A guide to to Nevada’s ghost towns and UFO hotspots

Visitors will find themselves immersed in the otherworldly in Nevada as the state offers a host of  weird and supernatural experiences. With more ghost towns than inhabited ones and home to the infamous Area 51, paranormal activity isn’t unusual in the Silver State. Visitors can head out on a ghost hunt, watch the skies for UFO’s, and explore the spooky oddities only found in Nevada. 

Keep an eye out for aliens 

Nevada is home to some of the world’s darkest skies, which makes it the perfect destination to spot the flashing lights of passing UFO’s, and even if visitors don’t catch a flying saucer they will definitely spot a shooting star or two. head to Tonopah Star Park, Great Basin National Park, or Massacre Rim, these spots are far beyond the reach of light pollution and sound, so are the perfect places to view thousands of stars, galaxies, and planets – some of which aren’t visible anywhere else on earth. Those keen to learn more about Nevada’s otherworldly history should take the Extraterrestrial Highway from Alamo to Tonopah for a guaranteed martian sighting on the ground. From tequila to jerky, visitors will find E.T. themed everything along their route, and can stay the night at the iconic Little Aleinn, employees here can also point extra keen visitors towards The Black Mailbox, a decades long meeting and communications spot for the extraterrestrial-obsessed. 

Supernatural spots

With more ghost towns than living towns, Nevada has plenty of spooky spots to explore. Thanks to the discovery of gold and silver in the mid 1860s, which also gave the Silver State its nickname, hopefuls flocked to the state in search of a fortune, but these mines dried up and the population moved on leaving towns behind. Thanks to Nevada’s dry climate the buildings remained standing and are well preserved as if their inhabitants only just left. To the north of the state is Virginia City, one of the best examples of Nevada’s former boomtown glory days, it was home of the largest silver strike in the world. Visitors can enjoy a drink in frozen-in-time saloons with names like Bucket of Blood and Silver Queen, stroll along the original wooden boardwalk-lined streets, and hear tales from local characters who still sport period costumes. To learn more about the town’s spooky inhabitants take the “Bats in the Belfry” walking ghost tour through the Silver Queen Hotel, Mackay Mansion, and other historic haunts, while the local guide tells tales of the locations and the ghosts that have been there for decades. 

Unusual is the usual  

Those looking for something a little more unique will be spoilt for choice in Nevada as the state embraces its quirky history. Visitors heading out on the open roads will be treated to a variety of unconventional roadside attractions and for those who don’t suffer from coulrophobia, The Clown Motel is a creepy and unique roadside stopover that is entirely unforgettable. The motel houses what is possibly the largest private collection of clown figurines and memorabilia in the world, and to add to the spooky vibes, is located next to Old Tonopah Cemetery. Next head to Coffinwood, the owners of a custom-made coffin business transformed their home into what they have aptly named Coffinwood. Everything here is coffin-shaped from flower beds to gazebos, there is a pet cemetery, a collection of old school hearses, and visitors can even get married at the ‘Church of the Coffin’. 

Paranormal passport 

For visitors heading to Nevada to seek out its spooky sites, Travel Nevada, the state’s official tourism authority, has launched an all-new Paranormal Passport to encourage exploration of some of the more haunted sights in the Silver State. The passport is free and allows travellers to digitally check in at nearly 50 locations to earn points toward exclusive Travel Nevada prizes. The sites range from ghost towns to alien sighting hotspots, to the spookiest of weird Nevada experiences, perfect for travellers looking for something outside the box when they explore.