If you’re interested in an escape from adulting for your spring and summer travel and want to make your lodgings part of the adventure, read on. Within a few hours’ drive from Las Vegas, you can spend the night in a restored vintage trailer, a desert-grounded boat, or a faux-Conestoga wagon after a day of beachside biking, helicopter rides, or just chilling in a hot tub while listening to the jukebox. Consider it a sleepaway camp with no curfew, no chaperone, and no one checking your luggage for contraband.
Waypoint Ventura in Ventura, California
A collection of 21 vintage Airstream and Spartan trailers clustered between Ventura’s beach and downtown, Waypoint Ventura offers a special place to crash after a day on the beach (or the freeway). “It’s a wide variety of guests,” manager Danielle Stanford says. “We get couples for sure. We get lots of families in the summertime. We get pets — the family who owns it are major dog lovers, so bring all the pets!”
Accommodations range from a petite retro streamline to a renovated tour bus with airbrushed murals, multiple bathrooms, and bunks to accommodate a half-dozen people. Some have been restored to their original mid-century glory with wood-veneer cabinetry, Pepto-Bismol-pink kitchen appliances, and stainless-steel showers reminiscent of an airplane cockpit. Others feature contemporary amenities such as king-sized beds and full-sized, 21st-century bathrooms. Each has a private deck with lounge chairs and fairy lights.
If you want to venture beyond your little corner of the trailer park, there are two public fire pits furnished with lounge chairs, blankets, and, in the evenings, the makings for s’mores. You can hang out on the swings, play cornhole, or borrow a book or board game from the common area. In the morning, there’s coffee, tea, fresh orange juice, and cookies — enough sustenance to get you to your next adventure. “Everybody who comes here is excited to have a good time, to see something unique,” Stanford says. “We have people tell us all the time, ‘We met the coolest person out by the fire pit, and now we’re going to their wedding.’”
A few minutes’ walk from Waypoint Ventura you’ll find the beach and the pier — surfers will enjoy the waves, and anyone else can stroll along the shore or boardwalk. It’s also a brief jaunt to downtown Ventura’s restaurants, bars, and shopping. You can borrow one of the hotel’s free bikes; the streets are easy to ride on, and there’s no shortage of places to take in a view, poke around a shop, or grab a beverage or bite. There are clothing boutiques and bookstores, as well as a string of thrift stores, from Goodwill to the more curated and high-end. Dining options lean toward seafood: eat-at-the-counter fish taco/shrimp burrito joints such as Spencer Makenzie’s, or more refined versions such as Rumfish y Vino’s South American gastropub. A few dozen bars range from the Fluid State Beer Garden, with its vast array of local taps and exotic pizzas, to the Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust, where you can sip mezcal negronis and amaro sazeracs in a beaux-arts bank building. waypointventura.com
Hicksville Trailer Park in Joshua Tree, California
A cluster of picturesque themed trailers on the outskirts of Joshua Tree, Hicksville Trailer Palace’s vibe would entertain anyone from a 10-year-old to a rock star. “The trailers are all unique and special,” co-owner Erica Beers says. “Some of the themes are drawn from the local area, like the Integratrailer, an alien/space-themed 1956 Airstream inspired by the Integratron. The Pioneer is a 1955 Little Caesar, and our homage to Pioneertown, a nearby old west movie set. Other themes come from sub-pop culture and things we just think are cool.” That would include the vinyl-and-zebra-upholstered “Lux,” honoring legendary punk band The Cramps. There’s also a beached boat with a tiki-themed interior, and a sideshow-styled trailer furnished with two-headed taxidermy and a fortune-telling machine. Fans of Pee-wee Herman can sleep in a circus wagon from Big Top Pee-wee, stocked with Pee-wee paraphernalia and a DVD of the movie.
Hicksville isn’t only offbeat, it’s also off the beaten path — you’ll need GPS to get there, and you’ll want to pick up any necessities at the supermarket in town before heading up the hill. (Should you forget, well-stocked vending machines pop out everything from potato chips to iced coffee to toothpaste to beer koozies.) Once there, you’ll find plenty to do. There’s a small heated pool, as well as an elevated hot tub in which you can soak while you soak in the expansive desert views. You can poke around the tipi, the lifeguard booth, and a few mini-western buildings, or cook something up on the grill. If you really want to get down with your inner child, there’s an arcade with video games, a ping pong table and a six-hole miniature golf course, as well as archery targets and a BB-gun range to test your dormant and/or rusty skills. The site’s picturesque charm has made it the site of a Lana Del Rey music video, as well as other special events. “We do have a fair amount of weddings,” Beers says. “The folks who want to have their weddings with us are some of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”
Hicksville is about a half-hour from the sprawling scenery of Joshua Tree National Park or the legendary live music venue Pappy + Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace. For dinner or a drink, the Joshua Tree Saloon is a sprawling indoor-outdoor, western-themed bar and restaurant that features a menu of burgers and ribs, as well as music most nights. The Tiny Pony Tavern is a High Desert hipster hangout, the place to go for a pickletini or espresso martini alongside late-night bites or brunch. If you want food to take back to your trailer, Sam’s Indian Food & Pizza can hook you up with samosas, curry, or a truly amazing chicken tikka pizza. hicksvillepalace.com
Grand Canyon Glamping in Meadview, Arizona
If you’re looking to really escape from civilization and get your night’s sleep with only the light of the stars and the sounds of the birds to (not) disturb you, Grand Canyon Glamping may be the spot you seek. It’s two hours from Las Vegas and 15 minutes from the Grand Canyon; you drive through a panorama of desert and farmland to a sprawling complex that leans heavily into the Wild West fantasy.
That begins with the accommodations. You can sleep in a wagon, a Conestoga-style mini-cabin, or a “tipi,” a round tent outfitted with king-sized and/or bunk beds, as well as a mini-restroom (yes, there are A/C and heat in all units). Tents are classic wood-poles and canvas-flaps, with bathrooms nearby. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be ordered and brought up to your tent or tipi: eggs and bacon, sandwiches, and an assortment of burgers, hot dogs, and steaks off the grill. There are plans to open a western village, as well as a full-service restaurant and bar on-site. “We’re scheduled to open in the spring,” says Raul De La Cruz, director of events and marketing. “It’ll be a 3,000-square-foot bar, restaurant, and gift shop.”
While one can (and should) simply luxuriate in the peace and quiet while gazing at the stars, visiting the buffalo and horses, and strolling in nature, there’s also no shortage of activities. Early evening horse trail rides take you through fields, up hills, past herds of horses and cows, to some of the most glorious sunset views you’ll ever behold. Many of the horses are retired from rodeos, farms, or other strenuous gigs, so it’s pleasant for both horse and rider. If you’re more action movie than western, there are also ATV rides. And for pure wonder, you can also take a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon, rising above the rocks and dipping toward the river in a display guaranteed to drop even the most jaded of jaws.
The nearest town is Meadview, a little less than 30 minutes away. You won’t find mixology lounges or fusion bistros here, but there is an old-school dive bar/bottle shop with jukebox and pool table, the Fisherman’s Landing, and a big-helping barbecue joint, Anchor Smokehouse. If you’re not looking for nightlife — and you’re not, or you would have stayed in Las Vegas — possible excursions include a dip or boat ride in the less-populated east side of Lake Mead or a scenic hike through the Joshua trees of Grapevine Mesa. grandcanyonglampingresort.com