Tombstone, Arizona – the stuff legends are made of. Literally! Yes, it’s a “tourist trap” but every once in a while you just have to fall for that trap and go with the flow. Besides, how often can you actually walk through an old western town, see just about everyone wearing western outfits, and witness at least one gunfight recreation? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I didn’t arrive super early in the day but yet it was early enough that the Arizona heat wasn’t overwhelming. The characters were already all over the place – showcasing what they do best and what they wear best. There were young ones, old ones, men, women, outlaws, and lawmen. There was local transportation on display in the form of mules as well as stage coaches.
Walking around the center of the old town, you got the feeling you had stepped back in time as the characters really played it up well.
There was even a costume contest which was really interesting. There were lots of characters again in all type of old outfits. Each individual paraded down the street and then the judges picked a winner for each category.
Walking along a bit more, I walked into a few of the shops and one that was really cool was selling Killer Bee honey products. Honey, honey butters, all type of things and all DELICIOUS. Yes, I left with a few jars to take back home and enjoy.
Continuing to walk a bit further and came across the Tough Nut Mine Tours and took the mine tour. It was interesting and shed a bit of local history.
After that, it was time to head back up toward the main street and enjoy the gunfights! There was, of course, a bit of a safety demonstration to make sure people stayed out of the line of fire – even blanks can hurt if they get away and we all read about the recent mistake where a live bullet was used during one of the gunfights.
Further up the road is the Boothill Cemetery where you can, again, see bits and pieces of local history as well as read the entertaining tombstones.
Overall, it was a very pleasant tourist attraction and well worth the visit. It’s a bit of history being re-enacted every day.