Things to do in Southwest
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Graceland Wedding Chapel
Offering the original Elvis impersonator wedding (from $199) for over 50 years. If it’s good enough for rock stars, then it’s probably good enough for you, too.
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In-N-Out Burger
At California’s famous In-N-Out, where the beef patties are never frozen and the potatoes are hand-diced daily, there’s a secret menu. Ask for your burger ‘animal style’ (with mustard, an onion-grilled bun and extra-special sauce).
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Excalibur
Arthurian legends notwithstanding, this medieval caricature, complete with crayon-colored towers and a faux drawbridge, epitomizes gaudy Vegas. Excalibur could have resembled an elegant English castle, but its designers decided to go the kitschy route instead, which is just fine with the cheapskate frat boys and families with rambunctious young kids who stay here.
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Stratosphere Tower
The world’s highest thrill rides await, a whopping 110 stories above the Strip. Big Shot straps riders into completely exposed seats that zip up the tower’s pinnacle, while Insanity spins riders out over the tower’s edge. Views from xScream are good, but the ride itself is a dud. If you want an adrenaline rush, save your dough for the SkyJump instead.
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Little Church of the West
Beginners’ wedding packages cost just $199 at this quiet, quaint little wooden chapel built in 1942, in the shadow of the South Strip, as seen in the classic Elvis movie Viva Las Vegas. Spanish- and French-speaking ministers are available (by reservation only).
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El Norteño
True Mexican - not New Mexican - cuisine is the thing here, with fantastic pollo norteño, chicken mole and the must-have cabrito al horno (oven-roasted goat).
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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The state's best introduction to the wonder of the desert is here, at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. A cross between a zoo and an interpretive park, Tucson's must-see attraction deserves a full day of exploration and has a nice café. Javelinas (wild boars), coyotes, bobcats, snakes and just about every other local desert animal are displayed in a natural-looking outdoor setting. During summer there's a Saturday-night program where you can see the creepy crawlies who live on the night shift.
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Zumanity
Billed as ‘another side of Cirque du Soleil, ’ this human zoo amps up the energy, contorted acrobatics and flirtatious eroticism of the troupe’s other risk-taking Strip shows. It won’t take your breath away, though. So what’s the hook? Maybe it’s the curvilinear thrust stage, uninhibited costumes or the aphrodisiacal cocktail menu.
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Bison Witches
Dive into a bread bowl at this lively hangout for college students and the occasional hipster. It's all about the sandwiches; the beef and brie is exactly what it sounds like. The music is boisterous, there are myriad TVs and drinks from the full bar are served till 2am.
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Frontier
An Albuquerque tradition, the Frontier boasts enormous cinnamon rolls, addictive green chili stew, and the best huevos rancheros ever. The food and people-watching are outstanding, and students love the low prices on the 24/7 breakfast, burgers and Mexican food.
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Mesa Grill
While the star New York chef doesn’t cook on the premises, his bold signature menu of Southwestern fusion fare lives up to the hype, whether it’s a sweet potato tamale with crushed pecan butter, blue-corn pancakes or spice-rubbed pork tenderloin.
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Men of Sapphire
You can get one-on-one action with the Men of Sapphire, including Mr Nevada and other beefy men who strip and give lap dances upstairs at Sapphire.
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Manhattan Express Rollercoaster
A small taste of the New York of old, when your life would flash before your eyes on a regular basis, the Manhattan Express Rollercoaster is twisty fun.
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Tucanos Brazilian Grill
Next to Century 14 Downtown, Tucanos serves an all-inclusive Brazilian-style BBQ with skewered meats and a comprehensive salad bar.
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Park City Mountain Resort
From boarder dudes to moms and dads, everyone skis Park City Mountain Resort, host of the Olympic snowboarding and giant slalom events. The awesome terrain couldn’t be more accessible, rising right over downtown, or more family-friendly. The resort will hook teens up with area locals who provide the lay of the land. Check out the online activity planner at www.mymountainplanner.com. The lowdown: 3100ft vertical drop, base elevation 6900ft; 3300 acres, 17% beginner, 50% intermediate, 33% advanced; six high-speed lifts, nine fixed-grip chairs, one magic carpet. To avoid crowds, stay up high. Night skiing lasts till 7:30pm. Park City’s skiable area covers nine peaks,…
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Loretto Chapel
The gothic chapel is modeled on St Chapelle in Paris, and was built between 1873 and 1878 for the Sisters of Loretto, the first nuns to come to New Mexico. St Chapelle has a circular stone staircase, but when the Loretto Chapel was being constructed, no local stonemasons were skilled enough to build one and the young architect didn’t know how to build one of wood. The nuns prayed for help and a mysterious traveling carpenter, whom the nuns believed afterward to be St Joseph, arrived. He built what is known as the Miraculous Staircase, a wooden spiral staircase with two complete 360-degree turns and no central or visible support. He left without charging for his labors and…
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Arcosanti
The brainchild of groundbreaking architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti is a desert outpost based on 'acrology': architecture meets ecology. This cross between a kibbutz and design school 65 miles north of Phoenix looks like a village on Luke Skywalker's home planet. Radical when conceived in the 1960s, Soleri's ideas now seem cutting-edge in this age of urban sprawl and global warming. Arcosanti is good for a day trip or a long stay - there are week- and month-long seminars, a café, one-hour tours, concerts and other events. Basic accommodation is available, and the Sky Suite is designed for great views of a dark desert night.
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- New Mexico, USA
- Sights › Other
Scores of wondrous caves hide under the hills at this unique national park, which covers 73 sq miles. The cavern formations are an ethereal wonderland of stalactites and fantastical geological features. You can ride an elevator from the visitor center or take a 2-mile subterranean walk from the cave mouth to the Big Room, an underground chamber 1800ft long, 255ft high and over 800ft below the surface. For claustrophobics and those prone to panic attacks, the chamber and the elevator ride down to it (which descends the length of the Empire State Building in under a minute) may be a less than enjoyable experience.
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Sadie’s
Make sure to snap a photo in front of the sign at Sadie’s that says, ‘in 1897 in this location, nothing happened.’ A massive place with a barn-like atmosphere, Sadie’s is a local institution. One author makes this her first stop in Albuquerque – bar none. Recite along with us: ‘a carafe of grand gold margaritas, please, and the enchilada dinner with blue corn, rolled, chicken, green vegetarian, no onions and a side of guac. Great. Thanks.’
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Meteor Crater
Nearly a mile across and 600ft deep, the second most impressive hole in Arizona was formed by a fiery meteor that screamed into the atmosphere about 50,000 years ago, when giant sloths lived in these parts. Meteor Crater, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, is an out-of-this-world site for those with a thimbleful of imagination. There are lookout points around the crater's edge but no hiking to the bottom. Check out the fun, informative visitor center.
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Firefly
Firefly is always packed with a fashionable local crowd, not just for the singles’ scene on the late-night patio, but also for the food. Tapas-style dishes are often fusion-spiced, but still shake hands with Spanish tradition, from patatas bravas to chorizo clams and vegetarian delights. A backlit bar dispenses the house specialty sangria and infused mojitos. On some nights, hot Latin turntablists spin. Reservations strongly recommended.
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Roxy’s Diner
Every place in Vegas has a gimmick. At this ’50s-style rock ‘n’ roll diner, servers drop everything to perform song-and-dance numbers straight out of Grease. It’s hilarious fun, but it sure does slow service down. Copious comfort food tastes just about right for the prices. Blue-plate specials won’t leave you hungry, and super-thick milkshakes come with silver sidecars, just like when you were a kid.
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Contemporary Arts Collective
One of the most established art galleries at the Arts Factory is the nonprofit Contemporary Arts Collective, which boasts high-quality, engagingly curated exhibits of works by emerging city artists. Trifecta Gallery hosts a variety of national and international artists. S₂ Art Center & Atelier produces limited-edition, fine-art lithographs using antique presses.
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Valley of Fire State Park
The Valley of Fire State Park; is a masterpiece of Southwest desert scenery with psychedelic sandstone carved by wind and water (Atlatl Rock has Native American petroglyphs, too). Detour to White Domes, passing Rainbow Vista and the side road to Fire Canyon and Silica Dome (where Star Trek’s Captain Kirk perished).
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MGM Grand Lion Habitat
Inside the casino, this glass-walled habitat showcases up to six magnificent felines daily, all descendants of the movie company’s original mascot. The big cats live on a ranch outside town, and only two are allowed in the enclosure simultaneously. Big cats often sprawl above onlookers’ heads inside the see-through walkway tunnel. The kid-friendly, tropical-themed Rainforest Café is nearby.
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