The Best Cities For Outdoor Families
Every outdoorsy person that I know knows that it doesn’t really matter where you are, or where you live, you can enjoy the great outdoors pretty much anywhere. So, if you’ve always thought you needed to be in the middle of nowhere to enjoy being outside, think again! However, not all cities are built the same for outdoorsy people. According to the company RVshare, they put together a list of the best cities for outdoor families (and worst cities) and some of their findings actually shocked me.
For example, my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada landed at 33 on RVshare’s list. Which surprised me because I personally think Las Vegas is a perfect city for people who love being outdoors. Yeah, I get it, it gets really hot during the summer, but if you like water, the lake isn’t too far. If you’re a mountain person, you could get to Mt. Charleston within an hour. Or if you’re a hiker, there are so many trails to choose from all over the valley – with my personal favorites located around the Red Rock Canyon scenic loop. I would have rated us higher, but maybe I’m biased.
RVshare did disclose how they based their rankings on, things like: parks, outdoor activities, camping spots, RVing, scenic views, and access to trails. Also, for a city to be considered, it needed to be a metropolitan area with at least 1 million people.
The Best Cities For Outdoor Families
Seattle, Washington took the top spot this year, believe it or not. Seattle were above the 50th percentile in every ranked category, and in the 90th percentile in 7 categories.
The rest of the top ten looks like, Denver, followed by Grand Rapids, Michigan; Miami, Florida was next; then there’s Portland, Oregon; Nashville, Tennessee; San Francisco; Richmond, Virginia takes the 8th spot; Los Angeles; and Charlotte, North Carolina wraps up the 10th spot.
The Worst Cities For Outdoorsy People
On the other side of their report, RVshare believes that Houston, Texas is the worst metropolitan city for people who love being outdoors. Other cities listed near the bottom of their list are Rochester, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; Tulsa, Oklahoma, Milwaukee; Oklahoma City, and Detroit.
4 Nevada Mine Tours That Are Definitely Worth The Drive
Eldorado Canyon,The Techatticup Mine - Nelson, Nevada
They say Eldorado Canyon is probably the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. It ran from 1861 until 1942. Steamboats on the Colorado River were the main way to get there for 40 years. There are mine tours, it is great for photo shoots, and has also been used in movies. It’s also a great place to have a wedding! It’s a quick day trip from Las Vegas. Two miles past the little town of Nelson, Nevada, on highway 165.
Chollar Mine - Virginia City, Nevada
First staked out in 1859, Virginia City’s Chollar Mine was one of the leading producers of gold and silver. It hauled out about $17 million in gold and silver. Virginia City is a really cool place to visit to begin with. A lot of rich Nevada old west history. Many haunted attractions, many just plain fun attractions. And the Chollar Mine historic mine tour is a a really interesting tour.
Ponderosa Saloon And Mine Tour - Virginia City, Nevada
What better way to do a tour, than doing a saloon first – then going into a mine. Ponderosa Mine tour is only about a half hour long. It features a hundreds of pieces of equipment on display. Ponderosa Mine has been stabilized and retrofitted to feel like a museum. A unique, and fun tour. Read about its history here.
Tonopah Mining Park - Tonopah, Nevada
This is more of a mining park. It has restored mining equipment, historic exhibits, a self-guided tour, and a guided ATV tour. There is small movie theater, and mineral displays that are lit with black lights to enhance the sparkle. There is an underground mine tunnel you can walk down. The Burro Tunnel is definitely not for everyone, but it’s quite intriguing! And there is a steel viewing cage that looks down a 500′ foot deep stope. Yes, a stope, not slope.
