Bisbee, Arizona is a popular place for a day trip or weekend getaway, located just 90 miles Southeast of Tucson. Founded in 1880, Bisbee quickly boomed as a result of its Copper Mining industry, and once the mine ceased operations in 1975, became an historic tourist destination that has become increasingly popular in recent years. My husband and I drove to Bisbee for a day-trip from Phoenix on a Saturday, and then spent the next day exploring Chiracahua National Monument outside Willcox. Chiracahua is an amazing hidden gem that’s worth making the drive to, especially if you enjoy hiking. It’s now one of my top three favorite hikes!
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DAY 1: BISBEE: MINE TOUR, SHOPPING, BEER TASTING, AND MORE
It takes about 3.5 hours to get to Bisbee from Phoenix, and you drive right through historic Tombstone on the way, so if you’re interested in stopping to check Tombstone out, then you should! Or maybe stop there on the way out of town…Bisbee seemed to shut down pretty early. When you first arrive in Bisbee, I’d recommend heading right to The Lavender Pit, which is just South of downtown. It’s an open-air mine pit that is named after Harrison M. Lavender, who was a mining engineer there in the 1950’s. It’s just right off of the main highway, with ample parking, and great little holes cut out in the fence so that you can stick your camera through to get some nice pictures. The size of the pit, and the beautiful colors are worth a stop to take a few pictures and read about the history of the mine.
Next, drive in to downtown Bisbee and find a spot to park and walk around…it’s no easy feat! Parking is pretty limited, and it can be really busy. For lunch, try Le Cornucopia Cafe…everything is so fresh and homemade, including the nice hunk of bread I got with my turkey vegetable soup. They had some really delicious looking desserts too, but when we went back later to get some, they were closed…next time!
Before your trip, be sure to book a Copper Queen Mine Tour in advance. It’s one of the best things to do in Bisbee, and it does sell out. We booked an afternoon tour that lasted just over an hour. There’s a nice gift shop, a cozy fireplace, and a small informational display to check out while you wait for your tour to start. It was a great tour, and definitely worth doing when visiting Bisbee!
After the mine tour, take some time to explore the quaint little shops, bakeries, and cafes in Bisbee’s downtown area. Things seem to shut down pretty early, so don’t wait until too late in the day. If you’re looking for a sweet treat, check out Bisbee Good Cakes. I forgot to take a picture, but we chose the chocolate cake and the strawberry cake…both were so good! All of the bakery items are made from fresh and organic ingredients, and the owners were really helpful and friendly.
When you’re ready for a little break from shopping, be sure to check out Old Bisbee Brewing Company. We went for the tasting sampler, that included five beers and two seltzers, plus a shot of their own gin. If you’re not a fan of beer, the seltzers were really good, and they have homemade root beer as well. They also have a few snacks (chili, brats, chips, and free popcorn). It’s small inside, but also has a nice patio if the weather is cooperative.
We were craving pizza for dinner, and one of the best rated places (that was open) was a little past the Lavender Pit, and is called Pizzarama. It’s a very unassuming place in a strip mall (serving Greek food and Pizza), and when we arrived we realized you could only dine in for lunch, so we had to get our food to go. It’s a great family restaurant owned by a Greek man named Gus, who has clearly been in the business a while. We ordered some cheese bread and a supreme pizza, and the total bill was under $15! We had to take the food and eat it in the car, but boy was it delicious…and I forgot to take a picture again.
If you decide to stay the night…as far as where to stay in Bisbee, while there are a few historic inns and AirBnB’s, I struggled to find something that checked all of our boxes (and some required a minimum 2-night stay), so we decided to head West to Sierra Vista for the night. It’s the closest big-ish city with several hotel chains to choose from. We stayed at the Fairfield in there, which was just fine. We were planning to head to Chiracahua National Monument the next day, so there wasn’t a real need to stay in Bisbee.
DAY 2: CHIRACAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT…ONE OF MY TOP 3 HIKES EVER!
Chiracahua National Monument is a really unique and lesser-known park in the middle of nowhere in Southeastern Arizona. It’s about 1.5 hours from Tucson, and is totally worth a trip to see. This 12,000 acre park is available for camping, is full of hiking trails, wildlife, and home to hundreds (thousands?) of rock pinnacles called hoodoos, in the most amazing shapes! There’s a variety of different hikes you can choose from, but if you’re up for it, you must do the Heart of Rocks Loop to see the vast views of the hoodoos and other rock formations. In total, from the visitor’s center the hike was 7.3 miles and about 1,700 feet of elevation gain…you end up at just under 7,000 feet! Be sure to take lots of snacks and water, and bring poles if you have them. We went in February and there was a lot of snow at those elevations. There’s a nice little visitor’s center with restrooms, some history and wildlife information, and a ranger to give you more information about the park.
In total, we spent about 3.5 hours in the park. From there, we headed back toward Phoenix, stopping in Willcox for lunch (we were too hungry to wait the 1.5 hours until Tucson!) and making the trip back home. If you have more time, definitely stop for dinner in the Oro Valley area of Tucson for some authentic Mexican food!