Old West tour

[RubiconTrail]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

I wouldn't make a separate trip to do it but there are many good things to see in the area if you stay around there for a week or so. We used to winter in the area so driving to Tombstone on a whim was easy. We just enjoyed walking the dirt road (short walk) and looking at the old buildings, poking in the stores and perhaps having lunch or a beer. There's usually a stagecoach on the road giving tours which makes it a little more authentic along with the many cowboys and cowgirls dressed in period clothing. Spending a few hours there is worth it if you're in the area.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is worthwhile. It has a nice campground and hiking and the cave tour is awesome. (We gave them)

In nearby Bisbee you can take a mine tour which is great. You don a yellow slicker and hardhat with a mining light on top. You get on a mine car which takes you into the mine. The tour is given by ex-miners and has very good information.

Another day trip nearby is to Chiricahua Nat'l Monument for very unique rock formations and good hiking.

If you're a birder the canyon walks around Sierra Vista are very productive for unique species.

Patagonia Lake State Park is a nice place to stay, also. Yes, there's water in Arizona.

Of course, 50 miles west is Tucson with lots to do.

Lots of good Tombstone area advice here. I second Karchner Caverns...not the biggest, but the best preserved, simply amazing.

I would add Organ Pipe National Monument and Coronado National Monument.

[WorldCat25]

We did Deadwood in October. Here's my write up on the area around Deadwood. Definitely worth doing and spending a few days. Sorry, I had to cut out a lot of pictures to get it to upload. Hope it opens.

20191020 v2.pdf

In 2018, we did several of the Civil War era forts in Texas and New Mexico. Heartly recommend these:

Texas
Seminole Canyon State Park where we learned about the Seminole Black Indian Scouts
Langtry, the home of Judge Roy Bean
Ft. Davis, a fort built by the US Army prior to the Civil War to protect from Indian raids
New Mexico
Ft. Selden
Lincoln, NM , where the Battle of Lincoln, the climax of the Lincoln County War, took place in 1878
Ft. Stanton - wow, this place is amazing.

[dix39]

I would certainly agree with Cliffy about reading. That's what I/we have always done.

I would say that if you visit the Alamo it would probably be good to also visit the San Jacinto Battleground, possibly in the cronological order in which they occurred, Alamo, San Jacinto.

Steve

[Charming]

A second on what TwoGypsies posted. We stayed at Kartchner Caverns in March. Loved the Cavern Tombstone was okay, We also visited several of the ghost towns in the area which were interesting. We also visited the Murray Springs Mammoth kill site.