10 Only-in-Nevada Resolutions to Make in 2025
Exercise more, unplug from social media, do something you’ve never done before… Almost every goal is easier to stick with in the Silver State, where steps come naturally, service is spotty, and adventure is never far. Kick off the new year with 10 anything-but-ordinary New Year’s resolutions you won’t find anywhere else.
Stunning skies. Art oversized. A Monster Burger with fries. When the ball drops, resolve to have a ball exploring Nevada.
Get a little out there this year and experience a new-to-you side of Nevada
Kayak in the Desert
Even in the desert, there are endless ways to make a splash. Grab (or rent) your gear and pick a direction—you can find scenic lakes and rivers to dip your paddle into practically everywhere in Nevada. Lake Tahoe and Lake Mead are a given, and so are lesser-known spots like Comins Lake (near Ely), Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge (about an hour from Elko), and the Black Canyon Water Trail, which offers unbelievable views of Hoover Dam.
Tour an Only-in-Nevada Museum
Nevada is home to history and heritage you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Take yourself on a field trip and explore the stories and relics that’ll give you a new appreciation for what makes this state extra special.
Las Vegas is packed with one-of-a-kind cultural destinations:
- At The Neon Museum, you’ll walk among hundreds of now-retired neon signs that once lit world-famous locales.
- For in-depth and interactive stories about the Mob and the law enforcement agencies that fought it, head to The Mob Museum.
- You’ll also have a blast at the National Atomic Testing Museum, which details Nevada’s front-and-center role in nuclear history.
- Bring lots of quarters for the Pinball Hall of Fame, home to one of the nation’s largest collections of pinball machines.
More museums await beyond Las Vegas. Outside of Ely, the McGill Drugstore Museum is a true time capsule of an experience: When the pharmacy closed up shop in the 1970s, it went untouched (and therefore preserved) for decades. In central Nevada, the Eureka Sentinel Museum transports you back to an 1860s newsroom, complete with printing press, type cases, and notices from more than 150 years ago.
Stargaze in the Black Rock Desert
Stargazing in the Silver State is an out-of-this-world experience. Outside of Las Vegas and Reno, just look up to be dazzled by stars, constellations, planets, meteors, and even galaxies—all viewable without a telescope. There’s no shortage of stellar stargazing in rural Nevada, home to the darkest skies in the Lower 48, but we’re calling out one place in particular: the Black Rock Desert.
Go off the grid and onto the playa, a distinct and sprawling landscape known as the home of Burning Man. Soak in hot springs, go off-roading, and scope out wildlife as you wait for the night sky to appear, then kick back and enjoy the show. For even more remote stargazing, go further north to Massacre Rim, a certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Camp overnight and you’ll get doubly wowed by a gorgeous sunrise, illuminating seemingly endless stretches of Nevada’s natural beauty.
Travel Nevada Pro Tip
Travel smart and plan ahead when venturing into the Black Rock Desert. Bring extra fuel, a spare tire, and plenty of food and water. Remember that cell service is virtually nonexistent, so consider bringing a satellite phone or a GPS communicator. And if there’s any kind of wet weather, don’t drive on the playa—you’ll get stuck in a quicksand-like mess.
Tackle the Monster Burger Challenge
Pack your appetite for a visit to Middlegate Station, a Loneliest Road in America landmark. Originally established as a Pony Express station, this roadhouse is less than an hour from Fallon. On your way inside, peruse the exterior for time-tested and photo-worthy features like a phone booth, stagecoach wagon, and notable signage.
The menu offers plenty of tasty (and reasonably portioned) eats, but it’s the Middlegate Monster that lures challenge eaters. Weighing in at nearly 4 pounds, the legendary burger features Angus beef piled high with fresh veggies, pickles, and cheese. The monster fully emerges once the burger gets its eyeball toppers (onion rings and green olives), pepper nose, and tomato tongue. Finish the entire thing—plus the massive pile of fries on the plate—and you’ll hoist a free T-shirt as your hard-earned prize. Don’t forget to bring a dollar bill or two to decorate the ceiling.
Moonwalk at Lunar Crater
You probably won’t walk on the moon in this lifetime, but Nevada’s got you covered with the next-best option.
Lunar Crater wasn’t formed by a UFO or meteor: It’s a natural volcanic maar and the largest in Nevada. The name comes from the landmark’s resemblance to the moon’s craters—an easy comparison to make, especially standing at the rim of the massive depression. In the 1970s, that resemblance went one step further when NASA used Lunar Crater as an actual astronaut training site due to the landscape’s similarity to the moon’s geographical features.
Hit the Lunar Crater Backcountry Byway (roughly 80 miles from Tonopah and just off the Extraterrestrial Highway) to check out this 430-foot-deep wonder along with more extinct volcanoes in the surrounding hills and ancient lava beds where you can find obsidian.
Toast the Wild West at Sagebrush Saloons
Experience Nevada’s Wild West heritage through its still-thriving taverns, watering holes, and thirst parlors—many of which harken back to the late 1800s. The Sagebrush Saloon Passport features nearly 30 storied locales across the state. Download this free guide before your next trip, travel to a location, and check in using your phone. The more Sagebrush Saloons you visit, the more points you’ll earn toward exclusive swag.
Wander an Out-There Art Installation
We love our galleries and museums, but nothing says Nevada like strolling larger-than-life artworks in equally picturesque natural settings. You’ll have to get a little out there to experience these slices of Silver State culture, but we promise the effort will be well worth it.
Just outside Beatty, the Goldwell Open Air Museum is home to oversized sculptures of a cinder block “Venus of Nevada,” a ghostly recreation of “The Last Supper,” and a steel prospector accompanied by a penguin. At the International Car Forest of the Last Church near Goldfield, more than 40 cars, buses, and trucks have been driven into the ground and stacked atop each other, serving as ever-evolving art canvases.
Land artist Michael Heizer has spent decades constructing two large-scale sculptures in Nevada. “Double Negative,” near Overton, is two massive trenches measuring 30 feet wide, 50 feet deep, and 1,500 feet long. Visiting this installation is free and accessible year-round. Outside Alamo, “City” took more than 50 years to complete. The sprawling complex sits on private property and requires a reservation.
Visit Nevada’s National Park
While a small portion of Death Valley National Park sits in the Silver State, there’s one national park found fully inside our borders: Great Basin National Park.
Spanning 77,000 acres, this high-desert paradise is tucked along Nevada’s eastern edge. Due to its remote setting, it’s one of the least visited national parks in the country, so you’ll have the place all to yourself while you fish backcountry lakes or hike alongside groves of ancient bristlecone pines (some of the oldest, gnarliest living trees on Earth). Lehman Caves—one of the park’s most popular attractions—offers a stunning underground tour featuring hundreds of shield formations and thousands of stalagmites and stalactites.
Half the park is after dark, as the saying goes. Camp overnight to find out why. Great Basin National Park’s remote location means light pollution doesn’t reach it, which is why DarkSky certified it as a Dark Sky Park in 2016. Stargazing here is enchanting any time of year, but the annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival is a major celebration of these natural wonders.
Complete a Triathlon—Nevada Style
Instead of swimming, biking, and running, you can go for the gold in the easiest (and tastiest) way possible with the Carson City Triathlon: a collection of three neighboring businesses. At this famous trio, you’ll grab a beer, dine deliciously, and enjoy a hot spring soak—in whichever order you desire.
Shoe Tree Brewing serves up a variety of award-winning beers, ranging from stouts and sours to ambers and IPAs. Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint has one of the most diverse menus in Carson City, and everything is good. Carson Hot Springs is fed by a geothermal spring that’s been bubbling for more than 150 years, and there are both outdoor swimming pools/hot tubs and private hot baths.
Sleep in an Uncommon Overnighter
You’ll need more than a day to tackle all these resolutions, so why not stay the night? Rest your head in one of Nevada’s Uncommon Overnighters, some of the most unique places to stay in the Silver State (or anywhere else):
- In Virginia City, you can spend the night in what used to be a 1950s train caboose.
- At the Yellow Petal Flower Farm in Fallon, wake up surrounded by acres of flower fields.
- Get to Lamoille for two fully furnished backcountry yurts at the Ruby 360 Lodge.
- Near Beatty, you can bunk up at a former brothel that’s now a quaint bed and breakfast.
And trust us—this short list of Uncommon Overnighters is only the beginning.
