10 Historic Nevada Locales Where You’ll Walk in the Footsteps of Hollywood Heroes
1. Raquel Welch – Genoa Bar
Built in 1853, this
However, it was Raquel Welch who left behind a gift at Genoa — her black leopard-print bra, which joined the bar’s decorative lingerie stockpile and still hangs from antlers inside the old saloon. Per Welch’s request, the rest of the silky souvenirs were taken down and now reside in a safe onsite. You can peek inside — but be warned that in exchange for the privilege, the staff will insist you add to the collection!
2. Howard Hughes – Spring Mountain
West of Las Vegas and situated within the much larger
Hughes’s Nevada ties run deep. Besides purchasing a number of Las Vegas casinos and hotels, he bought mining claims all over the state.
3. Rat Pack – Lake Tahoe
It’s been almost 90 years since the
However, it was the Rat Pack that was most intimately tied to the casino, not only performing in its showroom, but actually buying into the business (Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin did so in 1960). While the property is currently closed, it’s undergoing renovations to return the resort to its former glory and is set to open in 2016.
4. Carole Lombard/Clark Cable – Goodsprings
Forty-five minutes south of Las Vegas, the former mining town of Goodsprings is just about the last place you’d expect to have a brush with Hollywood’s Golden Age. But the 102-year-old
5. Bill Harrah – Reno
The Biggest Little City in the World played a big role in launching one of the greatest careers in gaming history. In 1937 Bill Harrah moved to Reno, where he started the business that would become Caesars Entertainment — not with grand casinos but bingo parlors, slowly growing into larger gambling halls and eventually developing Harrah’s Club in Reno and Harrah’s Club Lake Tahoe.
Harrah’s legacy lives on in Reno, both in
6. Bing Crosby – Elko
You probably know legendary performer Bing Crosby from his Academy Award-winning film performances and dozens of No. 1 hit songs (“White Christmas,” anyone?). But Crosby also had an unusual side hustle for a Hollywood A-lister. He owned a handful of ranches in
A beloved figure in town, Crosby was named honorary mayor of Elko, and even held the world premiere of his 1951 movie Here Comes the Groom in the Northern Nevada city. Crosby died in 1977, but his legacy lives on in the
7. Will Smith (and the rest of the Independence Day cast) – Rachel
Set along the Extraterrestrial Highway (NV-375) two hours north of Las Vegas, the blip-on-the-map town of
Your visit will certainly include sightings of Area 51 (though don’t try to approach the gates or border; this is an active military installation, after all!) and cartoon aliens. Will Smith? Not so likely.
8. John Wayne – Carson City
Just east of Lake Tahoe,
Wayne wasn’t the only Hollywood megastar to shoot his final flick in the Carson City area. The Misfits, the last big screen appearance for film royalty Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, shot scenes in nearby Dayton.
9. Wyatt Earp – Tonopah and Goldfield
Known as “the World’s Last Great Gold Camp,” the authentic Western ghost town of
Virgil served as deputy sheriff for Esmeralda County, while Wyatt and his wife Josephine owned a bar in Goldfield until 1905, when they moved on following Virgil’s death. Strolling local streets, you can feel confident you’re walking in the Earps’ footsteps. (Go ahead and quote Tombstone if you’re so inclined.)
10. Mark Twain – Virginia City
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Once known as the Queen of the Comstock,
Using the pen name Mark Twain, Clemens began reporting for the paper in 1862 and spent two years writing about the bonanza and the outrageous happenings in Virginia City. Visitors today can get a taste of that era through mine tours, historic buildings, and
