Shannon O'Brien Travel Itineraries

The best destinations

Photo of Nevada
Photo of Nevada

The Best of Nevada

#39 best destination in the world

Map view

New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

Photo of Las Vegas

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$$

  • Casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise
  • It is designed to evoke New York City in its architecture and other aspects
  • The design features downsized replicas of numerous city landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty

Las Vegas Strip

Photo of Las Vegas Strip

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos
  • The Strip, as it is known, is about 4.2 mi (6.8 km) long, but is often referred to simply as "Las Vegas"

Fly Ranch Geyser

Photo of Fly Ranch Geyser

Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov

Cost: $

  • Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser, is a small geothermal geyser located on private land in Washoe County
  • The geyser is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir in the Hualapai Geothermal Flats and is approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high

Calico Tanks Trail, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Photo of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area showcases a set of large red rock formations: a set of sandstone peaks and walls that were formed by thrust faults including the Keystone Thrust
  • The walls are up to 3,000 feet (910 m) high, making them a popular hiking and rock climbing destination

National Automobile Museum, Reno

Photo of Reno

Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov

Cost: $

  • Museum featuring over 200 cars spread over four galleries
  • Gallery 1 showcases cars built during the 1890s & 1900s
  • Each gallery is linked by a themed "street", featuring vehicles as well as faux shop fronts
  • Celebrity owned cars include: Elvis Presley's 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, Frank Sinatra's 1961 Ghia L6.4, and
  • John Wayne's 1953 Chevrolet Corvette

Craig Ranch Regional Park

Photo of Craig Ranch Regional Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • 170-acre regional park in North Las Vegas, built on a former golf course, and opened in 2013

Railroad Tunnel Trail, Lake Mead

Photo of Lake Mead

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Trail that has remnants of the Hoover Dam's construction, that can be seen throughout the entirety of this route
  • Visitors will have panoramic views of Lake Mead and the Boulder Basin region

Castle Rock via the Tahoe Rim Trail, Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Photo of Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: Jan-May, Sept-Dec

Cost: $

  • Park featuring a large sandy beach, picnicking facilities, nature trail, boat launch, and visitors center
  • It is also the site of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

The Neon Museum

Photo of The Neon Museum

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Museum that features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors
  • For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) stored many of these old signs in their "boneyard
  • The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements
  • The signs are considered by Las Vegas locals, business owners and government organizations to be not only artistically, but also historically, significant to the culture of the city

Fire Wave Trail, Valley of Fire State Park

Photo of Valley of Fire State Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • State park that derives its name from red sandstone formations, the Aztec Sandstone, which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago
  • These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays
  • It is Nevada's oldest state park

Bellagio

Photo of Bellagio

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$$

  • Resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise
  • Bellagio was conceived by casino owner Steve Wynn, and was built on the former site of the Dunes hotel-casino
  • The resort is modeled after the village of Bellagio, near Lake Como

Sand Harbor Nature Trail, Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Photo of Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov

Cost: $

  • This short trail connects to Memorial Point, and provides access to several secluded beaches and views of the lake and mountains with interpretive placards

Bristlecone Pine Glacier Trail, Great Basin National Park

Photo of Great Basin National Park

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov

Cost: $

  • Park that derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains
  • The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known living non-clonal organisms; Lehman Caves; Wheeler Peak Glacier, below 13,063-foot (3,982 m) Wheeler Peak; and some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States

Chollar Mine Tour, Virginia City

Photo of Virginia City

Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov

Cost: $

  • Tour taking visitors deep underground where they can discover how the miners of the Gold Rush extracted the wealth that made Virginia City famous
  • The gold and silver brought thousands across America
  • First staked in 1859, miners blasted and carted out some $17 million in gold and silver

The Venetian Las Vegas

Photo of The Venetian Las Vegas

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$$

  • The Venetian Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise
  • The Venetian was built on the former site of the Sands Hotel and Casino, which was closed and demolished in 1996

Caesars Palace

Photo of Caesars Palace

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$$

  • Luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, it is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks
  • Caesars Palace was founded in 1966 and sought to create an opulent facility that gave guests a sense of life during the Roman Empire
  • It contains many statues, columns and iconography typical of Hollywood Roman period productions including a 20-foot (6.1 m) statue of Augustus Caesar near the entrance

MGM Grand

Photo of MGM Grand

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$

  • Hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, it is the largest single hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms
  • When it opened in 1993, the MGM Grand was the largest hotel complex in the world

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Photo of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $$

  • Resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, it offers live entertainment, luxury shopping, an extensive pool area, and a nightclub that regularly hosts DJs from around the world