What to Do With a Day in Tombstone (Once Is Enough!)

Tombstone, Arizona, is considered a must for anyone with a fascination with cowboys and the Wild West in the United States or the movie of the same name.

I’ve got to say, the one-liners in Tombstone are outstanding. You’re all my Huckleberry. 

We’d been to Arizona several times before hitting up Tombstone, crisscrossing the state to see the sights in Sedona, the vast Grand Canyon, and Tucson’s desert landscapes.

Tombstone was a very different place from all that, and all of the most popular things to do while you’re there play up those differences.

Whether it’s worth visiting really depends on the rest of your plans. I’ll get into all of that and why I don’t need to find myself back in Tombstone.

Quick Tips for Tombstone Visit

Your Flight: Tucson International Airport is the closest airport to Tucscon. If you’re on a longer road trip, deals into Phoenix are more plentiful. Either way, you can watch for price drops using Skyscanner.

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Your Accommodations: Browse Booking.com or Hotels.com for your options in Tombstone. Vrbo is my Airbnb alternative.

Your Ride: You’ll need a car to get to Tombstone. Book a rental car ahead of time.

Top Spots: See the gun fight at the O.K. Corral, stop by Fly’s Photography Gallery, and read the gravestones at the Boothill Graveyard.

Disclosure: Travel on the Reg uses affiliate links to keep things running around here. At no additional cost to you, I earn a lil’ commission if you make a purchase. Any income earned supports the upkeep of this site. I appreciate you!

Is Tombstone worth visiting?

Tombstone is worth visiting if you’re a big fan of the Old West. It’s an homage to gunslingers with museums and reenactments that should delight any Wild West enthusiast.

That said, I wouldn’t make a return trip, or even a special trip if you’re no the fence. There were some things in the historic Arizona city that made us uncomfortable and took away some of the charm of the place. It’s also very touristy.

While I’ve been to bigger tourist traps around the United States, this place caters to visitors through and through.

What is Tombstone famous for?

A graveyard in Tombstone

The city of Tombstone is famous for its Wild West history. Back in the day, Tombstone was a place for lawlessness, gunplay, and all kinds of debauchery, with a deep connection to American lawman and gunslinger Wyatt Earp.

You’ll learn all about that in the Tombstone Historic District, a part of town that was given National Historic Landmark District status in 1962.

Today, the town has become a tourist destination for anyone wanting a cheesy western escape. Local businesses like Goose Flat Graphics, a design company that’s been around since the turn of the century, play up that fact aggressively, embracing the city’s history.

I wouldn’t call this one a true ghost town, though. While it experienced decline after the silver mines closed in the late 1800s, efforts to preserve its historic sites and attractions kept the town alive.

A Brief History of Tombstone

A silly sign in Tombstone that reads: "Trust your neighbor but brand your cattle"

Tombstone came to be as part of a surveying operation in 1877. Ed Schieffelin, a former U.S. Army scout, was on a mission to find value in the wilderness.

This was despite warnings from his acquaintances that all he’d find out there would be his own tombstone.

It’s all very dramatic, right?

Well, he was better than fine. He ended up striking silver in a mine he would name Tombstone. Word spread and all kinds of folks wanting their own silver bits came down to the mine. The nearby town would become modern-day Tombstone by 1879.

Thousands of people were calling Tombstone home by the mid-1880s. The exact numbers are murky because only white men over 21 were counted in that kind of data at that time.

Life in Tombstone was fraught with conflict from the very beginning. Most of the residents with money were from northern states. Most of the cowboys without money were from places like Texas.

Neither side liked the other, as they had fundamental differences in opinion over what should become of the town.

Wyatt Earp arrived on the scene from Dodge City, Kansas, in 1879. He brought his brothers Virgil and Morgan along.

The trio was pretty well-known for moving from one boomtown to the next as law enforcement officers. By that time, Tombstone was all up in that silver with rising crime to boot.

They spent their days trying to clean up the acts of the various cowboy posses that caused drunken problems throughout Tombstone. Clashes ensued, like the gunfight near the O.K. Corral. Wyatt Earp left Tombstone by 1882 but left his mark on the town.

The gunfight he participated in is, in fact, the main draw in the town.

Fun fact: The Wyatt Earp House & Gallery is permanently closed. If you see other blogs recommending the former museum as a great place to collect some Earp info, it won’t work out for you.

How Much Time to Spend in Tombstone

A trolley in Tombstone

You only need half a day in Tombstone to see the highlights. Spend enough time to watch a live gunfight, grab a hearty lunch, and see a few of the historical sites around the Old West town. You don’t need to stay overnight to get a feel for this one.

Visiting Tombstone becomes quite repetitive after an hour or so.

You’ll spend much of your time exploring the historic district of Tombstone on your feet. The main section is very walkable, if dusty. If you’re on a self-drive tour, you’ll need a car to get to parts of town that are a bit of a hike.

That includes the Boothill Graveyard, a must on any Tombstone trip.

Another option are the Tombstone Trolley Tours. They offer a 25-minute historical tour that’ll teach you all about why Tombstone is known as the “Town Too Tough to Die.” Your trolley tickets come with additional discounts on other Tombstone attractions.

How to Get to Tombstone

A man walks horses in Tombstone.

We visited Tombstone on a day trip from Sierra Vista, Arizona, just a half-hour drive from the Old West town. No matter where you start, you’ll need to drive to get to Tombstone. You’re not considering any public transportation options here.

If you’re flying in, you’ll likely land at Tucson International Airport, the closest southern Arizona airport to Tombstone.

If you’re on a road trip, here are a few more options within driving distance as you figure out directions to Tombston:

  • Bisbee (25 minutes): We heard a few recommendations for Bisbee an alternative to Tombstone. The city appears to be a much less touristy representation of historic mining culture. You’ll still see homes that belonged to copper miners.
  • Tucson (1 hour 20 minutes): Tombstone is about 75 miles from Tucson. The city offers great options for accommodations if you don’t want to stay in Tucson, and it’s at the top of my list of things to do near Tombstone if you want to get away.
  • Mesa (2 hours 50 minutes): Mesa is a bit of a shorter drive than Phoenix, but it may be tougher to find cheap accommodations in Mesa. That said, the Arizona Museum of Natural History there is worth a trip if you’re traveling to Tombstone with kids.
  • Phoenix (3 hours): If you’re visiting for longer, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport may have more budget-friendly options for airfare than Tucson. You’ll still pass through Tucson on a Phoenix to Tombstone road trip, too.
  • Scottsdale (3 hours): If you’d like to stay in charming Scottsdale over Phoenix, your drive from Scottsdale to Tombstone will take a similar amount of time. I would do it if we were traveling through that way again.
  • Sedona (3 hours 35 minutes): Sedona to Tombstone isn’t a short drive, but as it’s a popular stop on Arizona road trips, I wanted to include this one here. Sedona is my favorite place to visit in Arizona and an incredible destination for hikers.
  • Yuma (4 hours 30 minutes): Yuma to Tombstone is too far a distance for a day trip, but I’ll include it here for Arizona road trips. We’ve only been in town briefly to check out the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, but it was worth the stop.

READ MORE: Starting in Phoenix? Plan out your stay with my Phoenix itinerary.

Best Things to Do in Tombstone

Tombstone attractions play up the town’s Wild West past. Much of what you’ll do then will include watching cowboys, learning about cowboys, and eating meats similar to those consumed by cowboys during that time period.

It doesn’t cost anything to visit Tombstone, but you’ll need to pay a modest fee to get into any of the Tombstone attractions.

Start at the O.K. Corral.

A gun show in Tombstone

When you visit Tombstone, the first place you’ll likely want to go is the O.K. Corral. Honestly, it’s the first stop you should make, especially if you want to see the hilarity that is the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 

You need to purchase tickets for the show beforehand. Shows are held at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm daily. If you choose not to go to the show, you won’t even get to see the actual site of the real gunfight, so they really know what they’re doing here.

No, the gunfight didn’t actually happen at the O.K. Corral. You’ll find out that the real location was in an alley nearby.

The show is essentially a humorous retelling of the shootout and what led to it between Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil and Morgan Earp, and a gaggle of outlaws. (Those were namely the McLaurys and the Clantons.)

There is all kinds of audience participation, with winks and nods throughout about how silly it all is. I loved it, but I love cheese. 

Get to the corral early so you can check out the exhibits along the way. That includes a prostitute’s crib, the first of many mentions of prostitution as the oldest profession in the West.

Note: Your ticket to the show also includes admission to Tombstone’s Historama. The theater is next door to the O.K. Corral and a decent place to kill some time and brush up on your Tombstone fun facts.

Pop by Fly’s Photography Gallery.

The exterior of model shops in Tombstone

Don’t leave the O.K. Corral before checking out Fly’s Photography Gallery. It’s a small gallery in one of the alleyways as you exit the corral. You’ll see a model of it if you book the gunfight show.

We spent a few minutes here after the show checking out images of the Old West taken by photojournalist Camillus “Buck” Sydney Fly. It won’t cost you any extra, so you may as well take in the blast from the past.

Walk East Allen Street.

East Allen Street in Tombstone

You’ll walk up and down East Allen Street a few times to get from place to place on your Tombstone tour. This is where the Earps and Doc Holliday took their very purposeful walk to get to the O.K. Corral, the scene of the gunfight that would quickly ensue.

Grab a burger at the Crystal Palace Saloon.

The Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone

Tombstone isn’t a culinary escape, but if you’re going to patronize its restaurants, your best bet is to get somewhere with some history attached.

Visit the Crystal Palace Saloon for lunch if you so desire. At the very least, you’ll want to see it as a place of historical importance. Wyatt Earp used to be a regular here.

We ordered a burger and a sandwich for an early lunch, encountering the actor who played U.S. Deputy Marshal Virgil Earp in the town reenactment as we finished. 

Fun fact: Virgil had an office above the saloon at one time, so I suppose it’s pretty darn fitting that he popped a squat here post-show.

Tour the Bird Cage Theater.

Inside the Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone

The Bird Cage Theater — or Bird Cage Theatre, as it’s spelled both ways on their own website — operated through the 1880s as a saloon, bar, theater, and brothel. The ladies who worked the brothel hung from the ceiling in large bird cages.

Lawman Wyatt Earp was a frequent visitor, but he was only visiting for the card games, I’m sure.

Try to find evidence of the many gunfights that happened in the theater. There’s still evidence of bullet holes throughout and many of them are marked for your convenience.

See the world’s largest rose tree.

The largest rose bush in Tombstone

This Tombstone attraction was at the top of my list on our visit because I’m a sucker for the biggest anything. The Rose Tree Museum boasts the largest rose tree — or is it a rose bush? — in the world.

I must say, it was impressive.

There are various historical artifacts to see on your way to the bush, the most interesting of which was a gossip muzzle once used for ladies who became too chatty.

Otherwise, the bush is the main draw here. It was all dressed up for a wedding on our visit, which also meant operating hours were shortened to account for the arriving guests. 

Visit the Tombstone Epitaph Newspaper and Museum.

The historic newspaper in Tombstone

Visit the Tombstone Epitaph Newspaper and Museum to see the original reports of the gunfight near the O.K. Corral.

If you went to watch the gunfight, this is also where you’ll pick up your reprint of the edition with the original reporting as part of your admission ticket. If you’re just here for the modest exhibit, that’s all free.

Do some learning at Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park.

The old courthouse in Tombstone

Tombstone was once the county seat of Cochise County at its founding back in 1881. See the history of the Cochise County courthouse and more at this museum.

Exhibits include a detailed account of the infamous gunfight near the O.K. Corral. You may actually learn something new, as the museum takes a both-sides approach to the retelling.

Wander Boothill Cemetery.

A grave in Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone

See the final resting place for men who “died with their boots on,” including the men who died in the O.K. Corral shootout, at the Boothill Cemetery. One of the more amusing epitaphs is that of Lester Moore. 

His tombstone at the Boothill graveyard reads: “Here lies Lester Moore, Four slugs from a . 44, No Les, No more.” You’ll catch a few Confederate flags while you’re there and references to “Chinamen.” It was a different time, I guess.

Note: The graveyard is cash only. We had to hit up an ATM thanks to that fact. It was only a few dollars on our visit, so bring small bills to see this one.

Sip on tasters at Tombstone Brewing Company.

A woman gets ready to sip on tasters at a Tombstone brewery.

Tombstone Brewing Company is the most popular brewery in the state of Arizona. We ordered a flight from a selection of eight different beers, including a spicy variety that featured a jalapeño aftertaste. The beer was fine.

The clientele left something to be desired. 

We shared the outdoor space with bikers wearing (empty) gun holsters and jackets with patches that read things like “ANTIFA Hunter” and “Terrorist Hunting Permit.”

As someone who lost grandparents to fascism in World War II, it’d be great if folks were just a little less ignorant with their messaging as they moved through the world. Seeing grown men joke about hunting people also isn’t my scene.

I mention this here because I’ve been called all kinds of things for pointing out what we saw here. If I feel icky over it, I can’t imagine how folks who don’t look like me may feel. If that offends you, it sounds like some self-reflection may be in order.

Go underground at the Good Enough Silver Mine.

A historic mine in Tombstone

Tombstone started as a silver mining town, a fact you already know all about if you read my history primer at the start of this post. If you’re interested in learning more about that side of Tombstone, visit the Good Enough Silver Mine for a tour.

You’ll take a 45-minute tour underground to explore the inner workings of a real silver mine and hear about Tombstone’s importance as a mining town in the 1880s.

The mine also runs trolley tours if you’d like to upgrade your ticket. Those tours will take you to other historical spots around Tombstone, including more mining-related sites.

READ MORE: If you love mining towns, Fairplay, Colorado, is one of our favorites with a much more authentic vibe!

More Things to See in Tombstone

The outside of the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone

We didn’t get to everything in Tombstone as, honestly, we felt like we had enough. If you want to linger, here are a few more attractions of note:

  • Old Tombstone Western Theme Park: They have their own gunfight featuring The Tombstone Cowboys, a professional gunfighting team, miniature golf, and a shooting gallery.
  • Gunfighter Hall of Fame: This museum includes artifacts not only from the Wyatt Earp era, but memorabilia from the movie. If you’re at all into cowboy paraphernalia or love learning about Wild West outlaws, this one may be right up your alley.
  • Oriental Saloon: If you need more options for live gunfights on your Tombstone visit, you can also pop by the Oriental Saloon. The saloon was quite the hot spot back in the day, with Wyatt Earp a frequent patron at the bar.
  • Gleeson Jail: This one is about 20 minutes east of Tombstone in the ghost town of Gleeson. It housed gunslingers who’d get themselves in trouble in nearby Tombstone. The jail is a free museum today but operates with very limited hours.
  • Big Nose Kate’s Saloon: I love that this place is named after Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings, or “Big Nose Kate.” She was a prostitute and common-law wife of Doc Holliday. We skipped it due to the prominent Blue Lives Matter flag outside.

Before you wig out over there, I urge you to read up on what the symbol actually means today. Its origins are as a countermovement, not a symbol of support for our police.

I also urge you to recognize that in the good ol’ U. S. of A., we have the freedom to choose where we spend our hard-earned dollars and how to think about those places.

I don’t have an angel investor in the wings pulling the strings, so I have to be discerning about my patronage, just like any of you. You may have other dealbreakers in your travels that are very different than mine, and that’s OK.

Restaurants in Tombstone

I’ve already mentioned the Crystal Palace Saloon as our pick for lunch on our day trip to Tombstone. If you’re staying longer or through dinner, you have a few more options for casual fare.

Keep in mind that this is one of the most touristy places you’ll visit in your travels, so pricing will reflect that:

  • O.K. Cafe: This cafe is a good lunch alternative if the saloon looks too busy. Expect a variety of chili-based options and themed burgers that play up the Wild West connection. If you’re in Tombstone early, this is a good breakfast spot, too.
  • The Longhorn Restaurant: If you really want to eat like a cowboy, The Longhorn Restaurant features steaks, ribs, and healthy portions of fried chicken that will likely stick with you for some time.
  • Puny John’s BBQ: The platters here don’t seem puny at all. The Puny Pie, for example, is a pound of brisket, mac ‘n cheese, and baked beans. You won’t leave Puny John’s BBQ looking puny, that’s for sure.

Safety in Tombstone

Tombstone is generally safe to visit. Practice the usual safety precautions as you would in any heavily touristed area. Don’t leave any valuables in your car, especially after dark, so that you’re not a target for petty theft.

Leave the dogs at home if you’re able. You can’t bring pets into the main attractions, and you likely don’t want your dog around loud Wild West reenactments.

You’ll be limited to walking your dog along the main streets on visits to Tombstone even if they don’t mind the noise and crowds.

Where to Stay in Tombstone

A funny mailbox in Arizona

We visited Tombstone on a day trip, but there are options to stay overnight if you really just can’t get enough. Some of them boast some historic significance, too, like the Tombstone Bordello Bed & Breakfast.

The boarding house was once home to the ladies of the evening. I’m sure they’ve spruced things up since.

Use the map below to compare your options:

Arizona has better places to visit than Tombstone.

Tombstone is worth visiting if you really need to see this hub of Wild West activity for yourself. Prioritize the historical attractions over the touristy stores that line the main street. The gunfights at the O.K. Corral are a particularly fun time.

That all said, I won’t be visiting again. This is definitely one of those one-and-done destinations that don’t need repeat visits to experience the heart and soul of a place.

Take my information and opinions with a grain of salt, though. I’m all about having people experience places for themselves, even the super touristy ones.

Planning a longer trip in these parts? Check out these guides:

Western destinations that are more legit:

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Agnes Groonwald

Agnes Groonwald is the creator of Travel on the Reg, a travel/humor blog for regular people who travel in a regular fashion. She has been to 50/50 U.S. states and explored 30+ countries, most often as a digital nomad. She's all about sharing the honest truth about travel, real experiences, and all the quirky stuff about her favorite (and not so favorite) places.

4 thoughts on “What to Do With a Day in Tombstone (Once Is Enough!)”

  1. This is a really good breakdown of a place I have been wanting to visit since I was a little kid. It’s a shame you have to insert your political opinions in an article about a place that’s supposed to be a step back in time. The cool thing about visiting places outside your comfort zone is that you get to meet people you’d otherwise never associate with. I’m willing to bet if you went inside Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, you would have met some very nice, fun people. Supporting our police does not mean certain groups of people are not welcome. I hope you continue to travel outside your comfort zone and realize we’re all humans at the end of the day.

    • I appreciate your comment. Unfortunately, there are groups of people that don’t feel welcome in places displaying certain signage, particularly in the current climate. That also makes it easier for those people to spend their dollars in places that don’t make them feel that way. In our travels across 49/50 states both in/outside of our comfort zone, we’ve met all kinds of nice, fun people…and the not-so-nice are in the minority. I hope you continue supporting those establishments that make YOU feel welcome, as I will certainly do the same!

  2. Great information & I love the honesty. No selling or mark ups.
    Thank you

Comments are closed.