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Tombstone, Arizona: Bird Cage Theater Museum

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
Allen Street, Tombstone, AZ
Directions:
I-10 exits 303, 304, or 306, then south on Hwy 80 for 23 miles. One block to the right, on Allen St., at the corner of Sixth St., south side.
Hours:
Daily 8 am - 6 pm. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
520-457-3421
Admission:
Self-guided tour $10.
RA Rates:
Major Fun
Save to My Sights

The Bird Cage Theater's Merman.

Bird Cage Theater Museum

Perfectly preserved whoring and party hub of 19th century Tombstone. 140 visible bullet holes in its walls. Home to ghosts and a diminutive Merman.

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Visitor Tips and News About Bird Cage Theater Museum

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Birdcage theater scene, 2007.

Bird Cage Theater Museum

The Bird Cage Theater is interesting in its artifacts, but I didn't fall for the "history" -- especially the downstairs area, which is a modern creation for tourists.

[Sally Forth, 06/21/2020]

In the basement.

Bird Cage Theater Museum

Be aware that the history there is suspect and created for tourists. Such as the downstairs poker area and supposed cribs and whore license. It's interesting though and worth a stop.

[Sally Forth, 08/15/2019]

Created for tourists? Don't say it!

Bird Cage Theater Museum

Absolutely filled with wonderful artifacts! Make sure to see The Black Moriah -- the hearse that hauled all the town's dead to Boot Hill. It's upstairs from a Faro table where the real Doc Holiday once dealt cards.

[Aaron Killian, 12/24/2017]
Merman

There is a very old stuffed merman in the Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone, AZ. It's a rather grotesque figure and as a child it gave me the creeps. Supposedly it's the mummified body of a monkey sewn onto the tail of a fish. Imagine my surprise to return to one of the haunts of my childhood 15 years later and find the same nasty looking merman, now encased in glass, still in existence. My daughter was rather horrified to find I wasn't making the story up. He used to be in the front lobby of the theater, near the portrait of Fatima, a rather well endowed show girl, but he has since been moved to the rear of the museum where you have to pay to see him.

[Tracy Meisenbach, 08/18/2002]

Part of our "Pals of the Merman" page.


Nearby Offbeat Places

Ike Clanton's Haunted HotelIke Clanton's Haunted Hotel, Tombstone, AZ - < 1 mi.
Big Nose Kate's SaloonBig Nose Kate's Saloon, Tombstone, AZ - < 1 mi.
Tombstone, ArizonaTombstone, Arizona, Tombstone, AZ - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Singing Cowboy Rex Allen and KoKo the Horse, Willcox, AZ - 40 mi.

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