Category: RV Destinations

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Phoenix, Arizona Tovrea Castle

If you are visiting Phoenix, Arizona, the Tovrea Castle is a fun and unusual place to visit.

Located near Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, this classic house is available for touring with a reservation. One word of warning however, is that tours book up quickly and there is generally a long waiting list. So, if you are interested in touring this classic Phoenix home, be sure to get online and get your reservations well in advance of your trip.

Learn more by watching this video about the Phoenix Tovrea Castle.

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RV Travel to Mt Rushmore

Before the pandemic, one of our last fun RV trips was to the great state of South Dakota to explore the Mt Rushmore area.

Watch this video to see the awesome sights of Mt Rushmore National Park. If you are looking for a great place to take your RV, then Mt. Rushmore is an excellent place to go.

The park itself is beautiful and peaceful. Restaurants are plentiful and the South Dakota folks really know how to grill a great steak!

Be sure to explore the local caves if you have time as well as the Dakota “Bad lands.”

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Riverside RV Park Tour

Let’s take a tour of the Riverside Casino RV Park in Laughlin, Nevada.

If you are looking for a fun place to get some fun and sun, you can’t beat the Riverside Casino RV Park. Located on the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada, this park has nice, wide parking spaces, a shuttle to and from the casino and access to many restaurants along the casino boardwalk.

You can also take a boat ride on the Colorado or swim in the river in Lake Mohave. If more excitement is your style, you can go water-skiing or rent a jet-ski and cruise the river if that is your kind of fun.

If you get bored, a 90 minute drive will take you directly into Las Vegas.

Watch this video to learn more about this fun and interesting park.

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Laughlin – Casino Gaming Without the Crowds

Laughlin, Nevada, a thriving entertainment town located near the tip of Nevada, is a popular tourist destination along the banks of the Colorado River. Originally known as “South Pointe,” the area had only a small motel and bar in the 1940’s which primarily catered to local silver minors and construction workers for Davis Dam. After the completion of the dam, the area had little traffic on the Nevada side. Little by little the town of Bullhead City, located across the river on the Arizona side, began to grow. In 1964, Don Laughlin, owner of the Las Vegas 101 Club had just sold his property and was flying over the area in his plane. He saw the potential of the area and proceeded to buy land here. He built an 8 room motel and opened a small casino with 12 slot machines and two live gaming table. While the family lived in 4 of the motel rooms, the other 4 were rented to visitors who came to gamble at the new casino. The small community was re-named Laughlin after a few years to facilitate mail delivery to the area. In 1967, another casino, called the Bobcat opened and was followed by the Monte Carlo Casino in 1968. In 1972, Don Laughlin added 48 rooms to the Riverside Hotel and in 1986, added a 14 floor high rise to the Riverside Hotel. In the 80’s and 90’s more hotel-casinos were added to the area.  Today, there are 9 casinos and the area attracts several million visitors every year.

Originally, the hotels supplied ferries which took visitors from the Arizona side to the Laughlin casinos. In 1987, Don Laughlin built a bridge across the Colorado River at a cost of $3.5 million. He donated this bridge to the states of Arizona and Nevada to facilitate driving to the casino area. Today, the area has 11,000 room and over 60 restaurants, river boat cruises, a bowling alley, theaters, performance stages both inside and outside which feature Las Vegas caliber acts on a nightly basis. In addition to these amenities, the area has a small outlet mall, plenty of water sport activities and an RV park to accommodate local RVers.  Shuttles both bus and by boat take visitors from casino to casino. In addition, visitors can stroll along the River walk from casino to casino while enjoying the view.

 

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Explore the Dry Caves at the Grand Canyon

If you enjoy exploring caves, then a stop by the Grand Canyon Caverns, located near Seligman, Arizona off of Historic Route 66 might be just the adventure that you have been seeking.  This dry cave, formed over 345 million years ago, was discovered in 1927 by Walter Peck who thought he had found a cavern filled with gold, silver and diamonds. Unfortunately for poor Walter, no minerals or diamonds existed in the extensive cavern depths so the fortune that he had imagined never materialized. To get to the cavern, visitors are led down 210 feet via elevator to the ample cave rooms below.  Although there are concrete walkways and ample handrails, much of the tour takes visitors on steep upward and downward climbs so this tour is definitely not for those who cannot maneuver up and down stairs and steep ramps.

Within the first, large cavern room, a small, overnight lodging unit has been installed for those who can shell out upwards of $750 per night to spend the night 210 feet below the surface for a unique, adventure below ground. The Cavern Suite accommodates 1-6 occupants and requires advanced reservations.

While on the tour, you will see the remains of a mummified bobcat that had the misfortune to fall into the cave as well as a full size replica of a Sloth that also had the misfortune of slipping to it’s death within the cave interior centuries ago.  You will also see supplies of Civil Defense rations which were placed in the cavern in the 1960’s so that the facility could be used as a national Fallout, Bomb shelter for 2,000 people if the need has arisen. Tour employees say that the supplies, although old, would still be edible today given the low humidity and highly purified, clean air found at the cavern depths.

The Caverns are located 22 miles west of Seligman on old Highway 66 at mile marker 115. Many other touring opportunities such as jeep tours, horseback riding and river rafting can also be arranged from the Caverns and Inns located here.  A restaurant is located in the Inn for visitors as well as a gift shop.

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Exploring Utah by RV

The multi-faceted state of Utah  was home to many different cultures like the Pueblo Indians, the Shoshones and the Anasazi. It was also home to Brigham Young and the first band of Mormon pioneers who came to Utah in 1847 to settle in this rugged and picturesque expanse of desert and unique mountain ranges. After a rich and colorful early history and conflicts over control of the territory, Utah finally was accepted as a state in 1895. The state of Utah contains some of the most beautiful national parks in the United States such as Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges State Park, Gunsight Butte, Delicate Arch and Slot Canyon. Utah is also known for wonderful skiing and great outdoor recreation opportunities.  You can spend weeks exploring the great state of Utah in an RV and still not scratch the surface of her magnificent beauty and intrigue.

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Solvang – The Flavor of the Danish

When you are in central California, a fun town to visit to enjoy some “old world” flavor is the small. Danish-themed town of Solvang. The town is very visitor friendly and you can easily explore the town’s windmills, see and listen to the chimes of the local clock tower and see statues of Hans Christian Anderson and his famed “Little mermaid.”  Start your walking tour at the town’s Visitor’s Center to get maps and information on local celebrations and events. The town is filled with wonderful shops specializing in everything Danish from wooden shoes to chic garments to small trinkets that will delight young and old.  The Danish restaurants and bakeries have wonderful items for every palette and meals can be leisurely and relaxed either inside or sidewalk café style.  Explore the local history of the area at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art or visit the Old, 1804 Mission Santa Inez. The annual “Danish Days” event takes place in mid September and is complete with parades, colorful costumes and plenty of Danish food and fun.

Enjoy the peaceful parks in the area such as Nojoqui Falls park or Hans Christian Anderson park or spend some time at the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area. Tour the many, wonderful vineyards in the area and sample the vintages in the local wine tasting rooms. Visit the local apple farms or spend some time enjoying the amenities of Chumash Casino Resort. The rolling and peaceful countryside of the Santa Inez Valley is well worth a drive and a few stops along the way.