Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880. 8 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver, and 2.8 million ounces of gold were pulled from the ground but by 1974 all mining ceased as it became increasingly unprofitable. The town steadily lost population but was saved by a growing influx of artists and retirees who helped make it into a tourist destination. Galleries, antique stores and unique gift shops line Main street. Murals and graffiti art decorate many buildings and walls.
We were able to visit the ground level of the museum only because the elevator is broken and is not likely to be fixed in the near future. The main entrance has steps so call for access or have one of your party alert the staff to open the side door. Follow the sidewalk to the west side of the building for the accessible entrance. The museum has very good exhibits. The ground floor exhibits are centered on the people of Bisbee, how they adapted to living in a mining town and the conflicts between the unions and the mine owners.
Bisbee like many mining towns is very hilly but the main street is almost level. The sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition and about half of the businesses have accessible entrances.
Most of the parking lots are small and there’s little on-street parking. We parked in the large Copper Queen Plaza Convention Center Lot on the east end of town. A sign with parking prices was turned face down so we didn’t have to pay but the RV price is $15.00 a day. Museum 31.44189, -109.91449
I thought Bisbee was a fine little town & really enjoyed the museum.
ReplyDeleteI parked for the night at a wildlife/ bird area 15 miles or so out of town, it was free & the birds were great to see & hear.
Sounds like your camping spot was better than ours. We stayed at the Walmart in Douglas.
DeleteI did find a great spot just a few miles out of Tombstone by searching blogs. I had to do some detective work though because the bloggers want to keep it a secret. Just ask if you want to know. ;-)
We liked Bisbee, too, but didn't have enough time to explore and hope to go back. We stayed at the Queen C/G, but felt it was marginal, and I think I'd rather stay where Rob (above) stayed and listen to the birds! When we were last in Bisbee, we had a great dinner out (but I can't recall the name, oh well)!
ReplyDeleteI think we'll try Rob's spot too the next time we're in the area.
DeleteYou two should try the 1000 step stair climb!
I am now reading a book by J.A. Jance and her main character life's is the sheriff of the county and lives in Bisbee. It is a cute area. We had our big dully at the time and had a hard time finding a place to park. I believe we stayed at the Escapees park in Benson. Safe travels.
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