Travelers can adventure through the Arizona places that tell its story.
The Arizona Office of Tourism recently introduced a new mobile passport that ties in with the national America250 celebration marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The America250 AZ: Celebrate & Explore Pass encourages travelers to visit as many historic and cultural sites and businesses that tell the story of the 48th state.
Checking in at the destinations on the pass, which doesn't require downloading an app, will give users a chance to redeem rewards at the locations they visit.
As of Aug. 26, there were more than 60 destinations on the pass. It will eventually comprise "250 amazing gems," according to the tourism office. Arizonans can nominate places for inclusion in the passport. Here are a few highlights.
Bisbee: Copper Queen Mine
The Copper Queen Mine, which opened in 1877 and operated for nearly a century, was where miners descended into constant 47-degree temperatures to find precious metals beneath the Earth’s surface. Miners found a strain of turquoise exclusive to the area, which became known as “Bisbee Blue.”
Today, visitors can don hard hats and headlamps and ride a small train down into the Copper Queen Mine. Guides who worked in the mine share their experiences.
Flagstaff: Lowell Observatory
Opened in 1894 by its namesake, Percival Lowell, the observatory has a special place in Arizona history as the place where Pluto was discovered in 1930.
Lowell Observatory has played a leading role in dark sky protection in Flagstaff, advocating for a 1958 lighting ordinance limiting the use of searchlights; the International Dark Sky Association recognized Flagstaff as the first International Dark Sky City in 2001.
In 2024 Lowell Observatory expanded with the Astronomy Discovery Center, which has a multistory LED theater called the Lowell Universe Theater, hands-on activities including the Orbits Curiosity Zone and an open sky planetarium.
Lowell Observatory was named one of TIME's World's Greatest Places of 2025.
Tombstone
Tombstone, famously nicknamed "the town too tough to die," is a key site in Old West history. Most notably, it was the place where the O.K. Corral gunfight happened.
On Oct. 26, 1881, a long-simmering feud between lawmen and outlaws culminated in a deadly shootout that ended with three of the outlaws, Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton, killed. City Marshal Virgil Earp and two of the three men he appointed as deputy city marshals, his brother Morgan and Doc Holliday, were wounded; only Wyatt, another brother of Earp, escaped unscathed.
Today, people can visit the site where the gunfight happened and view reenactments of the shootout daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Tombstone's historic downtown on Allen Street was named by World Atlas as one of the best downtowns in Arizona. Other famous sites include the Bird Cage Theatre, Big Nose Kate's Saloon and the Crystal Palace Saloon.
Phoenix: Heard Museum
This museum is renowned for its collection of Native American art, which spans 12 galleries and an outdoor sculpture gallery. It also hosts the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market, one of the world's largest Indigenous art markets (and the largest in Arizona), and the World Hoop Dance Championships.
The Heard Museum presents Indigenous stories from a first-person perspective and hosts exhibitions that "showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art," according to the museum.
Oracle: Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2 is a living laboratory where people can see five of Earth's biomes under a collection of glass domes. The lab is designed for scientists to study interactions that are difficult to separate in a wild setting.
Visitors can take a guided tour of the lab, available on a first-come, first-serve basis, where they can explore an ocean overlook, mangrove wetlands, a tropical rainforest, savanna grassland and a fog desert.
Winslow: Standin' on the Corner Park
It's true that a corner in Winslow, Arizona, inspired the lyrics penned by singer-songwriter Jackson Browne for his song "Take It Easy," made famous by the Eagles. Browne's car broke down in Winslow while he was on his way to Sedona.
But multiple sources, including the Arizona Department of Transportation, clarify it was a different Route 66 city — Flagstaff — where Browne saw the girl in the flatbed Ford.
Doesn't matter. "Take It Easy" put Winslow on the map.
People go there to see the Standin' on the Corner Park at the corner of Second Street and Kinsley Avenue. The park features a life-size statue of a man with a guitar, steps away from a red flatbed Ford parked at the curb.
The park hosts a two-day festival every September. This year's is scheduled for Sept. 26-27 and features a concert lineup topped by the Eagles tribute band One of These Nights. You can hear them sing about standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, while standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Clarkdale: Verde Canyon Railroad
Today's Verde Canyon Railroad has its roots in the historic Verde Valley Railway, a 38-mile line completed in 1912 and connecting Clarkdale, then a new town built around the booming mining industry in nearby Jerome, with the Yavapai County town of Drake.
The Verde Mix locomotive carried passengers and freight along a route that includes a 734-foot tunnel carved through a mountain and a bridge along a 175-foot gorge called S.O.B. Canyon.
The Verde Valley Railway continued to operate long after Jerome's mines closed and highways largely replaced rail travel. David Durbano bought the railway in 1988 and launched the Verde Canyon Railroad heritage line in 1990.
The train's cars date from 1926 to 1962, most of which are described as midcentury vintage, said Ellen Roberts, spokeswoman for the Verde Canyon Railroad. The train is powered by two FP7 diesel-electric locomotives built by General Motors in 1953; they're among just 10 FP7s remaining in the U.S.
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Canyon de Chelly National Monument
This natural landmark in the northeastern corner of Arizona, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "de-shay") is the home of various cultures who have inhabited the canyons for 5,000 years, longer than anyone has lived continuously on the Colorado River Plateau, according to the National Park Service. It's where Diné (Navajo) families raise livestock and grow crops.
Like the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly has a North Rim and a South Rim. Visitors can drive through both rims for a self-guided experience, or they can consider embarking on a guided tour by vehicle, hike or horseback with a Navajo guide.
Grand Canyon West and Grand Canyon Skywalk
Travelers will see the Grand Canyon at this destination, a stop on a Tripadvisor-approved tour that starts from Las Vegas, but it's not part of Grand Canyon National Park. It's a separate attraction owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe and located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
Grand Canyon West is a popular day trip for travelers visiting Las Vegas; some tour groups advertise Grand Canyon West as the "West Rim."
The Skywalk allows visitors to see the Canyon via a glass bridge. From the platform, visitors have an elevated view of the canyons of Eagle Point; below the glass, they'll see a portion of the rocky canyon bottom.
Grand Canyon West's website touts the glass bridge as strong enough to support the weight of 70 Boeing 747 jumbo jets at full capacity, but the experience may be overwhelming for those afraid of heights. Cameras and phones are not allowed on the platform for safety reasons.
How to get the America250 AZ pass
To sign up for the America250 AZ pass or nominate locations to be added, go to visitarizona.com/experiences-passes/america-250. The pass will be delivered via text and email.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's most historic places: Insider tips to visit 10 of the best
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