6 Quirkiest Nevada Towns To Visit In 2025
Nevada is full of surprises, whether you are partying it up on the Las Vegas Strip or appreciating any one of its world-class state and national parks. But this sparsely populated state in the high deserts of the Southwest also houses some truly underrated gems within its sizable borders, from towns with barely 100 residents to straight-up ghost towns.
To stand out, many of these lesser-known places have developed their own unique and quirky attractions that you can (and totally should) visit in 2025.
Tonopah
Tonopah sits halfway between Las Vegas and Reno and delivers one of Nevada’s most unique combinations of history and roadside attractions, a perfect stop if traveling between the state's two biggest cities.
Most visitors usually start at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, where original mine shafts, tunnels, and equipment are open for both self-guided and professionally guided tours. For another window into the past, across town is the Central Nevada Museum, a spot that houses a collection of artifacts from both the mining era and Cold War military projects. And for food and drink after a day of exploring, the Tonopah Brewing Company and Mizpah Hotel Bar both provide local options in buildings with Old West character.
Tonopah's strangest claim to fame, however, is the Clown Motel, which boasts hundreds of clown dolls, clown-themed rooms, and even shares a parking lot with an old cemetery dating back to 1901.
On a less unsettling note, stargazing is another major draw in this relatively empty region of the country. Tonopah is officially designated as a Dark Sky Community, and the nearby Tonopah Stargazing Park offers some of the clearest night skies in the continental US.
Goldfield
Goldfield is a semi-ghost town on US Route 95 that leans into its strange, half-abandoned vibe. Once the largest city in Nevada during a gold rush in 1904, it now comprises a mix of crumbling buildings, art installations, and other eccentric locales.
Head over to the Goldfield Historic District, which includes the old-timey Goldfield Hotel, long rumored to be haunted. Though closed to the public, it remains one of the town’s most photographed sites and an icon of the Wild West.
On the artistic side of things, you have to check out the International Car Forest, an open-air site a short drive south, where dozens of vehicles are buried nose-first in the dirt or stacked vertically and spray-painted with various surreal murals. Moreover, the Goldfield Art Car Park downtown offers a smaller version of a similar concept right in the center of town.
There is also the Goldfield Days Festival every August, featuring parades, old west reenactments, and even a real land auction hosted by the county!
Rachel
Rachel is the closest town to Area 51 and has thus built its identity around UFO culture and other extraterrestrial lore. It is not for everyone, but if your interests include conspiracy theories and remote landscapes, Rachel is an oddly beautiful place that fits the bill.
Located along the aptly named Extraterrestrial Highway (State Route 375), Rachel has fewer than 50 residents but attracts thousands of visitors each year looking for a potential brush with the unknown.
The main (and pretty much the only) stop here is the Little A’Le’Inn, a cozy diner, bar, and motel wrapped in flying saucer decor, where you can grab an alien burger and scan the sky for strange lights while enjoying a cold beverage.
Nearby, travelers also often make the trek to the "Back Gate" of Area 51, located roughly 10 miles down a rough gravel road. Access to this mystery-shrouded military base is strictly forbidden, and the warning signs and surveillance cameras must be taken seriously.
Beyond the supernatural, Rachel is surrounded by stark desert scenery and is another one of the darkest areas in Nevada for viewing a clear night sky.
Pioche
Pioche sits in the far eastern side of Nevada and was, at one time, considered among the most lawless towns in the West. Today, it has quieted down considerably, now full of odd relics and desolate terrain that still hint at its rugged past.
The Million Dollar Courthouse, for example, was built in 1872 and is still open for tours. It boasts its original jail and courtroom, along with exhibits on local history and crime. Behind it, the Boot Hill Cemetery includes wooden markers detailing how many former residents “died with their boots on,” old code for being murdered!
For something a little less morbid, another one of Pioche’s most unusual features is its gravity-powered aerial tramway. Constructed in 1891 and decommissioned in the 1930s, this rusting landmark still has ore buckets hanging in midair, stretching across a ridge and down to the mill site.
The quaint downtown strip in Pioche is also worth a stroll, and includes a few saloons, locally owned shops, and the Lincoln County Museum. Gunslinger’s is a particularly renowned eatery. Housed in a tiny, rustic building, this down-to-earth spot serves anything from beer to ice cream, coffee, and sandwiches.
Gerlach
Gerlach is a remote outpost in the northwestern corner of the state, best known as the last stop before the Black Rock Desert, the home of the annual Burning Man festival. Outside of this eccentric event, the town itself is fairly peaceful, with some odds and ends peppered in, too.
Locations like the Planet X Pottery studio, located just outside of town, showcase high-end ceramics in an off-grid, solar-powered compound. Closer to town, a limited selection of amenities, like the Bruno’s Country Club, offering meals, a bar, and a small casino, are available. Also note that the adjacent Bruno's Motel is the only place here to find a room.
Gerlach also functions as a launch point for exploring nearby natural curiosities. Fly Geyser, located on a private ranch, is a technicolor geothermal formation that can be visited via guided tours through Friends of Black Rock-High Rock. Furthermore, the Black Rock Desert Playa itself is open to the public for hiking, camping, and general high-desert exploration with little to no crowds to get in the way.
Caliente
Caliente is a railroad town that has since turned into a hot spot (no pun intended) for old-school railroad enthusiasts, desert biking, and other kinds of outdoor adventurers. The primary landmark here is the Caliente Station, a mission-style structure dating back to 1923 that now functions as the town’s civic center and a sort of museum. Inside, you will discover exhibits on local history and the Union Pacific Railroad’s role in forming the region economically and politically. The town also features the Caliente Heritage Boxcar Museum next to the station, another locomotive-themed destination.
Caliente has become a base for desert trail biking over the years. If this interests you, the Barnes Canyon Mountain Bike Trails, just outside of town, cover over 13 miles of singletrack through sandstone canyons and piñon-juniper forests. Prefer to travel on foot? Nearby, Kershaw-Ryan State Park offers a variety of short hikes with natural sights like a spring-fed canyon and a surprisingly green picnic area surrounded by rock walls.
Pay a Visit to These Unique Desert Towns Today
If you want something new and off-the-beaten-path to experience during your travels this year, be sure to consider these towns to help your itinerary take shape. You will certainly gain memories that not all can say they share, whether walking amongst a forest made of wrecked cars, adventuring down an abandoned mine shaft, or seeing the Milky Way in a clarity you have never experienced before.
