How Nevada ups the ante on 'Spooky Season'
If there's a travel season that spotlights all things spectral and spooky, it's autumn, when you're reminded of just how fun a spiked cider at a haunted speakeasy can be. Or maybe a moonlit walk through a centuries-old cemetery where the dearly departed could be following right behind (or above) you.
But the Silver State will see your quaint spooky season traditions and raise you an entire Extraterrestrial Highway, dozens of eerie desert art installations and — no exaggeration — more abandoned settlements than inhabited ones. Indeed, Nevada was home to more than 600 ghost towns at last count.
So download Travel Nevada's Paranormal Passport, hit the road and start exploring spooky spots across the state. Each check-in earns you points toward cool swag, but regardless, you'll go home with memories of the trip of a lifetime. Whose lifetime, exactly, we can't say. The characters you'll meet along the way span centuries.
For seven of our favorite stops, read on:
Rhyolite
This turn-of-the-century boomtown turned ghost town looks all the more ghostly for the skeletal remains of its trademark buildings. A one-time gold mining hot spot that used to be home to a renowned roster of saloons, restaurants and red-light establishments, Rhyolite is now an eerily beautiful, federally protected historic area.
Whether you're visiting here on your way to the neighboring Death Valley National Park, or just doing an easy 120-mile day trip from Las Vegas, don't miss the Tom Kelly bottle house, where you'll find thousands of whiskey, medicine and beer bottles in place of bricks (an old-timey cost-saving construction method), the historic train depot and the Goldwell Open Air Museum, home to seriously ghostly sculptural installations.
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And for anyone keeping score on your passport, this stop will get you 15 points.
The Extraterrestrial Highway sign
Outside the tiny town of Rachel (pop: 40ish) — the closest municipality to the mysterious and highly classified military base known as Area 51 — this roadside sign is a nonnegotiable photo backdrop for alien lovers and the alien-curious.
In addition to 15 passport points toward your eventual swag haul, you'll get access to a stretch of highway fabled for UFO sightings and other ET-related attractions. In Rachel alone, iconic stops include The Little A'Le'Inn (another passport entry worth 15 points, and home to the World-Famous Alien Burger) and the Alien Cowpoke — a gas station meets souvenir-packed general store that bills itself as a safe haven for intergalactic travelers as close to Area 51 as non-authorized humans can legally get.
Elsewhere on Route 375 (the ET Highway's official designation), stop to admire the two-story creature from another realm outside the Alien Research Center (another 15 points), grab a snack at E.T. Fresh Jerky (ditto!), and admire the endless night skies that make this empty, otherworldly expanse seem so welcoming to our neighbors from other galaxies.
Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon
Welcome to Nevada's oldest hotel. An 1859 gem, it has also served as a brothel, bar and private residence, depending on the era — and makes for a fascinating Virginia City stay.
For the best chances of communing with long-gone residents of this former boomtown, book one of the oldest rooms, where you'll find intimate proportions, uneven flooring, original plaster and — in the case of rooms 4 and 5 (Rosie's and William's Rooms, respectively) — friendly ghosts, at least according to house lore. But even if you don't stay here, make sure to stop into the old-timey fireplace-warmed saloon for food, drinks and 25 passport points.
Old Tonopah Cemetery and The Clown Motel
A wildly disparate double-feature that somehow works perfectly, this is a turn-of-the-century burial site alongside a motel born of the 1980s, complete with the vast clown collection that had belonged to one of the cemetery's inhabitants. Sometimes referred to as America's scariest hotel — at least among those who find clowns creepy — the place is worth the trip whether you book a room or not.
Either way, be sure to grab a cemetery brochure from the jester-jammed reception area, and take yourself on a tour of the plots. All kinds of fascinating residents of this former mining boomtown are buried here, and you'll learn some of their stories in the process. You'll also earn a combined 30 passport points between the neighboring stops.
Goldfield High School
This early 20th-century beauty is a relic of the days when the mining town of Goldfield was Nevada’s largest population center, with plenty of gold wealth to afford locals the good life.
No expense or amenity — including one of the first full-size high school basketball courts in the state — was spared for the 1907 debut. When the town’s fortunes turned a few decades later, the school gradually wound down and was abandoned by the 1950s. After considerable restoration, the exterior is now looking great, but the interior still has a faded glory vibe, and all kinds of paranormal activity, according to many a ghost hunter. Reportedly, the boys' bathroom is home to particularly spooky spirits, but regardless of whether you brave it, you'll get your 25 passport points.
Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum
Just about half an hour outside Las Vegas, on the way to the Hoover Dam, awaits a Boulder City must-see: a museum that pays homage to Hollywood's favorite hellions (Frankenstein, Pennywise, Michael Myers et al.) With a mission of preserving the history — and supreme artistry — of special effects makeup, Tom Devlin's Monster Museum houses notable onscreen memorabilia of all kinds, from creature suits to props.
Not coincidentally, Devlin is himself a special effects makeup artist, who has created many an on-screen villain, as well as prosthetics and costumes for horror conventions. You never know which of his colleagues may be turning up here for signings or screenings, so check the calendar to plan accordingly. The bonus? (Beyond the 10 passport points, you'll find a retro arcade here.)
Washoe Club & Haunted Museum Ghost Tour
Debuting in 1875, Virginia City's Washoe Club represented the height of mining boom luxury, with guests who included Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert Sherman, among other luminaries of the day. Once inside they could enjoy the posh parlor, billiards tables, and reportedly, one of the best-appointed libraries in the land.
Now, you need not be a member or dignitary to enter this purportedly haunted museum: Anyone can join one of the daily 40-minute guided tours that wind through the club's three floors and creepy crypt in search of interesting ghosts (and for Paranormal Passport holders, 15 points).