Many people envision an Arizona vacation as relaxing in the sun and maybe playing a round of golf in the vicinity of Phoenix or Tuscson, which happen to be Arizona’s two largest cities.

But if you’re into history and enjoy traveling just a bit off the beaten path, consider traveling to Cochise County in the southeastern corner of the state.

Wide open spaces and a great independent spirit give Cochise County the air of what Arizona was really like back in the says when it was a Territory.

The best way to take in Cochise County would be to visit the historic towns of Tombstone, Bisbee and Benson.

The historic railroad town of Benson is just off Interstate 10, approximately fort five miles east of Tucson. Situated in the center of the San Pedro River Valley, Benson is where you will find Kartchner Caverns State Park. In the Territorial era, Benson was one of the scheduled stops on the Pony Express and the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Route. Along with the birth of the transcontinental railroad, Benson soon became a busy railroad town.

Twenty miles south on US Highway 80 lies the infamous town of Tombstone, the town too tough to die.

Even those that aren’t interested in the Old West know that Tombstone was the location of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Tombstone’s main source of income is, you might have guessed, tourism. Allen Street, the town’s main thoroughfare, still resembles Tombstone as it was in the 1880s. The walkways beside the storefronts are wooden, and the streets are still unpaved.

Although there are many shops and restaurants in Tombstone, the town relishes its historical imprint on America. The O.K. Corral still offers tours, as does the C.S. Fly Photo Gallery, where you can view Mr. Fly’s photographs of Geronimo and 1880s Tombstone.

Now a historical museum, the Tombstone Courthouse is the most important place to visit in town. When you visit the courthouse it will take you 120 years back in time, as the thousands of artifacts and exhibts will give you a good feel of what life used to be like in Tombstone.

Now an artist enclave, the quaint community of Bisbee lies about twenty miles southeast of Tombstone. Bisbess is home to the largest open pit copper mine in the world, the Queen Mine.

The first thing you might notice about Bisbee is its beautiful architecture, as “old” Bisbee is nestled into the side of a mountain. Immediately, your eyes will gaze over to “The Pit,” the copper mine, which ceased production in the mid 1970s. Quite simply, it’s the largest hole in the earth you’ll ever see!

The Queen Mine operates tours daily, and you can actually go down into the mine. The tours are given by former miners, and they are able to give you personal insights into the mine operations.

All of these historical towns make a good day trip for tourists. You may want to consider a weekend getaway to take in everything that Cochise County offers.

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