Tombstone's Ghost Stories, Told So the Kids Can Come Along
A leisurely night walk between four historic stops, with the operator putting the mix at seventy percent history.
The tour leaves at 7:00 PM, every night of the year, from the corner of Allen and Third. Ninety minutes later it has covered about a mile of Tombstone's historic district on foot, at what the operator calls a leisurely pace, with time built in for photographs and questions.
Ghost City Tours runs two routes in town. This is the 7:00 PM one, open to all ages; the other starts at 8:30 PM and is restricted to 16 and over. The operator says guides on this route keep the stories spooky and stop short of frightening younger guests. Children under six go free.
Tickets are sold per person and have to be bought before the night. Adults are USD 29.99, ages 6 to 11 are USD 14.99, and under-sixes are free. One booking covers up to ten people, and the walk itself runs as a shared group of up to twenty-five.
The Dead Men's Tales Walking Ghost Tour in TombstoneNinety minutes on foot through Tombstone's historic district, nightly at 7:00 PM, with four stops and all fees and taxes covered.www.viator.comThe Gunfight That Took Thirty Seconds
The first stop is the O.K. Corral at 326 East Allen Street, and the guide gives it twenty minutes. The shooting itself, on 26 October 1881, between the Earps and the Cowboys, was over in about thirty seconds. Three men died: Billy Clanton, and the McLaury brothers, Tom and Frank. What happened in those thirty seconds has been argued over ever since, and the argument is most of what there is to tell.
You stand outside. The stops are told from the street, and none of the four includes admission to the building.
Ninety Minutes, Mostly Standing Still
The route covers about a mile, which across ninety minutes leaves long stretches where the group is standing in one place while someone talks. The operator describes the surfaces as mostly flat, paved and dirt, calls the pace leisurely, and says there are chances to sit along the way.
The booking listing ticks wheelchair access, stroller access and service animals, and the operator's own page repeats all three. The listing separately marks the route as not recommended for pregnant travellers or for anyone with a spinal injury, and rates the physical demand as moderate. The operator's own page carries neither of those notes. Call the operator if either one applies to you.
Leashed, well behaved dogs are welcome, which the operator states plainly. Alcohol is not.
The Theatre That Opened the Day After Christmas
The last stop is the Bird Cage Theatre at 535 East Allen Street, and at twenty-five minutes it takes the longest share of the walk. The theatre's own history puts the opening on 26 December 1881, under Lottie and William Hutchinson, and the operator dates its run to 1889. Bullet holes are still in the woodwork.
Between the corral and the theatre the route takes in two more stops. Twenty minutes at the Tombstone Courthouse on Toughnut Street, a museum now and a hall of justice then. Twenty-five at Schieffelin Hall on Fremont Street, built in 1881 as the town's opera house, and by the guides' account still occupied by a lady in red.
Finding the Guide at Allen and Third
The meeting point is 311 East Allen Street, at the Ed Schieffelin statue on the corner of Third. Arrive fifteen minutes early. The guide stands on that corner, and the walk finishes where it started.
Parking in Tombstone tightens up depending on the season and whatever else is on, so the operator suggests arriving early, taking a rideshare, or walking in if you are staying nearby. It is a small town. There is no hotel pickup, and gratuity sits outside the ticket price.
The walk runs rain or shine, so dress for the weather.
📍 The pin above marks the Bird Cage Theatre, the last of the four stops. The walk itself begins further west on the same street, at the Ed Schieffelin statue on the corner of Allen and Third.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the 7:00 PM departure and the refund is full. The operator's own page adds free rescheduling and a money-back guarantee on top of that.
Ninety minutes after the guide starts, you are back on that corner with the rest of the night in front of you.