One through four
1. Virginia City — the Comstock Lode ghost of a town, C Street still has working saloons in original 1870s buildings, and the V&T Railroad runs on weekends. 2. Genoa — Nevada's oldest settlement (1851), 45 minutes from Reno, home of the Genoa Bar and the Candy Dance festival in September. 3. Boulder City — no casinos by state law, the only Nevada town that feels like a 1930s planned community, which it is. 4. Ely — high-desert crossroads with the Nevada Northern Railway steam trains and murals on every downtown wall.
Five through seven
5. Tonopah — halfway between Reno and Vegas, the Mizpah Hotel is genuinely haunted-if-you-believe and comfortable if you don’t, and the Stargazing Park is one of the darkest in the Lower 48. 6. Beatty — the gateway to Death Valley from Nevada, the Death Valley Nut and Candy Company is legitimately worth stopping for. 7. Eureka — pop 600, one paved main street, the Eureka Opera House restored to 1880s condition. Skip Jackpot unless you’re crossing the Idaho border.
Good to know
Which of these is closest to Las Vegas?+
Boulder City at 25 miles. Everything else is a three-hour drive or more; Virginia City and Genoa are day trips from Reno, not Vegas.
Can I stay overnight in any of them?+
Yes. The Mizpah in Tonopah, the Nevada Northern's bunkhouse in Ely, and Virginia City's Silver Queen and B&Bs are all worth an overnight.