A mile-high former copper boomtown turned bohemian arts colony, tucked into the Mule Mountains near the Mexican border.
Bisbee feels like nowhere else in Arizona. The old Copper Queen Mine produced billions of dollars of metal before closing in 1975 — today you can ride a real mining train 1,500 feet into the mountain on the **Queen Mine Tour**, led by retired miners. Above ground, the town's steep Victorian streets are packed with galleries, indie bookstores, vintage shops and live-music bars along **Brewery Gulch**. Climb the famous **1,000 Stair Climb** every October, sip a cold one on the porch of the historic Copper Queen Hotel, and don't miss the eccentric Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum (a Smithsonian affiliate). Stay overnight if you can — Bisbee is genuinely magical after dark, when the canyon walls glow with porch lights.