We love exploring Las Vegas and discovering new experiences, but we often wonder what’s out there beyond the Strip. We wanted to know the best places to go, so we asked Jenelle Jacks, a passionate photographer who finds her bliss on regular outings throughout Southern Nevada.
“There is this sense of unique beauty and adventure when you wander off into the desert and watch the skyline fade away,” said the Las Vegas native. “Surrounded by millions of years of geologic history, it is like leaving the modern world and traveling back in time.”
Former international marketing and PR manager for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and most recently in the same role with Cirque du Soleil, Jacks has been “magnetized” by this prehistoric landscape since early childhood. “The serenity of the desert is the ultimate therapy,” she said. “That is, when I’m not climbing every rock face around town in pursuit of that perfect nature-meets-neon shot of the cityscape.”
Lake Mead Recreation Area (Photo by SNEHIT PHOTO)
Her siren calls include Valley of Fire (www.parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire); Designated as Nevada’s first state park in 1935, this Aztec red wonderland of petrified Jurassic Period sand dunes, an hour north of Vegas, is out of this world.
“I love the optical illusions that the park plays with my camera,” she said. “There are places where the road appears to melt or disappear over the hills.”
The eternal intrigue of Las Vegas starts with its mirage-like mystique. On paper, planting a pleasure empire in the scorching Mojave Desert seems hatched from a peyote button. Yet, pioneers have beaten the odds in the Valley since the Stone Age.
The lifeblood was water from ancient aquifers below the desert surface. Hitting on these bubbling springs in 1829, trailblazing Spaniards named the locale “Las Vegas,” or “the meadows.” In 1905, with the water offering a prime refueling stop for the new railroad linking Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the city officially arose on Fremont Street, the center of today’s resurgent Downtown.
Laughlin, Nevada and the Colorado River (Photo by Gregory E. Clifford)
Protecting the site of these oases, which dried up in 1962, Springs Preserve (333 S. Valley View Blvd. Tel: 702-822-7700. www.springspreserve.org) is a national landmark sanctuary of botanical gardens, desert flora and interpretive trails. The Divine Cafe at the Springs Preserve features outdoor seating with healthy fare and scenic Vegas skyline views, while the Origen Museum and Nevada State Museum showcase Vegas history through indoor and outdoor exhibits. Displays include the Hoover Dam (www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam), which along with the Grand Canyon, is the leading off-Strip tourism destination.
Straddling the Nevada-Arizona border 30 minutes southeast of Las Vegas in Boulder City, this hydroelectric wonder has powered the Valley’s growth, development, and success since 1936.
Start at the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (pedestrian pathway from the free parking lot after the security checkpoint) for a panoramic look at America’s highest concrete arch-dam.
From the massive spillways and soaring main wall to the monumental Winged Figures of the Republic and High Scaler statue, the complex is awe-inspiring. Ticketed activities include guided dam and power plant tours.
Located near the dam’s base, there’s a launch site for kayaking, canoeing or rafting down the Colorado River through ancient volcanic Black Canyon. Permits are required and all equipment must be transported by a licensed operator (list on the Hoover Dam website). Unique features along the 11-mile route include the steamy, crystal-lined Sauna Cave; volcanic Dragon’s Back outcropping; and shimmering green Emerald Cave.
Valley of Fire State Park (Photo by Jenelle Jacks)
The dam created America’s largest reservoir, and with it, the nation’s first official recreational area, Boulder Dam.
After adding Lake Mohave in 1947 following construction of the Davis Dam, the area was renamed Lake Mead (www.nps.gov/lake). Encompassing the two lakes along with mountains, valleys and nine wilderness areas, the 1.5 million-acre park is Southern Nevada’s outdoor playground. Myriad attractions include the Historic Railroad Trail, offering panoramic lake views. For houseboat rentals and other recreational services, National Park Service-authorized operators include Lake Mead Mohave Adventures (www.lakemeadmohaveadventures.com).
If urbex is your game, the abandoned Three Kids manganese mine off Lake Mead Parkway features the artist-created Wheel of Misfortune in one of the site’s giant circular pits. Five bucks at the boat shop gets you parking for a memorable photo op and vigilant walkaround.
Connecting with Highway 147 from Las Vegas, nearby Highway 167 winds scenically through the park to the eastern entrance of Valley of Fire (bring cash for the entrance fee), where other photographic rewards include ancient petroglyphs and beguiling Elephant Rock.
Set on a 176-acre riverside ranch east of the park in Bunkerville, Desert Ranch Experience by Camel Safari (www.desertranchexperience.com) offers 10 traditional Mongolian gers for overnight glamping and up-close encounters with 30-plus camels and other exotic animals. Enhanced programs include round-trip Canna-Camels excursions from Vegas. After buying discounted goodies at a Vegas cannabis dispensary, it’s an 80-mile road trip to the ranch for hanging out with the camels and kicking back in a ger before heading back.
Sparrow + Wolf
Photo: Sabin Orr
Located 90 miles south of Vegas in the Colorado River Valley where Nevada meets Arizona and nearby California, Laughlin (www.visitlaughlin.com) is one of four LVCVA-promoted satellites.
Located 90 miles south of Vegas in the Colorado River Valley where Nevada meets Arizona and nearby California, Laughlin (www.visitlaughlin. com) is one of four LVCVA-promoted satellites. While attracting a mix of older visitors, families, Colorado River enthusiasts, and the RV set, I had to satisfy my curiosity with this “alternate” Vegas. The drive alone was a trip. Nevada is famed for its extraterrestrial highways and Routes 95 and 163 are no exception. Heading there in an afternoon heat mirage and returning under a galactic night sky was right out of Star Wars.
Surveying the same area by plane in 1964, Minnesota-born slots and nightclub entrepreneur Don Laughlin had his own starry visions. Deciding on a mostly barren sliver of land bordering the Colorado River, his development efforts began by transforming a shuttered motel. In 1966, his namesake (courtesy of a local postal inspector) destination was born.
Now a sprightly 89, Laughlin keeps a penthouse suite and walks the casino floor nightly at his much-expanded Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino (www.riversideresort.com). With 1,352 rooms in two towers, including the river-facing South Tower with its adults-only pool, the resort’s time capsules include the fine-dining Gourmet Room and Don’s Celebrity Theater, where I saw a rousing show from legendary songwriter and performer Tony Orlando.
Esther’s Kitchen (Photo by Courtesy of Timeless Cuisine)
Familiar flags along Casino Drive include Harrah’s, Tropicana, and The New Pioneer, featuring “River Rick,” cousin of Fremont Street’s Vegas Vic neon cowboy.
“Find your peaceful center” at artist Wes Dudek’s nine circular stone Laughlin Labyrinths in the hills overlooking Casino Drive. Some eight centuries earlier, skilled Patayan and Yuman hands created the stylish petroglyphs of Grapevine Canyon on nearby Spirit Mountain. Accessed from Christmas Tree Pass, a graded dirt road off Route 163, the trail to these sacred designs includes distant views of Arizona’s Sleeping Princess Mountain.
Laughlin Boat Tours (www.laughlinboattours.com) operates Colorado River jet boat rides to Lake Havasu, Arizona. Passing through spectacular Topock Gorge, the 116-mile roundtrip experience, with a lunch stop by London Bridge, famously exported from England in 1971, was exhilarating.
Ancient petroglyphs are also found in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (www.redrockcanyonlv.org) just west of Vegas. Dinosaurs once roamed this ancient ocean basin, where other stops along 13-mile Scenic Drive include climbable Aztec sandstone cliffs and multiple trails leading into the park’s labyrinthine canyons. Arrive early, it’s popular.
Home to 11,916-foot Charleston Peak (www.gomtcharleston.com), nearby Spring Mountains National Recreation Area is another locals’ playground for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, and skiing. Unique attractions include the hike-in Mary Jane Falls.
Donald Contursi (Photo by David Becker)
Paralleling Death Valley National Park (which hit 130-plus degrees this summer), desolate Highway 95 leads two hours north to the ghost town of Ryholite and nearby Goldwell Open Air Museum, where giant outdoor sculptures include a haunting “Last Supper.” More art beckons an hour north in historic overnight-capable Goldfield, including The International Car Forest of the Last Church.
Expanding culinary tourism is part of a larger trend that is taking place in this desert oasis. “Growing awareness of Vegas’ multi-dimensionality is making travelers more adventurous,” said Donald Contursi, founder of Lip Smacking Foodie Tours (www.lipsmackingfoodietours.com). “While not always sexy and polished, off-Strip realms are hard to beat if you value real and authentic.”
As a top-selling server at high-end Strip restaurants, the native Chicagoan once customized culinary experiences for guests. In 2015, he parlayed that passion into his informative VIP-style insider tours, which eliminate the guesswork of where and what to eat.
“There are hundreds of options on the Strip and Downtown alone,” said Contursi, whose tours cover both. “With their table waiting at the restaurants on our programs, our guests bypass the line, enjoy select signature bites, and move on. People want that exclusive feeling in Vegas.”
After a decade of revitalization, Downtown is a dynamic dining destination, with reenergized Fremont East primed for culinary and cocktail crawls. My go-to joints include Downtown Cocktail Room and Evel Pie (evelpie.com) for the Snake River rattlesnake sausage slice. Convivial gastropub Carson Kitchen, breakfast and lunch oasis eat. and tasting plate-driven 7th & Carson are draws on adjacent Carson Street.
Updating a 1940’s motel, Fergusons Downtown is a new communal hub featuring izakaya-style Hatsumi and Mexican La Monja Cantina from Dan Krohmer, one of three off-Strip 2020 James Beard Best Chef: Southwest nominees for his seafood-driven Other Mama in Spring Valley, by Chinatown.
Chef Brian Howard (Photo by Sabin Orr)
Attached to Atomic Liquors, Vegas’ oldest standalone bar, late-night magnet Kitchen at Atomic was recently helmed by Strip veteran Justin Kingsley Hall, who is now prepping his Main St. Provisions in another hot culinary destination, the 18b Arts District (www.dtlvarts.com).
Zoned for creativity, this historic neighborhood below Downtown brims with culinary talent. Champions include local son James Trees for his outstanding Esther’s Kitchen (www.estherslv.com).
Raised on pasta and trained by the best, including Eric Ripert and Gordon Ramsay, Trees’ Italian soul food, such as my scratch-made cacio e pepe, is five-star amore.
Pioneers mingling with Main Street’s antique vendors include sister mixologists Pamela and Christina Dylag, who opened their Velveteen Rabbit (velveteenrabbitlv.com) in 2013.
“These trendsetting boss babes bewitch the bar with alchemy, art, and hyper-creative cocktails,” said Mariena Mercer-Boarini, who after leading the cocktail program at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for the last decade, is now focusing on her cocktail consultancy Wander*lush. Harnessing the face-numbing power of her revolutionary Verbena cocktail, her new flavor- and sensation-enhancing Electra powder is “the second-best thing to do with your tongue.”
Housed in a former garage, Jammyland Cocktail Bar & Reggae Kitchen is for Caribbean fare and inventive cocktails. Adjacent to the Arts Factory Building, The Garden Las Vegas (www.thegardenlasvegas.com) is a new “ultra-lounge” from local LGBTQ nightlife veteran Eduardo Cordova.
Chinatown’s culinary star is also rising. Long dominated by a melting pot of Asian restaurants along Spring Mountain Road, the community west of the Strip has seen an expanding menu of choices in recent years.
Chef James Trees (Photo by Peter Harastys)
Vanguards include Brian Howard’s nationally acclaimed Sparrow + Wolf (www.sparrowandwolflv.com) and Khai Vu’s East-meets-West District One Kitchen & Bar and new Latin-Japanese Mordeo Boutique Wine Bar. Other hot tickets include EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine; Modern French-inspired Partage; and Modern Thai eatery Lamaii. The Golden Tiki (www.thegoldentiki.com) is a 24/7 Vegas classic.
The culinary landscape of Las Vegas is becoming one of the most diverse in the USA. According to Contursi, whose tours also cover The Arts District and Chinatown, and who introduced his self-guided Finger Licking Foodie Tours during the pandemic, “It takes research and legwork. Let GPS, rideshare and wanderlust be your guides.”
History and culture are always at the mercy of continual reinvention in this desert citadel, but there is always a plethora of amazing experiences just waiting for visitors to discover.
Las Vegas isn’t concerned with what we were yesterday or with what we are today,” once noted the late Hal Rothman, chair of UNLV’s History Department and foremost Vegas authority of his time. “It’s tomorrow that entices us.”
Raquel Reed (Photo by Radiant Inc.)
Dazzlers in the current $16 billion investment wave include the under-construction MSG Sphere, a futuristic entertainment orb with revolutionary audio and visual systems, and Elon Musk’s subterranean Tesla “hyperloop” transport system under the expanding convention district, and potentially the Vegas core itself. Amid shiny new things, vintage landmarks shine even brighter.
In September 1928, Overland Hotel owner Ethel Guenter switched on her new “neon gas-electric sign” and gave Las Vegas its signature art form and identifier. Another woman, Betty Willis, designed the landmark 1959 ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, which along with Flamingo’s 1968 plume, updated in 1975, and Lucky the Clown at Circus Circus (1976) are the Strip’s sole yesteryear survivors. The old guard lives on though at Downtown’s Neon Museum (www.neonmuseum.org), where still-electrified retirees include the martini-glass beauty from late ’60’s gay bar Red Barn. Digital artist Craig Winslow’s reanimation of classic inoperable signs, choreographed to classic Vegas tunes, is truly “Brilliant!”
Heirlooms dotting the Downtown landscape include The Silver Slipper; Hacienda Hotel’s Caballero on a Palomino; and Willis’s recently restored 1957 Blue Angel Motel sign (also look for the “Phalanx of Angels Descending” mural inspired by the 16-foot tall icon).
Seven Magic Mountains (Photo: by Prada Brown)
At historic Fremont and Main, developer Derek Stephens owns Vegas’s original hotel, the Golden Gate (1906), and its latest, Circa Las Vegas (www.circalasvegas.com). Where the Overland once stood, this sleek adults-only tower features a tiered outdoor pool amphitheater and Vegas Vickie in the lobby, while her 40-foot tall pal Vegas Vic still stands sentinel at the nearby Pioneer Club.
The city of Las Vegas’ downtown improvement project, Project Enchilada, is returning vintage motel signs to East Fremont, where the 1941 El Cortez (www.elcortezhotelcasino.com) is Vegas’ oldest continuously operating casino. Adorned with classic signage, this time capsule features a vintage barbershop, a floor of original guestrooms, and $5 margaritas all day, every day.
Neon Museum (Photo by Dennis Dean)
Bugsy Siegel, who had a stake in the El Cortez before founding the Flamingo, is featured at Downtown’s National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, or Mob Museum (www.themobmuseum.org). Housed in Vegas’ original 1933 U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, arresting draws include the courtroom where the nationally televised Kefauver hearings on Mafia involvement in Vegas were held in 1950. Visit the website for the weekly password to access the basement-level Speakeasy Bar.
East Fremont Public Art
Photo: Jeff Heilman
Dating to early showgirls and the first topless Minsky shows in 1957 at The Dunes, burlesque and other risqué entertainment are also Vegas signatures. “Less so these days after Jubilee! closed (in 2016 , after 35 years at the Tropicana),” said international headliner and model Raquel Reed, who stars in the smash adult hit Absinthe at Caesars Palace. “But a solid handful of us keep it going here.”
Guardians include Dustin Wax, executive director of the Burlesque Hall of Fame (www.burlesquehall.com). Featuring informative panels and vintage ephemera, this pioneering Arts District museum was originated by late tassel-twirling legend Jennie Lee. Wax and his team promote this historic art form through community events and the annual Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. Reigning burlesque queens Dita Von Teese and Dirty Martini are board members.
In its International and Las Vegas Hilton days, Westgate presented the ultimate Vegas dinner show—Elvis Presley. Today, visitors can combine SEXXY, Barry Manilow, and other entertainment with award-winning cuisine at Edge Steakhouse or Fresco Italiano. Executive Chef Steve Young, who began his Vegas career in the French-speaking kitchen of three Michelin star L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, has elevated both restaurants to number one Trip Advisor rankings.
Italian food, live entertainment, and gaming are original dance partners in Vegas, starting at the Pair O’ Dice (1931), the first club on the future Strip.
Keeping the sauce and the groove on since 1949, Bootlegger Italian Bistro (www.bootleggerlasvegas.com) is a 24-hour family-run gem with matriarch “Mama” Maria Perry, 102, still on hand. Her daughter, Lorraine Hunt-Bono, whose group “The Lauri Perry Four” opened Howard Hughes’ Landmark Hotel in 1969, provides the showbiz lineage and more, including serving as Nevada’s 32nd Lieutenant Governor.
Continue south on the Boulevard to Seven Magic Mountains (www.sevenmagicmountains.com), Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s desert installation of seven towering dayglow-painted limestone totems.
AREA15 Art Island
Photo: Peter Ruprecht
Where to next? Chinatown’s renowned Las Vegas Little Theater, or the Liberace Museum Collection? The 1913 Pioneer Saloon, Southern Nevada’s oldest bar with its Carole Lombard memorial wall, or 24-hour Planet 13, the world’s largest marijuana dispensary?
After 34 years of visiting Las Vegas, fanning out has only deepened my bond with this town. There’s always something exciting ahead, like AREA15 (www.area15.com). Opened in September 2020, this much anticipated “experiential retail and entertainment complex” looks mind-blowing. Creative partners include Blue Man Group co-founder Chris Wink, who in the role of Director of Content and Cool Shit, is introducing projects like “Wink World: Portals to the Infinite,” described as “equal parts psychedelic art house and carnival funhouse.” Santa Fe, NM-based interactive art pioneer Meow Wolf has created the surreal Omega Market supermarket experience.
L.A.’s Lost Spirits Distillery, described by Smithsonian Magazine as “a high-end Willy Wonka experience for adults and a Disneyland for drinkers” is also setting up here.
With so much to see, taste, explore, and experience, is it any wonder why Las Vegas continues to be one of the most popular destinations for travelers from around the world?
