Las Vegas
On the site of the natural springs (which ran dry in 1962) that fed las vegas ('the meadows'), where southern Paiutes and Spanish Trail traders camped,…
Must-see attractions in The Southwest
Las Vegas
If you've got a hankering to see a stuffed Columbian mammoth or the Nevada state fossil (spoiler: it’s an ichthyosaur), you've come to the right place…
Grand Canyon National Park South Rim
This outdoor interpretative display traces the history of the canyon's formation – each meter equals one million years of geologic history, for a total of…
National Atomic Testing Museum
Las Vegas
Fascinating multimedia exhibits focus on science, technology and the social history of the 'Atomic Age,' which lasted from WWII until a worldwide ban on…
Nevada
Housed inside the 1869 US Mint building, the Nevada State Museum generally hosts one visiting exhibition to complement its four excellent permanent…
Nevada
Pyramid Lake is a stunning standalone sight, with shores lined with beaches and eye-catching tufa formations. This piercingly blue expanse in an otherwise…
Pyramid Lake Museum & Visitors Center
Nevada
This friendly visitors center on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation tells the dark, vital tale of how the area was colonized by white mountain men,…
Taos
Numbering 70 Earthships, with capacity for 60 more, Taos’ pioneering community was the brainchild of architect Michael Reynolds. Built with recycled…
Southwestern Utah
The Grand Staircase – a series of steplike uplifted rock layers stretching north from the Grand Canyon – dramatically culminates in the Pink Cliffs…
Southwestern Utah
Termed 'the land of the sleeping rainbow' by Native Americans, this colorful desert landscape encompasses buttes and canyons replete with rock art, Mormon…
Tucson
The dazzling white towers of this mission rise from the dusty desert floor 8 miles south of Tucson – a mesmerizing structure that brings an otherworldly…
Grand Canyon National Park South Rim
Commissioned by the Fred Harvey Company and designed by Mary Colter in 1913, this low-flung stone building is the South Rim's westernmost scenic overlook …
New Mexico
New Mexico has been hurling objects out beyond the stratosphere since 1947, when the first missile was launched from the rolling dunes of White Sands,…
New Mexico
Journeying to the mesa-top village at Acoma Pueblo, famous as Sky City, is like venturing into another world. There can be few more dramatic locations –…
Very Large Array Radio Telescope
New Mexico
A sense of awe, or maybe galactic sadness, inevitably strikes as you approach the 27 enormous antenna dishes sprouting from the high plains 40 miles west…
Las Vegas
Smartly designed and seductively illuminated, Aria's massive design-savvy casino floor is a sophisticated money-grabber. Big spenders can access exclusive…
Tucson
Linking historic downtown and the university, lively 4th Ave is a rare breed: a rough-around-the-edges, alt-flavored strip with not a single chain store…
Tucson
An SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and a massive B-52 bomber are among the stars of this extraordinary private aircraft museum. Allow at least two hours to…
Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
Southwestern Utah
This 2656-sq-mile monument, established in 1996, is tucked between Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Glen Canyon National…
Tucson
To learn more about the history and culture of the region's American Indian tribes, visit the Arizona State Museum, the oldest and largest anthropology…
Salt Lake City
Fifty-five acres of gardens, a petting farm, golf course, giant movie theater, dining and shopping: what doesn’t the Thanksgiving Point infotainment…
Albuquerque
The twin highlights in this peaceful park are the two large conservatories of Mediterranean and desert plants. You'll also find formal Japanese gardens, a…
Salt Lake City
Thousands of people come to Salt Lake City every year to research their family history here, the largest genealogical resource on earth. Because the LDS…
Tucson
For a small city, Tucson boasts an impressive art museum. There's a respectable collection of American, Latin American and modern art, and the permanent…
Salt Lake City
The city's most famous sight occupies a 10-acre block surrounded by 15ft-high walls. LDS docents give free, 30-minute tours continually, leaving from the…
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Southwestern Utah
Sculpted cliffs and towering hoodoos glow like neon tie-dye in a wildly eroded natural amphitheater encompassed by Cedar Breaks National Monument. The…
Utah
Created by Robert Smithson in 1970, this beyond-cool art installation is a 1500ft coil of rock and earth spinning out into the water. It's a little hard…
Las Vegas
With a backdrop of Tuscan-style architecture, the Bellagio’s faux Lake Como and dancing fountains are the antithesis of the Mojave Desert – although the…
Tucson
Nicknamed 'Hollywood in the Desert,' this old movie set of Tucson in the 1860s was built in 1939 for the filming of Arizona. Hundreds of flicks followed,…
Arizona
The only way to visit Grand Canyon West, the section of the Grand Canyon overseen by the Hualapai Nation, is to purchase a package tour. These are based…
Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Santa Fe
Primarily showing work by the students and faculty of the esteemed Institute of American Indian Arts, this museum also has the finest contemporary…
Salt Lake City
You'll be seeing stars at Clark Planetarium, home to the latest and greatest 3-D sky shows. There are free science exhibits and an IMAX theater, too. The…
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Great views can be had from along Hwy 163, but to really get up close and personal you'll need to visit the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. From the…
Tucson
With a day-use area, campgrounds and plenty of hiking, biking and horse trails, this state park in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson is one…
Fruita Rural Historic District
Southwestern Utah
Fruita (froo-tuh) is a cool, green oasis, where shade-giving cottonwoods and fruit-bearing trees line the Fremont River's banks. The first Mormon…
Historic Lees Ferry & Lonely Dell Ranch
Grand Canyon Region
Lees Ferry was the site of the region's original ferry crossing, and of Charles Spencer’s 1910 effort to extract gold from the surrounding hills. Today it…
Arizona
Two miles east of I-17 exit 262 (at Cordes Junction, 65 miles north of Phoenix), Arcosanti is an architectural experiment in urban living that's been a…
Arizona
Havasu Creek tumbles through the Grand Canyon on its way to the Colorado River, creating a series of waterfalls and swimming pools about 10 miles below…
Fort Verde State Historic Park
Arizona
Founded by the US Army in 1871 on the site of a farming settlement, Fort Verde was designed to prevent American Indian raids on European settlers. Tonto…
Grand Canyon Region
A vital source of water for desert flora and fauna, the Ancestral Puebloan people, the Paiute Indians, and for the Mormons who followed them into this…
