If you’re ever in Southern Arizona you must stay at the Shady Dell trailer park resort in Bisbee! We had a blast there. Not only do you get the fun of staying in a completely restored vintage travel trailer (or you can stay in the converted 1947 blue tiki bus or aboard a beautiful 1938 yacht), but there there is also a completely restored 1950’s working diner that serves great food (the diner once stood at Ventura and Topanga Canyon Blvd in Los Angeles), and if that’s not enough, for added atmosphere, the trailer park is right next door to a very old, old cemetery! To see and read more about this fun place, check out the website – www.theshadydell.com . Again, that’s me in the black hat, and my partner is in the Gumby shirt, and the two cool looking Vespa scooters belong to our good friends, Terry and Rex.
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Allee Willis
Love that the diner is on the premises. How’s the food? This is diner food I’d want to be perfect and available 24 hours.
Is it a working gas pump? That’s too cool to be able to fill up on the premises.
Is there any kind of little social hall, a community trailer as opposed to someone’s private room?
Did your friends drive the Vespas there or were they driven?
And is that a working boat and is there water anywhere nearby?
What’s the closest big town?
I think everyone’s imagination has been sparked by this place. How much is it per night and how many total trailers are there?
Lisa Rios
Yes! I love these posts Michael. It looks like so much fun. And just when I had lost all faith in Arizona, you showed me there is still goodness there!
Mark Milligan
That airstream-my all time favorite for years- is so shiny!
We had one parked on an acreage at our mountain place in South Park, Colorado, for years, but it wasn’t that pristine.
I’ll bet this place books up waaaaay out for the winter months!
Too cool Michael!
Nessa
This place is so neato! I am now thinking of trying to book the yacht (#11) for my birthday on 1/11/11… hmm…
Allee Willis
Yes, you must!
Michael Ely
First of all, let me address the Arizona comment. Please understand that not all of us living here in AZ agree with the new immigration law. Nearly half of us don’t agree. I myself live in Tucson which tends to be a very open-minded, progressive and inclusive city, a university town, a city with a large and vibrant Latino population, a blue jewel in a red state.
Now onto the questions….
The diner only serves breakfast and lunch. We had breakfast and it was awesome, fresh coffee, great omelets, peppered bacon, buttered toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice with some nice added touches such as homemade salsa and strawberry-lavender jam and herbal teas. The waitress was fun and talkative (just what you would expect). To see their menu, go to their website.
That is not a working gas pump, however there is a gas station just down the block.
No there is not a social hall, but there is a open gathering area with a large wooden gazebo, a retro metal table and umbrella, an astro turf lawn and three grills. We had ourselves a barbecue as did some of the other residents. Everyone staying there was very friendly.
There is also a public bathroom with hot showers and laundry facilities.
Our friends drove their Vespas down in the back of their truck and then rode them around Bisbee. To ride the scooters from Tucson could be done, but it’s a long haul across the desert and into the mountains, plus this is our monsoon season and there were storms in the air.
The yacht was once a sailing vessel but is now permanently dry-docked. It was the most expensive place to rent, very roomy and gorgeous inside (with leopard-upholstered furniture and a large bathtub!). The best part of the yacht was the large surrounding deck, allowing people to sit around and enjoy the warm summer night.
The Shady Dell is located in Bisbee, a small Victorian mining town, now turned into an artist colony with a population of under 7,000 people. It is very scenic, with restored Victorian and European style houses perched on hillsides and coffee houses, galleries, cafes and bars. Bisbee feels like it is in the middle of nowhere, the closet big city being Tucson which is a two hour drive away. http://www.discoverbisbee.com/
There are nine trailers available, plus the tiki bus (converted to sleep three, with a deck and outrigger bar) and the yacht. For more views, rates etc., check out their website -www.theshadydell.com . btw, the park is owned and operated by a very friendly and hip young couple.
Allee Willis
Excellent info as always. Thank you, Michael!
Lisa Rios
Yes, of course there are many that don’t agree w/Arizona’s new law! I live in the USA, there’s lot of stuff going on that I don’t agree with. I understand what you’re saying all too well.
I so want to visit Shady Dell!