Free-Range Art Highway

#FreeRangeArtHighway TravelNevada.com/Free-Range-Art-Highway

The Art of the Road Trip

Get ready for one far-out trip from Las Vegas to Reno.

The 8-hour drive on U.S. 95 from Las Vegas to Reno carries you to several funky towns, home to intriguing murals, top-notch art galleries, and plenty of iconic places to stay—including one with the world’s largest private collection of clowns. Hands-down, few routes put the "trip" in “road trip” like Nevada’s Free-Range Art Highway. Get ready for some serious adventure on U.S. 95, where psychedelic free-range art meets the American West.

Hit the Road

Start: Las Vegas Suggested Duration: 1-3 days Distance: 440-515 mi

LIVE LIKE A LOCAL

Before you leave Las Vegas, first lay your eyes on vintage neon at The Neon Museum, then continue to Downtown Las Vegas’ Fremont East District to walk several blocks buzzing with restored neon signs and eye-catching art. Then hit the Las Vegas Arts District, AKA 18b, to scope out Graffiti Art Gallery Alley, funky Antique Alley, and chic cafés.

Up the road, cruise into Beatty before checking out the Goldwell Open Air Museum, and rest on a mosaic couch as you ponder the meaning of the penguin amid the sagebrush—or any of the other seven colossal sculptures that include a ghostly lifesize version of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of "The Last Supper." Heading north, and just before you hit Goldfield, get a little spiritual at the International Car Forest of the Last Church where you’ll find partially-buried vehicles that serve as a rotating canvas for visiting artists.

Tonopah is next, meaning you're halfway to Reno—making this the perfect overnight stop if clowns are your thing. The surreal Clown Motel is just one option, however, so for those less enthusiastic about clowns, you have choices: you can lay your head at The Belvada, which represents the height of luxury during the old mining town days, or the iconic Mizpah Hotel, home to historically preserved rooms (including the famous Lady in Red Suite, where guests occasionally catch ghostly glimpses of the room's namesake). Another day, a lot more art to see. Gear up for galleries and offbeat attractions on the home-stretch to Reno. Look out for both cool neon and bighorn sheep en route to the free Hawthorne Ordnance Museum to examine explosive artifacts. Beyond picturesque Walker Lake lies Fallon, home to the artistic oasis of Oats Park Art Center and its three museumstyle galleries with rotating exhibits. Then, roll on into Reno for its public art, fancy food, hip bars, and bohemian shops. The Neon Line District is Reno’s newest arty offering with 20 blocks of Burning Man sculptures and art, vintage neon, hotels, restaurants, and shops in the Downtown District being developed. Make sure to get a snap with the giant steel horse, and look for free outdoor concerts at the Glow Plaza.

• Las Vegas’ Graffiti Art Gallery Alley gets periodic makeovers, so if you like what you see, you better take a picture—it might not be there next time you come! • Stop at the Tonopah Liquor Company before bed for a nightcap selected from one of hundreds of available whiskeys. • The Slanted Porch in Fallon has food that exceeds its humble settings. Fresh, locallysourced and a large selection make this a great lunch option.