The name Tombstone often conjures up images of brave lawmen fighting for law and order in a town of drunken, rowdy cowboys and the smoke of gunfire in the street all to frequently used to settle disagreements.
We’ve all seen the action-packed films about the shootout at the O.K. Corral. Kevin Costner portrayed famed lawman Wyatt Earp in the film named for the historic figure. It was a wonderful movie with superb acting. I highly recommend you watch it if you love the Western genre as much as I do. Another film that came out right about the same time was called Tombstone! It starred Kurt Russel and Sam Elliot as two of the Earp brothers who lived to tell the story of the infamous shootout at the O.K.Corral. If you have somehow managed to have missed seeing either of these two films, I highly encourage you to rent or purchase them on Amazon. It will definitely help to bring your visit to life as you belly up to the bar at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, experience a live shootout at the O.K. Corral, eat at the Longhorn Restaurant or the Crystal Palace Saloon, enjoy one of the many historical museums documenting the mining town, the native Apache’s, or the notorious Bordello’s and be sure not to miss the 8 p.m. haunted ghost tour of the Bird Cage Theatre.
The downtown area is very accessible. We had no problem getting off the boardwalks to cross the streets. All of the stores and museums that we visited were extremely accommodating to wheelchair users. Although the Stagecoach was not handicapped accessible, we managed to have a great time on our own shopping at all of the little shops full of interesting items including Native American jewelry and authentic western wear to dress the part, including boots and hats, which everyone was wearing. It was lots of fun. All of the Storekeepers and Town folk were dressed the part and could entertain you for hours with stories of true history and tall tales. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference! We also enjoyed taking an informative walking tour with a local historian providing commentary along the way.
Lodging was plentiful as many of the older homes have been turned into B and B’s and Guesthouses with rooms to rent. We stayed at the Budget Inn which we were very surprised to find a complete handicapped accessible room with a nice size roll-in shower to fit my needs. It was in a great location on Freemont street only a couple of short blocks from all of the action. Before checking out the next morning we rolled down to O.K. Cafe for satisfying breakfast. It was delicious, bacon, eggs, biscuits, and gravy with a steaming hot cup of coffee. After fortifying ourselves with a delicious breakfast we packed up our stuff and headed out. Our last stop in Tombstone was to visit the Boothill Cemetery and Graveyard the last resting place for many of the town’s inhabitants. As with most places in Tombstone they have a nice little souvenir shop to pick up any last-minute gifts for the ones you left at home.
We had a great time visiting Tombstone. The next time you are in the Tuscon/ Phoenix area why not stop by and learn a little about the history! If you are a history buff and like reading up on all the colorful characters that lived in Tombstone, check out these books on Amazon. If historical fiction is more to your liking and you enjoy living vicariously through books about the old West, frontier justice, or outlaws and lawmen in the vein of Larry McMurtry or Louis L’Amour I definitely think you would enjoy reading all of the many western novels written by Ken Farmer. Check out his books at this link. I’ve read most of them and find them highly addicting. I’m sure you will too!
