Town of Oatman

In der Touristeninformation in Kingman wurde uns empfohlen die Route 66 nach Oatman weiterzufahren. Dieser Ort kann über den Sitgreaves-​Pass erreicht werden und war bis zum zweiten Weltkrieg eine Goldgräberstadt.
Später hatte sich Outman mit den Reisenden auf der Route 66 über Wasser gehalten. Als 1952 die Interstate Highway 40 zwischen Kingman und Needles eröffnet wurde, war Outman eine Geisterstadt bis es später ein Revival der Route 66 gab. Heute ist der abgelegene Ort ein beliebter Treffpunkt für Biker, Touristen und Abenteurer aus der ganzen Welt.
Der Hauptgrund unseres Besuches war aber, dass in diesem Ort wilde Esel (Burros) frei herumlaufen, die von den ehemaligen Goldgräbern freigelassen wurden und den Ort als Attraktion dienen. Die zahmen Tiere können mit Tierfutter und Karotten gefüttert werden, das für kleines Geld im Ort gekauft werden kann.
Als wir hier mittags ankamen, zeigte das Thermometer über 40 Grad an. Kein Wunder, dass hier am 04. Juli immer ein Spiegeleibraten (Sidewalk Egg Fry) am Gehweg nur durch Sonnenkraft stattfindet. Der kleine Ort wirkt wie eine Westernstadt mit seinen Saloons und alten Gebäuden und auf den Verandas kann man den spärlichen Schatten ausnutzen.
Um 13:30 Uhr und 15:30 Uhr findet jeden Tag auf der Straße eine Schießerei statt, die wir leider verpasst haben. Ab und zu werden auch Postkutschenüberfälle nachgespielt. Ansonsten gibt es unzählige Souvenirläden, kleine Geschäfte, Saloons und Möglichkeiten etwas zu essen. Zu kaufen gibt es beispielsweise Klapperschlangeneier, Wildwest-​Ausrüstungen, Zielscheiben und weitere skurrile Artikel.
Das 1902 erbaute Oatman Hotel ist das älteste Gebäude im Ort, nachdem im Jahre 1921 ein Großteil der historischen Gebäude abgebrannt sind. Das Besondere an diesem Hotel, sind die vielen signierten Dollarscheine an den Wänden und der Decke, die die Besucher dort befestigen.
Insgesamt ein gelungener Besuch und ein großer Spaß für die Kinder. Komisch, dass dieser Ort mit keinem Wort in meinem teuren Reiseführer erwähnt wurde.

The town is unique, it’s a breath of fresh air after driving ‘that road’ over the mountain pass on the Oatman Highway /​Route 66. Thank God I didn’t take the RV and chose to drive a rental car, we would have surely went off one of the cliffs or over the edge on any one of many hairpin curves, both up, and down. This ‘town’ barely gets the OK rating but I am giving it a bump for having nice people behind the counter at every shop we went into. The town has absolutely zero ‘zoning’ and could use a board or city council to fix some of the glaring issues. The burros were a treat, loved the story of the town it just didn’t live up to its potential. Will I go back, probably, they have a bunch of eclectic and fun events throughout the year like the bed races. Parking can be difficult, it is rather lawless… just like the Old West.

If you are anywhere near Oatman, it’s worth the drive to visit, especially if you have kids or like wild burros!
Yeah, it’s touristy old ghost town, but it is filled with dozens of gift and antique shops, gun fight shows and wild burros. Not just one or two wild burros, more friendly burros than I imagine most of us get an opportunity to interact with anywhere else.
You can buy small bags of food for the burros in town, but why not stop at a feed store and get a large bag, saving your couple of bucks for the candy shop!!! Careful… they will follow you and are apt to steal the entire bag if given the opportunity, but overall they are extremely friendly and quite endearing!

What a cute little place glad My son and I came here for a day trip from Cali, was cute enjoyed the shops and everything was at a reasonable price. What a lovely mining town, love how some of the shops had low roofing inside «perfect for a 4’11 woman lol» we ate at the olive restaurant my sons cheeseburger was amazing and French fries omg to die for I had better Indian tacos and the waitress was a tad rude no tip left! Talked to a local flirt he was funny as all hell and advised me not to go to the cemetery the locals would pretty much use force if they seen me up there! I’m glad we went this is off my bucket list to do I may return for another day trip if we r in Laughlin, thank you to all the kind townspeople on all the knowledge on your beautiful town.

Love, love, love this place. My kids love this place and we stop by every year. You never know what you will find here in the shops and don’t forget the show at noon as long as its not 120 degrees. Support this town by visiting and spending $$$$$$$$$$.

This quaint little town has all the aspects of a classic Southwest Tourist Trap, but with a DARK SIDE.
This tiny one street hamlet is set 13 miles back from the main drag in Laughlin, Az. The road coming in is decent and safe. As you approach, the surrounding mountains loom ominously all around you with various odd shaped peaks and rock formations. Entering the ¼ mile long town, you are instantly surrounded by dilapidated, rustic (I’m being kind) cheesy gift and curio shops.
The one endearing item that gives this tourist trap any stars at all, are the dozen or more very tame and amicable donkeys strolling the street, looking for a snack from anybody offering one.
However, what I did find irksome, distasteful and really quite offensensive were the large blatantly displayed Confederate Flags throughout the town. Someone needs to remind this bigoted folks that: 1. Arizona was not a Southern Confederate State. 2. The Confederacy caused the deaths of untold Americans, brother killing and maiming brother. 3 The Confederate Flag represents TRAITOROUS actions. 4. That infamous flag symbolizes RAPE, TORTURE and MURDER to every African American citizen in America. 5. The Confederate LOST the war! The South will not rise! It’s time to get over it!

Quit losing money at slots or blackjack in Laughlin, NV, and drive into Arizona to the small Town of Oatman! Oatman is an old ghost town, old mining town, and along historic Route 66.
Offerings: Wild Burros roaming the streets, looking for a taste! $ 1 will get you a small-​medium size brown bag of treats for them, hay cubes. Warning: burros will try to grab the bag from your hand and don’t feed the babies, they are still drinking mother’s milk.
Offerings: Gold Rush Candy Shoppe has plenty to offer in the way of sweets, especially old time favorites (Clark bars, candy cigars/​cigarettes, Big Hunk, Turkish Taffy, Zots, Ice Cubes to name a few). They also have homemade great quality specialty chocolates, and the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels were incredible!!!
Offerings: Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon has Fry Bread! I’d never had this treat before and we got it, topped with vanilla ice cream and peaches.
Wow, so delicious. Frybread is from the Navajo Indians and is traditionally a main meal, think tacos, and also sweetened and used as a dessert.
Offerings: There are numerous tourist-​type-​shops for browsing and buying, with local jewelry artists, antique stores, and trinkets and memorabilia for you to remember your visit to Oatman. There is a small mine (originally much bigger, but of course 90% of it is closed off), it’s free and kids might get a kick out of it, along with the gold mining demonstration and free «panning for gold» for your young ones.
Offerings: Oatman Hotel (no longer open for guests). They are famous! Room 15 is where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard stayed when they had married and wanted to get away from the media and papparazzi of the time! Room 15 has been preserved and it’s kind of a neat thing to see and again, free.
The Town of Oatman is definitely worthy of a visit, and the above are just a few of the things to see/​visit/​explore/​taste/​buy.

This town is full of wild jackasses! Well … more accurately … wild burros.
Oatman (
) is about 15 miles north of Fort Mohave, Arizona and is located on historical Route 66 (
) which runs straight through the ghost town.
There is a large unimproved parking lot to the right as you are entering Oatman and if you are going to drive through /​park in the ghost town, be sure to drive very slowly as the burros (
) wander freely throughout the town.
There are plenty of souvenirs shops in Oatman, a couple of old saloons, a hotel, a new post office and a closed gold mine (
) you can walk through. There is also a reenactment of a wild west gunfight that happens on the street twice a day across from the Olive Oatman Restaurant and Saloon.
Oatman (
) was named after an Illinois girl who was captured by a tribe of Indians (probably Yavapai) and worked as a slave until she was traded to a Mohave tribe. The Mohave adopted her as a daughter and eventually released her near Oatman’s current location. A saloon in town bares her full name.
Johnny Moss discovered gold in Oatman in 1863 and during mining operations Oatman produced $ 40 million ($ 2.6 billion today) in gold until mining was permanently shut down in 1941 by the U. S. government when the mining of other metals became more important because of World War II. One of the biggest strikes was in 1915, when two prospectors found $ 10 million in gold. By 1960, the town was virtually abandoned. At its height, Oatman had a population of around 3,500 souls while the population today is estimated at 120 people.
Rohlinism: When the gold runs out, so do the people!
In recent years, Oatman has experienced a renaissance with the fascination of Historic Route 66 and the growth of gambling in nearby Laughlin, Nevada. An interesting (and somewhat scary) tradition on Independence Day (
) is the yearly Sidewalk Egg Frying Contest held at high noon. I feel sorry for the judges who have to taste these eggs.
Most people would agree the biggest attraction are the wild burros (donkeys in Spanish or Portuguese) and their foals (
) that are located in various parts of the town. You can buy a bag of «burro chow» (hay cubes) at a number of locations in town for a dollar and feed the adult burros (the foals are still on milk and can get sick if you feed them). The town used to sell carrots, but the hay is more healthy. You need to remember these are wild animals, some get aggressive (grabbing bags from people and nudging people out of the way to get to the hay cubes) and one even nipped my lovely wife’s purse thinking it had hay cubes in it. I was «nudged» a few times and they managed to move me a little each time and I am not a small adult. The average burro weighs around 250 lbs. and they can weight as much as 400 lbs. so keep this in mind if you have children. I am not saying your children can’t pet or feed the burros, however, they should be supervised at all times when interacting with these wild animals. Be aware they also are annoyed by most dogs (while we were there one dog was either kicked or nipped by a burro as it let out a loud Unilocal before running away), so it is good idea to leave your four legged friends at home. I advise against approaching burros from the backside, as they tend to unexpectedly kick from time to time and you don’t want to get kicked (
) by one of these burros. The burros are descended from pack animals turned loose by early prospectors after the gold rush and are protected by the Department of the Interior. One of the foals (
) was particularly cute and had an unusually long coat for a burro. It was also a bit camera shy and wasn’t interested in looking at my iPhone.
I think we spent about 3 hours in Oatman between walking the streets, feeding the burros, buying some sweet treats, touring the hotel and grabbing a bite in the saloon. The tourists and residents were equally friendly and the atmosphere is very relaxed. The anti-​smoking crowd might be a little offended here, as plenty of the residents were seen puffing on cancer sticks which made my wife feel right at home. I am not sure if I would call this a must see destination, but if you are nearby, it is definitely worth checking out!

Visiting the town of Oatman was the highlight of my recent trip to Laughlin! Oatman is about a 35 – 40 minute drive off the beaten path on route 66 from Laughlin, but it is worth the time and gas to go visit this town!
Oatman is a historic mining town and it is considered a «living ghost town» as there are about 100 people that still live here. The people who live and work here are very friendly and I loved that! Oatman is now known mainly for their donkeys that roam around (there were about 20 donkeys plus about 4 babies when we were there). The locals sell donkey food for $ 1 that you can feed the donkeys. Honestly, I thought the donkeys were great! Good for kids or adults.
There is a historic mine you can go in, which is cool. There is also an old school house from 1908 that you can see from just the outside. These are the only two «historic» things that are here, and honestly I wish there was more! I think old towns are so interesting! The rest of the town are local shops, a bar, and an ice cream shop. Apparently there is a «shoot out» once a day, but we didn’t stick around to see it.
Overall, I loved Oatman and I would recommend visiting this town!
Cheers!

Once a year, we always take a trip to Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Laughlin, Lake Havasu and of course… We have to stop in Oatman! If you like animals and a little bit of history, you will love Oatman! There’s something fun and joyful about burros roaming the streets, wanting you to feed them and as nice as can be!
The town is old, but everyone is friendly and the bathrooms are updated! There are gift shops and restaurants that line the main street as well as old fashioned candy shops, antique shops and more… So whether you’re 15 or 50, there’s something for everybody.
In my opinion, the burros are the draw to Oatman nowadays. While learning about the old gold mining down, you always have one or two donkeys following you, hoping for a block of hay from the bag you can purchase at any store for only $ 1. They’ll eat right from your hand and pose for a picture.
Of course, this might not be the best place for small children since these are still wild animals looking to be fed… You wouldn’t bring your kids to a petting zoo full of wild animals… Right? If you’re coming to Oatman, maybe leave your kids under five along with your pants and hot coffee at home. You’re just going to make life a little harder.
All in all, definitely stop by Oatman if you’re in the area! Learn about the history of the town, grab a souvenir and take a selfie with a burro!

Nestled in the forgotten hills along route 66 that borders arizona and california is an old mining town that you need to visit.
Besides the town being a wonderful sight-​seeing adventure, its people are probably the friendliest folks that we have encountered in awhile.
From the moment we parked our car, walked through town, ate lunch, and even stopping by the old time gas station at the edge of town; everyone we encountered were just so welcoming and hospitable.
We even partook of a quick mid-​day snack at the Olive Oatman restaurant, which was just such a congenial establishment. The service was efficient, the atmosphere was pseudo 1800’s, and the food wasn’t bad at all. It won’t win any awards, but we were there just to enjoy the atmosphere.
And the gas station at the edge of town provided a nice respite during the hot summer’s day, as they had the coldest water for miles around.
As an aside, when we stopped at the gas station, we also enjoyed watching the two asian male and female models dressed in full wedding attire on a photoshoot. I am not sure how they managed to keep up their spirits in full wedding garb on a 100+ degree day. But, to each his own. It’s a job!
In any case, I would truly suggest that you visit this quaint old treasure in route 66. You won’t be disappointed.

I absolutely loved this place. It’s an western historical place that has the charm and preservation of the golden days. The Donkeys run this town and are so sweet. They love to be feed by the tourists. The vendors sell a brown paper bag full of hay to feed the donkeys for just $ 1! My kids loved seeing them and petting them. There were at least 3 donkeys that were expecting and one baby donkey. He had a cute sticker on his head that a vendor had placed so that no one feed him/​her since it was still nursing from his/​her mama.
There is a shoot out show completely free to watch at 12pm and then 2:15pm it is such a treat to watch this show and her the guns go off! All proceeds of the show goes towards their children’s hospital. I guess they’ve so far collect a total of $ 81K.
The shops are real cute and the prices are surprisingly very inexpensive with a tax of 5.25%! I’m from LA so paying that is a nice break! The vendors are very friendly and will be happy to chat up your ear!

I consider Oatman a petting donkey zoo. We spent the weekend at Lake Havasu and our host recommended checking out this little town. I had originally thought that there would be swarms of donkey everywhere (sorta like the deers in Nara, Japan), but there were maybe like 15 – 20 donkeys total roaming around the day we went.
There are plenty of shops that sell vintage kitschy things priced reasonably. Maybe 1 or 2 restaurants and a bunch of shops that sell snacks. There’s a «gun show» that occurs in the afternoon for free on the streets by volunteer performers. We spent around 2 hours there — there’s not much besides shopping and petting donkeys.
You’ll see some people bringing carrots to feed the donkey but we heard from a local shop owner that carrots are bad for the donkeys. Too much sugar or something and they get too much because people give them the entire piece. Instead, spend a $ 1 and buy feed cubes from the local shop owners.
— Bring cash (i think some places take credit card)
— wear closed toe shoes (very dusty)
— their public bathrooms are surprisingly clean!

when driving back to southern california from the grand canyons, you will get the chance to pass by the town of oatman, and if you have the extra time, i highly suggest you do. you will take the historical route 66 and pass by two ghost towns on the way. one being goldroad, az and the other being oatman. oatman proclaims its the ghost town that refuses to die… lol
anyways, there are a few buildings left in oatman, and its more of a tourist stop/​trap. i think the people living there make all their money from the tourists that take the route 66 trail between AZ and CA.
1 thing you should note is that there are donkeys everywhere. they roam the street and are extremely friendly. you can buy some feed for a dollar and let them eat it. another thing you can check out is the «gun show» done at noon and 2:30pm. its two people acting out what life was like in the olden times. they will ask for donations, but its for a good cause. everything they collect, they donate to a charity or so they say…
there are a lot of cool and interesting things to check out in this old ghost town… make sure you have plenty of gas before getting here, you don’t wanna get stuck in the middle of route 66.

2014
I’m obsessed with Red Dead Redemption and anything old western style. We ate at the Olive Oatman Saloon which was good. Got a little packed and eating off paper products was strange at first but overall it was cool.
GUN SHOW:
Right outside the saloon there was a «gun show» which was really entertaining. The actors were pretty hilarious and got the crowd involved. The actors are cool with pics and the story line was fun. The gun show is on a volunteer basis so hopefully its there when you visit and don’t be cheap tip a $ 1 at least!
BURROS:
There are a lot of burros just roaming the streets which is interesting. Some of the stores sell burro food for like a $ 1 so its kind of fun. They are pretty tame and friendly but I still wouldn’t stand behind one just in case and especially if you wear sandals watch out for the donkey poo. They’re pretty tame enough to take pics with but if you pet them a ton of dust comes off lol
OLD TIME PHOTOS:
On the way out decided to do the Old Time Photos. I’ve done several of these types of photos in the past and this place was cheaper ($ 30) tons of costumes to chose from and the owner Linda was a doll. She was super patient with my bf who wanted to redo pics half a dozen times and would rather play outside in his costume then get serious lol. She was super cool and hooked us up with a cd too! So happy with this place I can’t wait to return in September for my bday with more friends to do a giant western pic!
On the way out there was a man selling cleaner for eye glasses. Cool guy, we stopped and chatted with him a bit. I ended up buying the cleaner because he used them on my sunglasses to show how it works and «wow» came out lol he got them ultra clean in ten seconds. And the cleaner will last forever.
I really like the store The Main Street Emporium. The owner was awesome and i ended up going back there again for more stuff. Lots of wind chimes as I am starting my «old lady wind chime collection» now. My bf got a blow dart from here and its pretty daym cool! Tons of knives and souvenirs. This is def my fav shop.
Walking up and down there are lots of little fun shops to head into and everyone is super cool. Im really excited to come back to this little town and continue my RDR obsession.

The best thing about visiting Oatman was driving the back road to get there; and once there, the geological «backdrop» surrounding the town was awesome.
The Oatman Hotel’s bar and restaurant was worth a picture with thousands of dollar bills hanging on every wall and ceiling. Not that «the dollar bill» thing hasn’t been done before, but this was over the top. The burros wandering the streets and literally stopping traffic were very entertaining and fun to watch.
Other than the above??? Ugh.
The streets were dirty, the public restroom, a brick and mortar multiple stall outhouse, was even dirtier. The shops were mostly filled with trinkets, tee shirts, and junk.
I’m glad I can say I’ve been to Oatman, but I don’t need to ever go back. I’ll save my visits to «occupied ghost towns» for Jerome, AZ and
Virginia City, NV with lots of character, good food, and artistic creativity.

We visited this little old west town while visiting family in Bullhead City, about half an hour’s drive through the desert.
Advertised as the town that’s stood still in time, Oatman is a cute little western town nestled among the mountains with cute trinket shops, burros roaming the streets, and a bi-​daily shootout show. Its shops all have funny names like The Classy Ass and The Glory Hole, with random trinkets and snacks. There’s a few mini museums that cost a few bucks to learn more about the town and its history and a mini mine that’s called a museum but really has nothing in it.
The burros run this town, walking the streets and snacking on hay you can purchase from vendors. As with any wild animal, use caution when near them. They’re accustomed to the people and cars that populate their little town and will not hesitate to plop themselves in front of your moving car.
The main street is where all the action is, so I’d suggest parking in the dirt lots just off to the side to avoid the crowds and burros walking in the streets.
This place feels like a ghost town, but people actually still live there so you’ll find a post office and a general store here as well if you have some real world needs to be taken care of. There’s a public restroom just by the dirt lots, but I’d advise holding it if you can. They’re basically port-​a-​potties indoors, no flush, no sink, no mirrors. Just some toilet paper and anti bacterial soap… I don’t think they’re cleaned too often either.
All in all, if you’re into the whole old western thing this is a fun place for you and the family to visit if you’re nearby.

This was our second visit to Oatman and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time. We love feeding the Burros. They are so fun to interact with and very gentle. Acourse, they love us tourists because well we feed them! The Burros love to eat carrots (that is their favorite) we usually stop at a grocery store to buy some carrots before going out there.
However, if you do not feel like stopping there are some shops in Oatman that sells a small bag filled with chunks of hay for just $ 1. Other than the Burros (Main Attraction) you can check out the shops and I believe there is 1 – 2 restaurants and maybe a saloon if you are interested in grabbing a cold one and or bite to eat.
During the Arizona summer heat May-​September make sure you bring plenty of water to drink, sunscreen (especially for the little ones) and a hat to wear. Arizona desert heat is no joke and it won’t take long to fall ill. There is plenty of shade and clean public restrooms.
Check out Oatman and feed the Burros!!!
If you are unfamiliar with Burros make sure that you never stand behind them as they do kick but mostly at each other when they get agitated.

A donkey bit my kid and an elderly man while we were there!
The donkeys were so aggressive. My son ran out of hay for them and one nipped him on the thigh. I will post the picture of the bite. It broke the skin a bit and really bruised him. Poor guy!
The elderly man had a bag of pastries in his hand. 4 donkeys circled him and when he
tried to hide the bag under his arm one bit his wrist mistaking it for the bag. It broke the skin and bled a lot.
The shops were adorable and people were really friendly.
We WILL NOT GO BACK. If they were to figure out a way to have a person in charge of keeping the donkeys in check we would love to go back. But I think we may have scared our children for life.

There are several reasons to visit the old mining town of Oatman, Arizona, but the main reason for most people is to see and interact with the burros that come to the town to eat the carrots the tourists feed them. There are stores in Oatman that sell carrots but one would be smarter to stop in Bullhead City or Fort Mojave, Arizona and buy a big bag at one of the grocery stores.
When you arrive in Oatman, you’ll soon have a number of burros surround you as soon as you open the bag and start the feeding. The burros are left from the time when miners worked active mines here. When the miners went elsewhere after mines closed, the burros were just let go and learned to fend for themselves. This little town is staying alive by having staged gunfights on the main street through town and by selling Southwestern trinkets of various kinds.
In cooler weather, there are areas you can go to hike and explore. There are many closed mine openings in the area. Take photos but remember not to go into abandoned mines. They are inherently unsafe.
This little town was the place where film stars Carole Lombard and Clark Gable spent their wedding night after being married in Kingman, Arizona. They were driving back to Los Angeles on Historic Route 66, the route through Oatman, and they stopped for the night. When I first visited Oatman over 10 years ago, you could go to the second floor and look through the window of the locked room where they stayed. Their photos were framed and on the far wall. The last time I was there a few years ago, the area was still closed for renovation and you couldn’t get to the second floor.
In any case, the town is worth the visit if just to look around and interact with the burros. Don’t feed the ones that have tags on them. They are young ones who aren’t old enough yet to properly digest carrots. Don’t feed them. And don’t retrace your steps to Fort Mojave or Bullhead City. Continue on Route 66 to Kingman and make a loop back to Las Vegas. The scenery along this route is exceptional!

A GHOST TOWN WHERE ADVENTURE IS ALIVE
The Town of Oatman is a ghost town in name. Today it is a thriving tourist town that is alive with adventure. Especially on weekends. It is a ghost town where sightseers and burros come to play. This is the second time that this sightseer came to Oatman to play.
Oatman is a town that goes back to 1906. The founders named it after a woman who was captured and released by the Mohave Indians. In 1915 a major gold rush accelerated the population growth to over 3,500 people. All good things come to an end. With I-​40 replacing US 66 as the main road, Oatman fell on hard times which turned it into a quasi ghost town. It was in this historic town that I enjoyed spending a couple of hours on two times in the past few years.
Oatman is where US 66: The Mother Road meets the Western Ghost Town. I have always been interested in US 66. And this is a place to get your kicks on Route 66 on a historic stretch between Kingman and Needles. Just visualize a Western movie with burros instead of Model T cars and it would be Oatman’s Main Street. It is a Main Street adorned with an active post office, mom & pop shops, gift shops selling t-​shirts with donkey related jokes, a mine exhibit, and tourist-​oriented businesses. The heart of Main Street is the Oatman Hotel that primarily exists as a restaurant, bar, ice cream shop, and museum. At 12 and 2:30 pm, the Outlaws turn Main Street to theatre. They put on a staged gunfight that entertains and supports a good cause with the donations going to charity.
Oatman is where wild burros meet sightseers. When the town opens for business, the burros run from the hills to be fed. Sightseers of all ages adore the burros. Businesses sell carrots for people to feed them. The burros are everywhere. They are on the wooden sidewalks, walking along Main Street without a care in the world, and even inside shops. I am a sightseer who adores the burros to the point of making the trip here twice from Las Vegas.
The town is small. I park at the beginning of town. I dislike dirt parking lots with rocks. But I live once and cannot let it spoil an adventure. Last time I lucked out and parked on Main Street. I’ll walk past the shops stopping to take in the scenery. I’ll walk to the edge of town where US 66 climbs a hill overlooking the Main Street. Then, I’ll walk into town for a drink. The first visit I drank a Gatorade. The deal with Oatman is they don’t rip off sightseers. This is a good deal because the desert makes people thirsty. On my recent visit I had a Budweiser and DonkeyPee cocktail in the Oatman Hotel. Again, good prices. Near the end of the visit I’d walk inside a mine replica. Both times I’d take in the Outlaws show. Of course I was watching the wild burros. Both visits to Oatman took up a couple hours of my life without the distraction of cell phone reception.
Oatman is a town that is open in sunlight. When the town closes, the wild burros run back to the hills. The hills surrounding Oatman are awe-​inspiring. With a passion for the outdoors I am of a mindset that the BLM ought to build hiking trails from Oatman up to the hills.
Oatman is a ghost town where adventure is alive. Sometime in the future I plan to make a third trip Oatman as part of an adventure with Laughlin or Lake Havasu City.