Good News Tucson - A Family Values Magazine

THIS MONTH: Retro Fifties Trailer Park - Step Back in Time to Bisbee's Shady Dell.
By Jonathan A. Johnson

Want an authentic blast back to the past? Step into one of the restored aluminum trailers at the Shady Dell, a vintage R.V. park in historic Bisbee. Touted by San Francisco Magazine (2005) as one of the top 10 getaways everyone will be talking about in five years, the Shady Dell is an overnight experience like none other.

“We’re a one-of-a kind,” prides Ken Grindell, the park’s resident manager. “There’s a place in Texas that is trying to imitate us, but they’re a Shady Dell rip off.”

The Shady Dell is anything but a rip off. Although a night’s accommodations can cost anywhere from $40 to $125, and though most trailers do not boast bathrooms or showers (there’s an onsite facility just steps away from the trailers), you won’t forget the experience.

A buddy and I stayed in the Spartanette (pictured above), a 30-foot trailer built in 1950 with a birch wood interior, twin beds in the bedroom (Dick Van Dyke style), and a couch in the living room that makes into a bed. I couldn’t drag my wife along – not having a bathroom deterred her presence. She drove out the next day, saw the place and fell in love.

The Spartanette features a cabinet filled with 40s and 50s movies for your nostalgic viewing pleasures, a classic black and white television set, a vintage phonograph with an extensive selection of original 45s, and original board games. My pal and I stayed up until 1 a.m. listening to Elvis 45s, watching reruns of comedy shows from the 50s, and thumbing through the cabinets with all the various knick knacks and period tableware.

From the tile flooring to the original GM Frigidaire icebox, the Spartanette – and all of the trailers – will help you revisit the 50s without a trace of any fake nostalgia. “The original owners and the current owners have spent a lot of time and money to renovate the park and make it what it is today,” Grindell explains. “Ed [the previous owner] was a dreamer and a restorer.”

The Shady Dell is becoming a popular spot to escape from the usual. Featured in several national magazines, newspapers, and television shows, the park is usually booked solid on the weekends and reservations are needed, according to Grindell.

Other Park Attractions

While the collection of trailers is enough to help you step back in time, the Shady Dell also swanks a dry-docked 1947 Chris Craft yacht, a 1947 Airporter bus, and an original 1957 Valentine Diner that was transported from Los Angeles.

For sojourners not minding to spend $125 a night, the yacht will help you use your imagination as you enjoy the outdoor sitting area on the stern or view the vintage boating memorabilia inside.

The bus, a transit bus in the 50s and later a minor league transporter, is a dream. Called the “Tiki Bus,” $95 a night gets you a Polynesian palace on the inside and a hand carved outrigger bar on the outside.

Dot’s Diner specializes in breakfasts fifties style. You can even use fifties slang to order. You can have a Flop Two (eggs over easy), Wreck’em (scrambled eggs), Deadeye (poached egg) or a Shingle with a Shimmy and a Shake (buttered toast with jam). Milkshakes are still made the old fashioned way – ice cream is scooped and then blended on the sea-green and chrome vintage multimixer. The seats in the diner are spin stools, featuring chrome and metallic magenta.

If you’re staying at the Shady Dell, breakfast at Dot’s Diner is the whipped cream on the pie. But please notice the limited hours. The diner is only open Wednesday through Sunday, 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.

“Wonderfully Quirky and Fun”

While many will visit the Shady Dell through the years, one enduring feature reminds today’s guests of the happy moments experienced by those who’ve stayed before them. Inside each trailer you will find a memory album where guests write down their thoughts, comments, and experiences in that particular trailer.

Here’s a taste of what has been said from Spartanette overnighters:

B & R – Tucson, AZ: “Growing up in the 50s as teens we related 100%. We wish life could be like that again!”
P – Prescott, AZ: “Love the Shady Dell. Very cool. I want to live here forever!”

T & Y – Phoenix, AZ: “When I walked into the Spartanette, I recognized all my grandparent’s dishes, appliances, and decorations. Ha! My wife liked it so much she said we could live here! I thought we had gone back in time after going through the drawers and cabinets. Incredible job!”

C – Chandler, AZ; and J – Longview, Washington: “Good times, good times, good times! When [my friend] first suggested staying at a ‘vintage’ R.V. park, the voice in my head said no! More like, Heck no!!! However, as my 15-year friendship with [her] has taught me, believe in what she has to say. Most of the time I find myself thrilled! The stay was thrilling. The Spartanette was a hoot…Overall I could not have asked for a better vacation.”

T & S – Fullerton, CA: “So many memories…Had a great time – like stepping back in time!”

Getting There

Bisbee is about 90 miles southeast of Tucson, a drive that takes a little over two hours. From Tucson, take I-10 East until you get to exit 303, which is AZ-80. Continue on AZ-80 East for about 47 miles which will take you to Bisbee. The Shady Dell is roughly one and a half miles past downtown.

Address: 1 Old Douglas Rd., Bisbee, AZ 85603
Phone: 520.432.3567
Web: www.theshadydell.com
Email: shadydell@lycos.com

If stopping over at the Shady Dell, make sure to spend a few moments with Grindell. You’ll notice his passion for the nostalgic as he helps you step back in time. You may even notice the glimmer in his eye when he talks about the Shady Dell. “It’s just a wonderful place, here,” he gleams. “I just adore it. It’s simply wonderful.”