The road along the border to Yuma is interesting in terms of changing scenery. The total drive to Tombstone takes more than 9 hours according to Google map. A guidebook that covers that area might be useful in indicating potential sights.

Once you get east of the mountains/Cleveland National Forest - maybe an hour from SD - it's pretty boring to me. Flat and hot - no way around it.

There are some rest stops - with some shade - but no AC as far as I know. Check the map and there are also some small towns where you can pull into a subway or something.

And it's about 477 miles - which is doable in about 7+ hours -but probably more depending on how many stops you make.

My Q: What's the big attraction in Tombstone?

San Diego to Tucson, keep driving, nowhere really to stop unless you want to buy some dates. You'll see ads for them.
While staying in Tombstone, visit Karchner Caverns which are located in a state park nearer to I-10. Tombstone only a takes an hour or so to see most of it. And, yes, June is very, very hot, warmer than July when the monsoon rains start.The caverns are cooler. I would stay in San Diego where you will find many Arizonans escaping the heat.

I wouldn't even consider taking a toddler on that trip. Adults can choose to be in 115F temps if they want - but your poor daughter?

The zoo, Legoland, the beaches and everything else - better for everyone IMO.

I agree with janisj. It's a long was to go to see an attraction that will take you several hours to see. Most of the town consists of shops selling stuff, some art stores and some guys walking around dressed in costume who put on an occasional gunfight. If you do go, stay in Tucson, theres more things to see there.

Thanks for all the replies on this - it is a long way to go all right but I am not too concerned over that. My husband is a major movie fan and it is his birthday one of the days we are there. We will be driving an air conditioned car and as we won't be getting to Tombstone until later in the day on the first day it will only be a day and a half we get in the area.

The second day we hope to do a trip to see the Biosphere just outside Tucson. Obviously it goes without saying our daughter will be well taken care of - not like we will be leaving her outdoors in 115F! Any time she is outdoors for whatever the reason she will be well covered and constantly hydrated!

We will be bringing her to all the attractions around San Diego over the course of our stay there as well as Disneyland so lots to see and do - this is a trip away for us as a family - not to mention give my sister a break

Again thanks for all the help. It's good to get the feedback.

Angela.

Ahhh - the Biosphere. Now that is something worthwhile.

Was hoping you weren't going all that way to see a staged shootout - reminiscent of "High Noon". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044706/fullcredits

ha ha - Of course we will see that as well Tomsd! But defo interested in seeing the Biosphere and have also heard the Catalina Highway is supposed to be impressive. So much to see I am just worried we won't have enough time for it all

We used to drive to San Diego every summer when the kids were small and we lived in Tucson.

It is a long and boring trip. It seemed even longer with two kids in the back seat.

The high temperature in Tucson in June is frequently over 110 degrees. That is why we would drive to San Diego.

The drive up to Mt. Lemmon is very nice and the temperatures will probably get up into the 80s. Other than that the weather will be horrible. There is no way I would drive from San Diego to Tombstone in June. (Well, if you paid me a million dollars I'd do it.)

Tucson to San Diego is 6 hours on I-8 to i-10. I-8 has far fewer trucks than i-10. A movie buff? A lot of "Tombstone"was shot in tne Tucson Mountains.

If you could swing a 3rd night - zip up and see the beautiful red rock formations in/around Sedona.

Stop if needed in El Centro, Yuma, Gila Bend, Picacho Peak (Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich farm is interesting), Tucson

My main memory of Tombstone is the heat. We were there in June a few years ago and it was really, really hot. The bad thing was there were so few places to cool off. I remember we watched a short film on Tombstone and we were were so hoping it would be nice and cool in the theatre. It wasn't. The air conditioning couldn't come close to keeping up.

I strongly recommend you take some shade with you. You'll be out strolling in the hot sun and sitting outside watching the entertainment and you can burn in an instant. I took this 100 SPF umbrella and it was a godsend. Not only did I not have to worry too much about getting burned (I still used sunscreen) but it was much cooler under it as well.

http://www.sunprecautions.com/product/33000

We occasionally vacation with another couple who are huge movie fans also, and made a special tripo to Tombstone for them. We already had been and knew how corny it could be, but it did not dampen their enjoyment at all.

Go to the OK Corral and do the full tour, etc. Make sure to stop in one of the old saloons and have a cold beverage. The mountains mentioned sure brought back memories of old westerns.

If you have time/opportunity, check out Bisbee as well. Take a tour of the Copper Queen Mine http://www.queenminetour.com/ and visit the Copper Queen Hotel http://www.copperqueen.com/

Tombstone is definitely fun. Here are some things to not miss:

Boot Hill, just north of town
The Bird Cage Theater -- pay and do the self-guided tour.
Courthouse
Crystal Palace Saloon for a cold drink and lunch
Big Nose Kate's Saloon

Also there is a walking tour of the Goodenough mine. Very interesting and informative about the old mining days.

I definitely agree with seeing Kartchner Caverns -- I prefer the Rotunda/Throne Room tour

Yes also for Bisbee.

In June, you would very much enjoy the Catalina highway/ road to Mt. Lemmon. It is 30 degrees cooler at the top.

I was disappointed in Tombstone the last time I went. Not that much to see, but you have to pay to get in everywhere. Many shops selling touristy trinkets.

I highly recommend Bisbee though. It's a bit gimmicky to get dressed up to go inside the mine, but fun! Cute town to walk around.

Most people we know have been disappointed in Tombstone. It is still a real town but it's a shame the historical properties weren't handled like Martin Luther King's neighborhood in Atlanta which has parts of it under the National Park system, protected, not gimmicky
pay to enter "attractions" and tacky souvenier shops.
As you approach Tombstone from the north, you will pass Boot Hill. It is the real cemetery but you enter it through a gift shop( see my comments above.) Recommend you see it though, as there are some very interesting inscriptions on the actual tombstones.Look for Les Moore.
For the movie buff, stop in Tucson to visit "Old Tucson" in the Tucson Mountains, westof I-10 and downtown, where many early westerns and later TV shows were made.

Two nights in Tombstone? No way-Stay at La Paloma (Westin) nearer to Biosphere. Sabino Canyon nearby. Drive down to Tombstone for the day, and stay in a nice hotel in Tucson with a pool!

I just posted but it just disappeared. I hope it doesn't post accidently.

At any rate I used to drive my DD from SD to the Univ. of Arizona in Tuscon. It was a brutal drive. There is nothing (and I mean nothing) between Yuma and Tuscon.

It could be an extremely dangerous drive if your A/C breaks (like ours did in a relatively new car with no prior problems) and it's over 100 degrees outside (which it will be in June).

Most importantly - make sure you have a full tank of gas once you leave Yuma and stop and every gas station to re-fill whether you need it or not. If you run out of gas (and that could be very possible) you'd die before you could walk to the next station and back.

And cell phones didn't work in many of the long stretches of highway.

It will be over 6 hours of sand, dirt, scrub, sand, dirt, scrub, sand, dirt, scrub...

I can think of better ways to spend a vacation.

Nanabee,

If you used to drive here, why did you never learn how to spell TuCSon?

I would suggest visiting the Biosphere on the way into Tucson, or maybe on the way back. If you see it on the way in, then stop someplace in Tucson before heading to Tombstone the following day.

Nanabee seems to want to scare the OP -- not sure why. But, yes, do fill up at Yuma, since gas will be MUCH cheaper than in California. But absolutely no need to stop at every gas station to top off the tank. Unless you are driving something that gets about 7 mpg, there is no way you will run out of gas.

Speaking about tacky, pay-to-enter "attractions", nothing could be more descriptive of Old Tucson than that. Very expensive to visit an "old west" movie set / amusement park. Tombstone's Boot Hill isn't a pay-to-enter. Neither is the town itself, which is definitely historic. I guess some people just can't see past the shops, not all of which would be described as "tacky souvenir shops"

Mike I love the city of TuCSon!!
Sorry for the mistakeS!

My daughter went to school there as I mentioned, and although we hated the 6 hours drive we loved visiting the city, it is beautiful and has some of the best restaurants.

I'm not sure I'd make Tombstone a destination vacation trip. But, my DD and SIL have a 19 month old as well and also drive from SD to TuCSon so maybe I was a little harsh.

That drive, from Yuma on in to Tucson definitely IS horrible. At least for those of us who live out here. Maybe for someone used to quite different scenery, it would be different. The openness, the desolation, the intermittent mountains with strange shapes, etc.

I also would not make Tombstone a destination, but I do think it is something worthwhile to visit, for its historical significance. There is just so much to see and do around southern Arizona, it seems a shame to just do what amounts to a "drive-by".

PS, Nanabee, you are forgiven for your typo.

BTW, in case the OP has more time she can carve out for the trip to Arizona, here is my blog of things to see and do all around Southern AZ:

http://mikepintucson.blogspot.com/