8 must-do experiences in Nevada

Nevada is unlike anywhere else on Earth. It's home to more than 300 mountain ranges, dozens of historic saloons, and The Luxor Sky Beam––the world’s brightest beam of light shining at 42.3 billion candela (equivalent to 42,300 lighthouses). More than 150 years ago, people flocked to the state (at that time known as the Nevada Territory) to find their fortune in gold and silver.

Today, Nevada is not only the second-largest producer of silver in the United States, but it draws visitors from around the world who have an unbridled sense of spontaneity and adventure. 

However, strategic travelers can use our list of uniquely different things to do and see in Nevada to help them plan their trip. Remember to embrace your frontier spirit and prepare to experience the Silver State at its best. 

Revel in the fun that awaits you in Las Vegas

Everyone should do the Strip in Las Vegas at night at least once. Begin downtown with a guided tour of the family-friendly Neon Museum. Informed docents lead visitors around the 2.27-acre campus and through a giant boneyard littered with more than 250 glowing signs from former casino giants while spinning tales of mobsters, racial segregation, and the famous Rat Pack, a group of performers that included Frank Sinatra Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. 

For legal-aged visitors, head to the tent in front of Caesars Palace and settle in for a fun ride at Spiegelworld’s adults-only circus show Absinthe. The company boasts two other outrageous productions around town including western-themed Atomic Saloon at The Venetian Resort and experiential DiscoShow at The Linq Hotel, plus restaurants like Superfrico where live performances happen tableside.  

“[Spiegelworld] is a circus which is predominantly constructed to allow an adult audience to go out and play,” says founder Ross Mollison. “I’m trying to breed more fun and optimism for people to not take things so seriously. I think people are desperate for it.”

End the night by reserving a Happy Half Hour cabin (midnight daily, 2 a.m. on weekends) aboard the High Roller observation wheel. Enjoy unlimited well drinks for 30 minutes while taking in breathtaking views of the Strip, the LED-lit Sphere, and the surrounding Spring Mountains. 

Explore an underground cave system

Vegas visitors seeking outdoor adventures often head to nearby Death Valley, but Nevada’s lesser-visited national park also packs a huge punch. Straddling the Nevada-Utah border, Great Basin National Park boasts the twisty and ancient bristlecone pine (the oldest living species on the planet), 13,065-foot Wheeler Peak (the highest in Nevada), bald eagles, bighorn sheep, and numerous other wildlife. It’s also a designated Dark Sky Park, providing visitors with the best stargazing in the lower 48. Don’t leave the park until you take a ranger-guided tour of the fascinating Lehman Caves, the longest cave system in Nevada. Book early as tours often sell out weeks in advance. 

(Related: Plan your trip to Nevada with this essential travel guide.)

Visit one of Nevada’s eeriest ghost towns

More than 600 abandoned settlements are scattered across Nevada, and a few of them are must-see spots for intrepid travelers, including Rhyolite, located near Death Valley National Park. Gold was discovered in the mining boom town in 1904. At its peak, Rhyolite boasted a stock exchange, a hospital, dozens of saloons, and even a red-light district, but it began to falter after the Panic of 1907 and was abandoned completely by 1916. Visitors today are lured by the remains of several structures like a general store, bank building, and rail station, plus works of outsider art including Albert Szukalski’s spectral “The Last Supper” and Tom Kelly’s Bottle House.  

Take a plunge into Lake Tahoe’s Secret Cove

Nevada includes a third of Lake Tahoe’s pristine coastline. So, it’s no surprise that the state has some of the best beaches in the West such as Chimney Beach, Nevada Beach, and Sand Harbor Beach––all located on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. Residents and tourists can awaken their senses by plunging into Tahoe’s crystalline, but chilly waters at Secret Cove, a strand made popular thanks to its crescent-shaped setting studded with giant boulders that provide the perfect perch for a daredevil leap. Another great way to experience the cove is to rent a standup paddleboard from Tahoe Multisport in nearby Incline Village. 

Enjoy a drink at a Wild West saloon

Get a sense of Nevada’s pioneer past and visit one of the state’s Silver Rush Era bars. These time-capsule taprooms have been around since the Silver Rush and around two dozen of them are scattered across the state and still serving to this day. For a true middle-of-nowhere experience, head to the Lucky Spur Saloon in rural Kingston which is part of the Big Smoky Valley, an isolated and expansive basin situated between the Toiyabe and Toquima mountain ranges. Order the bar’s signature Bloody Mary and enjoy homesteader vibes and lush canyon views while chatting up friendly residents.  

Take a stroll along the Reno Riverwalk

The ROW, a trio of casinos surrounding the famous Reno Arch, along with the hotels found along Virginia Street like Atlantis Casino Resort Spa and Peppermill Resort Spa Casino give gamblers a place to press their luck. But the city’s best bet is the Reno Riverwalk—a revitalized district that offers art galleries, wine bars, breweries, live theater, and frequent festivals, plus the National Automobile Museum and the Nevada Museum of Art. Nature lovers seeking more than a scenic stroll should head to Whitewater Park for swimming, kayaking, and floating via an inner tube down the scenic Truckee River. 

Drive the ‘Loneliest Road in America’

The more than 400-mile stretch of Highway 50 running through Nevada is so quiet, that in 1986, a Life magazine called it The Loneliest Road in America. Traveling it today is a road tripper’s rite of passage boasting numerous off-grid highlights and bookended by two natural wonders.

Begin at the Alpine shores of Tahoe, and along the way ride a dune buggy up Sand Mountain’s 600-foot peak, fuel up with foodstuffs at Middlegate Station (a former Pony Express stop), soak in outdoor tubs surrounded by burros at Spencer Hot Springs and visit the eerily time warped McGill Drugstore Museum before ending under the starry skies of Great Basin National Park.

“The Loneliest Road in America is wrapped in a bit of folklore,” says Ashley Frey, co-founder and chief storyteller at Frey Ranch Distillery in Fallon, which sits just off Hwy 50. “However, I think once people hit the road and have made all the stops along the way, getting to know our small towns, our people, and our wonderful outdoor spaces, it’s hard to still think of it as the loneliest road."

(Related: Eight ways tourists can explore Nevada.)

Feast on traditional Basque food with a twist

 Pivot from the casino buffets to enjoy Basque cuisine found in Northern Nevada towns, where sheepherding Basque immigrants (a region encompassing parts of Spain and France) settled in the 1800s during the Gold and Silver Rush. Savor hearty dishes and sides like solomo (marinated pork loin baked and topped with pimentos and roasted garlic), sweet breads, cod, and various cuts of steak and lamb—typically served family style.

Order the excellent Basque chorizo sandwich at the saloon-like Star Hotel in Elko. Try the Basque lunch specialties at the Martin Hotel in Winnemucca, where the onsite bar and restaurant serves a lamb shank with mint jelly. In Carson City, Villa Basque Café offers patrons Basque-fusion menu items such as paella, the Basque burrito and chili, and the Sheepher Cheeseburger with one beef patty and one chorizo patty.