12 Serene Nevada Towns For A Weekend Retreat
The rugged state of Nevada is known for the Fountains of Bellagio and the Fremont Street Experience, two of the more fabulous attractions inside the city of Las Vegas. Known as well as the Silver State, Nevada also possesses a plethora of tranquil small towns that have their own unique attributes. From the picturesque Incline Village and Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, along the western border of the state, to quaint Eli and Renaissance Village, situated just off the eastern border, there is something for everyone in Nevada. And, these twelve towns possess some great lodging options as well, like Hot Springs Motel in Caliente and Candlewood Suites in Winnemucca.
Minden - Douglas County
Not far from Lake Tahoe, the peaceful town of Minden is home to many activities that make it ideal for a weekend retreat. Along with several casinos, including Carson Valley Inn, Minden is home to some first-class art galleries and antique stores. Heartstrings Art offers photography, glass art, and jewelry, while Red Barn has a variety of home furnishings available. Carson Valley Inn even has an indoor pool, two hot tubs, and two on-site restaurants.
Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is another great attraction in Minden. This historic park preserves the Dangberg Ranch, first consisting of a ranch house in 1860, and then later a bunkhouse, a cellar, and a barn in the 1870s. Considered to be the first ranch in Nevada, they hold a Dangberg Summer Festival every year in August, with speakers, musicians, and famous authors.
Laughlin - Clark County
Situated just below Lake Mohave, Laughlin is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream come true. Grapevine Canyon, one of the more popular attractions in Nevada, is situated less than ten miles away from town, with over seventy petroglyphs to view and photograph. Lake Mohave, with its northern edge in the area of Grapevine Canyon, offers several water-related activities, like fishing, swimming, boating, and hiking.
The town of Laughlin also has several great lodging choices, like the Golden Nugget and Aquarius Resort. Both are situated along Casino Drive and offer a variety of awesome amenities, including indoor & outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, and an on-site restaurant. And, if you like the outdoors, Big Bend provides RV camping options, as well as swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, and picnicking.
Tonopah - Nye County
Halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, Tonopah is known for the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. This mining park is on the site of the original mining claim that gave Tonopah the name “Queen of the Silver Camps.” Tonopah is also home to the World Famous Clown Motel, situated right next to a dark, creepy cemetery that has been abandoned for the last century, where guests can experience clowns in every way possible.
If, perhaps, you wish to stay overnight somewhere other than the World Famous Clown Motel, the town of Tonopah has several other options, including Dream Inn and Belvada Hotel, both situated on Main Street. And, quite near Dream Inn, the Central Nevada Museum features a wealth of knowledge about the early settlers of Tonopah.
Caliente - Lincoln County
Caliente is home to Kershaw Ryan State Park, located just southeast of town. Kershaw Ryan State Park not only offers numerous attributes, like hiking some of its most scenic trails, including the Canyon Overlook Loop and Rainbow Canyon Drive, but also has options for playing volleyball, picnicking, and even camping overnight. If you wish to stay overnight in town, the Shady Motel on Front Street offers wi-fi, free breakfast, and even a small garden.
Caliente is also quite near an actual ghost town. The town of Delamar, an hour away, is the perfect example of what gold does to the economy of small towns. Delamar was first established in 1894 and was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1900. Though there seemed to be a slight rise in population between 1929 and 1934, the town of Delamar went the way of a majority of the ghost towns in Nevada.
Eureka - Eureka County
Situated many miles from both Las Vegas and Reno, the tiny town of Eureka, with less than five hundred people, is home to the Eureka Opera House, which was first built in 1879 and carries its own unique history, and the Eureka Sentinel Museum. Both the opera house and the museum are located in downtown Eureka, close to the Jackson House Hotel, which is rumored to be haunted.
The Tannehill Cabin is also located in Eureka. For those interested in the history of the area, the Tannehill brothers built the cabin in 1864. Though they only owned it for just over a year, this historic cabin is considered one of Eureka’s oldest houses. And, right down the road, in case you want to sleep under your own roof, the Silver Sky Lodge & RV Park is situated just below town.
Lovelock - Pershing County
A hundred miles outside the city of Reno, the small town of Lovelock is possibly best known for Lovers Lock Plaza. Located right on Main Street, it is rumored that Lovers Lock Plaza is the place where lovers everywhere can stop in and lock up their love with a padlock. By throwing away the key, they symbolize that their love is going to last forever. Plus, north of town, Candy Beach Campground and the Royal Inn both offer accomodations, though they are in themselves vastly different.
Lovelock is also home to Lovelock Caves, for anthropology enthusiasts, and Rye Patch State Park, for nature lovers. Lovelock Caves, formed over twenty thousand years ago, first became home to the Northern Paiute Indians and then to cannibalistic giants. Rye Patch State Park, situated north of town, offers a plethora of great amenities, including swimming, hiking, picnicking, and even camping overnight.
Gardnerville - Douglas County
Close to Minden, the town of Gardnerville is home to several attributes that make it perfect for a weekend retreat. From the Sheridan Creek Equestrian Center, and their unique horse-riding experiences, to Heritage Park Gardens, Gardnerville is a hidden gem. And, for those who appreciate history, the Historian Inn, located on U.S. Highway 395, offers wi-fi, free parking, and free breakfast the next morning.
Another awesome experience within Gardnerville, as it is within Nevada, Sharkey’s Nugget, a casino in downtown Gardnerville offers a bit of the excitement of Vegas and Reno. This small yet ideal casino also offers guests and visitors a delicious bite to eat at the Jackpot Cafe, which is rumored to have the best Prime Rib in the northern part of the state since 1971.
Winnemucca - Humboldt County
Picturesque Winnemucca, located almost 200 miles away from Reno and Sparks, is an ideal place to get away from hectic everyday living and enjoy nature at its best. Home to Water Canyon Recreation Area, which offers hiking, picnicking, and bird watching, and Riverview and Pioneer parks, there is a little bit of something for everyone. Water Canyon even offers overnight camping.
Winnemucca is also home to several historic attractions. Nixon Park honors those who fought during the Vietnam War and displays an almost 1,500-year-old piece of driftwood that came from a Redwood Tree. Also, check out the Humboldt County Museum, located just down the road from the Overland Hotel, which features some interesting artifacts from Winnemucca and Humboldt County.
Genoa - Douglas County
The tiny town of Genoa, situated between Lake Tahoe and the town of Minden, is home to a plethora of historic attributes, including Mormon Station State Historic Park and the Genoa Courthouse Museum. Mormon Station State Park, established in 1851, offers guests the opportunity to experience what it was like for Mormons to live in a replica of the original fort.
The town of Genoa is also home to Concerts on the Green, held once every month throughout the summer in downtown Genoa Park. And, if you are planning on staying for the entire weekend, either with family, friends, or even solo, the White House Inn is right around the corner on Genoa Lane, with great service and a delicious breakfast the next morning.
Virginia City - Storey County
Perhaps one of the best choices for a weekend retreat, the tiny town of Virginia City, with less than eight hundred residents, is a historian’s paradise. With more museums, perhaps, than most towns in Nevada, including the Marshall Mint, the Fourth Ward School, the Way it Was, and the Mackay Museum, this small western town has a true sense of what history means in the grand scheme of things.
There are several other attributes that make it worth the visit as well. Not only do they celebrate an Oddities Show, a dedication to the bizarre, through the Mackay Museum every June, but Virginia City is home to several choice restaurants and lodging options. For comfortable lodgings, check out Edith Palmer’s Country Inn on B. Street.
Incline Village - Washoe County
As it is located along the northern borders of Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, with less than ten thousand people, is an outdoor enthusiast’s vacation spot. Home to Secret Cove Beach, Sand Harbor, Burnt Cedar Beach, and Incline Beach, the amount of water-related activities around Incline Village, such as swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking, and nature-watching, are almost uncountable.
Incline Village is also home to Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, which is almost 1,500 acres in size. Sand Harbor, one of the natural attractions of Lake Tahoe State Park, offers a sandy beach, a scenic hiking trail, a boat launch, and picnicking options. Incline Village is also home to several great inns, like the Incline Lodge, which features wi-fi, free parking, and an on-site restaurant.
Ely - White Pine County
Hidden on the opposite side of the state from the city of Reno, the quaint town of Ely is perhaps best known for the Ely Renaissance Village. Showcasing the lives of those who lived in the 1900s during the peak of copper mining, the Ely Renaissance Village offers guests a wedding venue unlike most others of its kind in the state. And it is right down the road from the Jailhouse Motel & Casino, which offers great rooms and easy access to testing your luck.
Ely is also home to several great museums, in case history is more to your liking than nature. The Nevada Northern Railroad Museum, the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, and the White Pine Public Museum are all within the town of Ely, featuring everything from trains of the past to artifacts relating to the Pony Express.
Conclusion
Perhaps most famous for the gambling opportunities available within the cities, like Las Vegas and Reno, the state of Nevada, still has a plethora of small towns worth visiting for a weekend as well. Whether it is the historic aspects, like the Renaissance Village in Ely, or natural qualities, such as the Grapevine Canyon just north of Laughlin, the Silver State has some awesome choices. Here are a dozen of the most serene towns that are ideal for a weekend retreat.
