Last updated August 17, 2026

The Best Tours & Places to Visit in Nevada

Nevada is defined by two extremes, the round-the-clock spectacle of the Las Vegas Strip and some of the emptiest, most starkly beautiful desert in the country once you leave the city lights behind. From the casinos and shows on the Las Vegas Strip to the glass Skywalk suspended over the Grand Canyon, the sheer scale of Hoover Dam, and the alpine waters of Lake Tahoe on the state's western edge, Nevada packs an unusual range of experiences into a state most people associate with just one city. Whether you are searching for the best tours in Nevada, tickets to top Nevada attractions, the best places to visit in Nevada, or simply the most memorable things to do in Nevada, this guide covers everything worth knowing before you go.

Top Attractions, Tours and Tickets in Nevada

The Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip packs more themed architecture, casino resorts, and sheer nighttime spectacle into 4.2 miles than almost anywhere else on Earth, from the Bellagio's choreographed fountains to the Sphere's massive wraparound video screen visible from blocks away. The pace of change on the Strip is relentless, with resorts regularly rebuilding or reinventing themselves, which makes even repeat visitors likely to find something new since their last trip. Guided Strip sightseeing tours with photo stops cover the corridor's major landmarks in a single easy outing, particularly useful after dark when the Strip's lighting is at its most photogenic.

Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk

Grand Canyon West, on the Hualapai Reservation roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Las Vegas, offers the closest Grand Canyon access to the city and is home to the Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway extending 70 feet out over the canyon rim with a sheer 4,000-foot drop visible directly beneath your feet. Because the drive from Las Vegas is long, the vast majority of visitors book a full-day guided tour rather than attempt the trip independently, and most bundle in a stop at Hoover Dam along the way. Full-day tours combining the Skywalk with Hoover Dam typically include hotel pickup directly from the Strip and a stop at Guano Point for panoramic canyon views without the Skywalk's separate admission fee.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam, completed in 1935 during the Great Depression, remains one of the largest concrete structures ever built, holding back the Colorado River to form Lake Mead, the largest reservoir by volume in the United States. The dam's Art Deco design details, visible in its intake towers and the ornamental sculptures at its base, reflect the era's architectural style applied to what was fundamentally an enormous engineering project. Half-day tours from Las Vegas spend roughly two hours at the dam learning about its construction, and VIP options that go inside the dam itself, touring the generator room, offer a more in-depth look than the standard visitor center stop.

Cirque du Soleil and Vegas Shows

Las Vegas holds the largest concentration of major production shows anywhere in the world, and Cirque du Soleil alone maintains several permanent residencies on the Strip, each built around a completely different concept and staged in a custom-built theater. O at the Bellagio, staged in and around a 1.5-million-gallon pool, has run continuously since 1998 and remains one of the most technically ambitious live shows ever produced. Tickets to O at the Bellagio sell out well in advance on popular nights, and comedy, magic, and residency concerts from major recording artists round out a Strip entertainment calendar that changes constantly.

Valley of Fire and Lake Mead

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada's oldest state park, holds red Aztec sandstone formations dating back 150 million years, their vivid color intensifying dramatically at sunrise and sunset, roughly an hour northeast of Las Vegas. Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam, offers boating, kayaking, and swimming within easy reach of the Strip, though the reservoir's dramatically lowered water levels in recent years, visible as a pale bathtub ring on the surrounding rock, have become their own point of interest for visitors following Colorado River drought coverage. Small-group tours combining Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead cover all three in a single day, an efficient option given how spread out the sites are around the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley.

Lake Tahoe and Reno

Lake Tahoe straddles the California-Nevada border high in the Sierra Nevada, its water famous for extreme clarity and a deep blue color that surprises visitors expecting a typical mountain lake. Reno, a smaller and more affordable alternative to Las Vegas for casino gaming, sits close enough to Tahoe to serve as a practical base, with Nevada's side of the lake, including Sand Harbor and Incline Village, generally quieter and less developed than the California shore. Self-guided GPS audio tours of Lake Tahoe narrate the drive around the lake at your own pace, and Reno's downtown arch and riverfall district offer a compact, walkable alternative to a full day on the water.

Virginia City and Nevada's Mining History

Virginia City sprang up almost overnight after the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the richest silver deposit ever found in the United States, and the wealth it generated helped fund San Francisco's growth and fast-tracked Nevada to statehood in 1864. The town's wooden boardwalks, saloons, and Victorian-era buildings remain remarkably intact, and the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, once used to haul ore, now runs short scenic excursions for visitors. Mark Twain worked as a reporter in Virginia City early in his career, and the mining wealth that once flowed through the town's banks and opera houses gives it a genuinely different character than Nevada's casino-driven cities further south.

Major Cities and Places to Visit in Nevada

• Las Vegas Tours & Tickets - The Strip's casinos, shows, and round-the-clock entertainment, plus the historic Fremont Street downtown
• Reno Tours & Tickets - A smaller casino city known as the Biggest Little City in the World, near the Sierra Nevada
• Henderson Tours & Tickets - A fast-growing Las Vegas suburb with Lake Las Vegas and a quieter pace than the Strip
• Boulder City Tours & Tickets - The town built to house Hoover Dam's construction workers, now the gateway to the dam
• Virginia City Tours & Tickets - A preserved Comstock Lode silver mining boomtown from the 1860s
• Incline Village Tours & Tickets - A Nevada-side Lake Tahoe resort community with beaches and ski access
• Laughlin Tours & Tickets - A riverside casino town on the Colorado River, popular for its lower prices than Las Vegas
• Carson City Tours & Tickets - Nevada's small state capital, named for frontiersman Kit Carson
• Elko Tours & Tickets - A rural mining and ranching hub with a strong Basque immigrant heritage
• Pahrump Tours & Tickets - A desert town southwest of Las Vegas and a gateway to Death Valley's eastern approach

Universities, Colleges and Sports Teams in Nevada

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas - The state's largest university, with a strong hospitality management program tied to the city's casino industry.
• UNLV Rebels (sports team) in Las Vegas - NCAA Division I program competing in the Mountain West Conference.
• University of Nevada, Reno in Reno - The state's oldest university, founded in 1874.
• Nevada Wolf Pack (sports team) in Reno - NCAA Division I program competing in the Mountain West Conference.

Nevada Demographics and Population

According to the 2024 American Community Survey, Nevada has a population of approximately 3,267,467 people across 110,571 square miles, ranking it 32nd among U.S. states by population. The median household income is $81,134, and the largest racial and ethnic groups are Asian (8.8%), White (44.8%), Hispanic (29.6%), American Indian and Alaska Native (1.9%), and Black or African American (9%). The median age is 39.5 years. Approximately 11.6% of residents live below the poverty line, compared to the national rate of 12.2%. Nevada's economy is dominated by tourism and gaming centered on Las Vegas and Reno, along with a growing logistics and warehousing sector taking advantage of the state's central location and low taxes, mining, including gold production that ranks among the highest of any state, and a rapidly expanding data center and technology industry.

When to Visit Nevada

Spring (March through May) is the best time to visit Nevada. The best time to visit Nevada. Temperatures in Las Vegas are comfortable rather than punishing, and Lake Tahoe and Reno are shaking off winter snow without summer's peak crowds. Fall (September through November): A close second to spring, with Las Vegas heat breaking by October and comfortable conditions for Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon West day trips. Winter (December through February): Mild in Las Vegas and a good time for lower hotel prices on the Strip, while Lake Tahoe's Nevada side runs full ski operations at resorts like Diamond Peak. Summer (June through August): Extremely hot in Las Vegas, regularly exceeding 105 degrees, though Lake Tahoe's high elevation keeps it a popular and much cooler summer escape.

Frequently Asked Questions About Touring Nevada

Official Nevada Resources

The following official government websites provide additional planning resources, park information, and historical records for travelers visiting Nevada.