Location: Tonopah
Top Things to do in Tonopah
8 Things to Do in Tonopah That You Shouldn't Miss
Tonopah is an unincorporated town in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95, approximately midway between Las Vegas and Reno. In the 2010 census, the population was 2,478. The census-designated place (CDP) of Tonopah has a total area of 16.2 square miles (42 km), all land.
Restaurants in Tonopah
1. Tonopah Historic Mining Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 174 reviews
The Tonopah Historic Mining Park is on the site of Belle and Jim Butler's original mining claim which started the rush to Tonopah making it the "Queen of the Silver Camps." The mining park, encompassing portions of four of the major mining companies and covering 113 acres, preserves this rich history and brings it to life with exhibits of equipment and imaginative self-guided tours. The park also offers a Guided Polaris Tour. The park collects, restores and displays mining artifacts on the site and in the original buildings. Come and visit us at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, where history comes alive. We are open 7 days a week from 9am-5pm, excluding all Federal Holidays.
Reviewed By David E - Ascot
This park is located close to downtown Tonopah, walking distance even! Saying that if you visit all areas of the park you'll cover a lot of ground, some of which is fairly steep. Saying that there are lots of buildings/exhibits to see so it's worth the effort. There is a good shop with lots of mining publications & mineral samples for sale amongst other items. Plus an indoor museum. If the weather is hot & sunny make sure you take a hat & use sun screen as the site is very open & exposed.
2. Old Tonopah Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By ki0ki - Williamsburg, Virginia
Interesting old cemetery with some marked grave sites telling you what killed the person burried here. Some were murdered. Many were killed in a mine fire, some from saving others from the fire. One died of blood poisoning ( how did they know that back then? ).
3. Central Nevada Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By Noela R - Melbourne, Australia
was very impressed with this museum. They have an extensive collection representing the mining and history of Tonopah and Nevada. Inside are the smaller more precious items. Outside you can wander around the authentic old buildings from mining days, see mining machinery and bits and pieces from the nearby Air Force Testing Range. Quite an amazing collection for a small town. Worth a visit and it's free!
4. Mizpah Club
Overall Ratings
4 based on 20 reviews
Mizpah Club casino is centrally located in Tonopah, NV. Opened in 2016, the casino boasts over 80 slot machines, the only table games in Tonopah, a fantastic players club, and fantastic entertainment! Also located inside the Mizpah Club is the Key Cafe offering a selection of pizzas, hot sandwiches, and calzones.
Reviewed By Douglas M - Pompano Beach, Florida
This is the bar and restaurant in the Mizpah Hotel (built in 1907?). The motif looks like something out an old western movie. The beer is cold and the food is good.
5. Lunar Crater Volcanic Field
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Cherie P - Pahrump, Nevada, United States
This is located in the middle of nowhere,but well worth the trip. It is about 70 miles from Tonopah with the last 9 miles to Lunar Crater on dirt roads. The scenic road is very beautiful.
6. Lunar Crater Back Country Byway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By aladybug76 - Portland, Oregon
The Lunar Crater and it's surrounding terrain looks as though you stepped onto the moon. You don't have to take a space shuttle to get there. However, it's only accessible from HWY 6. Hwy 6 is a rural desolate & beautifully landscaped two lane route that runs from Ely to Tonopah. There are NO rest areas, restaurants and NO gas stations for nearly 150 miles. Be advised depending on your mobile service provider, you may not have cell service (I did not).
The Crater has no physical address, I used GPS coordinates: 38° 23′ 2.29″ N, 116° 4′ 9″ W
38.383968, -116.069167
You will see a LUNAR CRATER sign on the left approximately 3-6 miles from the Black Rock Summit Sign (if you depart from Ely). There are 2 entrances and another section on the right that takes you to the Black Rock Lava Flow.
The road that takes you to the crater is a Rugged, ridged, pitted, rocky dirt path. It is NOT recommended for rental vehicles. Depending on the time of year, you should check previous weather (recent rain or snow) as it can get really muddy, and this is the last place I would want to be stuck without mobile service. It will probably be a long while before you see another visitor. (I went in February). It is 12 miles one way from the road to the crater. It took me about 35 minutes.
There is a sign marking the crater, as well as a bench to sit and enjoy the scenery. Be advised there are NO restrooms, water stations, fire pits/grills, picnic tables/shelters. It's an open field basically in the middle of nowhere.
The crater is actually one of two maars, in the volcanic field near the Pancake Range. A maars is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, which is an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. It is approximately 400 acres in size.
This landmark can be seen in as little as 2 hours or you can make it an all day/evening visit. I would love to come back at night to see the stars.
What to bring: WATER, a GPS, snacks, sunscreen, camera & comfortable walking shoes.
I loved seeing the open terrain, the crater & the mountainous landscape. I enjoyed the quiet peaceful remote location. If I had any complaint, it was no cell service.
This attraction is ideal for someone that enjoys remote locations "off the beaten path". It's a hidden gem worth the trek.
7. Royston Turquoise Mine - Day Tours
Overall Ratings
5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By Tessaanddennis - London
What great fun - Don't miss it...though it initially seems quite expensive at $100 each. But for what you get - no problem.
Saw this one praised by TA readers, and thought this sounded like a great opportunity to gain some hard earned 'brownie' points from my wife - if she was to find some turquoise herself for some pieces of jewlery of her own, as seemed likely, while having a good time.
And that's how it turned out. We ended up with some great pieces of turquoise - a few of which they polished up beautifully for 2 nice pendants that would cost you $200 each at least in HIS shop - though of course you need to mount and get a chain for each . AND we have a whole lot of turquoise rock we can give to friends to do as they wish - and possibly sell? And it was great fun into the bargain - though hot out in the middle of the desert!
Turquioise 'Mine' is putting it a bit strong - it is just a big hole in the ground! While you scrape through the 'tailings' for turquoise, one of the family of 3 brothers who lease the site is digging in the 'pit' below. After an hour he dynamited a part of the 'hole' wall, which was of course interesting, but not as spectacular as on any 'western' film! He then brought up a lot of the broken rock with a 'caterpillar', for us to freshly scrape through, while he carried on 'mining' his turquoise seam in the hole below. You cannot go in the hole as obviously it is deep/dangerous.
Bring a hammer and gloves of some sort; they provided a sort of small 'garden rake scraper' which was OK.
The mine is about 30K from Tonopah on mostly good dirt road - so make sure you have plenty of petrol, and be ready for a long, dusty, FAST drive! Don't miss it
8. Tonopah Liquor Company
Overall Ratings
5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By travelernottourist8 - Pennsylvania
Great place to get a very reasonably priced drink and play a game of Jenga with the locals; a lot of fun.
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