Please make sure to check for the most up-to-date information before planning your visit.
Lordsburg, NM 88045
US • Physical
LORDSBURG, NM 88045
US • Mailing
Walk a portion of the Butterfield Trail.
See 28 points of interest and hear stories of the West as it really was.
The guided tour includes the interiors of seven buildings.
Private Tours are now available daily. Admission $7.00 Adult – $3.00 Ages 6 Through 12. You may call us from the Shakespeare Gate or as you are nearing Lordsburg. Call 575.542.9034 to schedule a time and if a tour guide is available.Location:
Shakespeare is in the Southwestern part of the U.S. in the State of New Mexico. It is just outside the city of Lordsburg. Interstate 10 passes through this small southwestern city. It’s located in the “Bootheel” of New Mexico.
Lordsburg is conveniently located on I-10 approximately half way between El Paso Texas and Tucson Arizona. It is in the center of an area of many recreational opportunities. Lordsburg is 17 miles from the New Mexico – Arizona Borders.
Shakespeare is 2 1/2 miles south and west of Lordsburg on NM Hwy 494 from Lordsburg. To get to Shakespeare from Lordsburg take the Main Street exit (EXIT 22) from I-10 and turn South. Follow the signs 2 1/2 MILES on NM Hwy. 494 (Ghost Town Road) to reach the Town of Shakespeare.
Tour Calendar
The guided tour of the buildings takes about 1 1/2 hours. Visitors may then walk the marked trails to see other foundations, stage coach trail and spring water well. Visitors may climb the small hill to view the town as a whole and see the mines to the south. Wear comfortable shoes.
2020 Tour Dates
Tours begin 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, Mountain Time*
only on the dates listed below.
January 11 & 12 February 8 & 9
March 14 & 15
April 11 & 12
May 9 & 10
June 13 & 14
July 11 & 12
August 8 & 9
September 12 & 13
October 10 & 11
November 14 & 15
December 12 & 13
Shakespeare will close, for a brief period, after the morning tour and reopen prior to the 2 pm tour.
Please read Important Tour Information, below, prior to your arrival.
Admission
Regular Monthly Tour Admission $5.00 Adult – $3.00 Ages 6 Through 12.
Private Tours are now available daily. Admission $7.00 Adult – $3.00 Ages 6 Through 12. You may call us from the Shakespeare Gate or as you are nearing Lordsburg. Call 575.542.9034 to schedule a time and if a tour guide is available.
Reservations or pre-purchased tickets for the scheduled Regular Monthly Tours are not required for admission to Shakespeare. Just arrive at the gate and you’ll be able to join a tour on the tour dates and times listed above.
Due to very dry weather conditions during certain times of the year, there are very severe and deadly dust storms on Interstate 10 to and from the Arizona Border to Deming, NM., including the Lordsburg area, that has closed down or diverted traffic on that part of the Interstate. Check NM Road conditions at http://www.nmroads.com
Important Tour Information!
Private Tours are now available daily. Admission $7.00 Adult – $3.00 Ages 6 Through 12. You may call us from the Shakespeare Gate or as you are nearing Lordsburg. Call 575.542.9034 to schedule a time and if a tour guide is available.
We have docents that will provide our regular Monthly Tours on the dates listed above.
If we are unable to schedule a daily tour for you; there is a near-by Ghost Town at Exit 3 on I-10, West of Lordsburg, near the Arizona Border, Steins Ghost Town. Steins Ghost Town is open by advance appointment only, and may have a date suitable for your visit. Steins can also be seen as you leave the Interstate at Steins Exit 3. Call Melissa at 602-821-8495, or visit Steins Ghost Town web site for additional information.
A reminder to the people who attempt to visit Shakespeare on days that are unscheduled, non-tour days or you do not have an appointment
Unescorted, unscheduled, drop-in or walk-thru visits are not available and not permitted. Schedule a possible daily tour prior to your arrival. The fenced boundaries of the town are separate from the thousands of fenced acres of cattle range around the town but is still a part of the Shakespeare property. There are safety and liability concerns when you do not have an escort within all of the property boundaries. There is an abundance of rattle snakes, animals, mine borings and shafts that can cause you injury or death. There is also the current danger of drug mules walking from the Southern Border into the Lordsburg area. You do not want to come across or stop any person walking on the range.
The 2015 & 2016 5.0+ Earthquakes in this area caused structural damage to at least 2 buildings in the town and may be closed during tour and non-tour days. The damaged buildings may look safe, but they are not.
This post serves as a warning that any type of injury or death is your responsibility and the responsibility of your heirs, not the owner or Foundation of Shakespeare. If you are injured there is no one that will hear your calls for help or come to your assistance. You will probably die there.
Unauthorized entrance to the town and surrounding land is not permitted. Trespassing is a criminal offense and will be enforced. Unauthorized removal or destruction of historic items or property will be charged to the fullest extent of many Federal and State laws protecting a National Historic Site.
