Reno to Las Vegas Road Trip

Started in the 1860s when mining turned Virginia City into a boomtown, this cemetery was the final resting place of many of those frontiersman and women. With a sharp rise in population, the need for a cemetery quickly became a reality. Many of those placed here were born well before the early 1900s and many were born elsewhere. The motley assortment of materials used to make the markers reveal the style...

Built in 1876, this saloon is a mixture of Old West charm and modern-day tech. With live music and actors dressed in post-Civil War era costumes, it's really like stepping back 150 years. Naturally, you should order the Bloody Mary if you get the opportunity to visit - its secret recipe is said to be the best in the West!

If you're a clown lover, here's a place for you to stay! Clowns are everywhere: on the doors, on the walls, clown dolls on shelves, and in the lobby. Over 600 of them have been reported. The rooms aren't much but the place sure is quiet, probably due to its location (the hotel stands next to Tonopah's now closed cemetery). One thing is certain and that is - if you hate and fear clowns - run!

This junkyard doesn't pretend to be something that it's not - you'll see a sign as you enter that loudly proclaims it the "World's Largest National Junk Car Forest." On 80 acres owned by artist Michael Rippie, the International Car Forest of the Last Church is a sanctuary for all artists who only want to practice their craft in peace. Located in a city that only has a population of 200 (it once numbered ...

Rhyolite was one of the boomtown failures - a product of the discovery of quartz and gold and then a victim of the fast collapse of the town's banking industry. Some of the original buildings from the early 1900s are still standing although in great disrepair.

A group of Belgian artists in search of creative freedom created seven colossal sculptures within the upper Mojave desert which marks Goldwell as a definite destination for art lovers. Artists from the world over continue visiting decades later as a number of residency and workspace programs are offered in the nearby Red Barn Art Center. The park is open 24/7 and the sculpture park is open and free to th...

It could be an alien landscape of a barren planet, but it is just a small part of the Nevada desert. The official name is the Amargosa Dunes. This is the playground for adults who love romping about in ATVs and off-roading vehicles. There aren't signs leading to the dunes so you'll have to pay attention to coordinates. Make sure you know the laws of off-roading in Nevada before you go!

In the middle of the Nevada desert you'll find the World's Largest Firecracker! Next door to Alien 51 Alien Center (which is connected to the brothel known as Alien Cat House, by the way) is Alamo Fireworks. This firework chain can be found mostly throughout Texas, so this is the only one in Nevada. A large 28-foot tall "M-800" firecracker stands just right of the firework shop. The firecracker is really...

What alien WOULDN'T stop here? Hamburgers, snacks, beverages, restrooms, and low gas prices - this might be a virtual paradise for a Martian longing for the barren red landscape of home. It's also open 24/7 so no aliens need to worry about galactic time zones. And for those aliens pining for companionship there is the "Alien Cathouse Brothel" (just for show).

Nevada sure has some weird tourist attractions and Coffinwood ranks among the weirdest. Operated by Dusty and Bryan Schoening, this custom coffin business includes a cemetery, six hearses, the Church of the Coffin, coffin pillars and gargoyles, and corpse-related products. You'll also find a memorial and pet cemetery and they even perform weddings! What fun - the morbid, the merrier!

Once known as a sacred sight, this little canyon has been abused and vandalized over the years since its caretakers death. The iron gates leading into the canyon are gone, the bathrooms sculpted into the rock are disgusting, statues have been defiled and destroyed along with all of the other sights in the area. You can still find the grave of Queho, the last Nevada Indian here, however, and it amazingly ...

The Diamond Inn Motel was originally built in 1940 as the Desert Isle Motel and may be one of the oldest buildings still standing on the Strip (when you consider how many hotels and casinos have been constantly torn down and rebuilt on the Strip). The pink elephant was actually a Disney World resident which arrived at the hotel during the 1950s where it quickly became kinda sorta the hotel's mascot. It i...

Standing in front of The Stripper Bar at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile is Sin City Sindy, a 31-foot tall custom built stripper in red thigh high stockings and black corset. To get inside the bar you'll have to walk between Sindy's legs and if you look up Sindy's skirt on the way, your picture will be snapped by a hidden camera for a souvenir. Sindy is a costly stripper too, costing $150,000 to construc...