Weird Nevada Wonders Around the Silver State

Goldwell Open Air Museum

Beatty

Created by Belgian artists in the 1980s, Goldwell Open Air Museum isn’t like any other art exhibit. This outdoor gallery plays host to a 24-foot-tall miner with a trusty penguin sidekick, a towering cinderblock woman, and life-size plaster ghosts acting out Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The collection—situated just a short walk from the ghost town of Rhyolite—overlooks a stunning desert landscape and the eastern edge of Death Valley National Park.

International Car Forest of the Last Church

Goldfield

Located off U.S. Route 95 just outside Goldfield, this sprawling, offbeat attraction helped earn this stretch of road its Free-Range Art Highway nickname. The International Car Forest of the Last Church is an unconventional, automotive art installation featuring dozens of cars, vans, and trucks transformed into colorful canvases. Back in Goldfield, keep the good times rolling with a stop at the Goldfield Art Car Park Gallery, a museum for retired Burning Man rides.

Republic of Molossia

Dayton

Would you believe that situated in the middle of a suburban neighborhood is an actual micronation? Ruled by His Excellency President Kevin Baugh and First Lady Adrienne, the Republic of Molossia boasts its own post office, national bank, and even space force. Pack your passports—which will actually get stamped—when you enter the Republic, and be sure you ditch any contraband beforehand (mostly things President Baugh dislikes, including onions, incandescent bulbs, walruses, and catfish). Once-a-month tours are typically offered April through October, and RSVPs are required, so plan your micronation vacation accordingly.

Back in Nevada—about 12 miles from Molossia—lies the famous silver boomtown of Virginia City, one of the most haunted communities in the West. For a sampling of the town’s paranormal past, hop on the Bats in the Belfry evening walking tour, or follow a guide into the crypt at The Washoe Club & Haunted Museum.

The Middlegate Shoe Tree

50 mi / 45 min east of Fallon

Just a few miles east of Middlegate Station, on the Loneliest Road in America, stands The Shoe Tree. Instead of fruit, its branches bear hundreds of pairs of shoes donated by fellow road trippers. Legend has it that a couple of newlyweds had their first fight beneath the tree. One angrily walked home alone—without shoes. Later, after the pair patched things up, they returned each year to toss another pair of shoes into the branches as a symbol of their lasting love.

Belmont’s Stolen Church

50 miles / 47 minutes northeast of Tonopah on SR-376

If you head to the “living ghost town” of Manhattan, you can’t miss the wooden church perched on the hilltop above town. But if you continue on to nearby Belmont and notice a strangely similar house of worship, you’re not seeing double. Back when the Belmont mining scene went bust, its residents packed up and left to seek fortune in nearby Manhattan—but they didn’t just take the things that fit in their suitcases. One night in 1908, the new Manhattanites went back and “stole” that church, trucking it more than 17 miles to its current location.

Today, Belmont is a charming community built around the well-preserved remains of the former boomtown. The town’s most iconic structure—the Belmont Courthouse—is still standing, and you can arrange a tour through Friends of the Belmont Courthouse.

Goldfield Historic Cemetery

Goldfield

Goldfield Historic Cemetery is one of the state’s most tour-worthy graveyards, but keep in mind you’re not actually visiting the grounds of the original cemetery. In the early days of Goldfield, the deceased were interred in the center of the town. As the city began to boom, residents determined they’d have to move the cemetery to a less-trafficked location. Each grave was relocated (at night, of course) by a group who called themselves the “Official Ghouls.” While inspecting the century-old graves with anything-but-ordinary epitaphs, remember to tread respectfully—the cemetery is still used as Goldfield’s modern-day burial ground.

Thunder Mountain Monument

40 miles / 34 minutes from Lovelock at Imlay (I-80 Exit 145)

Who knew one of Nevada’s most eccentric architectural works was off a nondescript exit on Interstate 80? Thunder Mountain Monument is an unconventional sculpture garden, artistic playground, and home meticulously created by the late Frank Van Zant, aka Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder. Every structure and artwork was assembled from materials he found along the side of the interstate or train tracks—rocks, bottles, car parts, you name it—and a healthy dose of cement when needed.

Guru Road aka “Dooby Lane”

Gerlach

Words of wisdom and hand-carved whimsy line this mile-long road, along with several larger sculptures and art pieces, including a tribute to Elvis and screenless televisions permanently tuned to views of the Black Rock Desert wilderness beyond. Although the area beams with Burning Man vibes, it was actually established by longtime, beloved Gerlach local DeWayne “Doobie” Williams decades ago.

The art party continues just past Gerlach. At the toes of the Granite Mountains lies Planet X Pottery, a husband-and-wife team creating exquisite ceramics. Visit the working art studio and shop sprawling ranch-home galleries for a variety of unique pieces.