8 Things to do in Historic Bisbee Arizona
Ghosts, Miners, and Artists….Nestled near the Mule Mountains in southeastern Arizona, Bisbee was once a bustling mining town.
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In the early 1900’s Bisbee, Arizona was the largest city in the territory.
Where is Bisbee, Arizona?
This tiny town in southeastern Arizona is just 10 miles from the Mexico border and just under 100 miles south east of Tucson. It was once a bustling mining town.
Today there are just over 5,000 residents. Bisbee, located in southern Arizona, is a quirky and artsy town known for its colorful architecture and unique atmosphere.
How to Get to Bisbee
From Tucson follow I-10 east towards Benson for about 50 miles. Take exit 303 for AZ-80 toward AZ-10/Benson/Douglas. Keep right to continue on AZ-80 E. You will pass through the town of Tombstone before reaching Bisbee. Bisbee is about 25 miles south of Tombstone.
Where to Stay in Bisbee
Bisbee has several historic hotels in town to choose from.
Bisbee, Arizona History
In 1877 a mining claim was staked in Bisbee. During this time period Bisbee’s mine was the second highest producing copper mine in the country. Due to copper mining, Bisbee was at one time one of the largest and most prosperous towns between St. Louis and San Francisco. In addition to copper, gold and silver were also mined in Bisbee.
Things to do in Historic Bisbee Arizona
For our second trip to Bisbee we decided to visit in April. We took a drive from Phoenix to historic Bisbee for a long weekend. This is a great little town to spend a few days. The town is walkable.
Stay at The Copper Queen
Visit the longest continuously operating hotel in Arizona, the Copper Queen. Some say the hotel is haunted. We wanted to stay at a historic place and chose to stay downtown at the Copper Queen Hotel. This hotel is filled with history and has a great location. It was easy to walk to all of the shops and restaurants.
The gardens just across the road of the hotel were pretty.
St. Elmo Bar
Have a drink at Arizona’s oldest continuously operating bar in Bisbee. St. Elmo opened it’s doors in 1902. The oldest bar in Arizona is in Prescott.
Explore Downtown Bisbee Arizona
Bisbee’s downtown is home to over a dozen antique shops and art galleries. This once booming mining town has turned into an artsy cultural town that attracts artists and creative people.
Visit Bisbee’s Mining & Historical Museum
Go back in time and find out how the little town of Bisbee became one of the most important mining towns in the world. Learn about a day in the life of a copper miner. This interactive museum is a great spot to start your stay in Bisbee.
Bisbee Arizona Mining & Historical Museum
Visit the Lavender Pit Copper Mine
The Lavender Pit Copper Mine produced ore from the 1950’s to 1970’s. This open pit mine is 4,000 feet wide and over 800 feet deep. It is part of the Copper Queen Mine.
Take a Tour of the Queen Mine
Back in the day, the Queen Mine was the world’s largest copper mine. If you want to see what it was like to be a miner in the early 1900’s take a ride 1500 feet into the Queen mine.
This was our favorite activity in Bisbee. This fascinating tour is about an hour long and helps you to appreciate what day to day life was like for a miner.
To purchase tickets visit the Queen Mine Tour website.
Go on a Ghost Tour in Bisbee Arizona
Copper Queen hotel has stories of an older gentleman in a top hat that haunts the hotel. Two others thought to haunt the hotel includes a little boy who drowned and a young woman who hung herself.
Old Bisbee Ghost Tours offer several tours including a haunted pub crawl.
Walk up the Stairs
Climb some of the staircases in Bisbee. I know it’s a little out of the norm for a things to do list, but Bisbee is unique like that. Bisbee has more than 60 sets of stairs scattered throughout the town. Before they were stairs they were dirt paths for donkeys carrying supplies. Later wooden stairs were constructed and now they are concrete.
Look for unique street art and artistic creations throughout the town. If you enjoy exploring, take a few of the stairways you never know where they may lead.
Nearby Towns & Attractions
- If you’re visiting Bisbee, a short 25-minute drive north will take you to Tombstone. (25 miles north)
- If you want to visit wineries in Arizona. Wilcox and Elgin are in this area. Check out our post on The Best Arizona Wineries and Vineyards. (75 miles north)
- About 30 miles west of Bisbee is Ramsey Canyon. This area is a gorgeous area for birding. Read our post on Arizona Birding Hot Spots: Where to Find Hummingbirds and Colorful Birds. (30 miles west)
- Eerie Hoodoos in a Wonderland of Rocks (70 miles east)
