Tombstone, AZ, San Diego, CA and finally Disneyland!

Tombstone, AZ

When we were searching for a place to stop in Arizona, Tombstone never crossed our minds. That is until my mother-in-law said she had always wanted to visit there. As soon as I started researching I fell in love with the idea of visiting Tombstone! Who wouldn’t want to visit the place of the famous O.K. Corral shootout?

Welcome to the O.K. Corral

Tombstone, AZ was founded in 1877 as a mining town by a prospector named, Ed Schieffelin. When Ed first showed up in Tombstone he was searching for rocks, and everyone thought he was crazy. They warned him that the only rock he would find was his tombstone. Ed ended up finding his rock, and imagine everyone surprise when it turned out to be silver. Ed Schieffelin named his first silver mine “The Tombstone”. As word spread about Ed’s silver mine prospectors came from all over to find their own success! But of course, silver mines are not what people nowadays think about when they hear Tombstone. Probably the most famous event in Tombstone’s history happened on October 26, 1881. The big gunfight between members of the outlaw gang the “Cowboys”, Tom McLaury, his brother Frank and Ike Clanton opposing Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil Earp, and Doc Holliday. This famous gunfight lasted less than 30 seconds with about 30 shots fired. Many books and movies have been made focusing on Wyatt Earp, and pushing the little town of Tombstone to stardom.

We planned our trip to this little town around an event they hold on select Saturday nights, Tombstone at Twilight. This little event happens every 4^th Saturday of the month, and the Town of Tombstone stays open late featuring gunfights after dark. It was an amazing experience to walk into town, and be thrown back in time. The people of Tombstone bring to life the 1800s, and you lose yourself in the old west. We got there just in time to see the first gunfight of the night. The performers throw themselves into their roles, and bring to life the people of the wild west. After the show, the gunfighters stick around for meet and greets, and you’ll find them wandering the strip conversing with guests. My husband and daughter even got their picture taken with a gentleman who claimed he was the great-(possibly a few more greats should be thrown in here) grandson of Billy the Kid!

My husband and daughter with Billy the Kid’s grandson

Once the gunfight was over we wandered in and out of shops, and ended up at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon for a little dinner. Just like back in the 1800s, you will find saloon girls outside “selling their wares” which in this case was calendars! Inside is absolutely amazing and exactly how I picture saloons would look like in the budding times. Service was great, and the food was even better. But my favorite was the sarsaparilla soda!

After dinner we continued our wandering, and visited another famous landmark in Tombstone, The Original Bird Cage Theater.

The famous Bird Cage Theater

We underestimated this little town, and before we even left we were planning our return trip to see all that we missed!

San Diego, CA

San Diego Coastline

We finally arrived at our new home in “Sunny” San Diego at the end of November. We haven’t explored much of this huge city, but so far we love it! We did get a chance to visit La Jolla Cove, and got to see the sea lions basking in the warmth of the sun. There were surfers hitting the big waves, and we got to take in the breathtaking view the beaches of San Diego have to offer. I cannot wait to get other there and continue our adventures in this great city!

La Jolla Cove Sea Lions

Now, on to our final destination Disneyland!

Sleeping Beauty Castle Holiday

As soon as we got our orders to San Diego, we knew Disneyland annual passes were in our near future. Being a family of Disney fanatics, we have spent our time on the east coast falling in love with Walt Disney World. Now it was time to discover Disneyland again!

My husband and I grew up on the west coast, and have taken many vacations to Disneyland as children. But our last trip was in 2009, and we only went to Disneyland Resort for one (1) day. Believe it or not, but my husband had never been to Disney’s California Adventure! I knew so much had changed since our last trip, and was so excited to see get a chance to fall in love with the original Disney Park!

Haunted Mansion Holiday

Jack Skellington greeting guests as they enter Haunted Mansion Holiday

Since it was early December, all the holiday decorations were up, including Haunted Mansion Holiday! As a Disney lover it has always been a dream to see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay, and there is nothing in this world like it! I knew the outside was amazing from pictures, but nothing could prepare me for what awaited on the inside. I am now one of those people who will gush every holiday, and stand in line just to experience it again! Along with the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, Disneyland Resort does a holiday overlay of the much loved Jungle Cruise, and it becomes the holiday infused Jingle Cruise. Again, what seems small as adding holiday decorations to a ride, completely transforms the ride into something brand new.

When we ventured over to Disney’s California Adventure we knew that we had to rush to Cars Land to score a fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers. This is one of the most sought after fastpasses, and they are very hard to come by if you don’t get there early. Once we got our fastpasses, we slowed down and took a few minutes to take in the beauty that is Cars Land. We even got to meet a special friend dressed in his holiday best!

Mater!

While we’ve only had a few days to take in the amazing Disneyland, we have already started feeling at home there! There is nothing that can compare to the original dream of Walt Disney!