This is classic 80s land art--if you don't know you're looking for it (or how to get there), you can easily miss it. It is a geometric cutout that almost looks like normal erosion from the plateau but is, at closer glance, a little too perfectly rectangular.
This site is slowly eroding--come see it while you can! We camped right up on the edge in the open air. Its pretty incredible to be able to make a campsite and wake up right in a piece of art, with no one else around. You look out over a glistening river valley thats the only spot of green you can see.
This was such a great camping experience!! Take a break from Las Vegas and come here. Its only 45 minutes away, but the landscape looks like Mars.
If you want to camp you should make a reservation--I recommend you do. You'll have the whole place pretty much to yourself! Most road visitors just barely pull off the road and snap some photos. The facilities are nice though, subtle and good-looking and hidden behind the giant red rocks. There are counters for cooking, picnic tables, fire pits, and bathrooms.
We put cots up on the roof and slept in the open air, waking up with the sunrise. It's also fun to sleep in a sleeping bag in the open air in one of the many cave-like nooks around the campsite.
Now it's abandoned, but here's how the "1942 Film Daily Year Book" described it back in the day:
"The frontage of unsymmetrical design is dominated by a tower with a large center panel of illuminated, rose-tinted Vitrolux glass, divided into 24" squares by aluminum settings. The marquee and four line interchangeable letterboard is vividly illuminated with mult-colored tubing forming a flowing design toward the center. The large, spacious foyer is indirectly illuminated with neon. The walls covered with Avodire Flexwood Veneer give a rich, warm atmosphere. Aluminum display frames are recessed in the walls at various places. Standee area with restrooms off each end has the walls spaciously done in striped peach Sanitas washable cloth. The ceiling is in canary yellow and illuminated with three circular recessed light coves.
Mezzanine is divided in two levels with a rail dividing the upper level and overlooking the lower level. The walls and ceilings are treated in a similar manner as the standee area. The auditorium is funnel-shaped toward the stage, and walls and ceiling step down in sections. Each section is broken by a light cove. The wall coves have dim house lighting and the ceiling coves bright house lighting. At each cove, a flowered baroque design in turquoise blue is worked in on the coral acoustic plaster background in a pleasing colorful effect. The entire theatre is done in a simple modern style, with colors, lighting, comfort, and convenience being given foremost thought."
I still remember this as a totally incredible site from a family road trip in my childhood (I was in middle school at the time). Once we got there, I was obsessed. It was definitely hot. It's secluded so you get to explore in peace. The circular walls are so cool that you don't even need a guide, you can just look and imagine and be impressed. I don't remember the apparently rough drive--mostly I just remember being wow'd.
I remember this fondly from a family road trip in my childhood. It was hot, yes, but I was a middle-schooler and was super cool to see the buildings tucked into the cliff caves and better understand the incredible history of the place. At the time I liked Chaco Canyon more, though.
This place is a total dream. The cabins have grass roofs and are nestled into the cliff in such a way that they almost disappear--in fact, it is a straight drop off down the dramatic cliffs when you look over the edge of the curving (glass) balconies! It's truly breathtaking. And the infinity pool is totally spectacular--you look out over the pacific, with nothing between you and the ocean. Pretty sure you can get in-suite massages. A luxury, romantic way to do Big Sur.
Check it out with out staying there! Call ahead and make a lunch or dinner recommendation.
A MUST! If you are driving from Houston to New Orleans, this is a diamond in the rough. People come to Orange just to see this. Take the electric boat up the bayou and enter some pristine nature. Bonus points--super sustainable architectural project, and it's educational. It was started by a high school science teacher and now it's world-class.
We stayed here for a night after finding a good deal on the Hotel Tonight. We didn't actually arrive until after midnight, but the innkeeper was very accommodating and left a key out for us with instructions on how to find our room, which was tucked up on the top floor of the house under an angled attic roof--super cool and cozy, with an ornate bathtub and the like. Everyone takes off their shoes when they enter the house, so you have a sense of it being very personal and friendly, family-like. The only thing I regret is that, since we booked through an app (the same goes for other deal platforms), our stay didn't include breakfast. This was a bummer because the dining room and sitting rooms were beautiful and we didn't spend much time there. The innkeeper gave us a great suggestion for a place in town to grab breakfast, though, and everything was walkable within 5 minutes. Would recommend!
I would absolutely recommend NYLO, especially if you are roadtripping or coming or going from the airport (although it's a standout option in general for the providence area!) There is free parking (!!) and a free shuttle to the airport, but you actually get a memorable, unique stay along with the convenience. NYLO is a cool converted warehouse--think exposed brick, polished concrete floors, big comfy beds, giant light-flooded windows, hanging circle chairs, pool tables, oversized mirrors, a restaurant dock extending over the river--oh, and free wifi! We had a BBQ dinner out on the river while listening to local live music with a crowd of families and couples alike. I'd recommend the pulled pork sandwich and sangria. Afterwards, we played some pool in the loft-style bar. A great deal, all around!
If you wear pajamas to brunch, you get a free mimosa or Bloody Mary! So I did that. Food-wise, the menu is extensive but mostly heavy, big meals. The yogurt parfait was delicious, if small. You can only get coffee by the pot, a process that the waitress made more complicated than probably was necessary. Slow service overall. Decent food, thogh!