Must-see attractions in The Southwest

  • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 28:  An exterior view shows the marquee at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino left of the Leo the Lion statue on the Las Vegas Strip amid the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) on August 28, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MGM Resorts International will lay off 18,000 furloughed employees in the United States on Monday as the resort industry struggles to recover from the pandemic. The move was necessary since federal law requires companies to lay off furloughed workers after six months. Before hotel-casinos shut down in March, the company had 68,000 employees nationwide, including 52,000 in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts said laid-off employees could be brought back as business demand returns.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    MGM Grand

    Las Vegas

    Owned by the eponymous Hollywood studio, the MGM Grand casino and hotel liberally borrows Tinsel Town's themes. Flashing LED screens and computerized…

  • USA, Arizona, Yavapai county. Sedona, View of Chapel of Holy Cross

    Chapel of the Holy Cross

    Sedona

    If you glance east when driving Sedona’s Red Rock Scenic Byway, a slender structure seemingly welded into the sandstone might catch your eye. Towering…

  • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21:  Jupiter (L) and Saturn appear about one-tenth of a degree apart during an astronomical event known as a Great Conjunction to the left of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod on December 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The planets, which remain about 450 million miles apart in space, have not appeared this close together from Earth's vantage point since 1623, and it's been nearly 800 years since the alignment occurred at night. The conjunction, which occurs on the night of the winter solstice by coincidence, has become known popularly as the "Christmas Star." The gas giants will not appear this close together again until 2080.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod

    Las Vegas

    Vegas has many buildings more than 20 storeys tall, but only Stratosphere (now officially The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod, but still 'the Strat' to…

  • LAS VEGAS, USA AUGUST 14; Enormous Mandalay Bay Hotel Resort and Casino with beautifully landscaped entrance to modern architectural gold glass facade of building August 14, 2008, Las Vegas, USA

    Mandalay Bay

    Las Vegas

    Angular and glittering gold, massive Mandalay Bay flanks the far south end of the Strip. It's the first resort many visitors lay eyes on as they roll into…

  • LAS VEGAS - MARCH 15 : The Linq, a dining and shopping district and High Roller at the center of the Las Vegas Strip on March 15 2014 , The High Roller is the world's largest observation wheel

    LINQ Promenade

    Las Vegas

    Running between The LINQ Hotel & Casino and the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, the LINQ Promenade is a partially-covered outdoor pedestrian walkway…

  • Mob Museum

    Las Vegas

    The myth and mystique of mobsters from Bugsy Siegel to Al Capone get the museum treatment inside a hulking Downtown courthouse where real gangsters sat…

  • Travel to Saguaro National Park, Arizona, USA

    Saguaro National Park

    Tucson

    Saguaros (sah-wah-ros) are icons of the American Southwest, and an entire cactus army of these majestic, ribbed sentinels is protected in this desert…

  • Hikers stand on the summit of a high mesa overlooking the vast field of hoodoos at Goblin Valley State Park, Utah.

    Goblin Valley State Park

    Southeastern Utah

    A Salvador Dalí–esque melted-rock fantasy, a valley of giant stone mushrooms, an otherworldly alien landscape or the results of a cosmological acid trip?…

  • HOODOS, PINNACLES AND SPORES, DIFFERENTIAL EROSION. LIMESTONE SEDIMENTARY ROCK. BRYCE CANYON, UTAH. BRYCE POINT

    Bryce Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    If you stop nowhere else along the scenic drive, be sure to catch the stunning views from Bryce Point. You can walk the rim above Bryce Amphitheater for…

  • Monorail and CityCenter on Las Vegas Strip-Nevada

    Aria

    Las Vegas

    We’ve seen this symbiotic relationship before (think giant hotel anchored by a mall ‘concept’), but the way that this futuristic-feeling complex places a…

  • Group of people sitting near the edge watching sunset at Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, USA.

    Cape Royal

    Grand Canyon National Park

    Strategically located on the southernmost tip of the North Rim high above the great westward turn of the Colorado River, Cape Royal takes in almost every…

  • Salt Lake City, Utah USA  - December 31, 2017: Natural History Museum of Utah

    Natural History Museum of Utah

    Salt Lake City

    Rio Tinto Center's stunning architecture forms a multistory indoor 'canyon' that showcases exhibits to great effect. Walk up through the layers as you…

  • Grand Canyon National Park North Rim

    Grand Canyon National Park

    Grand Canyon's remote, wild and forgotten North Rim is far less developed, and sees far fewer visitors that its southern counterpart. In part this is due…

  • Utah Olympic Park

    Park City

    Visit the site of the 2002 Olympic ski jumping, bobsledding, skeleton, Nordic combined and luge events, which continues to host national competitions…

  • Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

    Kanab

    Kanab's most famous attraction is outside town. Surrounded by more than 33,000 mostly private acres of red-rock desert 5.5 miles north of Kanab, Best…

  • Kyle Hot Springs

    Northern Nevada

    Soaking in the sulfuric water of this remote hot spring will turn your skin baby soft, and the endless view across the valley from the tub will seriously…

  • Lamoille Recreation Area

    Northern Nevada

    The Lamoille Recreation Area is part of the Ruby Mountains section of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It comprises the spectacular Lamoille Canyon…

  • Zion National Park

    Southwestern Utah

    A bold desert beauty, this 230-sq-mile park is a highlight of southern Utah. Hikes range from trails traipsing the ridge lines to river wading under steep…

  • Grand Canyon National Park

    Grand Canyon Region

    Forged by millions of years of erosion by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon captures the history, scale and beauty of the American West. Overlooks peer…

  • The Crescent Moon Ranch Picnic Area at Red Rock Crossing is one of the most photographed scenes in the southwest, towering Cathedral Rock reflected in the waters of Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing. The picnic area located at that same site is as popular as it is beautiful.

    Red Rock Crossing

    Sedona

    Sedona’s 200-plus trails offer dramatic views and doses of adventure or escape, whether you’re seeking out the elusive subway cave off Boynton Canyon…

  • View from Airport Mesa in Sedona at sunset in Arizona, USA

    Airport Mesa

    Sedona

    It’s no secret that Arizona’s boundless trails offer infinite variety, like traversing red-rock canyons, winding among ponderosa pine forests and skirting…

  • The Milky Way galaxy over Fajada Mesa at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

    Chaco Culture National Historical Park

    New Mexico

    A 9-mile drive loops through ‘downtown Chaco,’ passing six major sites, with further opportunities to hike to more remote ruins and petroglyphs.

  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park

    Southeastern New Mexico

    While a cave might not sound quite as sexy as redwoods, geysers or the Grand Canyon, there’s no question that this one measures up on the national parks’…

  • A vista in Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

    Snow Canyon State Park

    St George

    Red and white swirls of sandstone flow like lava, and actual lava lies broken like sheets of smashed marble in this small, accessible park. Snow Canyon is…

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    Caesars Palace

    Las Vegas

    Caesars Palace claims that its smartly renovated casino floor has more million-dollar slots than anywhere in the world, but its claims to fame are far…

  • Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

    Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

    New Mexico

    A relatively small site, these remarkable 13th-century cliff dwellings were only occupied by a small Mogollon group (30 to 80 people) for 20 years…

  • Replica Bridge of Sighs over canal at Venetian Hotel.

    Venetian

    Las Vegas

    The Venetian's regal 120,000-sq-ft casino has marble floors, hand-painted ceiling frescoes and 120 table games, including a high-limit lounge and an…

  • Santa Fe, New Mexico– April 30th, 2017: Meow Wolf art collective in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. Open to the public the main exhibit is the The House of Eternal Return..; Shutterstock ID 632888321; Your name (First / Last): Alexander Howard; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Southwest POIs

    Meow Wolf

    Santa Fe

    If you've been hankering for a trip to another dimension but have yet to find a portal, the House of Eternal Return by Meow Wolf could be the place for…

  • JMJRPH The Kolb Studio, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Village, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona., USA

    Kolb Studio

    Grand Canyon National Park South Rim

    In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…

  • Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

    Valley of Fire State Park

    Southern Nevada

    It's about 50 miles from Downtown Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire State Park visitor center. Make the center your first port of call to find out how best…

  • Watchtower in Desert View, Grand Canyon South rim

    Desert View Watchtower

    Grand Canyon National Park South Rim

    The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…

  • Heard Museum.

    Heard Museum

    Phoenix

    This extraordinary museum spotlights the history, life, arts and culture of American Indian tribes in the Southwest. Visitors will find art galleries,…

  • Taos Pueblo

    Central New Mexico

    The Pueblo is centered on twin five-story adobe complexes, set on either side of the Río Pueblo de Taos, against the stunning backdrop of the Sangre de…

  • Just after sunset in Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico.

    Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area

    New Mexico

    This undeveloped realm of multicolored hoodoos, sculpted cliffs and balancing rocks is a surreal dream for photographers. Off the beaten track, it's well…

  • Curved rock formations of Antelope Canyon.

    Antelope Canyon

    Grand Canyon Region

    Unearthly in its beauty, Antelope Canyon is possibly the most famous slot canyon in the world. Located on the Navajo Reservation, a few miles east of Page…

  • Reno, Nevada - July 18, 2016: Vintage cars in the National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nevada, USA.

    National Automobile Museum

    Reno

    Stylized street scenes illustrate a century’s worth of automobile history at this engaging car museum. The collection is enormous and impressive, with one…

  • Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) peering from cave, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona

    Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

    Tucson

    Home to cacti, coyotes and palm-sized hummingbirds, this 98-acre ode to the Sonoran Desert is one part zoo, one part botanical garden and one part museum …

  • Buffalo in Antelope Island State Park.

    Antelope Island State Park

    Utah

    White-sand beaches, birds and buffalo are what attract people to the pretty, 15-mile-long Antelope Island State Park. That’s right, the largest island in…

  • Santa Fe, NM: People outside the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in downtown Santa Fe, NM on a winter day.

    Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

    Santa Fe

    With 10 beautifully lit galleries in a rambling 20th-century adobe, this museum boasts the world's largest collection of O'Keeffe’s work. She’s best known…