Located in the southeast corner of Arizona, Tombstone takes some effort to get to, but the payoff is immediate. Visitors pull into town on dirt roads that lead to infamous historic sites and storefronts captured in time. Actors in period garb mingle with visitors on wooden boardwalks and in saloons with creaky floors.
Step Back in Time
Tombstone established its unruly reputation in the 1800s, when the frontier was untamed. See daily re-enactments with actors dressing the parts of the cowboys and outlaws who immortalized this Western outpost. Find the O.K. Corral on Allen Street, where actors playing the Earps, Clantons and Doc Holliday stage the most famous shootout in the Old West. Visit Wyatt Earp’s home, now a great museum with a big collection of Earp memorabilia. Step inside Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and the Bird Cage Theatre, two Tombstone landmarks that preserve many wild stories. Walk along boardwalks between shops that sell boots and antiques, plus Western art and souvenirs.
Head to Court
One block over on Toughnut Street, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is a museum that preserves the town’s original sheriff’s office, jail and courtrooms. See exhibits that reveal the stories of Tombstone’s mining and ranching heritage from the late 1800s. The 1882 red-brick structure was a pivotal site that helped tame the lawless region as Tombstone grew as a frontier boom town. Sit in the recreated courthouse and imagine the outlaws who met their fates there.
Take a Tour
There is a lot of ground to cover in Tombstone’s historic district lined with Western-themed shops and attractions. Start in the center of town, which today looks and feels like a Wild West theme park. Get the lay of the land on stagecoach or trolley tours that wind through the town’s dirt roads and include stops at Boothill Graveyard and other historic attractions visitors might otherwise miss. Other operators take visitors underground to tour the silver mines that put Tombstone on the map. Go all in and take a guided trail ride through the desert backcountry on horseback — Tombstone’s original mode of transportation.
