Located about 20 miles southeast of Las Vegas, on Hwy 93, is the town of Boulder City. It was built during the construction of nearby Hoover Dam in the 1930s. Government- owned for 29 years, the city became an independent municipality in 1960 when its residents bought their houses at a federal sale. With the title deeds came the liberty to consume alcohol and to gamble, activities that were previously prohibited.

Now Boulder City is the official gateway to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. Its 13,000 residents have maintained a unique stance on gambling—they have outlawed it within the city limits. Without the neon lights of the gaming towns and city gridlock at twilight, the town’s sleepy streets are a picture of bygone America. This quiet town makes an excellent base from which to explore the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Boulder City’s most famous landmark is the Boulder Dam Hotel. Once a refuge for Hollywood’s golden-era celebrities, it fell into a state of decline until 1993, when a huge restoration project rejuvenated the classic hotel. A short stroll away is the Boulder City Visitor Center on Arizona Street, where a visual exhibit of Hoover Dam’s construction is on show. The dam contains over 7 million tons of concrete and 840 miles of steel pipes. There are also photographs and artifacts from the 1930s.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is the closest.