Springdale at the south gateway of Zion National Park is the day-trip-stretch from Las Vegas, with Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon since 1981 plating sweet potato tamales and chicken mole.
Tip: Drive Vegas to Springdale in 2:30 hours via I-15 and UT-9; Bit and Spur opens at 17:00 for dinner, book a table on OpenTable a week ahead in peak season.
Pahrump Valley Winery on Winery Road is Nevada's largest winery, founded 1990, with a tasting room and free daily tours at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 with vineyard and Spring Mountains views 60 minutes west of Las Vegas.
Tip: Take NV-160 over Mountain Springs Pass for the long-range Spring Mountains view; tasting room runs 10:30 to 17:00 daily and free daily tours leave from the rose garden gazebo.
Mount Charleston rises 45 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, with The Retreat at Charleston Peak's Canyon Restaurant serving gourmet breakfasts and burgers at 6,700 feet in the Spring Mountains.
Tip: Open to the public, no dress code; sit on the patio for the Kyle Canyon view, the breakfast service runs until 11:00 daily.
Henderson's Water Street District is 20 minutes south of Las Vegas, with Lovelady Brewing as the first brewery in the revitalised strip plus a row of cafes, taprooms and the original Roberto's Taco Shop.
Tip: Walk the Water Street strip from Lovelady Brewing south to Hops and Vine; Saturday mornings the Henderson Farmers Market runs in the Pavilion next door.
Boulder City sits 30 minutes south of Las Vegas on US-93, with the Coffee Cup Cafe at 512 Nevada Way as the breakfast anchor: pork chile verde omelette and the Guy Fieri-featured plate from the Diners Drive-Ins and Dives Season 1 breakfast episode.
Tip: Coffee Cup runs 06:00 to 14:00 daily, busiest 09:00 to 11:00; combine the visit with a Hoover Dam tour for a half-day from the Strip.
Pahrump Valley Winery on Winery Road is Nevada's largest winery, founded 1990, with a tasting room and free daily tours at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 with vineyard and Spring Mountains views 60 minutes west of Las Vegas.
Tip: Take NV-160 over Mountain Springs Pass for the long-range Spring Mountains view; tasting room runs 10:30 to 17:00 daily and free daily tours leave from the rose garden gazebo.
Mount Charleston rises 45 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, with The Retreat at Charleston Peak's Canyon Restaurant serving gourmet breakfasts and burgers at 6,700 feet in the Spring Mountains.
Tip: Open to the public, no dress code; sit on the patio for the Kyle Canyon view, the breakfast service runs until 11:00 daily.
The Oasis at Death Valley at Furnace Creek is the AAA Four Diamond Inn and the Ranch resort 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, with the Inn Dining Room, Last Kind Words Saloon and Ranch 1849 buffet.
Tip: Inn Dining Room runs the upscale lunch; for a one-tank day trip, lunch at the Ranch 1849 buffet and ice cream parlor before driving back via Zabriskie Point.