Lost City Museum
721 S Moapa Valley Blvd., Overton, Nevada
Travelers to Nevada can trade in the glitz and glam of the Las Vegas Strip for a look at ancient history at the Lost City Museum. Located on an Ancestral Puebloan prehistoric site in Overton, Nevada, the museum showcases artifacts that have been recovered from local archaeological sites as well as reconstructed Puebloan homes.
At the Lost City Museum, visitors can wind their way through red-clay homes; check out artifacts collected from excavation sites (most of which were flooded when the Colorado River was dammed to form Lake Mead); and browse displays of pottery, jewelry, and other native handicrafts. Although the site was never actually a town, visitors can still get a taste of what life was once like in the desert of Nevada. Some guided day trips from Vegas combine a visit to the museum with a tour of Valley of Fire State Park. An hour-long tour of the museum is also included with the cost of entry; contact the museum in advance to schedule your tour.
The Lost City Museum has a picnic area and shaded dog kennels on-site.
Public restrooms are available inside the museum.
A wheelchair is also available for use inside the museum.
When exploring the Nevada desert, pack for a variety of weather conditions. Wear layers that you can shed easily and sturdy shoes, and remember to bring water, a hat, and sunscreen.
The Lost City Museum is located in Overton, Nevada, off Interstate 15. Take the interstate to exit 93 at Overton/Logandale, then drive 13 miles (21 kilometers) east on Moapa Valley Boulevard (NV 169). From Valley of Fire State Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area, take Northshore Drive (NV 169) west. There is ample parking for buses, RVs, and cars.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. For optimal weather, March and April are considered the best months to explore the outdoors in Nevada. (Since it’s mostly desert, the area experiences extreme temperatures both during the summer and winter.) If you want to avoid the crowds, note that Las Vegas experiences an influx of tourists during the winter months. Overall, midweek trips tend to be less crowded than weekends.
Often combined with a visit to the Lost City Museum, Valley of Fire State Park looks like you’ve landed on the surface of Mars, with bright red Aztec Sandstone rock formations among limestone mountains. The park, which measures more than 40,000 acres (16,187 hectares), features ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years.
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