This review is for the gift shop! We came to the shop on the way out of town as we'd found they sold a local book one of our group wanted. The gentleman up front was very nice as was the woman in the shop. We snagged the last copy -- which was also signed! - then proceeded to pick up some souvenirs. They have a really nice selection of local books, art, crystals, and items like miners tags. I got a really cute little tree made of copper wire and green stones, and a mixed silver and copper ring. Recommend stopping by even if you don't have time for the museum. Its a nice little shop and as a Smithsonian affiliate, there's no tax! read more

Steve was our tour guide and he was awesome! He spent his whole career working in the mines, so the stories and details he shared really brought everything to life. Honestly, this was the best mine tour we've done in Arizona. You check in about 30 minutes before the tour. There's a little shop to browse, a spot to sit, and a short movie in the back that gives you a great background on the mine and how copper is made. The tour itself is about an hour, all underground. You ride in on a little train that you sit on kind of like a bike, and the temperature stays a cool mid-60s the whole time. They give you a hard hat, light, safety vest, and even a number tag - just like real miners use - so they know nobody gets left behind. Along the way, the train stops a few times so you can get off, check out artifacts, and walk into different areas while Steve tells more stories. When you come back up to the surface, have your sunglasses ready - the sunlight feels unbelievably bright after being underground. It was the highlight of our full day in Bisbee and something you do NOT want to miss. read more

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I came expecting a low key experience with pictures, plaques, and a few historical trinkets. My expectations were blown away by the attention to detail, interactive exhibits, and cohesive story it told. I can absolutely see why this is affiliated with the Smithsonian. It's the rare museum that I was sad when I had seen it all. Absolutely worth a visit and about 1-2 hours depending on how much you want to read. read more

This is very educational by tour guides who actually worked the mines. Very affordable for a family. read more

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum - Museums Near Me - Bisbee, Arizona

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Wonderful. Great museum with informative and accessible exhibits. We wished we had left more time to visit as we left it for our last day in Bisbee. I highly recommend a visit. They have a nice gift shop with books related to Bisbee and some nice jewelry and toys for the kids. read more

This historical museum tells you more about mining history than you'd think. It capitulates from the mid 1880's into the 1920's and it's eventual finality in 1974. The mining portion of Bisbee started with the crudest of work life and included thousands of Northern Europeans from numerous countries including Serbian, Germanic and Chinese participants. This museum speaks to the incredible racism (a subject I despise to even bring up) but was quite a reality here at the turn of the century. For example, no Chinese personnel were permitted to be within the city limits of Bisbee overnight? How crazy was that? Specifically, this museum is very affordable and is quite packed with information bringing you through the Copper mining legacy to its smelting and eventual open mining concepts in which is safer today vs air drilled and water mining with tunnels. The deaths attributed to air tool mining was off the charts... Highly recommend this little stop before you go or maybe do a Mine Tour? This was way more informative than I envisioned and, though you'll need a mask as of Nov. '21, they'll give you one for a simple buck. Discounts to for various reasons like Military or AARP. Recommend: Absolutely a must see. Gems extracted from this Bisbee mine are STILL worldwide known as the best gems pulled from the Earth! read more

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It's a small museum with tons of history in it. Good for a quick stop or else you should be a history geek to spend so much time here. The train and decor outside the museum are nice too. Worth for a couple of good pictures. The museum is in the center of the town and you will always walk through this museum so stop for some time. read more

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The gentleman that greeted us was friendly and helpful. Great exhibits that bring mining and life back in Old Bisbee to life. We spent a good amount of time wandering and learning. There's no need to rush at all as it is laid out well and there's so much to see. I had always thought that the more northern parts of Arizona were settled first, but learned that Bisbee was much older. Fascinating to learn state history. read more

Excellent tour. And our tour guide, I'm sorry I can't remember his name (we were there Tuesday, March 28 at 2:00), was great. Very knowledgeable. read more

This is a nice little museum depicting mining life in the late 19th into the mid-20th century, in the small town of Bisbee, AZ. On the ground level the exhibits are pretty basic and only a few video presentations. Up the stairs is an exhibit perhaps funded by the Smithsonian and some of the pieces were definitely provided by the Smithsonian. The first few displays show some outstandingly beautiful minerals and crystals that were found locally. Vibrantly colored blues, reds, greens along with clear crystals, copper colored deposits, etc. pictures nor words do them justice. There are a couple other exhibits up there depicting life in the mines, some with sound, another with a video (which wasn't working) of a big steam shovel, working an open pit mine. That exhibit was pretty lame. All in all it was worth the time and the money. $8 for adults. $7 for seniors. read more

A wonderful staple to check out while in Bisbee. For a small fee $8 per adult, $7 for senior and military you get to enjoy a self walking tour of Bisbee and learn about the mining history in the town. There were many interesting and interactive displays. There's also a beautiful display of rocks and minerals artifacts from the mines. The staff is very friendly and a great place to stop at to learn some history. read more

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The Bisbee Mining museum. This is a must see! It's small but covers a quite a bit of the history of the area. It starts on the ground floor and makes its way upstairs for the rest of the exhibits. I didn't see an elevator so I'm not sure what you do if you cannot navigate stairs. (There might be one-I just didn't see it). Beautiful gems on the second floor and stories of how they were discovered. All in all a fun hour or two if you linger. Downstairs they have an originally finished boardroom all done in wood floor to ceiling. It's just beautiful. The gift shop is very cute and we purchased a few trinkets there. They are very proud of the fact that there is no sales tax on their items in there. We did stock up a bit. I would definitely come back and check this out when in Bisbee again. Give it a try. read more

Great tour with interesting facts about the mine and the miners that worked there. The staff was friendly and helpful.

It's a lot more than you'd expect from a small town museum. And, that's because the Smithsonian has donated items for the museum to exhibit. I can't remember the volunteer lady's name, but I loved how proud she is of her city. She wrote directions to a local homeless shelter, so I could drop off donations while passing through. The museum is nicely done. It does a lot with a small amount of space. read more

Enjoyed seeing all the mining equipment outside the museum. Museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian and the exhibits are interesting and informative. Museums can be informative without being interesting and this isn't the case here. read more

During the summer we got here before noon AND BARELY made it as the last few to fit on a tour!! (i'm sure you'd have to book in advance during busy season) we enjoyed this train ride that actually goes down into the mining tunnels! they even dress you up in mining gear so you feel like you're a part of history... our guide wasn't the most enthusiastic guy, but he was definitely knowledgeable the Tour was $13 per person which was worth the value AND the drive out to Bisbee, we all loved it! NOTE: even when it's hot outside, it's still a chilly 47 degrees down in the mines so bring a jacket/sweater read more

Really well done museum. The staff were super friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth the price of admission.

A nice dedication with the helping hand of the Smithsonian to the mining which took place in this part of Arizona. I must point out that the mineral specimens exhibited are outstanding. read more

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum - Is the 2nd car a honey pot? - Museums Near Me - Bisbee, Arizona

This is a GREAT place to get to know Bisbee and the history of this area. We did not have time to do the actual mine tour, so we did this as a way to get familiar with the town. The building is right in the middle of downtown. The exhibits show the history of the town, what brought people here, etc--and there are some amazing pictures that show how busy a place it really was. Clearly a lot of time and love was invested in this museum, and the people that run it were very friendly. Our kids (age 12y and 10y) liked it--so that tells you something. There is not a lot of interactive exhibits, which is something that would be pretty fun; and some of the exhibits are dated and need to be re-done, but overall we had a great time. read more

A great little museum with local history and artifacts. We we're fortunate enough to get to talk to someone working in the archives that shared a lot of knowledge of the history of Bisbee. Highly recommend visiting. read more

BEST Museum In Arizona! Of all the tourist destinations in Bisbee, my boyfriend and I found this to be the most incredible. The museum has extremely knowledgable staff, and was put together with the most interesting pictures, amazing write-ups to understand the history and story behind the town of Bisbee, and a Smithsonian-approved or recommended gem and rock museum on the second floor. MUST SEE! read more

Cool, $7.50 for a small museum. Interesting place, nice folks.

The folks here are really nice and truthfully it's about as good a museum as you can make about Bisbee. But, for the average person this is a great place for a nap read more

I love this museum. The Smithsonian has partnered with a number of local and national institutions to preserve the history of this turn of the 20th century mining town, Bisbee. It's a small museum, which used to house the offices of the mining companies that existed back when. An important chapter in the history of the American labor movement happened here. They even had an official brothel inspector. The four large, polished stones in front of the museum are just beautiful. read more

This is a great, clean and fun museum. We have been in here twice and it was enjoyable even seeing it the second time around. It is amazing to see the history of the mine in Bisbee and how it transformed the community. There are interesting facts, fun interactive elements and some really beautiful minerals to enjoy. Don't miss this one! read more

Great stop while in Bisbee for the day. Very visual and really gave you a glimpse into the start of this great town. Woman volunteer at the entry desk was very informative and gave us some initial insight and then we roamed on our own. Not a whole lot to do in this town and this was a nice stop. read more

Didn't know what to expect when we first dropped in, but were very pleasantly surprised. Great tour guide who will give you more knowledge that you ever thought you'd want, and great displays throughout. You'll be glad you spent some time here! read more