When I was in college, my parents moved to Las Vegas. While I never truly lived there, I did spend a couple of summers there. My car didn’t have air conditioning, making my stay less than enjoyable. But Vegas was fascinating. If you wanted to go to the movies, you had to walk through a casino. If you went to the grocery store or into a gas station, you walked past slots. And since I was underage, I could not stop walking or the security vultures would appear quickly.

Las Vegas has grown quite a bit over the last 20 years and living there is quite a different experience. But back then, you even went to the strip to go to a mall or have a nice dinner. Living there took the mystique and fun out of it. I would hear stories about people losing so much money, I knew I could never get that into it. Pro tip: Take only the money that you can afford to lose. If you make it back, put it in your pocket and be done. And NEVER pull out a credit card. That said, there are great deals to be had if you want to visit.

Now Vegas has grown so much that there are small communities that aren’t centered around gambling. There are outdoor activities, like going to Red Rock Canyon, or if you need to cool off you can drive up to Mount Charleston. They even have skiing there in the winter! Visiting Hoover Dam is a must, as it is an architectural marvel. Vegas is also a short drive into St. George, Utah.

One year, my parents and I drove north through the vast desert, all the way through Oregon to Washington. It is known as The Silver State because silver has been found there. Some say Nevada became a state because President Abraham Lincoln needed the state’s silver to fund the Union war effort. Regardless, I haven’t found any silver there and the only thing I saw in my drive north were brothels. Many of the brothels were built to stand out and attract people, often using bright colors and lights. When you finally get to Reno, it’s a sigh of relief. Reno is a smaller version of Vegas, with the beautiful Lake Tahoe nearby.