Sometimes the best kind of weirdness shows up in the middle of the desert. Artist Cj Hendry brings Public Pool to Sandy Valley, about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas at the state line between Nevada and California.
The art installation is a so-strange-it’s-great inflatable pool that stretches 50-feet long, filled with water and inflatable flowers. Visitors are invited to take a seat under an umbrella at a lounge chair and soak in the spectacle. Public Pool is open this weekend only, April 5-7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. near 1411 Kingston Road.
The unique attraction gives pause to a simple question …
☀️ What is Sandy Valley All About Anyway?
Sandy Valley is a tiny ranch home community of just 2,000 people. It’s so small, the arrival of a gas station and convenience store was a big deal a couple years ago.
⛺ Where to Stay?
Sandy Valley Ranch is the main attraction with a few oddball tiny-home rentals on property, including a tee-pee and covered wagon. The ranch is a throwback to the Old West: You can sign up for various forms of horseback riding, from quiet trail excursions to cattle rustling and high-speed desert galloping in the style of the Pony Express.
🍔 Where to Eat and Drink?
Sandy Valley Ranch has its own in-house restaurant for burgers, steaks, and chicken. Lunch and dinner come with coffee, tea, soda, and a slice of key lime pie included. The Idle Spurs Tavern, however, is the main local hangout — open 24/7 with gaming, pool, spirits, and cold beer. Whatever you drink, it’s served in a red solo cup. The tavern has been around since 1960 and has a small, but memorable cameo in the movie Casino.
🚘 How to Get There?
If you’re not speeding through the desert on an ATV, you’ll take Interstate 15 to Jean and hang northwest on 161, passing by Goodsprings and the historic Pioneer Saloon, which is worth a stop along the way. Yet the oddest thing in this odd town: The Sky Ranch Airport. It’s just a landing strip in the middle of town for small private aircraft — some of which are parked in the dust outside surrounding homes. It’s fitting for the Wild West nature of a town that plays by its own rules.
