This Quirky Nevada Town Is Like a Mini Vegas on the Water
Find old-school vibes and adventures into the great outdoors in Laughlin.
For all the high-stakes fun of Las Vegas at a fraction of the cost, look no further than Laughlin, Nevada. At least, that’s what Don Laughlin, the owner of the 101 Club in North Las Vegas, envisioned when first flew his plane over the Colorado River in 1964. He saw a world of potential in this strip of Nevada land across from Arizona's Bullhead City and invested in a small eight-room motel. It grew into the Riverside Resort, which has two hotel towers and more than 1,300 rooms today.
Don Laughlin passed away in 2023, but his vision carries on. The town that shares his name is now home to about 8,000 people and 10 casino hotels in the area. Between gambling, neon lights, and convenient entertainment, it would be easy to call Laughlin a mini-Vegas by the river, but it's much more than that.
Despite being relatively new, the vacation destination is surprisingly set in its ways with the most recent hotel built in the mid-'90s. As Vegas looks for the next hot new thing, Laughlin sticks to its roots, providing an old-school feel that’s hard to find on the Strip these days. So take a road trip to Laughlin and see a different side of Nevada—one that loves prime rib, country music, and owning its own identity in an ever-changing state.
Drive time:
1.5 hours from Las Vegas, Nevada
3.5 hours from Palm Springs, California
4 hours from Phoenix, Arizona
If you don't do anything else: Get out on the Colorado River
Everything goes back to the river in Laughlin. Casinos and restaurants sit alongside it, people walk along it, and when the weather is right, everybody wants to swim, boat, float, and zip around in it. The water is so blue and clear, it's hard to believe it's the same muddy Colorado River that runs through the Grand Canyon 100 miles away. You can even see the bottom at night.
If you've got a boat of your own, there's a free launch at Fisherman's Access Park by the Riverside's north tower. You can also boat, swim, camp, and lounge on the sand at Davis Camp (near the Davis Dam on the Arizona side of the river) or farther south at the Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, which typically requires reservations for its dual beaches.
Jet Ski rentals are ubiquitous in Laughlin. Pay, hop on, and speed off—it’s as easy as that. For something a little more glam, the Grand Celebration is a new 96-foot custom yacht that offers a variety of cruises. Jet Boat Tours travel nearly 60 miles down the river to Lake Havasu, passing by the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, and petroglyphs that can only be seen from the water in Topock Gorge. Laughlin also has water taxis that travel between casino docks for as low as $5 a ride with wristbands available for unlimited daily rides. Don't hesitate to tip your captain a few bucks.
Fill your days:
Outdoor activities in Laughlin
Grapevine Canyon is at the end of Christmas Tree Pass, a gravel road named by miners who used to decorate juniper trees with holiday lights. That's the story anyway. The area starts to get fun when you pull the car over and take a walk across the floor of a dry river bed that was full of rushing water hundreds of years ago. Petroglyphs—prehistoric graffiti left behind by Native American tribes somewhere between 600 and 1,000 years ago—are easy to spot. Rock formations are often jagged and vary in texture and color.
Laughlin is surrounded by desert terrain that’s perfect for ATV or UTV driving. OUI Experience offers off-roading tours with private customized packages so you can drive a UTV yourself or turn the wheel over to a pro. You can even take a shortcut through the dirt and hills of Silver Creek Road to Oatman, a small Route 66 ghost town in Arizona that has two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Grab a buffalo burger at the Oatman Hotel, enjoy staged gunfights, and watch burros roam the streets. You're more than welcome to feed them alfalfa squares (sold in bags for a dollar) and acknowledge the most important rule: burros always have the right of way. No honking, revving engines, or doing anything else to move them along.
Nightlife in Laughlin
Aside from hanging out on the river, a show at the Laughlin Events Center is the most common excuse to book a trip to Laughlin. The outdoor amphitheater seats up to 21,000 people and is versatile enough to host rodeos, racing, and concerts by arena-level rock and country acts. There's no parking lot. Just walk over from one of the hotels, which also offer free shuttles. Don's Celebrity Theater at the Riverside Resort, the newly renovated Edgewater Pavillion, and Harrah's Rio Vista Amphitheater also have national music and comedy headliners, but on a smaller scale.
If someone directs you to anything described as a "nightclub," don't expect anything like what you'll find in Vegas. Some have DJs on weekends, but these lounges tend to favor live bands and line dancing. The Rush Lounge at the Golden Nugget has music steps from the casino floor. Losers' Lounge is a two-level party spot with a fun gimmick: the walls are decorated with framed photos of "losers" throughout history like O.J. Simpson and Tonya Harding. Bikini Bay Bar & Nightclub is really a sports bar with pool tables and drinks served by girls in bikinis who dance on countertops. It's probably the closest thing you'll find to a strip club in Laughlin and oddly enough, it's at the former outlet mall.
Eat, drink, and sleep:
Bars and restaurants in Laughlin
Dining in Laughlin is still pretty casual by big city standards. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find some delicious bites. The Gourmet Room at Riverside Resort is comfortable in its old-school skin. The space is a total throwback with chandeliers and plush red furniture. A live piano player and floor-to-ceiling windows by the river only add to the atmosphere. The Range at Harrah's overdelivers with not only their steaks, but a killer French onion soup (served in a carved-out onion) and sweet potatoes shaped to look like hockey pucks, drizzled in a brown sugar butter sauce.
Laughlin largely avoids the celebrity chef culture that dominates Vegas, but one exception is Guy Fieri's El Burro Borracho at Harrah's, which specializes in margaritas and nachos served in a small trash can. It actually opened in Laughlin first, before a Vegas version arrived at the Rio, proving that on occasion, Sam Laughlin's little resort town by the river can be a step ahead of Sin City.
Wake up and have breakfast at Bumbleberry Flats, which puts a southern twist on American comfort food 24 hours a day. You'll love the fried chicken on bacon-cheddar waffles with whiskey bacon jam and the eight-ounce beer as "garnish" alongside the Bloody Mary. The Chuckwagon is a solid backup option at the Regency Casino, a tiny gambling hall on the water with no hotel attached.
Where to stay in Laughlin
Every good Laughlin getaway begins with choosing the right hotel. Riverside Resort outpaces its age with newly renovated rooms, a revamped movie theater, and an adults-only rooftop pool deck. The classic car collection in the lobby seals the deal. The Golden Nugget is something of a boutique hotel with just a few hundred rooms. Ask for pet friendly accommodations and you'll likely receive a ground-floor room with a patio that opens up to the courtyard.
The New Pioneer has a rugged frontier theme and River Rick, a double of Vegas Vic, the iconic neon smoking cowboy in Downtown Vegas. It has its own small beach. So does Harrah's, which is at the south end of the casino strip, at a slight bend in the river, which makes it feel more secluded. The Aquarius is the largest resort with 1,900 rooms and the only smoke-free race and sportsbook in town. The buffet was recently renovated into a bingo room overlooking the river. And really, those views never get old, whether eating, gambling or doing anything else in Laughlin.