It’s often said that your first stop on a drive between Las Vegas and Reno should be the airport. Otherwise, you’re looking at seven loooong hours through sparsely populated territory. But if you do drive, there are places worth hitting the brakes for. I don’t mean the Clown Motel, either.
This is a quick side trip from the town of Beatty: the ghost town remains of Rhyolite, and the adjacent Goldwell Open Air Museum, a clutch of oddball artworks in the desert (photo). Suggested by my colleague Dayvid Figler.
Whitney’s Bookshelf, Tonopah
The thing about outback used-book stores is their capacity to surprise. There’s almost always a book or two you wouldn’t have expected or even heard of — but now must have.
Strawberry Hill Diner, Tonopah
This family-owned spot has “a good breakfast and a great road cheeseburger,” says journalist John L. Smith, a seasoned Nevada traveler. “Order ahead and take out. Good stuff.”
La Casita, Mina
In its previous life, this little red hut was Socorro’s Burger Hut, renowned for serving one of the best burgers in the state. It still serves burgers, but has expanded its menu to include “pretty authentic Mexican food,” Smith says.
Spare a few moments to admire the fragile, enduring beauty of a desert lake, keeping in mind that this is what’s left of Lake Lahontan, a prehistoric body of water that, 12,000 years ago, reached into California and Oregon. Suggested by Joey Lovato of The Nevada Independent.
Next Evolution Coffee Shop, Schurz
In case you need some fancy, ethical coffee, juice, a sandwich or wrap, and a cool place to sit.
- Listen as you drive to this back-and-forth about which city is better, Las Vegas or Reno. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
