The Bird Cage Theatre

A true historic gem. A must see!
There are few places in America where you can walk though a door and literally feel like you have stepped back in time to the 1880s. The Bird Cage Theatre is one of those places. If you happen to be in Tombstone this should be the second place you see after visiting, of course, The O.K. Corral. While the O.K. Corral gets all the attention as the site of the actual gunfight, this place is where the past really comes alive.
The Bird Cage Theatre was a combination theater, saloon, gambling parlor and brothel that operated from 1881 – 1889 during the height of the silver boom. From poker games downstairs once played by cowboys, outlaws, and lawmen alike, to prostitutes entertaining customers in the cribs upstairs, and the handful of ghosts said to be residing here, this place offers it all. The history is so rich in this place you can practically taste the whiskey and smell the cigar smoke. More than 120 bullet holes can be found throughout the building.
Located on Allen Street in the heart of Tombstone («The Town Too Tough To Die»), The Bird Cage Theatre is a truly iconic slice of Americana. Do not miss this place! You won’t regret the experience.

A cool place to check out with a lot of things to see. Fun window shopping.

Fot $ 10 bucks, you can do a self guided tour of this historically significant building that was a brothel, saloon, gambling hall, and theatre… complete with bullet holes from back in the day.

Let me start by saying we love Tombstone. It is so much fun; rich in history and entertainment.
We made it a one night stop recently to go to a local leather shop the next morning. After 5pm there isn’t much to do, so we decided to take in the Bird Cage Ghost Tour. We have toured the Bird Cage on our own previously and had a great time reading all about the items it houses and the history. My boyfriend has done the tour once in the past and had a great time. It definitely seemed like something I would enjoy
We signed up for the tour at $ 20 per person and were told to return at 8pm it lasts 1 ½ hours the last 30 mins is in the dark sitting around a table on stage. We went to dinner and returned as directed. The guest list had grown and we had 10 people in our group. 1 was a local couple that seem to spend a lot of time taking this tour and watching ghost hunters. They knew our guide (Patricia) and talked to her extensively causing us to start late.
Patricia was not a wealth of information, she seemed to go off onto tangents about completely unrelated things (such as learning the true mean of the ouijui board title). In fact we spent the majority of the 1^st hour milling around and reading on our own while she checked «the time» on her cell phone.
Once the main ghost contact was to begin on the stage area of the theatre she went on and one about the 3 pieces of equipment she placed on the table, then advised us one of them needed batteries. Really!!! I would expect that to be done before the tour.
The lights are finally out. Nothing… not that I really expected a ghost to appear in any way, but every little creak she would say was contact. Seems like an old building just settling to the rest of us.
My boyfriend tells me in the tour he took before there were lots of items on the stage they were told about. Like the bathtub in the corner having wet footprints by it one night. None of that was told to us and promptly at 9:30 the tour ended; not a minute later as Patricia was checking her phone again!
I have to say that was not a minute to early for me. What a disappointing experience.
I would recommend paying the admission and walking the building on your own museum style but save your money on the tour. Who knows maybe a different guide would be better.

This place is AWESOME! If you don’t believe in ghosts… Take a tour of this place, if your the only one in there, lets just say you’ll walk away believing that you were not alone after all. Truly a step back in history, and you can feel the history from the minute you walk in. True place to visit if your into history!

This is an interesting contrast to the old Cochise County Courthouse at the other end of the block. This is where the law was flouted, that’s where it was enforced. There’s lots to see here in the self-​guided tour. In fact, there’s almost too much. But it’s all genuine and fasctinating Don’t overlook the playbills for the very many famous actors and actresses who appeared here in the 1870 – 1910 period. I thought it was well worth the relatively steep admission price. This place is good for kids if you feel comfortable explaining to them what a bordello was used for!

This is a blended score between two events.
The self-​guided tour ($ 10 each, 5 stars) is fantastic. You get to wander the theater, exploring all kinds of historic artifacts in the Birdcage’s famous stage.
The ghost tour ($ 20 each, 1 star) is an absurd waste of time. It’s a semi-​guided tour, finished with a half-​hour séance where you sit in the dark watching the other fools on the tour engage in an incredible exercise of self-​delusion, trying to convince themselves that they are experiencing something that simply isn’t happening. If sitting in the dark watching some random LEDs light up in reaction to every electronic device in the room while a transistor radio plays random sounds from random radio stations sounds like fun, then this might be right up your alley… but if you are in any way knowledgeable about electronics, or even slightly logical and thoughtful, just enjoy the self guided tour.

What a fantastic piece of history to visit in Tombstone Arizona. Bullet holes in the bar and the stage where dancers and actors performed. The amount of money that passed through Tombstone through gambling and prostitution. The original black Mariah that carried the dead to boot hill. Would definitely visit again.

Fascinating place with a ton of history. The preservation of the place is really impressive. Operator gave a great history of the place, pointed out really interesting stories behind some of the bullet holes in the place, and even where the wooden bar was made and how it got there.

Absolute must see when visiting Tombstone! This place is just jaw dropping, amazing! We did the haunted tour and got to see the whole theater. Words can’t even describe how awesome it was to see everything left as it originally was in 1800! Nothing has been touched besides a few added props, even the broken glass and whiskey bottles are original. Bullet holes all over the place, I mean wow! We loved the whole town but this place was by far our favorite! True gem in our American History.

The last remaining original building in Tombstone has survived! The self guided tour is fun to check out. From bullet holes to brothels and catwalks, this piece of history is well preserved and maintained. According to the hostess, the Bird Cage Theatre is not a restoration.
Many historical tidbits are posted around the displays in the theatre, including one of a russian guy who paid $ 25/​night for one of the theatre booths and then decided he wanted to be a tough guy and prove it… I’ll let you figure out what he did and what the consequences were.
There are multiple reminders that personal photography is allowed, but posting those photos online require the explicit permission of TBCT.
This is a must see if you go to Tombstone.

This is truly a piece of American history. Thankfully it was preserved and restored. I believe the building is something like 90% original, the only one of its kind in Tombstone.
The self guided tour might seem like a lot at $ 10 a head but the money goes towards the upkeep and preservation of the place plus it’s a pretty cool thing to see if you’re into this sort of thing (which I assume is the reason you drove to Tombstone in the first place).
Lots to see here and photography is encouraged. Check it out!

I love history so naturally when the opportunity to visit Tombstone arose, I jumped on the chance. The Bird Cage Theatre is the original y’all! A brothel, saloon, gambling hall, and theatre all rolled in one. We did the self guided tour ($ 10 per person) during the day. Ghost tours are available in the evening time as well. We had our small, well-​behaved dogs with us too so instead of turning us away, the front desk employee graciously allowed us to hold our little furbabies in our arms (understandably so they wouldn’t mess with anything during the tour). We really appreciated that because most of the businesses here were not pet friendly. They even had a designated water bowl for dogs outside of the theatre. Love it!
Since we were the only people touring at that time, it was awesome to be able to browse around and get a «feel» of the place on our own. The theatre is jam packed with pictures, information, and of course the best part, historic items. You’ll feel like you stepped back in time! I had a blast and even learned some new things. If you get an opportunity, definitely stop by. There is a souvenir shop at the end of the tour as well.
By the way, the building is supposedly haunted! The stories are intriguing but you sort of forget the haunted fact once you begin touring because of all the displays and info inside. Or at least I did. I was looking through my photos later that night and something caught my eye so I included an interesting angle from a still frame. It’s in the ‘ladies room’ downstairs. It’s kind of dark overall but look at the reflection in the little mirror (of a chest with a duffel bag on top)…That’s the lighting, right?!

One of my favorite sites in Tombstone. A wealth of interesting information. A must stop if you visit here!

Visited the Birdcage with my 2 kids– The people there are awesome, one of the workers was named Darba Jo and had been featured on «Ghost Adventures: She was super nice and even razzed me about the baseball jersey I was wearing– The theatre is preserved as it was in the 1800’s. We did the self guided tour– The theatre is not huge but we still took 30 minutes to walk through. The artifacts inside are very interesting, and you really get the feel that you are in the old Wild West. Worth your time and money!

The historic Bird Cage Theatre is one of our favorite attractions in Tombstone. Once you walk through its doors, you are instantly taken back to 1881, the year it first opened. You can watch all the movies, hear all the stories, but until you experience the Bird Cage Theatre for yourself… you just don’t know.
The building houses many historic artifacts, beautifully staged to capture the essence of the Old West. We were lucky enough to have one of the best tour guides in Tombstone, Darba Jo Butler, show us around. Dressed in authentic, late 19^th century garb, Darba Jo opened up a whole new world for us and answered every question we had. I would recommend you pay her a visit if you have any questions.
The Bird Cage Theatre was only open until 1889, the year Tombstone went bust due the flooding of the mine. The building was then sealed up, protecting everything inside until 1934, when it became the tourist attraction we enjoy today.
Darba Jo filled us in on many stories and one in particular which I found really amazing. The longest-​running poker game in history, lasting eight years, five months, and three days, took place in the poker room in the basement (see the photography above). This marathon of a game went on for twenty-​four hours a day /​seven days a week! Players included well-​known names such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, and George Hearst. According to Darba Jo, over ten million dollars were wagered during the poker run. Just think how much money that would be in today’s dollars!
As you wander through the Bird Cage Theatre, you can’t help but see the large number of bullet holes. This gives you some idea of just how wild this theatre was back in the day. You also get to visit the private boxes, each one equipped with its own set of drapes, where patrons could watch the shows or be entertained by the ladies of the night.
Along with all the wild times come some spooky stories. Many claim that the Bird Cage Theatre is haunted. Darba Jo let us know that in the evenings there’s a haunted tour that dives into the details. We decided to pass this time around. Maybe next time we visit, we can conjure up the guts for that experience. I forbid you to visit Tombstone without a trip to the historic Bird Cage Theatre.

A nice place that has some serious wild west history. They will tell you all about it inside, down to who shot the bullets that made the holes in the walls. We would like to come back and try the evening ghost tour, it sounds like quite the experience.

We came here for the ghost tour, and it was a solid experience. They’re a bit strict, though– you’re not allowed to drink before the tour, and you have to be extremely punctual when you purchase your tickets. We had about six people in our group, and we had a lot of fun on the tour. It’s really interesting, and seeing alot of the old artifacts in the Theatre is a neat throwback to another time.
Now, I can’t say much about the actual ‘ghost’ experience, since I’m not particularly tuned in to the spiritual realm, but other people in the group definitely described some tactile and auditory sensations. The lights-​out portion of the tour was pretty cool, but the people in my group couldn’t quite grasp the concept of turning their phones off… so that was annoying. All in all, the tour was really cool and I’d recommend it.

This place was informative and entertaining. The history surrounding the Bird Cage and surrounding area has been preserved well here.
The relics of the town are presented in cases and nicely explained.
The brothel in the basement is fantastic glimpse into just how wild the wild west was.

The bf and I made a stop here on our way home from Mexico. I know nothing about the history of the Birdcage, and to be honest, didn’t know much about the history of Tombstone, or the Earp brothers either. I thought most of the stories were made up, since they sound too unreal to be true. But, I guess they did call it the «Wild, wild west» for a reason.
We paid the $ 10 each for the self-​guided tour of the place. I enjoyed reading up on the history of the town and of some of the more colorful residents. The theater managed to maintain a lot of the original items, which includes the grand piano, mirror behind the bar, bar, and gambling tables. After touring the Birdcage, I will now have to watch Tombstone again.
This is a neat stop if you’re interested in learning about the Wild, wild west. If not, then move along.