Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for nevada
Down on the Ranch
By Linda Tancs
Less than a half hour from the bright lights of downtown Las Vegas is Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, a peaceful haven sporting a historic ranch house that was once home to luminaries of a different kind. Through the corridors once roamed millionaire Howard Hughes, German actress Vera Krupp and Chester Lauck of the comedy team Lum & Abner. Open for tours, the house features Hughes’ bar as well as personal belongings of Krupp.
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Water, Music and Light
By Linda Tancs
Themed water shows are nothing new, but few of them consistently make the world’s top 10 lists. Of that class, the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas rank supreme. Over 1,000 water-emitting devices spout streams choreographed to light and musical routines ranging from classical to Broadway. Running daily, it’s free, too. Now you have something fabulous to see once you’ve donated all your money to the tables.
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Tripping the Light Fantastic
By Linda Tancs
Neil Young sang that it’s better to burn out than to fade away. When iconic neon signs in Las Vegas burn out, they don’t just fade away. They find a home at the Neon Boneyard. Home to more than 150 historic signs that once graced the likes of Caesars Palace, Binion’s Horseshoe, the Golden Nugget and the Stardust, each sign is accompanied by a history lesson about its design and development. The outdoor museum is accessible only through daily one-hour guided tours, weather permitting. Park for free at McWilliams Avenue.
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The World’s Highest Wheel
By Linda Tancs
There are plenty of high rollers in Las Vegas, but one High Roller is getting all the attention: the 550-foot-tall observation wheel commissioned by Caesars Entertainment. Debuting in March, the wheel promises unparalleled views of the Strip. At 51 stories high, it bests the Singapore Flyer, the Star of Nanchang and the London Eye, making it the world’s highest observation wheel. As usual, Vegas will not be outdone by anyone.
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The Mob Mentality in Las Vegas
By Linda Tancs
In the heart of downtown Las Vegas is a former federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office included on both the Nevada and National Registers of Historic Places. Hearings on organized crime were conducted in this building at a time when legendary mobsters ruled The Strip. Nowadays it’s better known as the Mob Museum, where theater presentations, artifacts, and interactive exhibits capture the struggle between organized crime and law enforcement. Nothing but the truth prevails here, if you can handle it.
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Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor
By Linda Tancs
Since 1884 the notables–and not so notables–have been quenching their thirst at the Genoa Bar and Saloon on Main Street in Genoa, Nevada. The state’s oldest saloon was built in 1853, sporting curiosities like a trap door next to the pool table (the cold storage cellar), a red oil lamp (lit every year on New Year’s Eve) and a mirror from the 1840s layered with diamond dust. Famous visitors include Mark Twain, Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, Carol Lombard, Clark Gable, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. If only the walls could talk.
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Into the Stratosphere
By Linda Tancs
In Las Vegas, the rides at The Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower will make your head spin, as actors Michael Douglas and Mary Steenburgen discovered while shooting the movie Last Vegas. They rode the X-Scream, which propels you over the edge of the Stratosphere (866 feet above the ground) for that cherished bird’s-eye view. Stunt double, anyone?
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The Lowest Place in North America
By Linda Tancs
Springtime may be the best time to visit California and Nevada’s Death Valley National Park, but the upcoming autumn season is relatively uncrowded and a great time to visit some of the park’s most stunning features. Badwater Basin, for instance, is the lowest place in North America at 282 feet below sea level. Despite its name, the park is alive with historical landmarks, like Scotty’s Castle, a hideaway from the Roaring ’20s, and beacons to industry like Harmony Borax Works and Keane Wonder Mine, one of the most successful gold mines in Death Valley.
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A Golden Nugget in Nevada
By Linda Tancs
There’s more than one golden nugget in Nevada worth a visit. Just eight hours from the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas is the Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, a family friendly barbeque boasting a rib-eating tournament drawing the world’s most competitive chowhounds. Now through 5 September, this annual event claiming over 500,000 visitors features one of the largest arts and crafts fairs in Northern Nevada. The tournament is tonight at 6 p.m.; don’t worry, there will be plenty of ribs left to feast on at Rib Village, a VIP area offering unlimited ribs and drinks for up to 10 people per party.
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A Place for Rock Hounds
By Linda Tancs
There’s a crimson tide just 15 minutes from Las Vegas. No, it’s not an algal bloom. It’s a massive rock formation made red by the accumulation of iron oxide. The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area receives 1.2 million visitors a year. Part of the Mojave Desert, the 13-mile scenic loop drive features sandstone, limestone Indian roasting pits, waterfalls, Indian “handprints” and pictographs at Willow Springs. The conservation area is home to about 200 different mammals like burros, coyotes, bighorn sheep, red tailed hawks, wild horses, bobcats and mountain lions. Enjoy life on the wild side–without the neon lights.
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