SOLO ROADTRIP II: TOMBSTONE [DAYS 12-13]
i love a good tacky tourist site (especially one that leans into the supernatural or are believed to be haunted) & that is tombstone, arizona. not only do i enjoy these types of places, but i look for them, so i knew tombstone was a must. tombstone is more than a cowboy disneyland (frontierland was always my favorite land growing up). there is actually history here. tombstone was a frontier boomtown in the 1800s with a history of mining silver. it was the location of the ok corral gunfights between outlaws & the local businessmen.
the empty streets the morning after.
the bird cage theater is one of the most popular tourist attractions and it is believed to be haunted.
i only stopped in the bird cage theater gift shop.
i was not kidding when i said they really lean into the spooky.
i decided to do something a little bit crazy for me & take an old timey photo by myself. when i was a kid, my aunt use to take me and my sister to do these. i have one from the renaissance, one as a flapper, & another as a outlaw cowgirl. i felt a little better when the worker told me it was actually quite common for people to take these photos alone.
the place i took the photo at.
i ended up choosing to dress as a victorian criminal. i wanted to be classy ;)
i ended up taking the photos after a family of 3 generations took theirs. as i was walking down the street, they were eating outdoors and called me over to see my photo. i obliged and they said i should be a model :3 such sweet people who felt so familiar. we talked and i shared a bit about my solo trip and then we parted ways. these little conversations with strangers are such sweet memories of my travels.
other than the photo, i really did not do much other than walk up and down the streets and go into the shops. it is just fun to look at the details of the buildings and people watch. there are tons of dressed western workers just interacting with the public and driving carriages. the town is most known for the stage shoot-outs.
i did end up getting a root beer. it seemed to be the appropriate thing to do.
i guess you would say this was the bougiest part of my trip. i stayed in a cute little western cabin with a balcony overlooking the desert. this was definitely the the most expensive accommodation of my trip but was still in no way expensive (i am cheap). was it really a cabin? no, but it was still really nice. This was pretty much an airbnb accommodation of a row of dwellings with a private balcony for each to look over the desert landscape. it was very cute & leaned in heavy with the rustic/country setting. i ended up picking up food at the local diner & bringing it back to my room to enjoy.
my cute little room.
the view from the balcony.
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i decided to have a slower morning and enjoy my accommodation. after doing a little bit of cross stitching, i checked out and made my way back to the main street. it was pretty much a ghost town which was so nice. i got an iced latte at the only espresso establishment i could find and walked around looking at the architecture before people would fill the streets.
the empty streets were so pleasant.
the only coffeehouse on tombstone's main tourist street
i then walked to tombstone courthouse state historic park. inside is a little museum about the city and the building. it was first built as a county courthouse in the 1880s, then leased to the city in the 1940s, and was then restored for the public in the 1950s.
the old Cochise County Courthouse (c. 1882 - victorian style)
the gallows behind the courthouse.
