Travelers come to Nevada to experience everything one might expect from a world-class destination. Casino resorts become more lavish and imaginative every year. You’ll find top-name entertainment, theme dining, regional flavor and world-class cuisine for every appetite, shopping experiences for every budget, art exhibits that touch your soul and more. Venture beyond the bright lights and brilliance of Nevada’s exciting cities to discover the other side of Nevada. Living history abounds—from railroad museums and "Ghost Trains" you can still ride to restored Opera Houses that feature first-class performances to Basque and Native American cultural festivals that serve up the spirit of our Western heritage.

If you're looking for outdoor adventure, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are perfect for mountain biking in the summer and skiing in the winter—all featuring views of pristine Lake Tahoe. Great Basin National Park has caves, bristlecone pines, and great hiking. Red Rock Canyon's cliffs and huge boulders are well known among mountaineers. Nevada is also the gateway to some of America's most popular national parks, such as The Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Bryce Canyon and Zion.

Las Vegas
There’s no place on earth like Las Vegas. The city thrives on superlatives—biggest, brightest, longest, and tallest—so it’s no surprise that the city is home to 18 of the 20 largest hotels in the country. Visitors will find an unlimited variety of entertainment, sightseeing, special events, shopping and dining. Las Vegas boasts more neon and lights than another other city; on the famed Las Vegas Strip, visitors can view a spirited pirate ship battle, an exploding volcano, or a spectacular laser light water show.

You can visit theme resorts that capture the essence of ancient Egypt, an Arthurian kingdom, Rome, Venice, New York, Monte Carlo, Paris, and a host of various tropical paradises. And of course, enjoy the excitement of 24-hour gaming, gourmet restaurants operated by the world’s most famous chefs, and star-studded entertainment. If that’s not enough, a massive canopy of lights that covers five blocks encloses downtown Las Vegas. Called the Fremont Street Experience, the canopy comes alive every evening with sense-pounding light and sound shows that add to the excitement of the place, often known as Glitter Gulch.

For those venturing outside of the casinos, Las Vegas offers shoppers an amazing array of options including mega-malls, unique boutiques, upscale stores, and sprawling outlet malls filled with designer name goods, fine clothing, jewelry, and other items. Perhaps less well known is that Las Vegas is a veritable jackpot of history and art. Visitors will find a number of quality art museums featuring changing exhibits of national and regional contemporary artists as well as permanent collections. The city’s historic museums range from archaeological and anthropological exhibits of the original Native Americans to the memorabilia of the legendary entertainer Liberace.

For the adventurous, there are amusement parks and theme rides that offer thrills. Recreation enthusiasts can choose from golf, boating, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, car racing, and even snow skiing. Long before the glass pyramids and manmade volcanoes, nature created her own landmarks in Southern Nevada.

Las Vegas Territory
The Las Vegas Territory is a region with startlingly diverse mountain and desert landscapes that can produce as much admiration as the biggest and brightest neon sign. Just 20 miles west of downtown Las Vegas is the magnificent Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Wildlife, including big horn sheep and wild burros, abounds in this region. Whether you hike, bike or rock climb internationally known rock faces, this geologic wonderland is worth the visit. Nearby is Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, once owned by billionaire Howard Hughes. Now a shady retreat, visitors can enjoy outdoor concerts and performances in the summertime.

About a half-hour north of Las Vegas is Mount Charleston. At nearly 12,000 feet, Mount Charleston has been described as "a garden island in a sea of desert." In the summer, it is the place in Southern Nevada where visitors can stay cool without air conditioning. In the winter, it’s the only place in Southern Nevada for skiing and other snow sports. There are campgrounds, picnic areas, and hiking trails.

Lake Mead
An attraction of another sort can be found near the quiet, shaded community of Boulder City, located southeast of Las Vegas. Boulder City is the gateway to Hoover Dam, a 726-foot high concrete structure that creates Lake Mead. The dam, considered one of the seven manmade wonders of the world, offers tours of its electricity-producing system, which was completed in 1935. Tours begin at the Visitors Center that offers fabulous views of the dam from the observation level. Lake Mead is the largest manmade lake in the Western Hemisphere. Both it and Lake Mohave to the south are part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is operated by the National Park Service. The recreation area offers five beaches and marinas, campgrounds, and other services. Boat and Jet Ski rentals are available at several points on the lake, and sightseeing boats, including the Desert Princess sternwheeler, also ply its waters.

Valley of Fire
On the northeast side of Lake Mead, about 55 miles from Las Vegas, a State Scenic Byway leads travelers through the Valley of Fire State Park. Valley of Fire earned its name from bright red sandstone mountains and valleys. In places, the wind has sculpted the sandstone into hauntingly beautiful shapes that seem to mutate with the changing light of day. The park also has several fine examples of prehistoric Indian petroglyphs. The nearby Lost City Museum at Overton is a storehouse of artifacts from the Anasazi or “Ancient Ones,” a prehistoric tribe that lived in the area thousands of years ago. The exhibits include a full-size replica of the type of adobe dwelling inhabited by those ancient people.

Mesquite, located northeast of Las Vegas on the Virgin River, is a rapidly developing resort town with golf and spa packages, horseback riding, trap shooting and all the indoor activities for which Nevada is famous. Mesquite is conveniently located for side trips to nearby Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

Southern Nevada
Approaching the Nevada state line from Southern California, drivers are greeted by the bright lights of Primm and Jean. Once lonely highway outposts, the towns are now major resort areas with golf, a designer outlet mall and unique hotel-casinos that boast several amusement rides, including The Desperado, one of the tallest roller coasters in the world. In the extreme southern tip of Nevada on the Colorado River is the community of Laughlin. In 1966, Laughlin consisted of a small motel and restaurant that catered to local fishermen. While the fishing remains great, Laughlin has been transformed into a lively resort town of world-class hotels, offering big-name entertainment and first-class accommodations. Right on the river, visitors can water-ski, swim, boat or relax on the many beaches. A popular attraction is the water taxis, taking passengers from Arizona to Nevada and back. Halfway between Laughlin and Las Vegas is the former mining town of Searchlight. Visitors will find a fine, small museum as well as picturesque mining head frames on the hills around the town.

From the neon lights and fabulous hotel resorts of the Las Vegas Strip to the peaceful hiking trails of Mount Charleston and Valley of Fire, the Las Vegas Territory offers an endless supply of fun and excitement.

Cowboy Country
The Humboldt River's course defines the main road of Cowboy Country; the same route visitors now travel along Interstate 80 has been used since the 1850s. The river also defined many of the area emigrants’ lives when they returned following failed dreams of finding gold or silver. These pioneers created an inland cattle ranching empire, built upon the practice of open-range grazing.

Pioneer Territory There aren't many places left in the United States where you'll find real pioneers in a true frontier setting. The state's Pioneer Territory in south central Nevada is one of the last. There are a variety of natural wonders here, from the eerie badlands of Death Valley National Park to the alpine grandeur of the Toiyabe and Monitor mountain ranges. The land is dotted with the ruins of old mining towns that flourished and foundered in the boom-bust cycle of that risky industry. However, family ranches that have been operating for 100 years or more still prosper as bastions of traditional western ranch life.

Pony Express Territory
Nevada's Pony Express Territory is an open-air museum of natural history and western Americana, where visitors not only play among the exhibits—they interact with them.

Reno-Tahoe Territory
Nevada's Reno-Tahoe Territory has it all: Lake Tahoe's crystalline waters, rolling forests of pine and fir, snow-covered mountains, gaming resorts filled with super-stars, an ancient sea turned into a desert lake, historic mining towns, Indian Powwows and an abundance of golf courses. Whether you want to wine and dine, dance and game or hike and ski, you can do it all in Reno-Tahoe Territory.

Indian Territory
In contemporary Nevada, many of the descendents of the state’s original settlers continue to occupy portions of their ancestral lands. For example, Pyramid Lake, located north of Reno, is located within the boundaries of a Northern Paiute Indian Reservation. Reflecting the magnificent natural beauty of the region, Pyramid Lake Road (State Rt. 445) has been designated a National Scenic Byway, the only federal scenic byway located entirely within the boundaries of an Indian reservation. Pyramid Lake is a special place. It offers some of the best fishing in the state and the Pyramid Lake Visitor Center is home of a fascinating museum devoted to the lake’s natural history and the culture of the native people.

Area: 110567 sq.mi, Land 109806 sq. mi., Water 761 sq.mi.

Location: 39.14832 N, 119.74324 W.

Border States: Arizona - California - Idaho - Oregon - Utah.

Agriculture: Cattle, hay, dairy products, potatoes.

Industry: Tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing, food processing, electric equipment.

Flag: On a cobalt blue background in the upper left quarter is a five-pointed silver star between two sprays of sagebrush crossed to form a half wreath; across the top of the wreath is a golden scroll with the words, in black letters, "Battle Born." The name "Nevada" is beneath the star in gold letters. The current Nevada State Flag design was adopted March 26, 1929, and revised in 1991.

State Motto: All for our country.

Population: 1,809,253; 35th, 12/99 +.

Statehood: October 31, 1864.

Topography: Rugged north-south mountain ranges. Southern area is within the Mojave Desert with the Colorado River Canyon.

State Capital: Carson City.

Largest Cities: Las Vegas, Reno, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Sparks.

Geographic Center: Lander, 26 miles southeast of Austin.

Highest Point: Boundary Peak; 13,143 feet, 9th.

Lowest Point: Colorado River; 470 feet, 37th M.

State Bird: Mountain Bluebird.

State Flower: Sagebrush - Artemisia tridentata.

State Nickname: The Silver State.

State Song: Home Means Nevada.

State Tree: Single leaf pinon and bristlecone pine - Pinus monophylla and Pinus aristata.