Hitting the road today (work took me back to Texas and New Mexico for the week) I took the southern route to experience some of Arizona's back-roads. Planned stops were in Tombstone and Bisbee on the way to El Paso. Not exactly sure of what to expect in Tombstone, as it is a tourist attraction afterall, and I've heard of the mock gunfights in the streets, so I went in a little guarded. I was, however, happily surprised . Steeped in western history and very well preserved, gunfights aside, Tombstone is well worth a few hours of exploration. The former mining town was made famous by it's lawlessness and infamous by the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. There is no admission fee to the western town but there are a few attractions that charge admission such as the Bird Cage Theater and the OK Corral shootout. For $5 there is a trolley led sightseeing tour that is a great half hour history lesson. On the edge of town lies the Boothill Grave Yard.
Buried at Boothill are more than 250 people of various western backgrounds including Billy Clanton with Tom and Frank McLaury who were all gunned down by Doc Holiday and the Earp brothers during Tombstones most famous gun fight.
Twenty five miles further south is the artsy enclave of Bisbee. This Southern Arizona hill town is filled with art studios and galleries along with eateries and eclectic storefronts. I would like to have had more time to explore Bisbee and Tombstone so I am definitely going to plan a weekend trip to soak it all in at a slower pace. The houses in Bisbee are worth a weekend trip just to stroll past and appreciate their character.
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