The secluded ghost town of Rhyolite, in the Bullfrog Hills (roughly 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas), is one of America’s finest ghost towns. Situated on the eastern edge of Death Valley, this once-booming mining town is now uninhabited – but luckily you’re invited. The general store, train station and bank still stand in the derelict town; perhaps the most fascinating feature is the ghosts’ statues of the Goldwell Open Air Museum, located next to town. These seven outdoor sculptures – created by a group of prominent Belgian artists, led by the late Albert Szukalski – are incredibly impressive, thanks to their size and their setting: the vast upper Mojave desert.

Don’t think cowboys and poetry go together? Think again. Elko is where Nevada’s real cowboys work and play; every January, cowboys from across the nation flock to Elko for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: a week-long celebration of the cowboy lifestyle and the rural West. Expect poetry (naturally), plus music, dancing, workshops, exhibits, conversations, food and fellowship – rooted in tradition, but reflecting the modern rural Wes.