Nestled in the desert mountains of southern Arizona, sits a small city, bustling with art and rich with mining history.
Just over 5,000 people live in Bisbee, located almost two hours southeast of Tucson. Since Bisbee is abundant with unique culture, tourists from all over the world flock to visit. Tourism helps keep this hidden gem thriving.
Bisbee City Manager Stephen Pauken loves seeing visitors from all over the world.
“The largest percentage of our tourist trade comes from Arizona, and our second largest behind the United States is Canada, and if you want to count Europe as one place, our European guests are probably third in line,” Pauken said.
Although Bisbee is a smaller city, the tourism opportunities are endless. The streets are lined with unique art pieces and murals that charm the artsiest travelers. There are local shops and restaurants filled with small town flare and people come to experience them for a variety of reasons.
Local artists put their paintings along the walls and fences of walkways in Bisbee, AZ.
“Some have historic connections and other visitors come on someone’s recommendation,” said Janet De Acevedo Macdonald, assistant manager of the Bisbee Visitor Center.
“What draws people here is the rich mining history … We’ve got the Queen Mine Tour, a Mining and Historical Museum, and the arts community that grew up with the influx of artists after the mines closed,” Pauken said.
Most visitors come to learn the history of the Copper Queen Mine. Doug Graemae, the general manager of Copper Queen Mine, has been working there for 18 years and is no stranger to the tourists and their curiosity for the mines.
“Our number one tourist attraction is the Queen Mine Tour,” said Graemae.
The entrance to the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ. There are 5 daily tours to choose from.
The mine tour allows visitors to sit on a train and ride over 1,000 feet into the hillside, exploring the actual copper mine that ceased operation in the 1970s.
“The mission for the mine tour is to attract people to Bisbee, not to make fistsfull of money,” said Graeme. “Because if you come down from Tucson, let’s say, and you’re gonna spend a day here, you can only do so much shopping and so much eating. This gives them something to do to keep them in Bisbee for more than two hours.”
The mine-turned-historical-activity keeps people coming back, so Bisbee never has an off-season for tourism. Their busiest time of the year is the winter, as winter residents start to move back in November and live in Bisbee until they move home around April.
Pauken said that “some of the ‘snowbirds’ are already starting to move back into Cochise County.”
To keep these seasonal visitors happy, Bisbee offers a variety of events.
In mid-October, Bisbee hosts the annual Great Stair Climb, a 4.5 mile stair course combining stairs and winding roads. This event is so popular that previous years almost reached 1,600 participants and now, for safety reasons, they cap registration at 1200 participants.
In November, they host a Mariachi Festival, which also has a huge turnout. People come from all over to enjoy the music and support the town, as the proceeds benefit the Bisbee Coalition for the Homeless and the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum.
The exciting events, the quirky artistic heritage and the delicious local dining options create a unique culture that draws tourists in.
“I think tourism here is very healthy,” said Pauken.“Bisbee is kind of a special place.”
Visit discoverbisbee.com.
Inside the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ. The tours have been going since 1976.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
