A historic walking tour explores Benson’s architecture and the people of the city. Murals on downtown businesses add another cultural touch.
Benson’s History and Mural Art
At the heart of the historic downtown stands the Benson Visitor Center, a replica of a railroad depot. The depot design reflects Benson’s history as a railroad shipping point for Tombstone and Bisbee. The historic walking tour focuses on the city’s architecture and people; the Visitor Center and the tour thus offer different ways to connect with local history.
The Mural Tour includes 42 murals adorning businesses throughout downtown. Their themes range from the history of Benson and Cochise County to native desert flora and fauna. The number and locations of the murals may change. Compared with the walking tour, which focuses on architecture and people, the murals present historical and nature themes through individual images.
The Benson Historical Museum displays artifacts originally from Benson and the surrounding area, as well as indoor and outdoor exhibits. Its regional origins and varied exhibit spaces complement the mural themes with museum objects. Visiting days and hours vary by season, so take this into account when planning your visit.
Golf Course and Observatory
The public San Pedro Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course owned and operated by the City of Benson. Its layout changes noticeably: the first nine holes wind through mesquite groves along the San Pedro River, while the back nine run through canyons. Compared with other local attractions, the course offers less city history and more of a landscape that changes between the two halves of the course.
At the Butterfield Observatory, out-of-town visitors are welcome for a fee of US$5.00; overnight guests of the park enter free of charge. Its equipment includes a Meade LX-200 GPS 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. It is housed in a 15-foot-diameter motorized dome. This makes the observatory thematically different from the museum and mural art. As admission policies may change, it is advisable to check them before visiting.
Western Film History and Guided Tours
The Mescal Movie Set depicts an 1880s film town. Movies filmed there include “Tombstone,” “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “The Quick and the Dead,” as well as more than 100 other Western productions. Historical film tours are only available between film productions. This scheduling restriction is important to keep in mind when planning a visit to the set.
Gammon’s Gulch has a different focus: 17 fully functional, furnished buildings have been reconstructed to depict the Wild West era. The site has served as a location for more than 65 film productions and welcomes visitors on guided tours. Together, the two film attractions have clearly distinct features: Mescal is described as an 1880s film town associated with a number of well-known Westerns; Gammon’s Gulch highlights its reconstructed buildings and guided tours.
The attractions range from Benson’s history as a town and railroad hub to mural art and museums, as well as golf, an observatory and Western film themes. When planning, be sure to check the museum’s seasonal visiting days, the observatory’s current admission policy and the time windows for film tours at the Mescal Movie Set.
Discover more destinations: Douglas, Bisbee, Willcox, Tombstone, Sierra Vista.
Back to the main travel guide: Cochise County.
