Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada

Some extra tips A miniature train ride is available free of charge on Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The train runs from the ranch to the first parking lot on the left as you pull into the property. Outside food and drinks are not permitted at Bonnie Springs Ranch, but there are several restaurants and concession areas where they can be purchased. If you bring a stroller, you should know that dirt and/or gravel streets and walkways make it difficult to push them around.

The Old West lives on at the 115-acre Bonnie Springs Ranch located 30 minutes outside Las Vegas. The ranch is set against the beautiful backdrop of the majestic Spring Mountain Range, home to native Nevada wildlife including horses, coyotes, polecats, deer, elk and bighorn sheep.

Bonnie Springs Ranch was built in 1843 to serve as a stopping point for wagon trains making their way down the Old Spanish Trail to California. In 1952 the ranch was transformed into the tourist attraction it is today complete with a restaurant, cocktail lounge, petting zoo, a motel and a stable offering horseback and stagecoach rides.

The Western-themed Old Nevada park will keep the family entertained for hours. Designed to replicate the mining towns of the 1880s, the small town boasts a bank, opera house, schoolhouse, wax museum, sheriff's office, chapel (that can actually be reserved for a wedding) and even a cemetary.

There are several gift shops in Old Nevada where visitors can pick up any number of unique souvenirs from toy pistols to authentic moccasins. Near the shops is the Petty Canyon cactus garden, home to a variety of plant life including cholla, sage and, as the sign points out, "just plain damn weeds."

Visitors can practice their sharpshooting skills at a shooting gallery or explore the Nevada museum. Among the rare treasures found at the museum are antique gaming tables, an organ from 1880 and a lighted projector from 1875. The Old Nevada Photography Shop gives guests a chance to dress up in costumes from the Old West and have photos taken to preserve their place in history.

Completing the experience are numerous shows that re-enact gunfights, hangings and bank robberies. Shows are held throughout the day and range between 30 to 45 minutes long. Additional performances are held on the weekends.

Adjacent to Old Nevada is a petting zoo, featuring a large duck pond at the front entrance. In addition to the ducks, an exquisite pair of swans, Fred and Ginger, have also made the pond their habitat. Bird feed can be bought at various points around the pond. Other animals at the zoo include wolves, emu, deer, prairie dogs, geese, racoons, ponies and llamas.

-- Review by Noelani Jones