Our big epic road trip around the Southwestern United States included stops at lots of national parks and a few other places! Between Zion National Park in Utah and Yosemite National Park in California, was an overnight in Las Vegas and a stop at Seven Magic Mountains.
We had spent the day in Zion National Park and stayed until almost dark and headed out of the park and towards Las Vegas for the evening. The drive is about 2 1/2 hours between the two places, so we arrived pretty late at night. We took a drive down the Las Vegas strip as we arrived in town just to see it and headed to the hotel. The hotel we stayed at was the Fairfield Inn and Suites Las Vegas Stadium Area.
Where to Stay just off the Las Vegas Strip
Fairfield Inn and Suites Las Vegas Stadium Arena
The room we stayed in had two queen beds and a separate area with a couch and end tables and a desk. Having a room that was just a little bit bigger was a great blessing for the kids who were together every minute during our two week road trip! When they got a moment of extra space, they relished it!
The room had a microwave, coffee bar, and mini fridge. The area with the couch/desk had a tv and the area with the two beds had another tv. We were a super quick overnight, so we didn’t take advantage of it, but there was a pool that our room overlooked.
And of course, my favorite thing a hotel can have… free hot breakfast! I think I’ve mentioned my obsession for scrambled eggs at a hotel breakfast and I was pleased to find them available there! I love being able to save the cost of an extra meal when traveling when it’s included in our hotel stays.
The location of the hotel is just south of the Strip. We only took a drive down the strip, but it would be a quick Uber if you didn’t want to stay right on the Strip. I’ve stayed on the Strip a couple of times and this hotel definitely had a more family friendly (and quieter!) atmosphere than the hotels that you have to walk through a casino to get to! Overall, we had a good stay at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Las Vegas Stadium Area and I would recommend it!
Seven Magic Mountains
About 10 miles south of Las Vegas, as you drive down the highway, there appears out of the desert a colorful art installation! Seven Magic Mountains was created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone as “a creative expression of human presence in the desert”.
Seven Magic Mountains features seven totems made of local boulders. Each totem is 30-35 feet tall and brightly colored. Entrance to walk among the totems is free.
I had seen a picture that one of my friends posted when they were living in Las Vegas, and I was excited to see that it was along our route during our trip! (Thanks for the inspiration, Ian & Katie! Check out their page all about advocating for men’s health!)
You can pull into the parking lot off the highway and walk into the monuments. It can be a quick stop on your trip and you can get some pretty fun pictures for the ole Instagram account! The parking lot is right next to the monument area. There were quite a few people when we stopped. It was a weekend day, late in the morning. So if you’re looking to get the perfect shot with no one in the background, it might be worth it to get up early!
The area didn’t have any services, but that day there were a couple of vendors that were selling some snacks. No bathrooms are on site, so go before you stop! The area is a natural sandy area, not a paved path (but it is flat). And it’s the desert, so bring along some water!
I love seeing art pretty much anywhere, so this was right up my alley! An unexpected, colorful, whimsical wonderland created to bring a little pop of color to a mostly brown landscape. And something fun, outdoors, and FREE to do while visiting the Las Vegas area is a win for me!
