But if you're into history and enjoy traveling just a bit off the beaten path, consider traveling to Cochise County in the southeastern corner of the state.

In many ways, Cochise County embodies what Arizona was all about back when it was a Territory - wide open spaces and a great independent spirit.

The best way to absorb Cochise County is to visit its historic towns: Benson, Tombstone, and Bisbee.

The historic railroad town of Benson is just off Interstate 10, approximately fort five miles east of Tucson. Situated in the center of the San Pedro River Valley, Benson is where you will find Kartchner Caverns State Park. In the Territorial era, Benson was one of the scheduled stops on the Pony Express and the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Route. Along with the birth of the transcontinental railroad, Benson soon became a busy railroad town.

Twenty miles south on US Highway 80 lies the infamous town of Tombstone, the town too tough to die.

Even those that aren't interested in the Old West know that Tombstone was the location of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Tombstone's main source of income is, you might have guessed, tourism. Allen Street, the town's main thoroughfare, still resembles Tombstone as it was in the 1880s. The walkways beside the storefronts are wooden, and the streets are still unpaved.

Although there are many shops and restaurants in Tombstone, the town relishes its historical imprint on America. The O.K. Corral still offers tours, as does the C.S. Fly Photo Gallery, where you can view Mr. Fly's photographs of Geronimo and 1880s Tombstone.

The most important place to visit in town is the Tombstone Courthouse. Now a historical museum, visiting the courthouse will take you back 120 years, as you can view exhibits and thousands of artifacts and really get a feel for what life was like in Tombstone.

Now an artist enclave, the quaint community of Bisbee lies about twenty miles southeast of Tombstone. Bisbess is home to the largest open pit copper mine in the world, the Queen Mine.

Bisbee's beautiful architecture may be the first thing that gets your attention, as "old" Bisbee nestles itself into the side of a mountain. You can't help gazing over to the copper mine called "The Pit", which stopped production in the 1970s. It is the largest hole in the earth you will ever lay eyes upon.

The Queen Mine operates tours daily, and you can actually go down into the mine. The tours are given by former miners, and they are able to give you personal insights into the mine operations.

Each of these historical Arizona towns makes a great day trip. Consider making a weekend of it an explore all of what Cochise County has to offer.

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