Know today as a booming gambling and entertainment metropolis, Las Vegas, Nevada, was once on the fringe of the wild west, surrounded by mining towns and ranches. Several cowboy attractions are only a day trip or less from the Vegas strip, and a visit to these areas can provide new perspective on the significance of this desert jewel.
Bonnie Springs Old Nevada provides insight on the Nevada of yesteryear. Only 25 miles from Las Vegas, this cowboy town is a tourist attraction that highlights the excitement of the Wild West. Originally a mining town, Bonnie Springs is a replica western town built as a tourist attraction complete with Old Western style buildings, including wood sidewalks, saloons and an outlaw cemetery. This attraction is fun for the whole family with daily reenactments and live entertainment, including a petting zoo, train rides, horseback rides, re-created cowboy gunfights and public hangings. Bonnie Springs also has a motel, restaurants, convention space, a chapel and numerous souvenir shops. In addition, the town is home to a cowboy history museum featuring wax figures from Nevada's cowboy history.
Bonnie Springs Old Nevada
1 Gunfighter Lane
Blue Diamond, Nevada 89004
702-875-4191
bonniesprings.com
The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada has been a popular location for Western movie making. The well-preserved saloon is located about 35 minutes southwest of Las Vegas, and the building has changed little since it was erected in 1913. Open daily, this saloon is a place to wet your whistle and learn about the history and folklore of Nevada's wild west. The saloon features the original cherry bar, built in 1860, as well as the original pot-bellied stove which heats the saloon to this day. The bartender will provide a lively history lesson, including a tale about the poker game that ended with bullet holes through the wall of the saloon. Adjacent to the saloon, a small museum recounts Goodsprings' mining success through original documents and newspapers.
Pioneer Saloon
310 W. Spring Street
Goodsprings, NV 89019
702-874-9362
pioneersaloon.info
Rhyolite is a ghost town just over a one-hour drive from Las Vegas. One of Nevada's largest and best-known ghost towns, at its height Rhyolite was home to over 10,000 residents but due to lack of investment capital, the city was abandoned in 1911. The town features ruins of the original buildings from its previous life as a gold mining boomtown. Today, many of the buildings have decayed, but the train depot and jail are well-preserved. An unusual house made entirely from bottles is another preserved attraction worth a visit.
Rhyolite
P.O. Box 85
Amargosa Valley, NV 89020
