STROLL down Broad Street? Historic Downtown Globe is located just two blocks down Oak Street, as the pumpkin rolls which is a local Halloween tradition. The old store fronts, the details in the historic architecture, the friendly shop owners and the 4 way stop signs (oh my, this isn’t New York) make Globe a great place to slow down and relax.
Just down the street from the Chrysocolla Inn is the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts (http://globearts.org); once upon a heck of a long time ago, the old courthouse. There Globe is proud to showcase the work of local artists from painters, sculptors and quilters to musical and theatrical productions. There you will also find some fascinating memorabilia and vintage photographs of the towns history when copper was like gold, or at least silver, and mining was where men came in search of a better life.
At the front desk of the Center for the Arts you can arrange a tour of The Old Jail House next door which was built in 1910 to accommodate the growing need for secure, criminal accommodation when the Wild West really was wild.
Other interesting historic sites in downtown Globe are the Elks Lodge deemed The Tallest Three Story Building in the World, The Drift Inn Saloon serving thirsty miners since 1902, the affluent Valley National Bank building built in 1909, the Old Train Depot connecting Globe with the rest of the nation when copper became vital to the American economy at the turn of the century, and the Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church built in 1918 with the bell tower that still tolls the hour, every hour, on the hour.
If you have a “bear climbed over the mountain” kind of personality, take a walk through the residential neighborhood surrounding downtown. There are many rustic historic homes and lovely panoramic views of Globe.
Less than a five minute drive from The Chrysocolla Inn, heading in the direction of Miami, is the the historic Globe-Miami Mine Rescue Station built in 1920, now The Gila County Historical Museum (http://www.gilahistorical.com). A short distance from there is The Old Dominion Mine Park, a one of a kind, self guided outdoor museum preserving the sites, history and stories of the hard working miners, mining practices of yore and the mile stones of a small town dependent on the nations need for copper.
Besh-ba-Gowah (http://www.globeaz.gov/visitors/besh-ba-gowah) is a fascinating 14th century, reconstructed pueblo and museum of the Salado Indians, is located up Six Shooter Canyon on the South side of town.
A pleasant hike is Round Mountain Park (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31232-d2705157-Reviews-Round_Mountain_Park-Globe_Arizona.html) at the end of South Street, off highway 60 on the east side of town. There you will find several spectacular desert trails through natural terrain with wonderful scenic lookouts.
There are many interesting shopping opportunities in Globe, our favorite is The Pickle Barrel on the west end of Broad Street (http://www.picklebarreltradingpost.com). They have a lot of everything from antiques to authentic Native American jewelry and art to copper paraphernalia, leather, western/ Native American apparel, books, rocks and Sonoran garden art.
Miami is a short ten minute drive from Globe. In Historic Downtown Miami you can find some very good Antique stores, a beautifully renovated old time soda fountain called Soda Pops (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/soda-pops-miami#7wudK-59iOwsKjue-lZ_0g) and the best Mexican food this side of the border at Guayo’s El Ray (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g31282-d539035-Reviews-Guayo_s_El_Rey-Miami_Arizona.html). The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum (https://www.facebook.com/BullionPlazaCulturalCenterMuseum/reviews?ref=page_internal) on the west end of town is a fascinating museum of local history, making use of the 1923 building that served as an elementary school for the Native American and Mexican children of the community. The school was desegregated in the 1950’s and was in use as a school until 1994.
