The Atlas Obscura Guide To Nevada

273 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Nevada

Updated May 15, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Nevada

Everything about Ely’s famous pharmacy is a throwback, from the 1950s interiors to the old-timey soda fountain.

Ely, Nevada

Economy Drug & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain

Welcome to a feel-good American drugstore, in the classic sense of the term.

Up to 7,000 stars are visible to the naked eye on a dark night at the stargazing park.

Tonopah, Nevada

Tonopah Stargazing Park

Take in the beauty of the Milky Way at one of the best sites for stargazing in Nevada—a state with some tough competition.

The Silver Cafe is a mom-and-pop diner that has been family operated for generations.

Pioche, Nevada

Historic Silver Café

Ghost hunters have fueled up at this diner for more than a century.

The antique, embossed tin on the walls and ceiling of the Martin Hotel have an “Arabesque” design motif, popular at the time of establishment.

Winnemucca, Nevada

The Martin Hotel

It may no longer take overnight guests, but the Martin still makes out-of-towners feel at home—just like it has for the past century.

After his gemstone-studded saddle won a prize in the 1904 World’s Fair, G.S. Garcia became a sought-after name in riding gear.

Elko, Nevada

Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum

Once a famous outpost for purchasing saddles and spurs, this museum preserves the art, craft, and style of the American cowboy.

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Neon Museum

The neon signs from Las Vegas' past find their final resting place at this unusual graveyard.

Fly Geyser Aerial Photo

Gerlach, Nevada

Fly Geyser

A collision of human error and natural geothermal pressure created this rainbow-colored geologic wonder.

Akhob as viewed from the outside

Las Vegas, Nevada

'Akhob'

James Turrell's total color immersion art installation, hidden on the top floor of a luxury handbag shop.

See All 273 Things To Do in Nevada

Explore More Unique Places in Nevada

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The antique, embossed tin on the walls and ceiling of the Martin Hotel have an “Arabesque” design motif, popular at the time of establishment.

Winnemucca, Nevada

The Martin Hotel

It may no longer take overnight guests, but the Martin still makes out-of-towners feel at home—just like it has for the past century.

The Silver Cafe is a mom-and-pop diner that has been family operated for generations.

Pioche, Nevada

Historic Silver Café

Ghost hunters have fueled up at this diner for more than a century.

Everything about Ely’s famous pharmacy is a throwback, from the 1950s interiors to the old-timey soda fountain.

Ely, Nevada

Economy Drug & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain

Welcome to a feel-good American drugstore, in the classic sense of the term.

Up to 7,000 stars are visible to the naked eye on a dark night at the stargazing park.

Tonopah, Nevada

Tonopah Stargazing Park

Take in the beauty of the Milky Way at one of the best sites for stargazing in Nevada—a state with some tough competition.

After his gemstone-studded saddle won a prize in the 1904 World’s Fair, G.S. Garcia became a sought-after name in riding gear.

Elko, Nevada

Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum

Once a famous outpost for purchasing saddles and spurs, this museum preserves the art, craft, and style of the American cowboy.

The antique, embossed tin on the walls and ceiling of the Martin Hotel have an “Arabesque” design motif, popular at the time of establishment.

List

7 Spots Serving Up Nevada’s Wild and Free Spirit

From Wild West waystations to tiki bars, even the state’s smaller restaurants have big personalities.

“Bonsai Rock” at the west shore of Lake Tahoe, February 2010

List

8 Uncommon Curiosities Beyond Nevada’s Big-City Limits

Nevada’s small towns offer uncanny artwork against an otherworldly backdrop.

Black Fire Opal from the Virgin Valley

List

10 Places to Experience Nevada’s Extraordinary Geological Gems

From active opal mines to mind-boggling natural sand art.

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Nevada

Everything about Ely’s famous pharmacy is a throwback, from the 1950s interiors to the old-timey soda fountain.

Ely, Nevada

Economy Drug & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain

Welcome to a feel-good American drugstore, in the classic sense of the term.

The Silver Cafe is a mom-and-pop diner that has been family operated for generations.

Pioche, Nevada

Historic Silver Café

Ghost hunters have fueled up at this diner for more than a century.

The antique, embossed tin on the walls and ceiling of the Martin Hotel have an “Arabesque” design motif, popular at the time of establishment.

Winnemucca, Nevada

The Martin Hotel

It may no longer take overnight guests, but the Martin still makes out-of-towners feel at home—just like it has for the past century.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Frankie's Tiki Room

The best Tiki bar in Las Vegas.

See all 17 Places to Eat in Nevada

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Curiously Uncommon

Explore the Heart of Nevada

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

11 Out-of-This-World Places You Can Reach in Your Car

Sponsored by GMC Terrain

The best road trips are those that seem to take you to new worlds: surreal-looking beaches, wondrous parks, and roadside oddities that make you do a double take. For instance, in Wisconsin, a local plumber has rigged a natural aquifer into a series of ice sculptures; in Utah, erosion has created a series of rock formations that look like something between an army of goblins and a series of abstract landscapes; and in New Mexico, rippling white sands stretch out to the horizon as far as the eye can see. The best part? You can reach these—and eight more—places by car (with the occasional walk from the parking lot). So pack some snacks, pull up this itinerary, and hit the road.

The painted hills create a natural colorscape in Oregon’s desert.

Explore Nevada

Geology 36

Travelnevada 30

Mines 21

Nature 20

Ghost Towns 19

Museums 19

Water 17

Collections 16

Art 16

History & Culture 16

Natural Wonders 15

History 15

Places To Stay 5

Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

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Stories About Nevada

You don’t have to be an ultra-athlete to recreate this gold rush history.

Follow the Footsteps of an Incredible Mailman From the Gold Rush Era

Hikers recreate Snowshoe Thompson's 100-mile route through the mountains by walking, running, and even skiing.

by Erika Mailman

Nevada’s Basque community began with sheepherders, who settled here in the late 19th century.

Searching for Nevada’s Most Off-Beat Places and People

You haven’t really explored the Silver State until you’ve gone off the Las Vegas Strip.

Sponsored by Travel Nevada

Podcast: Nevada Week: The Martin

Feast like a sheepherder at a Basque boarding house turned restaurant.

Sponsored by Travel Nevada

Podcast: Nevada Week: Molossia

An 11-acre micronation in the Nevada desert with its own rules and regulations.

Sponsored by Travel Nevada

A postcard from 1945 illustrates numerous delights to be found in a mid-century Nevada, but offers no advice on pronunciation.

Why Do Nevadans Pronounce Their State's Name So Strangely?

How you say it certainly says something about who you are.

by Dan Nosowitz

January 26, 2024

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Area 51

November 13, 2023

Area 51, Aliens, and the Truth (It's Out There)

A national security historian explains what's really going on at the infamous Nevada site.

by Christopher Nichols

October 23, 2023

Nevada State Route 375 was officially designated as the Extraterrestial Highway in a nod to rumors of otherworldly activity, but the desert road offers plenty of more grounded attractions.

Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway Is Full of Earthly Wonders, Too

Explore a catastrophic space rock strike, unique flora and fauna, and millennia-old rock art on this famous stretch of desert road.

by Matthew Malinowski

Lists Featuring Nevada

Courtyard monument.

Flamingos on Flamingo Island

The High Roller

The 11 Most Unusual Places to Visit Near the Las Vegas Strip

Including Bugsy Siegel Monument , Flamingo Habitat, and High Roller

The Mizpah Hotel

Goldfield Hotel main entrance on Columbia Street in 1976

The old part of the Gold Hill Hotel, seen from the street.

The Spirited Histories of Nevada’s Most Haunted Hotels

Including Clown Motel, The Mizpah Hotel, and Goldfield Hotel

Pioneer Saloon

The exterior of the saloon.

View down Main Street in Midas

The Middlegate Station roadhouse in Nevada has existed since the Pony Express era

Sagebrush Saloons: The Ultimate Guide to Nevada’s Most Storied Watering Holes

Including Pioneer Saloon, Santa Fe Saloon, and Midas Ghost Town Saloon

Black Fire Opal from the Virgin Valley

Techatticup Mine.

Diana’s Punch Bowl. Note vehicle for scale.

Fly Geyser Aerial Photo

10 Places to Experience Nevada’s Extraordinary Geological Gems

Including Royal Peacock Black Fire Opal Mine, Techatticup Mine, and Diana's Punch Bowl

Winter Solstice 2019

The Spiral Jetty

Double Negative’s north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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