Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 11 . SIDE TRIPS FROM LAS VEGAS
Admission to Old Nevada is charged by vehicle—$5 per car weekdays, for up
to six people in the car, and $7 per car on the weekend. The park is open daily
from 10:30am to 5pm November to April, and until 6pm the rest of the year.
WHAT TO SEE & DO AT BONNIE SPRINGS RANCH
There are several things to do here free of charge, and it’s right next door to Old
Nevada. It’s quite a pretty place, in a funky, Western kind of way, and in season,
there are tons of flowers everywhere, including honeysuckle and roses. The main
attraction is the small zoo on the premises. Now, when we say “zoo,” unfortunately,
we mean in addition to a petting zoo with the usual suspects (deer,
sheep, goats, and rabbits) and some unusual animals (potbelly pigs and snooty,
beautiful llamas) to caress and feed, there is also a mazelike enclosure of a series
of wire-mesh pens that contain a variety of livestock, some of whom should not
be penned up (though they are well taken care of), including wolves and bobcats.
Still, it’s more than diverting for kids.
Less politically and ecologically distressing is the aviary, which houses peacocks,
Polish chickens, peachface and blackmask lovebirds, finches, parakeets,
ravens, ducks, pheasants, and geese. Keep your eyes peeled for the peacocks
roaming free; with luck, they will spread their tails for a photo-op. With greater
luck, some of the angelic, rare white peacocks will do the same. It may be worth
dropping by just in the hopes of spotting one in full fan-tailed glory. (And the
ranch also sells peacocks, for $25. Now there’s a souvenir!)
Riding stables offer guided trail rides into the mountain area on a continuous
basis throughout the day (9am–3:15pm spring to fall, until 5:45pm in
summer). Children must be at least 6 years old to participate. Cost is $25 per
person. For more information, call & 702/875-4191.
Scenic 20-minute stagecoach rides, offered weekends and holidays, cost $5
for adults, $3 for children under 12.
ACCOMMODATIONS & DINING
In Old Nevada, the Miner’s Restaurant is a snack bar located in quite a large
room that looks great thanks to Western-motif accessories. Inexpensive fare
(sandwiches, decent burgers, pizza, and hot dogs) is served, along with freshbaked
desserts. There are tables out on the porch. In summer you can also get
beer and soft drinks in a similarly old-fashioned Beer Parlor.
Bonnie Springs Motel This is really a hoot; a funky, friendly little place
in the middle of nowhere—except that nowhere is a gorgeous setting. The motel
is in two double-story buildings and offers regular rooms, “Western” rooms,
“specialty theme” rooms, and kitchen suites.
Where to begin? Here, the theme is expressed mostly through the use of fabrics,
personally decorated by the owner, who did a pretty nice job. The “gay
1890s” room is done in black and pink, with a lace canopy over the bed, an oldfashioned
commode, and liberal use of velvet. The American Indian room uses
skins, feathers, and has a burl-wood chair covered in bearskin. You get the idea.
The “Western” rooms have more burl-wood furniture and electric-log fireplaces
that blow heat into the room.
All special theme rooms (aka fantasy suites) have mirrors over the beds and big
whirlpool tubs in the middle of the room (not in the bathrooms) and come with
bottles of champagne (the empties of which you can see littering the road on your
way out). All the rooms are quite large, though long and narrow, and have private