southern nevada

Let’s be real: Las Vegas has so much to do it could be your annual destination and you’d still never see it all. We have no argument with that, but sometimes you might find yourself itching for something a little less neon and a little more natural. Luckily, you can have it all with this three-part road trip that will have you exploring world-famous Hoover Dam, outdoor playgrounds like Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, exciting attractions, and charming towns—and still get you back in time for your dinner reservation.  

You can’t get much further south in Nevada than Laughlin, and it’s worth every minute it takes to get there. Below, find eight of our favorite things to do in Laughlin.

The Amargosa is one of the world’s longest underground rivers. For 185 miles, it flows largely unseen through parts of southern Nevada and southeastern California, except where it occasionally surfaces to create ecologically rich oases.

“A lot of times when you go to a restaurant and you’re a vegan, you are kind of treated as an afterthought,” says Donald Lemperle. “But that’s changing in Las Vegas.”  He would know. A vegan for 16 years, Donald is chef of VegeNation, a plant-based restaurant with locations in Downtown Las Vegas and Henderson. VegeNation serves flavorful fare that just happens to be meatless—not the other way around. Diners will find sun-dappled spaces that feel industrial and verdant at the same time. The eclectic menu, which contains everything from sushi to tacos to spaghetti, reads like an exceptionally comprehensive answer to the question “What should we have for dinner tonight?” 

In a remote corner of southern Nevada, groves of ash and mesquite trees shelter spring-fed pools of warm, crystal-clear water that are a boon for native wildlife, some of which are rare and found nowhere else on Earth. This unexpected fertile patch—Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge—is where the desert springs to life.