10 Free And Cheap Things To Do In Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona has a current population of around 1,300 residents and is located in Cochise County.
The town was founded in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin and incorporated as a city in 1881
The Town Too Tough To Die is known for its Wild West history and more famously for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. On October 26, 1881 brothers Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp along with Doc Holliday killed outlaws Frank and Tom McLaury and Billy Clanton.
This is a fun little western town and a popular vacation spot for many. Below are some cheap and free things to do during your visit
Rose Tree Museum: Visit the World’s Largest Rose Tree (technically a bush) at the Rose Tree Museum. Its blooming season is usually from March 11-April 29 and admission is $5. It wasn’t blooming during our visit so we didn’t get to see it.
Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park: This became Arizona’s first operational State Park on August 1, 1959. Visitors to the museum will see authentic interpretive exhibits on the history of Tombstone and Cochise County. Admission is $7 for adults.
The Tombstone Epitaph Newspaper and Museum: The Tombstone Epitaph published its first issue on May 1, 1880 and is the oldest continually published newspaper in Arizona. Touring the historic newsroom, print shop, and museum is free.
Good Enough Mine and Trolley Tours: Take a 45-minute narrated tour that takes you into a real 1880’s silver mine. If history is your thing take a 35-minute, six-mile trolley tour, covering over 55 landmarks in the town of Tombstone.
Prices range from $15-$30 depending on which tour you take or you can make it a combo. We did a trolley tour as part of another package and enjoyed it.
Gunfighter Hall of Fame: This small museum is perfect for a history buff or a cowboy enthusiast. The displays aren’t fancy but are packed with incredible memorabilia. It’s $8 for admission and run by one guy so he opens and closes the museum when he feels like it.
Old Tombstone Western Theme Park: This Western Park consists of a historically themed mini golf course and shoot’n gallery. You can pan for gold or eat at the restaurant or cantina. There are plenty of photo ops including jailhouse photos and it’s free to go inside and look around.
Wild West Show At The Old Tombstone Western Theme Park: The Tombstone Cowboys put on a 30 minute comedic wild west stunt show and it’s the longest-running gunfight show in Tombstone.
Admission is $8 and we really enjoyed this show.
Mad-Miners Mini Golf: Located inside the Old Tombstone Western Theme Park this 17-hole miniature golf course will only cost you $3 to play. Get history on the town of Tombstone while playing an easy and fun course.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Reenactment: For the low price of $10 you can see the Gunfight reenactment, tour the O.K. Corral Historic Complex, watch the Tombstone’s Historama show, and receive a free copy of the 1881 reprint of The Tombstone Epitaph newspaper containing original reports of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
The O.K. Corral Historic Complex consists of five separate little museums and contains a ton of history on the town. I suggest getting there early and checking out the museums before the show. After the show, everyone seems to explore the museums so it gets crowded.
Boothill Graveyard: Visit Tombstone’s first City Cemetery, established in 1879. For a mere $3 you can tour the cemetery and see the graves of housewives, miners, gamblers, businessmen, and even some ladies from the red-light district.
For more information on anything listed above click on the link for my full post.
Always ask about combo tickets for the attractions. The Old Tombstone Western Theme Park does several combos allowing you to save a few bucks.
There are multiple other little places in town to eat and shop at.
There are a number of ghost tours available in town as well we didn’t have time to do.
If you want to ride down historic Allen Street in a stagecoach you can buy a ticket for that as well.
The Shoot-Out Arena is located near the Old Tombstone Western Theme Park and several times a year the rodeo comes to town for shows and bull riding.
On the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, the Streets of Tombstone come alive with Free Entertainment on historic Allen Street.
The town hosts a lot of events each year including the annual Rose Festival and Quilt Festival as well as a Paranormal Convention and Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival.
If you need a place to park your rig the Tombstone Dry Camping RV Park is literally right in town and it only takes you a couple of minutes to walk to all the attractions.
It’s basically a giant gravel parking lot and dry camping, but it only costs $10 a night and you’re right in the middle of all the action.
The whole town of Tombstone is basically a historic tourist trap, but it sure is a lot of fun.
