bisbee mine tour

Queen Mine Tour

The Queen Mine was one of Bisbee's richest and operated from 1877 - 1975. It has seven levels with 143 miles of passageways. The Mine has natural ventilation due to the many shafts and drifts. The average temperature is 47 degrees, so visitors are advised to bring a warm sweater or jacket. Visitors are also issued hard hats, slickers, and miner's headlamps before taking the underground train deep into the former Copper Queen Mine. Retired miners narrate the tour and show how the turn of the century mines operated.

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• 478 Dart Rd
• Bisbee, Arizona 85603
• Hours Please call for current tour times.
• (520) 432-2071
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Bisbee AZ is cute, historic and an easy drive from Phoenix. Here's why it's worth visiting

It’s always fun to read travel lists for the new year.

Put out by travel publications, these lists include a tempting array of exotic destinations scattered all across the planet. And almost invariably — tucked away amid all the international getaways from Peru to Japan to Slovenia — you’ll usually spot a familiar name, something with an Arizona flavor. Some years it’s Tucson. Or Flagstaff.

This year it’s Bisbee, Arizona.

When Travel Lemming issued its 50 Best Places to Travel in 2024 list, it included the small town of Bisbee in the southeastern corner of the state. An excellent choice. Here is how you can have an amazing weekend in Bisbee.   

Get out there: Arizona adventure bucket list 2024: The most fun you can have on land and water

Why is Bisbee Arizona famous?

Located in Cochise County, Bisbee straddled one of the richest mineral deposits in the world. And copper was king. Mines produced more than 8 billion pounds of copper, plus nearly 3 million ounces of gold, silver, lead and zinc. By the early 1900s, Bisbee’s population exceeded 25,000, making it a bona fide Western metropolis.

The inevitable bust followed the boom times in the mid-1970s, when the last mine closed. As working folks exited, those with an artistic temperament moved in. Shops and galleries opened; houses and shacks were refurbished, often set ablaze with color. Murals splashed across walls and sculptures sprang up. Bisbee is now best known as a free-spirited artist community.

Is Bisbee Arizona worth visiting?

Blessed with a spectacular setting and Old World architectural flourishes, Bisbee has emerged as a desirable and multifaceted destination. Quaint Victorian homes line the narrow hilly streets. A rich past and a thriving present create an intriguing blend. Historic and artsy, creaky and classy, Bisbee has evolved into one of Arizona’s coolest towns.

For more information, check the Bisbee Visitor Center at 478 N. Dart Road. 520-590-0432, discoverbisbee.com.

How close is Bisbee to the Mexican border?

Bisbee is 11 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Sitting so far south one might expect Bisbee to be just another desert town. Instead, Bisbee nestles in the Mule Mountains with an elevation above 5,300 feet.

It is the southernmost mile-high city in America. That combination of high altitude and southern location creates an idyllic year-round climate. Expect four mild seasons of Bisbee weather.

Arizona's best free attractions: 21 things to see and do that don't cost a cent

Things to do in Bisbee AZ

When it comes to things to do in Bisbee, you’ll have plenty of options. Downtown is brimming with galleries and shops, eateries and saloons. Wear comfortable shoes because there are lots of hills and stairs.

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum

Don’t miss the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, the first museum in the Southwest to be designated a Smithsonian affiliate. One interactive exhibit is called "Digging In." It takes visitors through tunnels, crystal caves and into open pits rich with minerals, while never leaving the second floor.

The museum also offers a Step Back in Time historic walking tour starting from the front steps every Saturday at 2 p.m. Delve into Bisbee’s rowdy past on this hourlong guided adventure through downtown. Cost is $10, $5 for kids. The walking tour does not include museum admission. 

Details: 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee. $10; free for age 9 and younger. 520-432-7071, ext. 1; www.bisbeemuseum.org.  

Lavender Jeep Tours

Wondering what the views are like from above the town? Take a Lavender Jeep Tour and rest your tired feet. The company offers a range of narrated tours to choose from. Ramble up hidden back roads, discover mansions in lofty cloud-scraping neighborhoods or catch a sunset over the San Pedro Valley. There's even a J.A. Jance Tour highlighting the hometown author’s settings for her many Joanna Brady novels. Prices vary.

Details: Inside the Copper Queen Hotel, 11 Howell Ave., Bisbee. 520-432-5369, lavenderjeeptours.com.

Copper Queen Mine Tour

The granddaddy of Bisbee tours remains the Copper Queen Mine Tour. Outfitted in hard hats and slickers, visitors ride 1,500 feet deep into the tunnels for an up-close look at mining techniques, conditions and dangers. You’ll emerge with a whole new appreciation of your job.

Details: 478 Dart Road, Bisbee. $14; $6.50 for ages 6-12. Age 5 and younger are not allowed underground. 520-432-2071, copperqueenmine.com.

Squeeze into the Room 4 Bar for a cocktail. Then you can say you drank in Arizona’s smallest bar. Located in the Silver King Hotel, the wee saloon contains just four stools but also has a patio and live music.

Details: 43 Brewery Ave., Bisbee. 520-432-3723, facebook.com/room4bar .

Old Bisbee Ghost Tour

After dark, experience the thrills and chills of an Old Bisbee Ghost Tour. Guides dress in period garb and spin sinister tales of spirits trapped between worlds. A variety of tours are offered, including guided walks, ghost hunting and haunted pub crawls. Prices vary.

Details: 520-432-3308, oldbisbeeghosttour.com.

Where to eat in Bisbee

Jimmy’s hot dog company.

What started as a simple hot dog stand a decade ago has grown into one of Bisbee’s most beloved eateries. And while the menu choices have expanded, the philosophy that made Jimmy’s such a success hasn’t changed. It all starts with premium ingredients and careful preparation. Choose from a wide selection of reasonably priced dogs, burgers, sandwiches and specialty items.

Details: 938 W. State Route 92, Bisbee. 520-432-5911, jimmysbisbee.com .

High Desert Market and Café

The scones at High Desert Market and Café could cause Europeans to weep with homesickness. The market also offers gourmet sandwiches, salads and handcrafted pizzas. All breads and pastries are baked fresh daily.

Details: 203 Tombstone Canyon, Bisbee. 520-432-6775, highdesertmarket.biz.

You can even find fine dining among Bisbee restaurants. At Café Roka, Chef Rod Kass turns each dish into a mosaic of layered textures and lurking, lingering flavors. The menu changes regularly but every meal arrives as a four course feast designed to herd your taste buds toward a specific destination. Pair your meal with an Arizona wine. Dinner is served Thursdays through Saturdays. Reservations are advisable.

Details: 35 Main St., Bisbee. 520-432-5153, caferoka.com.

Screaming Banshee Pizza

This beautifully repurposed old gas station now turns out wood-fired pies with an exotic array of toppings. They also know their way around pastas, calzones, salads and more.

Details: 200 Tombstone Canyon Road, Bisbee. 520-432-1300.

Poco Restaurant and Market

Tucked down Peddlers Alley in the heart of historic Bisbee, Poco serves Mexican-inspired vegetarian food. In reality, the menu is pure vegan but they keep that on the down-low so as not to scare anyone away. But even hard-core carnivores will enjoy the zesty flavors and creative combinations.

Details: 15 Main St., Bisbee. 520-314-5929, facebook.com/pocobzb .

Bisbee hotels

Bisbee has a variety of newer and historic hotels and other lodgings to choose from. Here are three favorites.

Copper Queen Hotel

The Copper Queen is the grand dame of Bisbee hotels. Open since 1902, it offers 47 rooms filled with antique furniture combining Victorian-era style with more modern amenities. It’s also wildly popular with ghost hunters. Room 315 is haunted by Julia Lowell, who took her life after being rejected by the man she loved. But there are plenty of other ghosts to go around. Downstairs features a saloon and restaurant. Rooms start at $89 on weekdays, $98 on weekends.

Details: 11 Howell Ave., Bisbee. 520-432-2216, copperqueen.com.

This remarkable place is the closest thing to a time machine you’ll find in Arizona. The vintage trailer park offers eight beautifully restored aluminum trailers for overnight accommodations, as well as a tiki bus and a Chris-Craft yacht. Every knickknack and furnishing is era-appropriate. Each unit includes a patch of Astroturf, lawn furniture and pink flamingos. Closed during January. Units start at $105.

Details: 1 Douglas Road, Bisbee. 520-432-3567, theshadydell.com.

Copper City Inn

The inn offers three sumptuous rooms of varying décor, each with a balcony overlooking Main Street. Attention to detail is impeccable, from extra reading lights to slippers in the closet to a library of DVDs. Spacious bathrooms are stocked better than yours at home. Guests are provided with organic coffee and a voucher for a continental breakfast at a nearby gourmet market. Rooms start at $135.

Details: 99 Main St., Bisbee. 520-432-1418, coppercityinn.com.

Find the reporter at www.rogernaylor.com . Or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RogerNaylorinAZ or Twitter @AZRogerNaylor

Meet Roger Naylor in Wickenburg

Arizona Republic contributor and author Roger Naylor will appear at the Cultural Crossroads Learning Center of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17.

He will give a presentation on his book, "Awesome Arizona: 200 Amazing Facts About the Grand Canyon State." The talk includes a slide show, Q& A and books for sale. Cultural Crossroads Learning Center is at 10 N. Tegner St. in downtown Wickenburg. The talk is included with the museum admission fee of $15, $12 for seniors.

Details: 928-684-2272, www.westernmuseum.org. 

Queen Mine Tours

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Queen Mine Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Stepping Back In Time

Our ‘Step Back In Time’ historic walking tour is full of entertaining stories about Bisbee’s history. It starts at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum building stairs each Saturday at 2 p.m. Appealing to all interests and all ages, you’ll appreciate Old Bisbee more as you learn about a century-and-a-half of its changing architecture, art, and humanity – from mining hotbed to modern mecca. You’ll explore several blocks of old downtown with your guide. There are multiple stops in this 1 hour adventure; each sparks a conversation on topics that range from economics to entertainment, shootouts to Statehood, brewing to bordellos, mining accidents to matrimony, fashion to freight trains, immigration to imagination, and more. Please note that this is a walking tour of the Historic District, it does not include Museum admission.

$15 adults, $5 kids

Walking Tour Request

(Above)  Panoramic view of Bisbee looking to the south, ca1909.  The Copper Queen Mine and Smelter can be seen along the base of the hill at the left side of the center panel.  The smelter flues are on the side of the hill.  Sacramento Hill is to the left of the Copper Queen.  Several historic mines are located beyond the Copper Queen including the Calumet and Arizona, Holbrook, Spray, Gardner, Copper King, and Lowell.  Many of these mines were consumed when bulk open pit mining was introduced in the Warren Mining District, first by the Sacramento Pit in 1920 and later by the Lavender Pit in 1954. (Courtesy Library of Congress) 

(Below)  Panoramic view of Bisbee looking to the north in 1916.  The substantial development of the town’s business district attests to the copper boom days.  The Copper Queen Hotel and Offices of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company, now the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, are to the right of the center fold line.  (Courtesy Library of Congress)

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

SOCIAL EVENTS

Welcoming Reception, Copper City Brewery Company, June 4, 1998.   Hosted by Phelps Dodge.

Lunch at the Copper Queen Plaza (Convention Center), June 5, 1998.   Speaker: Carlos Schwantes, “The Many Landscapes of Phelps Dodge.”  

Awards Banquet, Copper Queen Mine, June 5, 1998.  Speaker, Richard Francaviglia: “The Historical Geography of the Warren Mining District.”

Presidential Luncheon, Copper Queen Plaza (Convention Center), June 6, 1998

TOURS AND FIELD TRIPS

Tombstone and the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park , June 4, 1998

Click Here to see the tour of Tombstone (tour reconstructed in 2016)

Morning walking tours of Bisbee and visit to the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, June 5, 1998

Evening tour of the Copper Queen Mine, June 6, 1998 (before the Awards Banquet at the mine)

Click Here to see the tours to Bisbee (tours reconstructed 2016)

Cananea, Mexico, June 7, 1998 (Full-day bus trip with lunch in Mexico and barbeque dinner at the Turquoise Valley Country Club, Lowell)

VISITOR INFORMATION

Arizona Office of Tourism

Bisbee Chamber of Commerce

Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum

Copper Queen Mine Tour

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park

Arizona Geological Survey  

READINGS AND REFERENCES  

B. S. Butler, E. D. Wilson, and C. A. Rascor, “ Geology and Ore Deposits of the Tombstone District ,” Arizona Bureau of Mines, Geological Series 10, Bulletin 143, (Tucson: University of Arizona,1938).  Accessed November 13, 2013 . 

Robert C. Cleland, “A History of Phelps Dodge, 1834-1950,” (New York: Alfred A. Knoph, 1952).

Isabel S. Fathauer, “Lemuel S. Shattuck, A Little Mining, A Little Banking, A Little Beer,” (Tucson: Westernlore, 1991).

R. W. Graeme, “Bisbee, Arizona’s Dowager Queen of Mining Camps – A Look at Her First 50 Years,” History of Mining in Arizona ,, J. M. Canty and M. N. Greeley, Eds., V2, (Tucson: Mining Club of the Southwest Foundation, 1987), 51-76.

Stanton B. Keith, “ Index to Mining Properties in Cochise County Arizona ,” Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, Bulletin 187, (Tucson: University of Arizona, 1977). Accessed November 13,2013.

F. L. Ransome, “ The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Bisbee Quadrangle ,” USGS, Professional Paper 21, (Washington: GPO, 1904), Accessed November 10, 2013 .

F. L. Ransome, “ Geologic Atlas of the United States, Bisbee Folio, Arizona ,” USGS, (Washington: USGS, 1904), Accessed November 10, 2013.

Carlos Schwantes, Ed., “Bisbee, Urban Outpost on the Frontier,” (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1992).

Richard Shelton, “Going Back to Bisbee,” (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1992).

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(520) 432-2071

Copper Queen Mine Tour

Book Your Mine Tour Today

Tour Rates: $16  for Adults / $8 for age 6-12 (taxes are included) . Ages 0 -5 not allowed underground. Prices subject to change.

Reservations   required.

No children under 6 years old allowed underground.

No open toed shoes or high heels allowed underground.

No pets allowed underground only service animals.

Temperature  in the mine is cool, light sweater  or jacket  recommended.

 Schools and large groups please call 520-432-2071

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