Top 5+ daytrips from Las Vegas to tickle your tourist tendencies

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The road is calling, but you only have a day to get there, do your thing, and get back to your routine in the morning.

Here are five suggestions for leaving Vegas in the rearview mirror for a change of scenery. See a photo of each spot at the bottom of this story:

Grand Canyon West Skywalk

This trip, covering 128 miles to a remote spot in northwest Arizona, ends with a thrill. The 10-foot-wide horseshoe-shaped glass bridge goes 70 feet out over the rim, with the canyon floor 4,000 feet below. A zip line attraction requires an extra fee. There are also trails for hiking, a free arcade, shopping and dining opportunities, and free shuttles from off-site parking that will take you to the Skywalk and other destinations at the attraction. The All-Access pass is $99 per person, and includes a $10 voucher that can be redeemed for merchandise or at one of four restaurants, including the Gwe Ma’jo featuring traditional Hualapai Tribe recipes. The attraction is on the Hualapai reservation, and it is not affiliated with Grand Canyon National Park. Cross Hoover Dam and head south to Dolan Springs, where you will go east on Pearce Ferry Road, which connects to Diamond Bar Road. See the website for more information.

London Bridge

Yes, the real thing, sold after it started to sink into the Thames. Bought at auction for about $2.5 million, the 930-foot London Bridge was carefully dismantled, shipped through the Panama Canal and reassembled on the shore of Lake Havasu. The project was a tremendous expense for town co-founder Robert McCulloch, who made his fortune in chainsaws and boat motors, but it did the trick. It opened in 1971 and became the centerpiece tourist attraction that brought visitors to the lake. See the bridge on this live webcam. It’s 165 miles to the bridge via southbound U.S. 95, east on I-40 across the Colorado River and then south again on U.S. 95.

Barstow Station

Before Las Vegas had two outlet malls of its own, Barstow, California, was a popular day trip. But there’s still a pulse when you stop at Barstow Station, which opened in 1975. Where else can you eat McDonald’s in a railroad car? A Barstow community leader recently credited the touristy spot with putting the town on the map, making it more than a bathroom break on the way to Las Vegas. Barstow still has the aura of a Route 66 town looking to appeal to highway travelers. Barstow is about 155 miles southwest of Las Vegas on I-15. Bonus stops: Just before Barstow, you can stop in Yermo to find the candy offerings of Eddie World and the original Del Taco location.

Rachel, Nevada

Home of the Little A’Le’Inn and unabashedly appealing to UFO fanatics in their quest to see Area 51, this little town has a colorful story for visitors. Six years ago, an estimated 3,000 people showed up in Rachel for “Storm Area 51,” an event created in response to Matty Roberts’ spur-of-the-moment Facebook group. In a short time, 1.3 million people responded with intentions of attending the event. Two secure gates to Area 51 had small crowds show up, and the Department of Defense was in no mood to play. The little cafe, with a flying saucer hooked up to a tow truck in the parking lot, is the focal point of Rachel proper, right near the middle of the “Extraterrestrial Highway” — State Route 375 between U.S. 93 and U.S. 6. On the way to Rachel, you’ll pass the Alien Research Center, a gift shop in a quonset hut with a very tall alien statue out front. The drive to Rachel is 147 miles through a lot of desert land.

Rhyolite, Nevada

A town that boomed around 1907 and was pretty much deserted by 1920 is more than just another ghost town. Art has taken hold in this out-of-the-way desert destination that once produced $1 million in gold. The Goldwell Open Air Museum is on private property near the Rhyolite townsite, which is on Bureau of Land Management property. Ghostly sculptures by Belgian artist Albert Szukalski in 1984 have spawned a collection of works since his death in 2000. The Rhyolite townsite still has walls of a three-story bank, part of a jail, and the Bottle House, which was restored in 1925. A privately owned train depot has been restored. By the time you’ve made it to Rhyolite, you might be tempted to go into neighboring Death Valley National Park. But that trip deserves much more than an afternoon drive-through. Make the 123-mile drive to Rhyolite via U.S. 95 to Beatty. Go southwest on State Route 374 toward Death Valley and turn right after about 3 miles.

There’s plenty to see along the way on each of these day trips. And once you get out on the road, you might not be satisfied with a short trip.

Take a packed bag along with the essentials just in case that two-hour trip home just seems like to much to face.

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