The Popular Wild West Experience Once Named 'Arizona's Most Boring Tourist Trap'

The phrase "tourist trap" gets thrown around a lot in forums and travel publications, and depending on who says it, it can mean everything from merely crowded and expensive to an overhyped ripoff and complete waste of time. Before visiting the Grand Canyon, I worried about which camp this natural wonder would fall into, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that although crowded, it was definitely worth the hype. This made me wonder if Tombstone, Arizona, would fare the same. 

Tombstone got its start as a silver mining town back in 1877 and at one point had an estimated 20,000 residents and 100 saloons. While it was once the most prosperous mining town in the Southwest, many know it today as the location of a legendary 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which has been immortalized in numerous films, including the popular 1993 western "Tombstone." But despite the town's historical significance, silver screen fame, and listing on the National Register of Historic Places, many reviewers have referred to Tombstone as a "tourist trap," with the publication Far & Wide going as far as to designate it as "Arizona's Most Boring Tourist Trap."

Tombstone receives more than 300,000 visitors every year, an impressive number for a town with only about 1,400 residents.  What's more, several of the town's shining attractions have earned high praise, with the historic Bird Cage Theatre receiving a 4.7-star rating on Google and the O.K. Corral earning 4.6-stars on Google. Besides, as with any destination that becomes massively popular, Tombstone was bound to attract naysayers. One person's tourist trap is another person's treasured vacation destination, right? To get to the bottom of this debate, I poured over hundreds of reviews on to see what exactly Tombstone's harshest critics had to say and weighed those against some of the town's positive reviews to see if their complaints held up.

In addition to Far & Wide's opinon that Tombstone is boring because it lacks substantial attractions, a reviewer on Tripadvisor cites the town's presumed lack of authenticity and historical accuracy as the main reason it's a letdown. "The main drag is Allen Street. Years ago it was paved. The city returned it to a dirt street to add a western feel. Only a few buildings are real. The rest were constructed over the past 30 or 40 years. The O.K. Corral, home of the historic shootout, actually allegedly happened across the street from the present tourist site."

Only In Your State offers a simpler explanation as to why the southern Arizona destination should be avoided, claiming that Tombstone is too touristy, and suggests instead visiting Bisbee, a high-desert city with quirky shops, walkable streets, and Arizona's "best downtown", which is about 25 minutes down the road. Numerous reviews on Tripadvisor agree that Tombstone has crossed the line from popular tourist attraction to overhyped tourist trap, citing the expense of having to purchase separate admissions for each attraction, the numerous gift shops all hawking the same souvenirs, and the general tacky vibe. "The historic buildings and downtown are interesting," writes a reviewer on Tripadvisor, "but the whole place feels fake, overdone, and frankly rather strange. It is like being in a theme park rather than a real town."

While one-star reviews on Tripadvisor and Yelp frequently mentioned the high prices and cheesy gift shops, relatively few reviewers described Tombstone as "boring." Many more praised the town's sheer number things to see and do, which includes several museums, authentic historic sites, and live gunfight reenactments between costumed actors, which even Far & Wide admits "can be kind of fun." What's more, every one of the top 10 attractions in Tombstone has a minimum 4.2 rating on Tripadvisor, with The Saloon Theatre receiving a 4.9 rating. Although several reviewers on Tripadvisor complain that the town is too "commercial," comparing it to Disneyland, many appreciate the town's kitsch, calling the experience "a blast" and a must-see for fans of western films or the Old West in general.

Cheesy though it may be, Tombstone is not a film set, it's not a ghost town, and it's not a theme park. It's a real town. "There is no turnstile to get into Tombstone," the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce points out. Each of the town's various attractions do charge separate admission fees, which generally range between $5 and $15, because each business is independently owned. And, like with any historic town, some of its original buildings have had to be renovated, but many of the original structures from that era remain.

So is Tombstone really Arizona's "most boring tourist trap?" Based on the reviews, probably not, as many describe Tombstone as a fun, family-friendly destination worth visiting at least once. Although it's perhaps not for those seeking 100% historically accurate depictions of 19th-century pioneer life, at the end of the day, Tombstone remains America's ultimate Wild West destination. If you can embrace the theme-park corniness of some of the attractions and stomach the tourist pricing, Tombstone can be considered among the best "cowboy core" vacation destinations in a lively Wild West setting.