Winter is hardly the one-dimensional activity season the ski slopes want it to be. From stargazing in Flagstaff to swinging 8-irons in sun-drenched St. George, these alternate interest-driven adventures will put some variety in your vacationing. (And, yes, there’s skiing, too.)
By Jessica Dunham, Craig Outhier & Madison Rutherford
STARGAZING IN FLAGSTAFF
Talk to astronomers and they’ll tell you that winter’s night sky offers the most impressive stargazing of all the seasons. Something about cold air retaining less moisture and therefore less star-obscuring haze, coupled with long nights that yield more viewing time. There’s also the gift of pure happenstance – the stars and planets shift themselves into distinct clusters this time of year, making for a who’s who of cosmic wonders.
But these ideal conditions mean nothing without an ideal location equally suited to the majesty of the night sky. Somewhere with minimal light pollution and urban glow, perhaps at high altitude. Even though Arizona is blessed with many spots that meet the criteria, there’s only one so suited for stargazing that it earned the world’s first-ever DarkSky International certification.
Pack your bags for Flagstaff.
Besides possessing some of the darkest skies on Earth, Flag is home to a premier astronomy research center, public parks that host star parties and a citywide festival honoring a dwarf planet. Here’s your guide to Flagstaff’s otherworldly offerings.
Guided Star-Viewing
A visit to Lowell Observatory (1400 W. Mars Hill Rd., 928-774-3358, lowell.edu) should top the list of any self-respecting astrotourist. Established initially to study Mars, Lowell has been at the forefront of astronomy for 130 years, most notably with the discovery of Pluto in 1930 and the detection of an expanding universe in 1912.
Unique among astronomical research facilities, Lowell’s public programming is robust, from stargazing via state-of-the-art telescopes to lectures and workshops. New to Lowell in November 2024 is the long-awaited Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center. The 40,000-square-foot science hub stacks the bench with immersive exhibits for all ages, including one that introduces visitors to the scents – yes, scents – of space. Who knew a nebula smells like rum? The center’s crown jewel: a rooftop planetarium that welcomes guests to observe the ever-changing night sky in real time from the comfort of heated seats.
For a more curated stargazing experience, book a session with Flagstaff Stargazing Adventures (928-683-7805, flagstaffstargazing.com). Led nightly by conservationist and deep-space aficionado Evan Thibodeau, these small-group constellation tours marry the science and stories of the stars by pairing telescope viewing and astronomy 101 with the mythology of the cosmos.
DIY Star Viewing
First, choose an evening with a new moon, when the absence of moonlight creates the darkest possible sky. See our calendar for dates. Next, consider where to view. Because it’s a dark-sky city, you can be literally anyplace in Flagstaff and enjoy a stellar star show. But a favorite among amateur and expert astronomers is the 215-acre Buffalo Park (2400 N. Gemini Rd., flagstaff.az.gov). Bring a blanket and binoculars, then simply… look up. It’s considered such a prime viewing location that the annual Flagstaff Star Party (flagstaffstarparty.org) happens there every September during a three-night extravaganza of telescopes and astrophotography.
Not sure what the heck you’re seeing? That’s OK. We asked Lowell’s historian and public information officer Kevin Schindler what to spot in a star-studded winter sky.
- Orion: “Visible in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, this is one of those constellations that looks exactly like it’s supposed to – a hunter holding a bow and arrow.”
- Canis Major: “This constellation has the brightest star in the sky.”
- Gemini: “It’s more distinct in winter, especially in the early evening.”
- Jupiter and Saturn: “With binoculars you can easily see Jupiter’s moons.”
—Jessica Dunham
Celestial Calendar
- Jan. 3-4 Quadrantids Meteor Shower. Astronomers say the evening’s crescent moon will set early, allowing for very dark skies to enjoy what should be a spectacular show.
- Jan. 16 Mars at Opposition. The planet will be brighter than at any other time of year and should be visible all night long.
- Jan. 29 New Moon. AKA an “invisible moon.”
- Feb. TBD I Heart Pluto Festival. Flagstaff shows its love for the little (dwarf) planet that could with Pluto pub crawls, science talks and stargazing. iheartpluto.org
- Feb. 27 New Moon. The celestial dance begins anew.
3 More Stargazing Getaways
McDonald Observatory
Perched on Mt. Locke in the Davis Mountains, this research facility takes advantage of its isolated West Texas locale. Daytime programs include solar viewing with live images of sun flares and hot spots. Nighttime activities include astrophotography workshops and constellation tours. 3640 Dark Sky Dr., Fort Davis, Texas, 432-426-3640, mcdonaldobservatory.org
National Radio Astronomical Observatory
The 1997 Jodie Foster movie Contact was filmed at this New Mexico observatory, specifically its Very Large Array (VLA), an obviously named field of 28 massive radio telescopes that study celestial objects using radio frequencies. In the film, Foster’s character utilized VLA to search for extraterrestrial life. No word if actual researchers have had alien encounters, but they do use VLA to observe black holes and trace gas movements in the Milky Way. Old Hwy. 60, Magdalena, New Mexico, 575-835-7410, public.nrao.edu
Park to Park in the Dark
A self-guided drive on US-95 and US-6 that connects two DarkSky International Parks – Great Basin (775-234-7331, nps.gov/grba) and Death Valley (760-786-3200, nps.gov/deva) – with five remote Nevada towns. The route’s map (parktoparkinthedark.org) features a distance chart, a list of must-see stops like Lunar Crater and Black Rock Lava Flow, and a star and planet guide.
HORSEBACK RIDING AT RANCHO DE LOS CABALLEROS
“There’s just something about horses. They know how we feel, even before we do.”
We’re 90 minutes into a two-hour horseback ramble through unspoiled Sonoran Desert when a dark-haired, petite woman named Asiah says this. She’s a wrangler at Rancho de Los Caballeros, the historical Wickenburg guest ranch I’m temporarily calling home, and she’s spent most of her life in the saddle – since before she could walk.
If what Asiah says is correct, then my horse Bumble knows I’m terrified he’s going to take off into the sunset with me, his woefully inexperienced rider, clinging to his back. He’s given no indication of this. In fact, he’s a slow-strolling, sure-footed, gentle horse. But still. I’m sure he senses the nerves of an amateur.
Asiah rides ahead of me on the trail, her horse clip-clopping up a hill. Behind me, ranch guest Joe from Milwaukee. He’s been coming to Rancho de Los Caballeros for three decades, a getaway he says he eagerly anticipates all year long.
I’ve been here for only three days. But I’m starting to get what it’s all about.
Old West Meets New West
Opened in 1948 and still sporting its original charm by way of hand-crank windows and a copper-hooded fireplace that, in winter, crackles with mesquite wood, the sprawling Rancho de Los Caballeros bills itself as a dude ranch. This means that a typical visit is longer than that of an average hotel (Rancho requires a two-night minimum but recommends at least three nights), guests enjoy all-inclusive amenities like meal packages and daily activities, and horseback riding is central to the endeavor.
The goal of a dude ranch: Encourage guests to disconnect from the obligations of the real world and instead let each day unfurl with possibility. Rancho de Los Caballeros does this better than most, and with a touch of subtle luxury that’s upscale and elegant but never ostentatious.
Mornings commence with a hearty breakfast in the lodge before guests splinter off for trap and skeet shooting, archery, maybe an ATV romp to a ghost town or a round of golf at the 18-hole, championship-caliber course. Midday, everyone reconvenes for lunch back at the lodge. Afternoons might include a pickleball match or a massage at the full-service spa. Then it’s time to retreat to your casita for a fresh shower (and a thimble of whiskey to ease sore muscles) in anticipation of dinner. Take note: Dude ranchers dress up for supp – no shorts or flip-flops – and take their time savoring the meal.
Why We Ride
Most folks, no matter their proclivities, join a horseback ride at some point during a stay at Rancho de Los Caballeros. That’s why we’re here, after all. The ranch schedules two daily excursions, plus nature rides and team penning, and the wranglers expertly pair horses with each guest’s ability and personality. Because there are 20,000 acres of desert surrounding the ranch, every trail ride is different. Spend a week here and you’ll never do the same track twice, Asiah assures me.
Asiah, Joe and I crest the knoll and Vulture Peak rises into view, a craggy rock tower keeping watch over the forest of saguaros and ocotillos. Somewhat shockingly, an actual vulture soars overhead. The three of us maneuver our horses into a line, side-by-side.
We’re quiet for a moment. Then Asiah says, almost to herself: “When I’m having a tough day, I go out for a ride, and everything disappears.”
Suddenly, surprisingly, I understand the truth of this. Despite my anxiety as a horseback riding newbie, I’ve never felt more present, my senses alert to the sights and sounds and smells of the desert.
Two hours is fleeting in the context of a lifetime, but if experiencing this kind of transcendence – however momentary – is what happens on a horse at a dude ranch, count me in.
—Jessica Dunham
If You Go
Once you book your accommodations (starting at $335/night) at Rancho de Los Caballeros, a concierge calls you to brainstorm your itinerary. They’ll explain meal packages and daily activities, schedule excursions and offer suggestions for how to get the most out of your stay. Be sure to make reservations for the ranch’s popular cowboy cookout in the desert, hosted Saturday nights.
Rancho de Los Caballeros
1551 S. Vulture Mine Rd., Wickenburg
928-684-5484, RanchodelosCaballeros.com
3 MORE PLACES TO HANG YOUR COWBOY HAT
Alisal Ranch
The pastoral countryside of California’s Santa Ynez Valley sets a picturesque scene for all manner of Western activities: horseback rides, axe throwing, nightly line dances, bass fishing. And for the contemporary cowboy: charcuterie classes, wine tastings and yoga. 1054 Alisal Rd., Solvang, California, 800-425-4725, alisalranch.com
C Lazy U Ranch
Winter at this mountain ranch means traversing 8,500 acres of rugged Colorado outback on snowshoes and snowmobiles or venturing into the crisp air for a snowy horseback ride under bluebird skies. Don’t worry. You’ll warm up quickly by the fireplace in your well-appointed cabin. 3640 CO-125, Granby, Colorado, 970-887-3344, clazyu.com
Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch
What this Arizona ranch lacks in luxury it more than makes up for in authenticity, especially when it comes to trail rides. Saddle up for daily horseback outings, or an overnight pack trip among the Joshua trees. The entire ranch is wheelchair-accessible, too, including all horseback experiences. 19985 S. Doc Holliday Rd., Yucca, 928-727-8270, stagecoachtrailsranch.com
WINTER SWINGING IN ST. GEORGE
Spend sundown in St. George, Utah – about 40 miles southwest of Zion National Park – and you’ll start to understand what Katharine Lee Bates meant by “purple mountain majesties” in her 1893 poem that would ultimately become the enduring patriotic paean “America the Beautiful.”
As the sun begins to descend, impossibly vibrant shades of purple – and orange and blue and pink – saturate the imposing escarpments that surround the city, dubbed “Utah’s Dixie” due to its comparatively warm climate (winter daytime temps rarely dip below 50 degrees) and prolific cotton production in the mid-1800s.
Dusk isn’t the only time of day where gazing upward will inspire awe – nightfall is also a celestial spectacle in St. George. Though it’s not certified by DarkSky International– the nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural nightscapes around the world – there are about half a dozen Dark Sky-designated destinations within a 100-mile radius, including Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion Canyon.
The neighboring burg of Ivins is similarly blessed. This rural St. George suburb lays claim to Red Mountain Resort as well as its brand-new sibling, Black Desert Resort (blackdesertresort.com), a 600-acre property inspired by its striking backdrop of black lava beds and terra-cotta-colored cliffs. Despite their magnitude and proximity (Red Mountain spans across 55 acres and is less than a mile from Black Desert), the resorts blend in with their surroundings rather than disrupt them.
In fact, ecological conservation remains at the forefront of Black Desert’s buildout. The resort hired Joseph Platt, Ph.D., a biological sciences professor at nearby Utah Tech University, to oversee the project’s sustainability efforts. As the resort’s environmental services director, Platt is spearheading an initiative that will ultimately supplement the property with nearly 7 miles of interpretive trails. He also recently partnered with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to relocate 400 Virgin River chubs, endangered fish native to the Southwest, to a man-made lake at Black Desert where they will be protected from dewatering, pollution and natural predators.
The resort’s environmental measures also include preserving the natural basalt formations that were present for millions of years before construction began. Guests can spot these ancient outcroppings in courtyard gardens, water features and illuminated beneath the entrance to Latitude, one of Black Desert’s on-site eateries.
Eventually, the property will also include a water park, shopping district and world-class spa, to debut in phases with a completion date slated for 2028. For now, guests will be able to enjoy a heated infinity pool, seven premium eating and drinking outlets and, perhaps most noteworthy, a 19-hole, Tom Weiskopf-designed championship golf course.
The state-of-the-art course features 7,500 yards of meticulously manicured fairways at the foot of jagged, jaw-dropping vermilion bluffs, plus a driving range and 36-hole putting green. Grab a post-game bite or beverage at on-course venue Club 73, a dual hat-tip to Weiskopf’s indelible legacy. The name is a nod to both the pro golfer’s Open Championship victory in 1973 and the fact that Black Desert was the 73rd and final course he designed before his death in 2022.
Book a private lesson at Black Desert’s Pro Shop, where you can also browse the latest apparel and equipment from brands like Titleist, TaylorMade, lululemon and Scottsdale-based Bad Birdie. Once you’re out on the course, there’s something about swinging toward the impervious red rocks in the distance that elicits an unparalleled sense of mindfulness, concentration and calm.
Black Desert Resort entered its initial preview phase following the Black Desert Championship, part of the PGA Tour’s 2024 FedEx Cup, in October. The event generated a lot of buzz in the golf world, already cementing Black Desert as a premier place to hit the links. A grand opening is scheduled for spring 2025, and the resort will host the LPGA Tour in May.
Ivins is also perched at the intersection of three major ecosystems – the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau, making it the perfect launchpad for adventures of all kinds. The entrance to Snow Canyon State Park (stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon) is within walking distance from Black Desert and is home to more than 38 miles of hiking trails, including the moderate, 3.4-mile out-and-back Scout Cave Trail, which culminates in a large cliffside cave overlooking the sprawling, subjacent valley.
For something a little less intrepid and a little more introspective, pay a visit to the Kayenta Desert Rose Labyrinth & Sculpture Garden (kayentaartvillage.com). Designed after the Labyrinthe de Chartres in Provence, France, the winding footpath was created as a community resource and is funded and maintained solely by volunteers. The labyrinth itself was made with more than 1,800 rocks and is flanked by fused glass, stone and metalwork sculptures crafted by local artists.
St. George is brimming with wild beauty, fascinating history and future plans – if you know where to look. When in doubt, look around. Regardless of how you spend your day – swinging for the hills or climbing on top of them – you can count on an epilogue varnished in striking shades of purple.
—Madison Rutherford
3 MORE SCENIC GOLF RESORTS IN THE SOUTHWEST
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Voted one of the “Top 100 Golf Resorts in North America” by Golf Magazine, Horseshoe Bay boasts three Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed courses and a signature Jack Nicklaus members-only course in the heart of Texas Hill Country. hsbresort.com
Omni La Costa
Celebrity players like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have teed off at this Southern California golf resort’s award-winning courses. Follow in their spiked-sole footsteps at the North Course (open to the public) or South Course (exclusive to golf club members and resort guests). Both feature unobstructed sightlines of lush, manicured landscapes and the rolling hills beyond. omnihotels.com/hotels/san-diego-la-costa
The Broadmoor
Designed by golf legends Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones Sr., The Broadmoor Golf Club has reliably ranked among the best golf courses in the world since its unveiling in 1918. Featuring dense pine groves, undulating hills and panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains, it’s also one of the most picturesque. broadmoor.com
HITTING THE SLOPES IN JACKSON HOLE
Can there be any human experience more exalting, more spirit-raising, than standing at the top of a ski run under a bolt-blue winter sky?
From my vantage atop Après Vous Mountain at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (jacksonhole.com), I see it all. Hot doggers. Freeriders. Gaggles of ski-schoolers, tumbling over themselves like Labrador puppies. Aging two-plankers like myself, cutting wide, relaxed arcs in the powdery snow. And beyond the slopes: Jackson Hole itself, a 40-plus-mile appendage of the Rocky Mountains that appears as a flat, snow-covered valley plain from this aerie in Wyoming’s fabled Teton Range.
Honestly, the spectacle of clean country and unbridled human enjoyment is just as rewarding as the skiing itself.
An old mining and ranching community that has settled nicely into its second life as a billionaire playground and celebrity hideaway, Jackson Hole embodies the quality-over-quantity principle where ski-focused vacationing is concerned. It boasts a fraction of the total ski acreage of, say, the Salt Lake City area, but is more exclusive and self-contained.
It also boasts one of the country’s great ski-country symbionts in the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole (fourseasons.com/jacksonhole), a shamelessly well-endowed four-star retreat located at the foot of the ski mountain. You just roll off your proprietary Four Seasons mattress, power down a kale smoothie from room service, smear some SPF on your cheeks, pull on your boots, trudge through about 50 feet of packed snow and, boom, you’re skiing.
To understand Jackson Hole, you need a handle on its geography. Flanked by the magnificent Teton Range to the west and a series of lesser peaks to the east, the town of Jackson itself anchors the south end of the valley, which is collectively known as “Jackson Hole” and includes a few other tiny towns and settlements. It’s proportioned similar to our own Valley of the Sun, but with many fewer people: only about 10,000 full-time residents.
The Four Seasons sits on the western slope of the valley in Teton Village, a tidy, walkable sprawl of retail shops, condos, restaurants and hotels set at the base of the ski mountain. It reminds me a bit of Mountain Village, the modern auxiliary town that sprang up around Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado. Same well-planned vibe, same favorable access to the slopes.
On our first night at the Four Seasons, we hoof it to Il Villaggio Osteria (jhosteria.com), the village’s resident upscale Italian eatery, and dredge plump, juicy pieces of fried calamari through a tangy pomodoro sauce, followed by a Neapolitan-style pizza with béchamel, fennel sausage, caramelized onion and corn, playfully dubbed the Guido Sarducci. If you’re jonesing for Bianco in Wyoming, Osteria is your best bet for a tide-me-over.
If you get village fever and want to explore the valley a bit, a day trip to Jackson is easy enough. Twenty minutes in an Uber will deposit you at Town Square Park (jacksonwy.gov) and its striking, vaguely Cronenberg-esque Antler Arches sculpture, erected from thousands of shed elk antlers from the nearby National Elk Refuge (fws.gov/refuge/national-elk).
Jackson is lousy with cowboy bars, brewpubs, steakhouses and otherwise killer places to kill a lunch hour. For craft beer fans: Wyoming’s oldest and most decorated microbrewery, Snake River Brewing (snakeriverbrewing.com), housed in a lively, two-story combo production facility and restaurant. Terrific hefeweizen, extremely edible double-fried chicken wings.
Not that you’d want to spend too much time away from the Four Seasons during your Jackson Hole sabbatical. Back at the resort, you have a pick of watering holes, including just-opened 80 Proof, a Prohibition-style speakeasy socked away in a remote corner of the resort (you need to call a private number to get directions), and the Handle Bar, the resort’s ski-up gastropub, where a bustling lunch crowd dines on duck fat wedge fries and elk chili nachos while resting their sore quads.
A sunset dinner at on-site flagship restaurant Westbank proves memorable. Encased in wall-to-ceiling glass, the lodge-style restaurant offers lordly views of the Tetons, along with a pulse-quickening raw bar and a selection of Wagyu and A5 cuts that would make Michael Mina proud, plus some intriguing game cuts. I skip past the fancy Japanese stuff and find myself quite happy with the mineral structure and clean finish of a dry-aged bison strip, because “when in Rome.”
At night, one of the Four Seasons’ most endearing wintertime amenities comes into play: a terraced network of heated swimming pools that essentially function as one massive hot tub, with complimentary heated robes and towels so you don’t contract a 19th-century lung disease getting out. The perfect salve for slope-distressed joints and muscles.
I’ll be fantasizing about a steamy soak, in fact, the next day as I start my gentle, pre-geriatric carve of the slopes. But I’m in no rush.
—Craig Outhier
3 OTHER WINTER PASTIMES IN JACKSON HOLE
Take a Snow Coach to Yellowstone
See the fabled national park on a guided half-day snowmobile or snow coach tour with heated cabins, so the kids can enjoy. Alternately, snowmobile to Granite Hot Springs southeast of Jackson and take a dip in a hot spring pool.
Snowshoe Hike
Love hiking but, um, snow? Local adventure company Hole Hiking (holehike.com) provides snowshoe equipment and will gladly point out choice spots in the valley to use them. Guided or unguided trips are available.
Take a Wildlife Safari
In the winter, many of the mountains’ most elusive fauna migrate down to the valley to stay warm and eat. Scout for elk, moose and big horn sheep from the comfort of an SUV with an experienced guide. Available as a four-hour excursion during sunrise or sunset.
APPRECIATING ART IN LAS VEGAS
It’s been more than two years since a colleague in Las Vegas first tortured me with the concept of a “Cronut” – which is to say, a pastry that’s half croissant and half doughnut. The moment this diabolical dessert was described to me, I knew I had to possess it, sort of like Al Pacino when he watches Michelle Pfeiffer slink out of the elevator for the first time in Scarface.
For various reasons, it never happened. But now that the Cronut’s inventor, French pastry legend Dominique Ansel, has finally unveiled his eponymous grab-and-go goodies shop at Caesars Palace complete with a Cronut vending machine, and now that I’m back in Vegas for the first time in forever, the reckoning is at hand.
“Well, how is it?” the Caesars rep asks, as we sit outside Dominique Ansel Las Vegas (caesars.com/caesars-palace/restaurants/dominique-ansel) and I take my first, tentative bite of the pastry. It should be noted that Ansel never, or rarely, makes the same Cronut twice. Every month, he devises new ingredients and flavors. This one is dulce de leche ganache with cinnamon.
I take the bite. Firm, doughnut-like exterior. Supple, flaky interior. Ear-ringing sweetness and burnt-milk richness. “Wow, stupendous,” I say. But what I’m thinking is: This is art.
Art is figuratively everywhere in this glittering, performative city – but even art minus quotation marks is making a push, as Strip casinos look for new ways to engross visitors who spend less time at the gaming tables than ever before. You can find a family-friendly version of it at Arte Museum Las Vegas (lasvegas.artemuseum.com), a new walk-through experience on the south end of the Strip near Aria that offers room after room of hi-def optical illusions and trippy large-format light shows. It’s not the Louvre, but it will amuse the troops.
On the more subversive end of the all-ages psychedelic art spectrum: Omega Mart (meowwolf.com), from the Santa Fe-based interactive art and entertainment company Meow Wolf. Set off the Strip in AREA15, a sci-fi-themed entertainment and retail park, Omega Mart defies easy description. At first blush, it appears to be a typical big-box grocery store – albeit with products seemingly ripped from a college student’s LSD-fueled nightmare (e.g. Organic Moth Milk, Plausible Deniability laundry detergent). Behind the retail aisles in the “stockroom,” visitors find three levels of interactive, artsy-wormhole weirdness, which can be enjoyed tapas-style, in the moment, or as clues in an overarching narrative puzzle involving Succession-style family psychodrama and corporate occultism. The best part: You can buy the Organic Moth Milk and take it home with you.
For fans of performance art in Vegas, the name Spiegelworld (spiegelworld.com) should carry special reverence. In the 14 years since the comedic theater company launched its debut show, Absinthe at Caesars Palace, it has carved out a singular niche fusing classic circus acrobatics and contortionism with the bawdy DNA of a Tijuana strip show. Put simply: Spiegelworld brought avant-garde to the Strip.
So, I’m jazzed to see the troupe’s latest production, DiscoShow at The LINQ Hotel (caesars.com/linq), and happily resigned to another R-rated display of sword-swallowing, unicycles, et al. But it wasn’t that at all. Lustily and unabashedly dance-focused, it’s Spiegelworld’s most interactive production yet – a 360-degree ’70s burlesque show that takes place on a dance floor, and thus doubles as a disco clinic, as the cast coaxes the audience into Booty Bops and Hip Bumps. It’s pure joy and destined to be one of Vegas’s great group icebreakers.
From the Chihuly art blossoms hovering over the foyer at Bellagio (bellagio.mgmresorts.com) to the load-bearing LED columns at The Cosmopolitan (cosmopolitanlasvegas.mgmresorts.com), visionary art has always informed the hotel and casino experience in Las Vegas – a tradition continued at the new Fontainebleau Las Vegas (fontainebleaulasvegas.com), which opened in late 2023 after a troubled, 16-year construction saga. At 737 feet, it’s the tallest occupiable structure in Nevada, with the outsize décor to match, including a “Guernica”-esque lobby painting by Richard Prince called “High Times” and the hotel’s statement piece: a towering, 46-foot gold-leaf sculpture by Swiss artist Urs Fischer.
Sixty-seven stories above the ground in Fontainebleau’s glass-walled rooftop lounge, where you look eye-to-eye with the top of Stratosphere, you’ll find art of a culinary stripe, in the guise of a 12-seat omakase speakeasy called ITO. Instantly one of the city’s most rarified sushi experiences when it opened last summer, the humbling multi-course feast starts with a briny, spritzy bowl of uni, salmon roe and Ossetra caviar and ends with an aromatic barracuda nigiri with chai-ginger pesto, with a head-swimming armada of delicacies between. All while taking in Vegas’s most striking view. Pure art.
Where culinary art is concerned, the Strip is a veritable Met, and my visit yields masterpiece after masterpiece: the Tomatini cocktail at Cosmopolitan newcomer LPM (lpmrestaurants.com/lasvegas), magically light-bodied and powerful, and a perfect companion piece to a Provençal-style brunch tasting menu; the Bar American Burger at Brasserie B by Bobby Flay at Caesars Palace (caesars.com/caesars-palace/restaurants/brasserie-b), which the bartender swears is a “top 10 burger” in Vegas, and which absolutely presents that way, with Gruyère and American cheese melted on an eerily juicy patty; and the come-hither charbroiled branzino at Orla (michaelmina.net/restaurants/orla/las-vegas), superstar chef Michael Mina’s new Mediterranean restaurant at the Mandalay Bay, where he also does an audience-pleasing flaming saganaki.
Vegas makes art appreciation so easy. If only NFL parlays paid off so reliably.
—Craig Outhier
Vegas Pro Tip
The Versailles Tower at Paris Las Vegas
Renovated to the tune of $100 million, the new guest tower at Paris Las Vegas (formerly part of the adjacent Horseshoe Hotel & Casino) is the Strip’s new sneaky-good upscale lodging option. For starters, the rooms actually have balconies – a rarity among the town’s new scratch-build properties. Secondly, some of the rooms directly overlook the iconic Bellagio fountain show across the street – the quintessential “location, location” bonus feature. Plus, you have access to all the Francophile fun downstairs, including the half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower and the Vanderpump à Paris cocktail lounge. Magnifique! caesars.com/paris-las-vegas
3 OTHER AWESOME ART GETAWAYS
Grand Rapids
If you happen to find yourself in the frozen Midwest this winter, know that this central Michigan city plays host to the World of Winter Festival (worldofwintergr.com), billed as “the largest winter festival in the U.S.,” spanning seven weeks (January 10-March 2) of light installations and interactive exhibits. And a few bonfires, hopefully.
Santa Fe
The Land of Enchantment’s high-season isn’t until summer – but when is it not a good idea to visit the art-possessed New Mexican capital? Santa Fe Art Tours (santafearttours.com) offers orientation and tour services, even during the city’s dry, crisp winters.
Phoenix/Scottsdale
Hey, if art is your thing, you could do worse than staying local. The multi-venue Arizona Fine Art Expo runs January 10-March 23 (arizonafineartexpo.com) and the inaugural Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week (scottsdaleartweek.com), co-presented by PHOENIX magazine, promises to bring Art Basel-style high-dollar cachet to the Valley. It’s not technically in winter (March 20-23), but close enough.
