Bisbee Hub



		TRAVEL ITINERARIES CULTURAL HERITAGE TOUR LEGENDARY BIRDING TOUR ITINERARIES ARTventure: Walk in an Artist's Shoes for a Day Old Bisbee Step-on Tour Historic Old Bisbee Jeep Tour Historic Churches of Old Bisbee Tour Ghost Towns Tour An Old-Fashioned Holiday in Bisbee Focus Your Camera on Old Bisbee Birding on the San Pedro River All About Hummingbirds Helpful Bisbee Hub links: Bisbee official local information, visit www.shopbisbee.com A Better Bisbee - Better Together "Eat - Sleep - Shop - Play www.destinationbisbee.com Bisbee Chamber of Commerce www.bisbeearizona.com 520.432.5421 #1 Main Street P.O. Box BA Bisbee, AZ 85603 Bisbee Enclave www.bisbeeenclave.com (top) Boys and Girls Club of Bisbee www.bgcbisbee.com 405 Arizona StreetPO Box 5205 Bisbee, AZ 85603 (520) 432-3010 [phone] (520) 432-6903 [fax] (520) 432-2659 [kid's line at the front desk] (top) Cochise County Tourism Council www.explorecochise.com ARIZONA CENTINNIEL - Cochise County Metropolitan Tucson Convention &Visitors Bureau www.visittucson.org (top) Southern Arizona Regional Partnership www.SAZFun.com Welcome Back to Bisbee www.welcomebacktobisbee.com (top) TRAVEL ITINERIES: Cochise County: CULTURAL HERITAGE TOUR (6 DAYS) *Day 1* Begin in Bisbee. The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, the Smithsonian’s first rural affiliate, is the place to begin your day. It displays the minerals found in the Mule Mountains and outlines Bisbee’s colorful mining history. After the Museum, don yellow slickers, hardhats and mining lanterns to board the train for the Queen Mine Tour, Arizona’s only underground mine tour. The tour takes you 1,500 feet deep into the now non-operational mine where tour guides detail the conditions in which the miners worked and how ore was processed. And don’t neglect Bisbee’s historic shopping district, which lies within Bisbee’s National Registered Historic District, along Main Street and Brewery Gulch. You’ll find an eclectic mix of art galleries, antique shops, pottery studios, boutiques and restaurants. Overnight at the classically elegant Copper Queen Hotel, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2002, or stay in any one of Bisbee’s unique and historic bed and breakfasts. *Day 2* From Bisbee take a 20 minute drive to the town of Tombstone, a National Historic Landmark. Tombstone epitomizes the heritage of the Old West. Visit Boothill Cemetery, the Bird Cage Theater, the Rose Tree Museum and the Tombstone Epitaph, which features the newspaper’s original 1880s printing press and newsroom equipment. The Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is filled with interpretive exhibits about Tombstone’s origins in silver mining and its heyday as a rough and tumble mining town. Just north of Tombstone, take a right onto Middle March Road and venture into the Dragoon Mountains and Cochise Stronghold. The Stronghold got its name from the County’s namesake, Cochise, a respected leader of the Chiricahua Apaches and predecessor of Geronimo. Cochise often hid out in this box canyon and legend says that he was buried here. The area is part of the Coronado National Forest and many hikes and picnic spots are available in the forested groves and canyons. Return back to Bisbee for a relaxing stay and a wonderful dining experience at one of Bisbee’s fine restaurants. *Day 3* From Bisbee take Route 80 east to Douglas and visit the Gadsden Hotel. “The last of the grand hotels” awaits with its marble staircase, gold leaf columns and authentic 42-foot Tiffany stained glass mural. Pick up a picnic lunch in Douglas and make your way to Slaughter Ranch Museum. The 16-mile drive takes you through pristine desert to the ranch, home of “Texas” John Slaughter, former Texas Ranger and sheriff of Cochise County from in 1888 to 1892. The ranch is a beautifully restored museum and historic site commemorating turn of the 20th century ranch life. In the 1890’s Slaughter dammed Black Draw wash, creating a large pond. Today that pond is bordered by mature shade trees creating a lush oasis in the desert. You’ll be glad you brought the picnic. Return back to Bisbee. *Day 4* Travel from Bisbee to Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca, just a stage coach drive away. Fort Huachuca was founded in 1877 and the Ft. Huachuca Museum depicts the early military days of the area, highlighting the Apache Wars and the exploits of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. While on the grounds of the Fort, take time to explore Garden Canyon’s petroglyphs and archeological digs. On your return to Bisbee, take state route 92 south, stop at the Coronado National Memorial. The Visitor Center there commemorates the first major exploration of the southwest by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1540’s. Day 5 Head north up the Sulphur Springs Valley located just east of Bisbee, toward the Chiricahua Mountains and the Chiricahua National Monument. This “Wonderland of Rocks” is laced with hiking trails offering breathtaking views of the monument’s towering spire formations. Near the entrance of the monument, Faraway Ranch gives visitors a peek at the life of the Swedish family that helped to establish the area as a national monument. When you leave the monument, take the famous Apache Pass, along part of the Butterfield Stagecoach Route between the Chiricahua and the Dos Cabezas Mountain Ranges. A 1.5 mile hiking trail will take you to Fort Bowie National Historic Site where battles of the Indian wars raged in the late 1800s. An old Butterfield Stage station, Apache Spring, the Fort Bowie cemetery, and the ruins of Fort Bowie highlight the site’s attractions. Take a scenic drive back to Bisbee. If it’s in the winter months, thousands of sand hill cranes can be heard and seen as you drive through the Sulphur Springs Valley. All year long you’ll see lots of raptors and birds of prey. *Day 6* From Bisbee head past Sierra Vista to Benson, home of Kartchner Caverns State Park, one of the ten top living caves in the world, recently opened by the Arizona State Parks. The Discovery Center has interpretive exhibits and a film about the remarkable discovery of the caves. Reservations are strongly suggested for the cave tours. From Benson head east along I-10 and exit at scenic Texas Canyon, part of the Dragoon Mountains, to the Amerind Foundation. Sitting on 1600 acres of land, the Ameriand Foundation houses one of the finest collections of Native American artifacts, relics, crafts, art and photographs in the United States. Although primarily featuring the native cultures of the Southwest and Mexico, the museum also includes items from South American and Arctic cultures. Return to Bisbee south on Highway 191 through Sulphur Springs Valley and reflect upon Bisbee’s and Cochise County’s historical ambiance and significance. (top) Cochise County: LEGENDARY BIRDING TOUR (4 DAYS) *Day 1* Start in Bisbee with its quaint charm, historical ambiance and unhurried lifestyle. Drive to Sierra Vista with a visit to Ft. Huachuca’s Garden Canyon, in the Huachuca Mountains. Garden Canyon contains some of the most diverse plant and animal life in the mountain range and serves as home for many species of migratory birds from Mexico. Garden Canyon is also interesting because of ongoing archeological studies of a prehistoric village near the mouth of the canyon. At higher elevations, one can find red and black rock art paintings dating back to 1200 AD. Ash Canyon, Carr Canyon and Miller Canyon are other Huachuca Mountain canyons in the Sierra Vista area offering shelter to migratory birds. Some of Southeastern Arizona’s most beautiful birds, including a variety of hummingbirds and six of southeastern Arizona’s twelve owl species, live in these canyons. The Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve, just south of Sierra Vista, is one of the most famous areas in the nation for viewing hummingbirds. Fourteen different species of hummingbirds have been spotted there. Don’t miss the fine visitors’ center at the preserve. Return to Bisbee and overnight at any one of Bisbee’s unique bed and breakfasts or historical lodging establishments. *Day 2* From Bisbee head out to the San Pedro House, sixteen miles west of Sierra Vista on Route 90 in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Operated as a visitors’ center by the Friends of the San Pedro River, the 1930s era ranch house serves as a starting point to explore the 56,000 acre riparian area. The 40-mile corridor along the San Pedro River is internationally recognized as a unique ecosystem for hundreds of species of songbirds and other wildlife. The Nature Conservancy has called the riparian area one of the “last great places” on earth and the American Bird Conservancy has designated it as a “globally important bird area”. Make use of the picnic area and spend the entire day. Return to Bisbee for a relaxing stay and a wonderful dining experience at one of Bisbee fine restaurants. Day 3 Head east on Highway 80 to Whitewater Draw where it is not unusual to spot wintering sandhill cranes, snow geese and many species of hawks. Keep going east through Douglas to the Slaughter Ranch and the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge where over 270 species of birds have been spotted including great blue heron, green-backed heron, Virginia rail, ringneck duck, Mexican duck, sandhill crane, magnificent hummingbird, Costa's hummingbird, yellow warbler, blue grosbeak, phainopeplas, white-crowned sparrows, and Gila woodpeckers. Raptors include gray hawk, zone-tailed hawk, golden eagle, Swainson's hawk, kestrel, sharp-shinned hawk, and peregrine falcon. Return to Bisbee and enjoy the friendly ambiance of the historical town. Day 4 Go northeast from Douglas up State Route 80 to the Coronado National Forest and the Chiricahua Mountains to Portal and Cave Creek. Visit the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History. There is a small visitor center and gift shop and bird watching opportunities abound. Keep a sharp eye out for the elegant trogon and the elusive one-eared trogon. Head further into the Chiricahua Mountains to the Chiricahua National Monument. While hiking and exploring the “Wonderland of Rocks” keep your binoculars handy because the birding is great year round. When you can tear yourself away from this fascinating location, head toward the northern Sulphur Springs Valley to the Willcox Playa, Cochise Lakes, and the Apache Generating Station Wildlife Observation Area where winter visitors are sure to see sandhill cranes, scaled quail, and numerous birds of prey. Return to Bisbee where you enjoy another fabulous meal and a tranquil unhurried evening. (top)