Nevada Travel
Nevada travel is far from typical. Imagine hitting the Vegas casinos one day and quietly taking in stunning desert scenery the next, and you’ll start to understand the Silver State’s appeal. This guide shows you Nevada’s unique attractions and activities, explains how to get around the state, and helps you find Nevada travel deals on hotels and flights. You’ll also get feature articles on Nevada travel in newspapers and magazines, and advice from other travelers.
Expand All Guide SectionsThings to do in Nevada
If you’d like your Nevada getaway to have some variety, you’re in luck. Few states can match the mix of bright lights and stark desert landscapes. Start piecing together a personalized Nevada vacation by using the sites in this section.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you’re heading to Las Vegas but still want to take in Nevada’s enviable topography, consider a side trip to Lake Mead, the largest manmade lake in the Western Hemisphere. Just 30 miles from the gambling hot spot, Lake Mead sits at the junction of three deserts (the Mojave, the Great Basin and the Sonoran), and has a variety of plant and animal species.
- Can’t get enough of Vegas? Visit the findingDulcinea Las Vegas Travel Web Guide for advice and Web sites to help you plan a trip to Sin City, including hotels, flights, Vegas eats and entertainment.
Dulcinea's Picks
For official state tourism …
The Nevada Commission on Tourism
site is a great starting point for trip planning. A colorful, fun-to-browse layout makes it easy to familiarize yourself with destinations like Vegas and Lake Tahoe, as well as things to do like golf and scenic drives. Use the “Build Your Trip” feature if you have specific ideas in mind for how you’d like to spend your Nevada vacation.
For feature articles on Nevada …
The New York Times Travel
section guide to Nevada contains practical advice from Frommer’s, as well as a compilation of travel feature articles on various destinations around the state. Visit this site for a different take on well-trodden locales, such as Las Vegas for families, and current trends like skiing at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe.
Nevada Magazine
is a glossy, savvy mix of travel, culture and landscape features. Find great photography of Nevada’s natural and cultural draws, and intriguing stories covering various topics, including modern saloons and Nevada road trips. Don’t miss the “Web Extras” section for more photos and a Nevada travel blog.
For traveler-created Nevada guides …
RealTravel
guides feature information and advice from people who’ve actually been there. If you want candid, casual content with lots of photos of Nevada, this site is a great choice. Allow yourself time to browse guides to “Top Nevada Cities” as well as to many other municipalities that aren’t as popular but are perhaps worthy of a visit.
For Nevada attractions …
The U.S. National Park Service
provides information on Nevada’s Lake Mead, Great Basin and Death Valley. Get a bit of geographical background on each park, and find practical information to help you plan a trip, including driving directions and visitor fees.
The American Southwest
is a well-established travel site maintained by one man who enjoys RV excursions in the southwestern United States. The Nevada section provides insider information on various attractions and a few parks and recreation areas. Despite a few Google ads, this site is easy to navigate and has excellent photos of each listed location.
The Nevada Commission on Tourism
site provides information on Cowboy Country in northern Nevada. For help planning a visit, scroll down to the map and suggested itineraries. You’ll find summaries of each town in Cowboy Country, including Elko, featuring a cowboy poetry festival in January as well as tons of outdoor sports.
For Nevada outdoor and adventure travel …
GORP
is an outdoor and adventure online travel guide, providing resources for travelers aiming to go beyond Vegas and Reno. Read feature articles on desert hikes in Nevada, and learn about national parks, forests and wilderness areas to explore around the state. You’ll have to complete a quick, free registration process first.
The Travel Channel
spotlights Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, a moraine (glacially formed) featuring spectacular views of the stars, limestone arches and the only glacier in the Great Basin Desert. Learn about the Basin’s geological history, find out how best to explore the glacier, and get practical information.
Burning Man
is a yearly experiment in temporary community held in the Nevada desert for the week before Labor Day. Self-expression and self-reliance are key components of the event. Learn more about the festivities on the Burning Man site.
For gambling …
The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority
presents Reno’s many varied activities for travelers. In addition to the city’s infamous gambling opportunities, Reno offers cultural and outdoor pursuits for visitors. Download the travel planner and browse the Reno blog for upcoming events and news.
Time Out
city guides are fun to read and contain insider tips on attractions, restaurants and shopping. Get the scoop on the best shows and nightlife in Vegas, and link to Web sites of specific performances, eateries and museums for more information.
Gayot.com
has a guide to restaurants, hotels and entertainment in Las Vegas. Whether you want to view art at the Bellagio Hotel, drink up at a Vegas Irish pub or dine in a high-end hotel restaurant, this guide shows you how. You can even book a table online directly through Gayot.
Visit Laughlin
is the tourism site of the city of Laughlin, a gambling destination that’s a bit calmer than Las Vegas, and is known for its generous slot machines and inexpensive hotels.
Nevada Transportation
Cruise by car through the dusty Nevada desert, or hop on a cheap flight for a weekend in Reno. Wherever you want to go in Nevada, the sites in this section can help you plan your transportation.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you’re flying to Nevada, you’ve got three airport choices, all of which are international: Laughlin Bullhead City, Las Vegas McCarran and Reno/Tahoe.
- Summertime gets steamy in the desert and flights are cheaper. Shows and attractions may also be discounted in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas if you visit during the summer off-season.
- The findingDulcinea Travel Web Guide includes additional flight search tools and advice for finding cheap flights online.
Dulcinea's Picks
For flights …
Southwest Airlines
offers one-way fares to and from Reno and Vegas, and has a large number of flights in and out of both cities. Look for special Web-only pricing on flights to Vegas from nearly any U.S. city that the airline serves.
For driving directions …
Google Maps
of Nevada show the state’s topography in satellite images, and provide driving directions for routes between Nevada and other locations.
For buses …
Greyhound
buses service several cities in Nevada. Get schedules, routes and fare information for your bus trip.
Hotels in Nevada
Luxury travelers and horseback riders alike can find great places to stay in Nevada. In this section, you’ll find a variety of accommodation options, including hotels, inns and ranches capturing the cowboy spirit.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The findingDulcinea Travel Web Guide is a great resource for hotel seekers, presenting advice and Web sites to help you find and book rooms anywhere in the world.
- Nevada’s working ranches are a great option if you want to experience the cowboy life. Rates are usually reasonable, as well.
Dulcinea's Picks
For accommodation search tools …
Hotels.com
finds deals on rooms in Nevada’s hotels, condos, and bed and breakfasts. Enter your destination and dates of travel into the search engine to get a well-organized, easy-to-browse list of possible hotels with photos, ratings and thorough descriptions of amenities.
Hotels Combined
is a new Web site based in Australia with a promising hotel search tool. The site searches for rooms from more than 700,000 hotel deals listed on the Web’s best hotel reservation sites. You can’t book on Hotels Combined, but you’ll be linked to other booking sites to make your reservation.
For ranches …
71 Ranch
in Elko is a working guest ranch with cowboy accommodations. Learn about activities such as riding horses and working with cattle, view photos of the lodge and sod house where you’ll stay, and get rates.
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