7 Best Nevada Towns For A Weekend Trip

Nevada is an intriguing state. Most of it is desert, but it also has many oasis towns that act as gateways to abandoned mining facilities, beautiful national parks, and compelling historical treasures. These towns are proof that you don't have to go to Las Vegas or Reno to have a great weekend trip.

In these quirky towns, you can stargaze at dark sky parks, relax in hot spring spas, explore old tunnels and mine shafts, stroll through an 1850s-era Mormon fort, or even see a haunted clown hotel.

Learn more about the seven best Nevada towns for a weekend trip.

Caliente

Caliente is Spanish for hot, which suits this small town well due to its hot springs. It is the only incorporated town in Lincoln County as an oasis town in the middle of the desert. You can soak in hot spring water at the Kershaw-Ryan State Park, or see its majestic desert garden of white oaks, fruit trees, and grapevines. The park itself sits within a 700-foot-deep Rainbow Canyon, which is a favorite for climbers.

Caliente used to be a major rail hub, which you can learn about at the Caliente Heritage Box Car Museum or the Mission Revival-style Caliente Railroad Depot, a two-story stucco building constructed in 1923 that now houses the city hall, library, and an art gallery. You can also stay at the Shady Motel. Don't let the name fool you, this family-owned hotel has been serving the area for over 50 years and boasts great amenities.

Eureka

This historic town was named Eureka thanks to its rich silver deposits, discovered in 1864. This discovery led to a major rush as miners came to the town to strike it rich, including Chinese, Italian, and Basque immigrants. In Eureka, you can find several rare historic places, such as underground tunnels, which were used for moving liquor and by nonwhite people trying to avoid harassment. You can take an Underground Tunnel Tour to see these tunnels for yourself, or you can go above ground to find the Eureka Sentinel Museum, which preserves an Old West-style newsroom that operated from 1879 to 1960.

Another historic place is the 1880 Eureka Opera House, which brought masquerade balls, dances, and other Victorian culture to the Wild Western town. You can stay at a historic Old Western hotel at the 1877 Jackson House Hotel.

Austin

Austin sits on US Route 50, commonly referred to as America's loneliest road. It is not so lonely, though, that you can't find some pleasant folks and great attractions. Austin is a mountain town with several secret places to discover. Standing above the town is Stokes Castle, a mysterious 1897 castle made of pure granite that was built in the style of an Italian campagna. It also has one of the oldest hotels in Nevada: the International Hotel, built in 1859 in Virginia City before being moved to Austin. It doesn't have open rooms, but it does serve food and drinks.

There are three wilderness areas to explore in the region: the Arc Dome Wilderness, Alta Toquima Wilderness, and the Table Mountain Wilderness, with trails running through canyons, creeks, and other mountainous landscapes. One mountain you can go up just outside of town is Mt. Prometheus, a nearly 8,000-foot-tall mountain, which you can hike up within the Toiyabe National Forest. For lodging options, you can't go wrong with the Cozy Mountain Motel or the KD's Pony Canyon Motel.

Genoa

Mormon traders settled Genoa in 1851, making it the oldest town in Nevada. It was first called Mormon Station prior to 1855, when Orson Hyde changed the name to Genoa in honor of the Italian city where Christopher Columbus was born. This Mormon heritage is on full display at the Mormon Station State Historic Park, complete with a replica of the 1851 fort, a museum, and a family picnic area. There are several other places of historical significance in town, such as the Genoa Courthouse Museum or the 1853 Genoa Bar & Saloon, named the oldest Thirst Parlor in the state.

With its position by the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Genoa is a great place for hiking. The 17-mile Genoa Trail System will take you through places like the Genoa Canyon or the Sierra Canyon Trail. The best place to stay in town is David Walley's Resort, which was first frequented by Mark Twain in the 1880s. Today, it offers mineral hot spring spas, a restaurant, and comfortable beds.

Ely

To find a great town for a weekend trip, you can't go wrong with a gateway community. Ely serves as a gateway town to the Great Basin National Park, a marvelous place with desert valleys, mountain peaks, and dark sky stargazing opportunities. At the park, you can hike up to Lexington Arch to see one of the largest limestone arches on Earth or see ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees, including the remains of the Prometheus Tree, which was somewhere between 4,700 to 5,200 years old.

Within the town limits, you can learn about natural history at the White Pine Public Museum or rail history at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Ely is ideal for affordable hotels, as there are multiple places that double as casinos, such as Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall or Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall.

Boulder City

Boulder City is unique for multiple reasons, from its manmade and natural marvels to its quirky stores. Much like Ely, it serves as a gateway to a major Nevada attraction: the Hoover Dam. Visitors can learn about this massive project at the Boulder City Hoover Dam Museum housed within the Boulder Dam Hotel. Boulder City is also next to the 1.5 million-acre Lake Mead National Recreation Area. This area is noteworthy for swimming, hiking, animal watching, and a Historic Railroad Trail that runs through five tunnels.

Boulder City has a lot of quirky old-school movie charm that is on display at Tom Devlin's Monster Museum, which has props, costumes, and other movie tools used to create classic movie monsters. Boulder City also houses the Fisher Space Pen Company, which manufactures pressurized pens designed for use in extreme environments, such as outer space. For places to stay other than the Boulder Dam Hotel, there is the Hoover Dam Lodge, which offers a casino and steakhouse.

Tonopah

Tonopah is one of the quirkiest towns in Nevada, as it has what many would consider to be the scariest motel in America: The Clown Motel. Decorated with thousands of miniature clowns and clown paintings, it is quite a frightening place for those with a fear of clowns, not to mention its allegedly haunted rooms! It probably doesn't help that the motel sits right next to the Old Tonopah Cemetery. In addition to these frightful places, you can also go exploring through an abandoned mining facility at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, where you can descend down the Mizpah Mine Shaft.

For the best site in town, all you will need to do is look up at the Tonopah Stargazing Park. This dark sky spot is one of the best places in the US to see thousands of stars, just like our ancestors would have seen before the advent of electricity. If you don't feel like checking into the Clown Motel, you can book your getaway at the Belvada Hotel, housed within the 1906 Nevada State Bank & Trust building.

Quirky Towns for a Weekend Getaway

All of these Nevada towns are quirky, fun spots for a memorable weekend getaway. In Boulder City, you can learn about the Hoover Dam on one day and go see monster movie costumes on the next. In Ely, you can try your luck at the hotel slot machines or marvel at ancient trees in the Great Basin National Park. These communities possess charming historic forts, mining facilities, and museums amid local curiosities that will make for a wonderful weekend trip for anyone, young or old.