To many people, a vacation to Arizona means enjoying the sun and perhaps a game of golf in and around the state's two largest cities, Phoenix and Tucson.

If you have an interest in history, and enjoy getting off the busy highways, you might wish to take a trip to Cochise County, which is located in the southeast corner of Arizona.

Wide open spaces and a great independent spirit give Cochise County the air of what Arizona was really like back in the says when it was a Territory.

The best way to take in Cochise County would be to visit the historic towns of Tombstone, Bisbee and Benson.

Located right off Interstate 10, just 45 miles east of Tucson, is the historic railroad town of Benson. Located in the heart of the San Pedro River Valley, Benson is the home of Kartchner Caverns State Park, a live, wet cave. Back in Territorial days, Benson was a scheduled stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Route and the Pony Express as well. That, along with the birth of the transcontinental railroad, made Benson a bustling 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.

About 20 miles southeast of Tombstone lies the quaint community of Bisbee. Now an artist enclave, Bisbee is home to the Queen Mine, which is the largest open pit copper mine in the world.

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.

You can go right down into the Queen Mine, where tours are operated by former miners on a daily basis. From the miners you will get their personal knowledge of the operations of the Queen Mine.

All of these historical towns make a good day trip for tourists. You may want to consider a weekend getaway to take in everything that Cochise County offers.

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