Las Vegas

Ah, Las Vegas – the dazzling lights, the excitement of the play on the casino floor, the secrets that remain in Vegas, and the stunning beauty of its natural treasures. Wait – what’s that? Stunning natural beauty? Isn’t Las Vegas in the middle of the desert? That may be, but a number of beautiful, scenic parks are within easy driving distance of Sin City. We recently spent five days in Las Vegas avoiding The Strip and visiting two gorgeous natural parks and a few of the city’s noteworthy museums.

“Out-of-this-world” natural beauty"

Our first visit was to Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada’s oldest and largest state park. It didn’t take long after entering the park to know the reason for its name. Striking red sandstone formations with amazing color variations present an other-worldly landscape. The park has a variety of scenic drives that make it very easy for those not interested in hitting the trails to experience and appreciate the park’s beauty up close. Valley of Fire State Park is 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

We decided to hike two of the park’s easy to moderate trails and would highly recommend them. The White Domes hike takes you to an area of sandstone formations with brilliant contrasting colors. The hike took us down a gorge with towering brilliant rock formations on both sides and then to a cool slot canyon. The Fire Wave Trail leads to a stunning rock formation - Fire Wave. Brilliant red sandstone deposits in swirling formations resembling rivers – or red waves – are frozen in time. In addition to colorful rock formations, the park also has a number of 3,000-year-old petroglyphs and exhibits of petrified wood.

Crimson glory rising from the desert

The second park we visited was Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The canyon is aptly-named because of the crimson colored rock formations that rise almost magically from the arid floor of the desert. The park has excellent hiking trails, outstanding rock-climbing areas, and a visitor-friendly 13-mile scenic drive. 

Just like the Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon is accessible for all visitors to enjoy the park’s stunning rock formations from the scenic drive stops. It was amazing that these serene views are only 15 miles from the frenetic scene of The Strip.

A museum with “connections”

Another way to experience Las Vegas in a unique way is to visit some of the museums that take a peek into the past. One we strongly recommend is The Mob Museum, located in a former courthouse just minutes from Fremont Street. Obviously the story of the mob and its influence has a major chapter in Las Vegas, and The Mob Museum provides a fascinating history of the mob’s presence in Sin City.

But the Mob Museum also presents an in-depth study of the origins of organized crime and its spread throughout major U.S. cities. Exhibits include a number of authentic artifacts including the actual wall of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. After spending several hours viewing the museum’s exhibits, we headed to The Underground – a Prohibition-era exhibit with a working distillery and a speakeasy. Surrounded by artifacts from the 1920’s, we enjoyed Prohibition-era craft cocktails. Be sure to check out the new Starlight Plaza outdoor event space, that is hosting many unique events.

A sign of the times

One Las Vegas myth is that people often come to town looking for a sign. Well, you can find more than 250 of them at The Neon Museum. The guided tour of the museum’s outdoor exhibit space – The Boneyard – is part history and part art. The neon signs, some of which have been fully restored, are rescued signs and architectural landmarks from some of the city’s most celebrated properties dating from the 1930’s to the present day. Since 28 of these signs are electrified, it is best to visit this museum at night. During your tour you will hear some quirky stories about who created each sign, what inspired it, where and when it was made, and how it fits into the development of Las Vegas and the city’s rich history.

In addition to The Boneyard, the museum includes The North Gallery, which contains approximately 115 additional signs and is also the site of the program “Brilliant! Jackpot!” The museum’s visitor center is cleverly housed in the former La Concha Motel lobby. The Neon Museum also maintains a collection of 16 public art installations downtown. The first installation was the Hacienda Horse and Rider on Fremont St. Other signs include Binion’s Horseshoe, The Silver Slipper, the Lucky Cuss Motel, and others. 

A blast of a museum

The final museum that intrigued us was the National Atomic Testing Museum. Established in 1951 the Nevada Test Site was the site of the Cold War’s most unnerving practice – the detonation and recording of the destructive effects of America’s nuclear bombs. Through a variety of exhibits and a wealth of artifacts, the museum tells the story of America’s nuclear weapons testing program at the Nevada Test Site. The museum presents a sometimes chilling but fascinating history of the development and testing of America’s nuclear arsenal. One exhibit that was especially immersive was the simulation of an above-ground nuclear test.

As sobering as the history of nuclear testing is, there is a kind of strange humor in the city’s fascination with the bomb testing. Las Vegas actually took to calling itself “Atomic City, U.S.A.” People in Las Vegas would hold “bomb parties” on the roofs of hotels hoping to catch a view of the bomb’s flash and resulting mushroom cloud. The Pop Culture exhibit illustrates this 1950’s fascination with the bomb. “Atomic Odyssey” opened in January and is the museum’s first fully hands-on exhibit. There are a number of rotating exhibits as well. Presently, “The Manhattan Project – Challenges and Consequences” and “Bomb without the Boom” are showcased.

Las Vegas – what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – right? Well, maybe some of your enjoyable experiences off The Strip will accompany you home.

For More Information please visit:

Valley of Fire State Park: parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire
Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas: redrockcanyonlv.org
The Mob Museum: themobmuseum.org
The Neon Museum: neonmuseum.org
National Atomic Testing Museum:
atomicmuseum.vegas