Mescal Movie Set (near Benson, AZ)

The tour guide at Mescal was an interesting older fella who has appeared in many of the movies filmed at the Mescal set as well as Old Tucson. During our tour, the mystery of the meaning of the phrase “I’m your huckleberry” recited by Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) in the movie Tombstone (1993) was resolved. He explained that the handles on a casket are called “huckles”, and the correct way to say it is “huckle-bearer”- as in “I’ll be carrying your casket”.

We highly recommend this tour if you are a western movie fan. Many well-known and lesser-known films were shot here, as well as commercials. Our guide said they had just finished shooting a McDonald’s commercial there. Some of the films shot at the Mescal location are The Quick And The Dead, Tombstone, The Outlaw Josie Wales, Monty Walsh, etc. The town looks much smaller in person as compared to how it appears in the movies.

Give yourself plenty of time to arrive a several minutes before the start of the tour, and wear walking shoes, take water, etc. Tours are given every hour on the hour from 10:00-1:00pm (we went on a Saturday), but are not available every day of the week. Go to Old Tucson’s website to get the details before you visit.