Weird Nevada

Nevada’s Most Unusual Roadside Attractions

Welcome to the weirdest, wildest West. Goldfield was once one of Nevada’s largest boomtowns. At Goldfield Historic Cemetery, you can browse historic epitaphs of residents long since passed—including the unfortunate “DIED EATING LIBRARY PASTE.”

Also in Goldfield, the International Car Forest of the Last Church is an unconventional sculpture garden. Dozens of painted cars stand on end, straddle crevices, or balance delicately on top of one another. The artwork is always changing, so no two visits are ever alike.

Seven Magic Mountains is a cluster of neon boulders stacked 35 feet high, towering over the desert landscape. This polychromatic photo op is an art installation visible from I-15, especially if you’re headed to The Strip.

The Goldwell Open Air Museum puts the “ghost” in “ghost town.” Begun in the 1980s by Belgian artist Albert Szukalski, its plaster ghosts form a spectral tableau of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” These haunting installations enchant thousands of international visitors to nearby Rhyolite Ghost Town and Death Valley National Park.

In Hiko, E.T. Fresh Jerky has your Area 51 fuel-up needs covered. Browse kitschy curios, pose with life-sized aliens in funky murals, and load up on a robust snack selection. Just down the Extraterrestrial Highway, visit the Alien Research Center. Gleaming in the desert sun like an actual spaceship, this silver Quonset hut and its two-story silver alien security guard serve up the latest alien apparel, hats, and far more. 

Root for the bad guys at Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum in Boulder City. Curated by an award-winning special makeup effects artist, the museum celebrates horror movie icons through screen-used props, life-size figures, and an on-site screening room. 

Haunted Places to Visit in Nevada

Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum in Downtown Las Vegas features 30 rooms jam-packed with some seriously spooky artifacts—some of which are rumored to be the world’s most haunted objects. 

Virginia City’s Washoe Club & Haunted Museum is one of the most haunted places in the West. Take the tour to hear stories about the Millionaires Club, reported hauntings, and tales from the historic crypt.

The Clown Motel in Tonopah boasts one of the largest private collections of clown figurines and memorabilia under the sun. If the creepy clown theme isn’t enough to spook you, the added bonus of nightly spirits slinking over  from the cemetery next door might just do it.

Pioche was once more rough-and-tumble than Tombstone and Dodge City, and it has the spirit sightings to prove it. Check into the Overland Hotel & Saloon—where you’ll have to specifically request a ghost-free room—and see if you sense any strange activity.