Halfway Between Vegas And Zion National Park Is Nevada's Charming Town With Unique Attractions

If you're making the road trip between Las Vegas, Nevada — often called the most fun city in America — and the canyons of Zion National Park in Utah, you might notice a quiet turn-off that leads to a different side of Nevada: Bunkerville. This census-designated place in Clark County is almost exactly in the middle of the well-traveled route. After you've explored the must-visit universal horror attraction in Las Vegas that's open year-round, your drive covers about 79 miles and takes roughly an hour and 10 minutes heading northeast. From Bunkerville, you can continue another 77 miles northeast to reach the main entrance of Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah, a trip of about an hour and 7 minutes.

When you arrive, you'll find a quiet community along the Virgin River. The town was established in 1877 by Mormon pioneers, and it retains much of its historical character, with older homes on large lots. This stands in contrast to nearby Mesquite, which functions as the hub for the area and is where you'll find most stores and restaurants. Your points of interest here are tied to that history. You can visit the Bunkerville Historical Monument, which has plaques commemorating the early settlers.

Many of the structures from the pioneer era still stand and can be seen during a walk through the town. These include the homes of Edward Bunker Sr. and Jr., the Parley Hunt House, and the Thomas Leavitt House. The Thomas Leavitt House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has its original stone granary intact on the property. For the animal lovers in your group, you might visit the Camel Safari, a privately-owned zoo nearby, where you can have encounters with camels and other animals through different types of tours.

If your itinerary brings you to the area around Bunkerville, Nevada, you'll find that your activities will be mostly outdoor fun and rooted in regional history. You might begin at Thomas Dudley Leavitt Sr. Memorial Park, which features a lighted softball field, a short trail, playgrounds, a splash pad, and basketball and sand-volleyball courts. You can also use the Bunkerville Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail, a 2.5-mile path linking the town with Mesquite.

For more extensive outdoor extravaganzas, head to Gold Butte National Monument – an expanse of over 300,000 acres filled with red sandstone formations and thousands of petroglyphs. Another excellent option is the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada's oldest state park, boasting large tracts of Aztec sandstone and hiking trails passing ancient petrified trees. Both of these destinations give you a real sense of the Mojave Desert's rugged beauty.

Historical sites are prominent in the area, too. After casually seeing the pioneer-era homes in Bunkerville, you can visit the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum in Mesquite, which preserves artifacts from the area's settlement period of 1875 to 1935. The museum is inside a 1940s Pueblo-revival building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you're interested in quirky or specialized museums, you might also explore the Donkey History Museum, which chronicles the donkey's role in world events, or the Lost City Museum in Overton, which displays archaeological artifacts from Ancestral Puebloan sites. If art is right up your alley, check out the Mesquite Fine Arts Center and Gallery, where more than 180 pieces by local artists are on display. All of your shopping will be in Mesquite, where boutiques such as Rooster Cottage await. Also on the calendar is the annual Bunker Heritage Days festival, which includes rodeo events, historical reenactments, and chuckwagon food.

When you're taking a weekend getaway road trip in Nevada to Bunkerville, you'll find that your lodging and dining will be in the surrounding area — primarily in the city of Mesquite – since Bunkerville is a residential community. For a rustic stay, consider Aravada Springs, a historic ranch with higher-end cabins, tents, and tipis for glamping. The ranch features a pond you can swim in and serves as a base for hundreds of ATV trails, making it a good choice for an adventurous trip.

Mesquite offers many hotel options as well. Would it be Nevada without a casino? The casino-resorts in the area include Eureka Casino Resort, CasaBlanca Resort and Casino, and the Virgin River Hotel and Casino. At the Eureka, you'll find a pool and a partnership with Wolf Creek Golf Club. The CasaBlanca features a spa and its own golf course, while the Virgin River includes a bowling center and an arcade for the kiddos. Other hotel choices include the Best Western Mesquite Inn, the Hampton Inn & Suites, and the non-gaming Holiday Inn Resort Mesquite, which is a good pick for families.

The dining scene for your visit is also entirely in Mesquite. For coffee and light bites, you'll find a Starbucks or the Cinnamon Cafe. Casino cafes open 24/7 include the Virgin River Cafe, which serves American-style and Chinese food, and Jersey Joe's Diner, which has an East Coast-inspired menu. For Mexican food, try Los Lupes, known for its homemade tortillas. For a higher-class dinner, you could choose Katherine's Steakhouse in the CasaBlanca Resort or Gregory's Mesquite Grill in the Eureka Casino Resort.