Travel to Bisbee, Arizona and Go Back in Time
Posted in Adventure, Arizona, Art, AZ, Food, Historic, Hotels, Restaurant, Romantic Locations, Scenery, Shopping, Southwest, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Arizona, Copper Queen Hotel, Crafts, Food, Ghosts, Historic, Hotels, Mine Tour, Restaurants, Romantic Travel, Scenery, Shopping, Southwest, Travel
Introduction to Bisbee, Arizona
As you drive into Bisbee from the north, you enter through a tunnel, as if you are going back in time. To an extent, you are. The town is nestled into a hillside and the feel is of the 1950s – or before.Bisbee was an old mining town. When the mines closed, the town became a refuge for hippies back in the 1960s. The crafty – as in “artsy-craftsy” friends of the hippies showed up, so Bisbee became a unique craft center and, consequently, a Mecca for tourism.
Unique Bisbee - their own historic manhole cover
Bisbee has settled down a great deal since its heady miner days when there were 50 establishments serving liquor in town. The population of 20,000 in 1910 is down to around 6,000, with the census showing a somewhat mature age skew.
Bisbee now
The old mine, the architecture, and the hillsides create an almost surreal environment.
One of the most noticeable things about Bisbee – The natives are friendly! Actually, it seems that most people in Bisbee are transplants. While there, we met a woman who moved in after the mines closed. She spoke about the town and how tourism is a major center of employment, as well as the county government, which is located in Bisbee. It is clear that without the tourism, Bisbee would probably be a ghost town. As it is, Bisbee claims to be the home of many ghosts. (More on that next week.)
For such a small population, we found people drawn to stay. Our waitress at Dot’s Diner (review coming up next week) came to Bisbee for a visit and has stayed for two years.
Louis, a gentleman from New York City, retired to Bisbee for its climate. He also discovered a welcoming community where everyone was willing to include you and be friendly. He was just returning from a trip to Germany and seemed right at home in another favorite regular’s hangout, The Bisbee Breakfast Club.
We found Bisbee friendly. Wandering into the “fiber guild,” housed in the basement of the YWCA, a group of weavers regularly congregate from their membership of 80! There had to be at least 20 looms in the large room. Some of the inventive and recycled fabrics used in the weaving include old jeans, sheets, and other worn out materials. There were also some really gorgeous knitted hats, gloves and other items for sale, but, since we live in Arizona, our need for those are minimal.
We stayed overnight at the Copper Queen Hotel, a stately old reminder of how hotels used to be. Service was courteous – rather old-fashioned these days, too, in these times of diffident service – and the rooms were definitely evocative of the early 1900s when the hotel was built to serve the upscale mine management.
A day or two in Bisbee to take the underground Copper Queen Mine Tour and shop, shop, shop were fun diversions. The very unusual thing about Bisbee – I don’t remember a single chain store in the entire town! (Finding a gas station was a bit of a challenge until a friendly local told us where to find the Circle K – possibly the only chain in town.)
So, if you’re looking for a unique, old-fashioned experience, join us next week while we explore the food, the mines, the shops and the experience of Bisbee, Arizona.
Tags: Arizona, Copper Queen Hotel, Crafts, Food, Ghosts, Historic, Hotels, Mine Tour, Restaurants, Romantic Travel, Scenery, Shopping, Southwest, Travel