthrie also visited her old sorority house, Pi Beta Phi, where she snapped a few images with current members.

“A lot of the places I went I definitely hadn’t been since I was in college," she said.

After filming wrapped, Guthrie hung back in Arizona to spend time with her family.

“Really those are things that you don’t get to see back East. People don’t see a Gila monster. They don’t see sunsets quite like that.

"They don’t see those cacti on the mountain. Those are some of the things that make (Tucson) so unique and special, so I was like, ‘You know, I think we gotta hit the classics,'" Guthrie said.

She added, “We made the most of a few hours in town, that’s for sure,” she said. “The weather was perfect and people were so sweet and welcoming.

“I’m emotional about it. I’m very proud of Tucson. I think it’s an absolutely stunning and unique place to be from, and I’m really proud of it, so this has just been a joy.”

Guthrie and her spouse, Michael Feldman, reside in a sprawling townhouse in Brooklyn Heights in New York City.

They also hold the keys to a dwelling in Upstate New York, specifically in the Hudson Valley.

They moved into the Brooklyn pad in 2023 after they sold off their Tribeca apartment because they had a "vision and dream of living in a townhouse."