Places exploringwithesch Wants to Go

The site of an underground detonation of a megaton nuclear bomb in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

The colossal cartoon man stands outside a Nevada museum.

Curiously, this large sporting goods store features 14 wax representations of American presidents.

“Live hard, ride fast, eat pizza” at this joint filled with Evel Knievel memorabilia.

Small Nevada town embraced its designation as the "Armpit of America" with an Old Spice-sponsored festival.

The world's largest dead polar bear, immortalized by taxidermy and Hunter S. Thompson.

Formerly frequented by Hollywood stars and now open for tours.

This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

Bill Murray bowled three straight strikes here at Reno's "Taj Mahal of Tenpins."

An errant donkey ushered in a new era of mining in Nevada.

A memorial to the unknown and unheralded men and women of the Cold War military and intelligence services.

The highest point in Nevada had to be decided by court order after California tried to claim it as their own.

Temporary Burning Man sculpture made of two 18-wheelers.

A whimsical, punny collection of "fence art" outside the tiny mountain town of Baker, Nevada.

Back in the day everyone who was anyone played this historic western theater.

A series of labyrinths in the Nevada desert inspire meditation and calmness.

The self-made house sculpture of an outsider artist who named himself "Chief Rolling Thunder."

A land of debatable treasure.

An 1870s ranch for pioneers, rodeo stars, and divorcees was abandoned and left for dead, until the city reopened it for exploration.

The eerie ruins of an isolated abandoned town nicknamed "the Widowmaker" for its deadly gold mine.

This mother-daughter run curiosities shop is a beautifully odd mix of taxidermy and exotic plants.

In the middle of a remote desert town is a surprisingly opulent hotel.

This Old West eatery along America's Loneliest Road was originally a stop on the Pony Express.

Nearly 300,000 acres of wildlife, natural splendor, and a hidden ghost town have been designated a national monument.