Description
The instantly recognisable Luxor Hotel and Casino towers proudly above the South end of the iconic Las Vegas Strip guarded by its 10 story high replica of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The hotel’s unique dark bronze glass pyramid structure has over 4,000 contemporary designed rooms and is home to the Luxor Light Beam, the strongest light on the planet, considered by many to be one of the main attractions on the strip.
An amazing hotel, the Luxor has everything covered – nine restaurants, one of the with largest pool decks in Las Vegas, all the gaming action you could wish for as well as upscale shopping, a pampering spa and a lively 2 storey night club makes this famous destination a great starting point for your American adventures.
First stop the welcoming Death Valley Inn Motel Beatty with a convenient location just off Highway 95 and only a short drive from the entrance to Death Valley National Parks. Settle into your clean and comfortable room and get ready for a day exploring the stunning scenic wilderness of Death Valley National Park.
The motel is only a short drive from Rhyolite, a famous gold rush ghost town and popular movie set and the Goldwell Open Air Museum. The motel is also within walking distance to the Beatty Museum, local diners and convenience stores.
Rhyolite is a classic American Ghost town that sprang up after prospectors discovered gold in the surrounding hills in the early 1900’s. The ensuing gold rush brought droves of fortune seekers to the area and soon the town of Rhyolite had a population of more than 5000 along with electricity, telephone lines and a small railway connection. Of course once the gold ran out the people did too leaving lots of the town’s buildings and bits and bobs behind them. By 1920 Rhyolite had zero inhabitants.
It’s just a short walk from Rhyolite Ghost Town to the Goldwell Open Air Museum, an amazing outdoor sculpture park started in 1984 with the creation of the Last Supper by the Belgian artist Albert Szukalski. The museum now has seven monumental sculptures, a historic early 1900’s house and a visitor centre, all with spectacular south facing views across the Mojave Desert, it’s worth taking the short drive out from Beatty to visit these two attractions.
After Beatty it’s time to head for the I-95 as we make our way to stunning Lake Tahoe. On the way there’s the opportunity to stop off at Goldfield, another famous mining ghost town that’s a little different to most ghost towns because 200 or so people still live here. At one time Goldfield was Nevada’s largest city with a population of over 30,000 and was the place Virgil and Wyatt Earp once called home. Today the town is mostly abandoned and the homes and businesses where the residents of this once thriving town lived and worked are now decaying and shuttered up. Perhaps the town’s most famous abandoned building is the Goldfield Hotel, it was once the most opulent hotel between Chicago and San Francisco and it has featured on lots of paranormal TV shows – it’s said to be haunted by its former owner and other unfortunate guests.
Other places of interest on the way to Lake Tahoe include Tonopah, another historic mining town that was once the site of one of the richest gold and silver booms in the west. Popular attractions include the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, Tonopah Cemetery, the Clown Motel and the Mizpah Hotel, another building that’s said to be haunted by some of its former residents!
UFO fans might want to take a short detour to Rachel – it’s known as the UFO capital of the world and is regularly visited by UFO fans from far and wide who are drawn to the town by the nearby Area 51 and the hundreds of reported FO sightings in the area.
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is situated on the south shore of the lake and the hotel’s friendly staff, well-appointed suites and excellent amenities make this hotel the perfect choice for your Lake Tahoe stopover. With top class casino action, dining, shopping and a host of seasonal sports including skiing, ice skating, hiking, biking, golf and water sports close to the hotel it’s easy to see why this resort is so popular with Lake Tahoe vacationers. No matter what time of year you visit, a trip to Lake Tahoe is an incredible experience.
Our last port of call is the well-appointed Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf– the hotel’s wonderful setting in the heart of the lively Fisherman’s Wharf district puts you within easy reach of lots of San Francisco’s world famous attractions. Get ready for a stroll round Fisherman’s Wharf, a trip to Alcatraz, and of course a ride on one of those famous cable cars. What a fantastic finish to this amazing trip.
