The penultimate state we visited on our 7 year, 50 state road trip was Nevada. We’d spent time in Nevada in the past as we’d visited Las Vegas a few times. However, that was before we set off on the road trip, so we wanted to visit Nevada officially for the road trip.
We didn’t end up seeing anywhere near as much of Nevada as we’d originally hoped for. Work commitments meant that both Shae and I were away at different times, so although we spent 7 weeks in Nevada in theory, in reality we were only together for a couple of weeks in that time. That’s a shame because it meant that Shae ended up missing out on the northern part of the state, while I missed out on doing more fun stuff in Vegas.
Despite that, we did find fun along the way, so here’s our best and worst of Nevada.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – Hands down, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino. It’s a beautiful property with tons of fun activities, so we were sad to only have four nights there. It was one of my favorite hotel stays of all of last year and, off the top of my head, would probably make my top 10 hotels from the entire road trip.
Shae – I missed a fair bit of Nevada, so maybe I’d have picked the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno if I’d been there more than one night, but I have to go with the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe too!
Favorite Meal
Stephen – I think that would be CHICA – a restaurant in the Venetian in Las Vegas. The food and service were both very good, plus they have a fun chocolate skull dessert that gets set on fire at your table.
Shae – When Stephen asked me to fill this out I immediately thought of CHICA, so I have to agree. But an honorable mention goes out to Table 34 and Marc (also at Bramàre) because I loved my night there on my first visit.
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – This would be Table 34, another restaurant in Vegas. Shae had gone there a week or two earlier and had a great experience, but when we returned together it wasn’t anywhere near as good. The food was fine but not amazing, the mojito I got wasn’t good and the service was mediocre.
Shae – I was so disappointed when I returned to Table 34, but hands down it has to go to Rosa Mexicana. The server was good, but the atmosphere, food and drinks were not good at all – I was very sick that night later :'(
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – The free astronomy event at Great Basin National Park. It’s an International Dark Sky Park, so you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye, but they also had a couple of telescopes set up to view Saturn and a constellation cluster.
Shae – I enjoyed going to the Seven Magic Mountains with Truffles on her 11th “gotcha” day.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – I’m going to pick a couple. One is Cathedral Gorge State Park as it has a beautiful landscape. The other is Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park as it has a very interesting history and is still in great condition.
Shae – I thoroughly enjoyed Potted Potter, but an honorable mention goes out to the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. It was incredibly interesting and the whiskey tasting experience was fun.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – I’m going to give the same answer as my favorite paid activity – both Cathedral Gorge State Park and Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. Both sites are pet-friendly, although Cathedral Gorge State Park might edge it seeing as it has slot canyons and this was the first time we’ve had a chance to visit a pet-friendly slot canyon.
Shae – Truffles and I spent a fair bit of time at home while were in Las Vegas because we were exhausted, but we did go out to the Seven Magic Mountains together. Although, I think she’d pick the Monkey Rock hike at Lake Tahoe.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – There wasn’t anything I disliked, although it was a looooong drive from my hotel in Ely to Cathedral Gorge State Park.
Shae – My least favorite activity was wrangling Truffles, by myself, for eye drops after going to the vet several times since she was having issues with one eye.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – The Monkey Rock hike we did at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe was great, although it was also the only hike we did!
Shae – I loved the pine cone walk they offered at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – I don’t think I did anything quirky as such.
Shae – Surprisingly, we didn’t do anything very quirky in Las Vegas. I’d had plans to go to Omega Mart so that would’ve worked, but I was too exhausted to go out.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Driving from Salt Lake City, UT to Ely, NV, then from Ely to Reno the following week. It was an incredibly scenic drive – much more beautiful than I was expecting from northern Nevada.
Shae – I had a wonderful dinner with my friend Myrna in Las Vegas and then sharing that restaurant experience with hubs on Thanksgiving was really nice.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Seeing Truffles wanting to play with another dog while walking around the park near our Airbnb in Vegas. That might not sound like it’d be funny, but although Truffles loves getting all the attention from people, she doesn’t enjoy playing with other dogs. In fact, she just doesn’t seem to understand the concept of playing with other dogs. However, while walking through the park there was another pup being walked and Truffles seemed to want to play with him which isn’t something she’s ever done.
Shae – I’m not sure I have a “funniest” memory. I spent a lot of my time in Nevada without hubs because when I was back he was traveling and when I was traveling he was home. I guess, seeing slot machines in the airport counts!
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Not spending more time in Nevada. Actually, strictly speaking that’s not true. We spent a decent amount of time in Nevada, but we were so busy with work that we barely got to see any of it. I’d love to return for several weeks as there’s so much we missed out on.
Shae – Not doing more in Las Vegas. I had a long list of things I wanted to see and I was just too tired to motivate myself to go out. I also regretted trying to clean the Airbnb since I fell down the bottom stairs and still have pain in my elbow from the fall three months later. Next time we’ll just live in squalor.
Something We Missed & Want To See
Stephen – Oh man, so much! I’m just going to say the entire state for this one!
Shae – I’m really sad to have missed Omega Mart in Las Vegas, and the Charcoal Ovens that Stephen went to see. I’d have liked to have seen the F1 race since we were there at the same time and I’d have loved to see Adele since she was in residence, but it was just too pricey.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How beautiful Nevada is. It’s so much nicer than the Las Vegas Strip.
Shae – How disappointed I was to not see the Hoover Dam again! It was closed for renovation and I was really disappointed. I love the Strip, so I don’t know what Stephen is talking about.
My Nevada Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a casino in random places. Many gas stations have them, but the most random one was at a grocery store.
Shae – Take a drink every time you see neon lights!
Summary Of Nevada In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Beautiful state; much more to it than just the Strip.
Shae – Very cool state that’s worth a visit.
Nevada Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – This is tricky. Each location had enjoyable things in their own way. I’d probably have to put Lake Tahoe first, but after that Ely, Reno and Las Vegas could be in any order and I’d have a hard time arguing against it.
Shae – I was only in Reno for 1 night, then Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. I’d put it as Lake Tahoe, then Las Vegas then Reno, but if we’d been staying on the Strip that might’ve swapped Las Vegas with Lake Tahoe for me – I love the city lights!
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