Rose Tree Museum and Books

So disappointed– came here today to witness the large rose bush. We had about 10 mins to spare and at $ 5 each, I asked the young lady up front if it was worth it and she said it was. We go in to see that the roses aren’t bloomed at all and it looks like a bunch of overgrown weeds. Maybe should let us know that next time that we will be seeing zero roses. Awful customer service.

This place is absolutely amazing. Wasn’t sure at first what to expect but it had a lot of Tombstone history. The rose tree was gigantic and even though it was not in bloom was amazing to see. This is the worlds largest rose tree and I hope to come back in the spring to see it in full bloom.

The Rose Tree Museum is another one of Tombstone, Arizona’s really cool historic museums and is located on 118 4^th Street. The Tree Museum also has a great book store. The Rose Tree Museum is really cool to say the least.
The main attraction is the shady lady or the «lady banks» rose tree. it was planted in 1886 and is native to central and western China. The Guinness Book of World Records has authenticated the fact the Rose Tree Museum has the world’s largest Rose Bush at over 8,000 square feet. Everyone one we met and run the museum are really nice and informative. The enormous rose bush is of course the main event, but the museum is fairly big as well. You will certainly want to take the time to stop by and pay them a visit. Take a look at our experience in photography up above and see exactly what I’m talking about. Hopefully on our next visit we can show you what it looks like in bloom. Man, what a sight that must be.

Beautiful and quint museum. The fee is extremely reasonable and helps keep this place open. The rose fragrance could be smelled from outside the building and is awesome. We sure enjoyed looking around at what made Tombstone, AZ Highly recommended.

For some reason we always avoided this place when in Tombstone. I wasn’t much interested in seeing some rose bush, I thought. But on our most recent trip it smelled nice when we walked by and we read the signs around the door more closely. Turns out this place isn’t just about a rose tree, though that story is interesting. It’s the story of a family who had lived in Tombstone for many years, collecting artifacts and historically interesting items for display in the home as a private museum. The caretaker was very helpful in explaining the more notable items. This museum is now one of my favorite places in Tombstone. I think they need to rename it or do some better advertising because it seems to me people might be skipping it, thinking it’s just about a rose bush.
Nice gift shop, where you not only find interesting books about the area but also dried rose petals (that smell awesome) and even a cutting from the rose tree so you can grow your own.
Definitely take a chance on this place if you’re interested in the history of Tombstone and surrounding areas.

Do not be fooled by the name! It’s not just about the tree, cool as that is.
Yes, I loved the tree. It’s amazing. Huge, old, and even though it was nowhere near in bloom (we saw it in December), quite lovely. But the best part of this museum is actually inside.
The building was once the Rose Tree Inn. It was purchased by the Macia family in 1930 and is still owned by them. The displays are all original items owned by the family; some of the furniture was first brought to Tombstone by Mrs. Ethel Macia’s parents when they moved there by wagon in 1880. There are clothing items original to the family, rare photographs, original documents, and unusual items collected by family members. We were lucky that the docent there for our visit was very knowledgeable and told us stories behind many of the items, but even without his guidance the items are fascinating and very informatively labeled.
The gift shop is tiny but has great items, including potpourri made from the petals shed by the rose tree. We brought some home for my mom, and after the 2,000 mile drive, the trunk still smelled pleasantly of roses even days later. Be sure to get a bag of that (it was $ 5) and the book about the matriarch of the family, Ethel Robertson Macia: «The Lady of the Rose.» Excellent history.
On a side note: they let us bring our little (8 lb.) dog, Kate, in with us. We assured the docent before we brought her inside that she was small and well-​behaved, and that we would carry her the entire time, but he informed us that Great Danes had visited without incident. I bet their owners didn’t carry them. I hope that policy doesn’t change.