Nevada stands stubbornly, deliciously defiant in an age when algorithms and satellites often explain the world’s mysteries. Here, myth, mystery and motel vacancy signs still glow brighter than reason, and that’s precisely how locals like it.

They call it the Silver State, but the shadows make Nevada shine. From UFO-laden highways to ghostly saloons, the American West’s most otherworldly frontier has officially gone all-in on its supernatural status. And with the launch of the Paranormal Passport 2.0, travellers can now chart a self-guided route through the state’s eerie underbelly, part ghost tour, part road trip, and part dare.

A State That Wears Its Weirdness Well

Nevada has always been an oddity, even by American standards. Between an airbase the government pretends doesn’t exist, a town named Rachel that embraces alien conspiracy like civic religion, and a motel filled wall-to-wall with clowns, this state looks reality squarely in the eye and laughs.

Travel Nevada’s Paranormal Passport 2.0, freshly launched for curious adventurers, celebrates precisely that. It’s a digital trail of more than forty paranormal hotspots, each one stranger than the last, encouraging travellers to check in (digitally and, one hopes, physically) for points, prizes and shivers down the spine.

Further details can be found on Travel Nevada’s official website, naturally, though one suspects the truly brave will be out there without Wi-Fi, guided by torchlight and a good sense of humour.

Welcome to Alien Country

The Mizpah Hotel | Photo Credit – Travel Nevada

Every good ghost story begins in the desert, and Nevada’s begins along State Route 375, the Extraterrestrial Highway.
Here, in the vast emptiness north of Las Vegas, something about the dry air and starlit sky invites speculation. Locals swear by what they’ve seen: strange lights, silent craft, mysterious hums. The U.S. government, as ever, declines to comment — which only makes the rumours richer.

In the tiny settlement of Rachel, population: variable, the Little A’Le’Inn has turned alien folklore into a form of frontier hospitality. “We don’t promise you’ll see them,” one barman says, “but if they’re around, they’ll see you.” Patrons tuck into Alien Burgers and green-hued fruit pies, trading stories about glowing discs and desert patrols.

Further up the road, suspiciously shaped like a landed spacecraft, the Alien Research Centre looms over the highway with a metallic grin. It’s part gift shop, part pilgrimage site. And for those still sceptical, E.T. Fresh Jerky’s motto, “Drop in for a bite,” sounds more ominous after dark.

Nevada’s DarkSky-certified night skies add a cosmic finishing touch for believers and sceptics alike. Few places on Earth offer clearer views of the heavens — or whatever happens to be passing through them.

Where Ghosts Still Check In

If UFOs aren’t your thing, perhaps ghosts are. The Silver State got its nickname from the precious metal that once lured prospectors west — many of whom, locals say, never really left.

Take Virginia City, for instance. In the 19th century, it was the richest mining camp on Earth; today, it’s an open-air museum where time and spirits seem equally reluctant to move on. The Washoe Club, a creaking Victorian landmark, now doubles as a haunted museum. Guides recount tales of miners, millionaires, and misfortunes, and their footsteps are said to echo long after the guests have gone.

Then there’s Pioche, once described as “tougher than Tombstone.” The Overland Hotel & Saloon maintains a guest list that includes a few names no longer among the living. Staff will tell you that doors open themselves and that laughter sometimes rises from the bar long after closing.

Art, Apparitions, and Atomic Oddities

Only in Nevada could an open-air art gallery double as a ghost story. Near the ruins of Rhyolite Ghost Town, Belgian artist Albert Szukalski’s haunting plaster sculptures reinterpret The Last Supper. This spectral tableau greets visitors in the pale light of Death Valley. Wind whistles through the hollow figures; the desert seems to hold its breath.

For a different flavour of fright, Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum in Boulder City offers a horror film history lesson where the monsters are less ethereal but no less unnerving. Original props, masks, and makeup creations from film and television fill every corner, and the special effects artist himself curates them.

And in Las Vegas, because of course, Las Vegas Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum pushes the boundaries between entertainment and the uncanny. Thirty rooms overflow with allegedly cursed artefacts, including the infamous “Dybbuk Box,” once said to contain a restless spirit. Whether you leave amused or unsettled depends entirely on your constitution and belief in things that go bump in the night.

Room Service, Red Velvet, and Restless Souls

Drive halfway between Reno and Las Vegas and you’ll find Tonopah, a desert town with a peculiar claim to fame: the Clown Motel, often called “the scariest motel in America.”

Clown Motel | Photo Credit – Travel Nevada

It boasts more than 2,000 clown figurines, each with a grin some friendly, others decidedly less so. The effect is part carnival, part fever dream, and wholly unforgettable.

Across the road, Tonopah’s Old Cemetery adds an extra dose of atmosphere. Many of its 19th-century inhabitants are rumoured to wander over at night, perhaps to admire the décor.

Those preferring a touch more class (and fewer clowns) might check in at The Mizpah Hotel, a lovingly restored Edwardian beauty where “The Lady in Red” reportedly still drifts along the corridors. Guests claim to hear whispers and find pearls on their pillows — romantic, in a haunting sort of way.

A Passport to the Paranormal

The first Paranormal Passport, launched a few years ago, proved so successful that its sequel now beckons a new generation of thrill-seekers. Version 2.0 expands the itinerary to more than forty haunted or extraterrestrial locations across the state. Each check-in earns points redeemable for prizes — and bragging rights that money can’t buy.

It’s as much a clever tourism initiative as it is a love letter to Nevada’s eccentricities. This supernatural twist feels natural for a destination built on gold rush dreams, casino jackpots, and mirages.

As the state’s tourism board puts it, “Nevada’s paranormal side is ready to welcome visitors of every kind, no matter which planet they call home.”

Whether you come for aliens, apparitions or adventure, you’ll find that Nevada’s greatest trick is making you question what’s real and loving every unnerving minute of it.

So if you’re ready to swap the beach towel for a torch and a bit of bravado, there’s a road out there, long, empty, and humming faintly with mystery waiting for you.

For more information, visit Travel Nevada’s official website and search Paranormal Passport 2.0 to plan your scare-cation through the Silver State.

By My Thanh Pham

BIO:

My Thanh Pham has worn more travel hats than most luggage racks could hold. After taking a course in travel and tourism, she found herself deep in the business of arranging itineraries across South-East Asia, matching travellers to temples, beaches, and the occasional night train, with a knack for making the complicated look easy.

Not content with life behind the desk, she joined a Vietnamese airline, juggling reservations one day and the frontline bustle of the airport the next. It gave her a ringside seat to the theatre of travel: the missed flights, the joyous reunions, and the endless stories that airports never fail to serve.

These days, My Thanh has swapped ticket stubs for a writer’s keyboard at Global Travel Media. Her words carry the same steady hand she once brought to bookings, guiding readers through the rich, unpredictable world of travel.

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