Bonnie Springs

As part of my trip out to Las Vegas this past weekend, I went to Bonnie Springs Ranch and Old Nevada.

Old Nevada is a fake Old West town, complete with a staged bank robbery and a hanging. Hokey, but great for the kids. Admission is $20 per carload of people, so I was kind of hesitant to go by myself. However, you don’t have to pay until you’re on the Disneyland-style train that takes you into Old Nevada, so I was lucky to have a group of three guys claim me as part of their “carload.” The town itself was kind of lame (so I was glad I didn’t have to pay!) About 1/3 of the buildings were restaurants that weren’t open at the time of day I visited. Another third were restaurants. The remaining third included a museum of antiques (which were hardly labeled) and a wax museum (which was closed.)

The petting zoo at Bonnie Springs Ranch next door was a little better, but it was more of a “looking zoo.” there were lots of chickens running around, and a few goats and sheep that would run away from anyone who even vaguely looked interested in petting them. Still, it was a little entertaining.

Yesterday we took the bike to Bonnie Springs for breakfast. Bonnie Springs sits 20 or so miles outside of Las Vegas with the Red Rock Canyon as a backdrop. It boasts it is “Old Nevada” and was originally built in 1843 as a stop over for the many covered wagons heading to California. I think it has been a tourist area since the 1950 or so. There is a hotel and a wedding chapel. They have skits and shoot outs and some shops. There is also a zoo of sorts with the “wild” animals caged and the deer, goats, sheep and the likes wondering freely. Take a pocket full of quarters as there are feed dispensing machines located throughout. The bar/restaurant has a rustic feel and a great view of a pond with a fountain – the local hang out for some duck, geese and several lovely swans. A fun place to take the little ones and a great morning ride as they encourage bikers and have lots of bike parking.