Page Updated: November 21, 2023
Bisbee
Old Bisbee is a funky little town tucked in the hills of the Mule Mountains. On a whim, we made a day trip of it to see what it was all about. What an interesting little place!
Virile Copper Miner Statue - Bisbee AZ
Shops line narrow, winding and hilly streets that don’t seem to have been widened since the frontier days. Historic architecture remains wherever you look. Comfortable shoes are a plus if you’re urban hiking through the historic portion of town.
The town’s roots are set in copper mining. Plentiful ore discovered in and around Bisbee - more than eight billion pounds* of it - earned it the name “Queen of the Copper Camps.”
The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum (a Smithsonian affiliate), covers Bisbee’s mining history and exhibits a nice collection of copper related geodes found within the mines. Of particular note is the geode diorama that showcases the indigo of azurite contrasting with greens of malachite. It lends a great visual representation of what the miners saw when coming across different mineral conglomerations in the surrounding caves of Bisbee.
Geode Diorama
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
For lunch, we dropped in at Bisbee’s Table. A popular spot with an extensive menu and prompt service. They also offer locally crafted beers that we tried and enjoyed. The interior of the establishment has numerous copper accents reflecting the town’s history. It’s the perfect place to grab a bite while experiencing what Bisbee is/was all about.
After lunch, we shuffled between shops and enjoyed checking out more of the historic architecture before grabbing a coffee at the Bisbee Coffee Company on our way out of town.
Because Bisbee was an impromptu excursion, we didn’t know what to expect and weren’t fully prepared to stay the day. Two things that looked interesting and I wish we’d had time to do: The Queen Mine Tour and The Lavender Pit. Both looked really interesting and are high on our list to do next time if we ever return to Bisbee.
scenes from Bisbee
Sabino Lake Loop
Saguaro National Park East
