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The Marshall Store (Tomales Bay)

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Address: 19225 State Route 1 Marshall, Ca. 94940

The Marshall Store is a classic Northern California seafood house on Tomales Bay in Marshall and situated since 1926. The Marshall Store is often visited by tourists and locals for their famous locally farmed grilled bbq oysters with different seasonings and local ingredients. The Marshall Store is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from San Francisco via US-101 North ( 56 miles). The Marshall Store is open from Friday to Monday only from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. and It’s on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Our drive to The Marshall Store was a very fun, scenic, and winding road. The view of Tomales Bay during our travel was well worth the drive. We saw a lot of dairy farms, cows, cheese, and creamery local stores on our way to Marshalls. We arrived before 11 a.m. on a Saturday and there were already a few people in line. It’s a first-come, first-serve basis where we placed our order on the window, luckily found a vacant seat with the view of the bay, waited for our name to be called and they delivered our food to our seat. The service was fast and the servers were friendly and helpful.

We’ve been to The Marshall Store three times and it’s usually every time we are at Point Reyes National Seashore area. We ordered the Rockefeller, Kilpatrick, and the bbq grilled oysters which are all $25 for 6 pieces, Rock Cod fish sandwich for $20, Ceviche Tostada (2 pcs) for $20, clam chowder for $20, Chorizo Fish Stew for $10, and the Tri-tip sandwich for $16. My wife loved the raw and grilled oysters while dipping them in the special sauce that they had provided. The grilled bbq oysters came in with garlic-infused bread. My daughter enjoyed the delicious clam chowder and the savory tri-tip sandwich.

Overall, we enjoyed our fun and relaxing lunch experience at The Marshall Store especially with all the outdoor (covered/non-covered) tables overlooking the beautiful Tomales Bay. Nothing compares to eating outdoors with friends and family on a sunny day with good quality food and fresh raw or grilled oysters.

Tips: Make sure you arrive early to find free parking, avoid the long lines and wait times during lunch(12 noon) especially on weekends. You can reach The Marshall Store either via Nicasio Valley Road or Tomales Petaluma Road. We took both ways and find that Nicasio Valley Road has more winding roads than the Tomales Petaluma Road. Public restrooms were portable potties and a 15% tip/service charge is automatically applied to your bill. We stayed up late and watched the gorgeous sunset with the beautiful view of Tomales Bay. (highly recommended)

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about The Marshall Store in Marshall after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Gold Prospecting Adventures (Gold Panning)(Jamestown California)

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Address: 18170 Main Street Jamestown, California 95327

Gold Prospecting Adventure is located in a small town called Jamestown. It’s about 3 hours drive from San Francisco via I-580 East & CA-120 East. Gold Prospecting Adventure offers a variety of gold mining adventures for the past 40 years. There were two gold rushes at Jamestown one in 1849 and in 1880. Jamestown is a gold rush town, one of California’s original and the gateway to the Southern mines.

Our drive was fun and passed through a couple of smaller towns and back-country roads. When we arrived at Jamestown it really felt like a mining town with narrow roads and old structures. We saw a statue, branch jail, Jamestown Museum, Hotel, antique stores, and local restaurants. We had to check in at the store and were instructed to drive for a few minutes to the small creek to meet our instructor. There were a lot of gold panning or mining supplies, shovels, pan, samples of gold, a bag of sand for panning, and many more antique items. As we arrived at the small creek, we were greeted by our instructor named “Table Top” Terry. He was nice, friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and good with kids. We walked around the creek and found our little spot to dig for gold. We brought our own water boots but they have one available onsite. Terry gave us a brief history of gold mining, how to set up the sluice box, and explained to us the basics of the gold panning and sluicing process.

The creek area is secluded, clean, with lots of trees for shades and beautiful green grass. We wore all our water boots, grabbed our shovel, buckets, strainer, and proceeded to dig for gold. The creek water was a little bit cold but we later got acclimated to it. So, I dug deeper into the creek and dumped it into a deep plastic bucket with a large strainer on top of it. Then, my wife and daughter dumped all the big rocks on the side of the river. The purpose of the strainer was to sort out all the big rocks. We then proceeded to bring the deep plastic bucket with water into the location of the sluice box to separate the gold from the gravel. Terry helped us throughout the process and we all jumped for joy when we found our first gold flakes on the sluice box. Our hard work finally paid off digging through the river and sorting things out. We ended up finding 7-10 small gold flakes and decided to call it a day. We end up staying in the area for a while and enjoyed nature. We all played in the river, relaxed, and threw rocks at the water. After all the fun we then proceeded back to the main store to return our supplies and bought a few souvenirs from Jamestown.

Overall, it was well worth the price, hard work, and patience in looking for gold. We all had fun, quality family time, and a unique experience that we will never forget. Even though we didn’t find a big golden nugget for us to retire, it’s still one of the most memorable family “Strike it Rich” adventures. There is effort and hard work involved because if looking for gold is easy then we will all be rich. Enjoy!

Tips: Bring bottled water, towel, sunscreen, extra socks, or clothing as you will get wet due to standing in 6 inches to 2 feet of stream water. You will also be tumbling, and walking over river rocks. Just enjoy the experience and walk around the town and explore the area. A sluice box is used as a tool to separate gold from gravel and is used in a river or creek. Gold panning is traditional mining that separates gold from a placer deposit using a pan.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Gold Prospecting Adventure in Jamestown after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay

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Address: 599 CA-1 Bodega Bay California 94923

Fishetarian Fish Market opened in 2012 at Bodega Bay by Shane Lucas due to his passion for fishing. Shane Lucas has sold fish for over 20 years in the wholesale fish business. The restaurant serves fresh seafood, gluten-free and vegan daily on their menu. It’s a great place to stop for a quick bite of fresh seafood when driving up the coast. Fishetarian is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from San Francisco via US-101 North ( 85 miles). Fishetarian Fish Market is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Our drive to Fishetarian was very fun, scenic, and had a few winding roads. The view of the beautiful Bodega Bay during our travel was well worth the drive. We even stopped by at the famous St. Therese Church and the Potter Schoolhouse from the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock’s horror movie “The Birds”. We arrived at Fishetarian around 11 a.m. and end up parking on the side of the fish market in front of the dock with a view of the bay. We were surprised to see that there were a few people already in line ahead of us. We ordered through the order window and waited for our name to be called. All the outdoor picnic tables were separated to adhere to the Covid-19 safety regulations. We even saw a few customers with their dogs having lunch and enjoying the gorgeous view. The weather was beautiful and sunny but later became windier in the afternoon.

There were 3 of us at our party which includes 1 kid and 2 adults. We ordered both the grilled garlic butter oysters which are $15.99 for 6 pieces, grilled bbq sauce oysters topped with cilantro and green onions which are also $15.99 for 6 pieces, clam chowder on a bread bowl for $12.99, crab sandwich for $19.99, and fried calamari for $13.99. Our name was called by the staff from the pick-up window and carried our orders to the table. Luckily we found a nice picnic table closer to the bay water with an obstructed view of the Bay. My wife loved the flavorful grilled bbq and garlic oysters while I enjoyed the savory popular crab sandwich. My daughter enjoyed their famous clam chowder on a bread bowl and it was very delicious with fresh ingredients.

Overall, we enjoyed our fun lunch experience at Fishetarian Fish Market especially eating outdoor on a sunny day at a picnic table on the beach overlooking the beautiful Bodega Bay. It’s a great quick stop spot with good quality food and a great view on your way to the Sonoma Coast.

Tips: Make sure to call in or order your food online ahead of time to avoid long lines. And get there early to find parking as it is limited and shared with the Lucas Wharf Bar and Restaurant. Bring a sweater or a jacket as the weather can change quickly to cold and windy since it is on the bay. The outdoor picnic tables on the beach are usually busy and people are waiting for them to be available.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Fishetarian Fish Market after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel close to Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay.

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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park (Arizona)

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Address: 220 Prison Hill Rd, Yuma, AZ 85364

Situated on a bluff in Yuma Arizona overlooking the Colorado River stand the ruins of Arizona’s famous Territorial Prison. In 1849, countless immigrants crossed by Ferry from Yuma to California. The territorial prison was authorized by the legislature in 1875. The first few prisoners were law violators such as the legendary stagecoach robber Pearl Hart and continued in operation for 33 years where all inmates were moved to a new facility in Arizona due to overcrowding.

It took us about 10 minutes to get to Yuma Territorial Prison from our Hampton Inn Hotel. It was very hot and humid at the time of our visit. We were greeted by the staff members and we paid an entrance fee of $14 for adults(14+), $8 for youth(7-13 yrs), and free for children (0-6 yrs). The staff member escorted us outside and briefly explained what to see, expect, and safety rules. It was a self-guided tour and we just followed the arrow or signs from each area of interest. I even saw the famous Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge built in 1915 and is a through truss bridge spanning the Colorado River in Yuma, Arizona. It was the first highway crossing of the lower Colorado and is the earliest example of a through truss bridge in Arizona.

The surrounding area is well maintained and clean with some benches available to sit down, rest and enjoy the view. One of the best part of our tour was the air conditioned Museum where it showcased or stored some of the inmates history, background including the women prisoners. They even have a room where to show a movie about the prison’s history.

The most interesting and memorable experience was going inside the individual cell, dark chambers, seeing their beds how the prisoners daily life back in the days. We even saw a guard tower near the entrance which provides a good view of the Colorado River and the local areas.

Tips: Bring bottled water as the weather is hot and humid in the summer. There is also a pathway leading down to the river underneath the Ocean to Ocean bridge where people were swimming and having a picnic.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Packway Materials unique art metal sculptures display

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Address: 22244 Cassell Road Cassell, Ca. 96016

The large junk metal art sculptures were built by two brothers named Will and Richard Hathaway. It is located in Shasta County and about 2 miles from the intersection of Highway 299 and Highway 89. It is about 4 to 5 hours away from the San Francisco Bay Area. The unique metal art sculpture display can be viewed from the main road or from the comfort of your car. And the unique metal art display is made up of various construction supplies and other unusual materials. There were a lot of ample parking spots when we visited on a weekend.

We accidentally saw the metal art sculpture of creatures and dinosaurs after our visit to Burney Falls. It’s about a 20 minutes drive from Burney Falls. The metal sculptures were visible from the main road so we decided to pull over, walked around, and took great pictures. Some of the large metal art sculptures that we saw are dragonfly, penguin, dachshund, a rock man, an ant, 40-foot long dinosaur, giraffe, caterpillar, UFO, tin man, cat, a spaceship, snowman, and many more other creatures.

Overall, it is a fun stop if you are in the area and see fantastic arts made out of fun stuff. Great creativity and a fun area to explore and to walk around. The place also has a collection or display of a variety of old trucks.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about the Parkway Materials metal art sculpture display after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Bounty Hunter Restaurant in Napa

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Address: 975 1st St Napa, California 94559

The Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ is established in 1992 and is situated in the heart of Downtown Napa. Casual, brick-walled establishment offering a wide variety of fine wines and great selections of craft brews. A full lunch and dinner menu serving sandwiches, salads, real BBQ, their famous beer can chicken bbq, and barbeque is served ’til 12 am on weekends.

We are looking for a place to celebrate the 4th of July and for our daughter’s early birthday celebration. We were craving for an authentic or good barbeque restaurant with a nice view. It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes from San Francisco and passed through a couple of wineries in the Napa area. We arrived at the Bounty Hunter Restaurant around 10:45 am and were lucky enough to find parking in front of the Restaurant(free and 2-3 hours max). Both indoor and outdoor seatings are available at the Bounty Hunter Restaurant. There were some cool and nice decorations inside the restaurants such as a horse saddle, articles from newspapers recognizing the restaurant and its history, a big moose head hanging at the wall.

But we decided to eat at their outdoor seating overlooking the Napa River since it was sunny and beautiful day. We were greeted promptly by a friendly server and recommended their two famous signature entrees which are the Bounty Hunter beer can chicken for $34.95 and the B.H. Smokin BBQ Platter for $49.95. We also had toasted baguette with pimiento cheese and their famous cornbread as a side dish/appetizer. We were surprised when our order arrived because it’s more than enough for just the three of us. But the main highlight of our lunch was the savory, unique and delicious Beer Can Chicken which is a cajun spiced whole free-range bird perched on a Tecate beer can. It was big, soft, and lots of juice was coming out while we were carving it. What’s even surprising was the B.H. Smokin BBQ Platter which includes a combination of pulled pork, smoked beef brisket, half rack of St. Loius ribs, and coleslaw on the side.

The St. Loius ribs were so delicious and soft that the meat came off easily from the bones. The B.H. cornbread was warm, soft, moist, and served with melted butter on top. The Best part was eating savory BBQ with a view of Napa River where people are kayaking, Stand up paddle, and walking along the River. And lastly, the server brought out a dessert which is a chocolate cupcake with vanilla ice cream on top and a strawberry swirl for my daughter’s early birthday celebration compliment of the Chef. We were so full that we end up bringing the leftovers home for dinner.

Tips: Come in early before 11 am to find parking in front otherwise you may end up parking on the street or at a public parking(fee) about a block away. You may also rent a kayak, stand up paddle board, ride a Gondola under the bridge by the Napa River.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about the Bounty Hunter Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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M&M’s World in Las Vegas

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Address: 3785 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

M&M’s World in Las Vegas is the first store that opened up in 1997. It’s 28,000 square feet, 4 stories level building with a 3D Movie Theater. It’s located in S Las Vegas Boulevard close to the Coca Cola World and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. It’s a must-stop place for chocolate lovers and when you are in Las Vegas.

We were impressed with the colorful and bright design on the outisde of the building with the M&M’s candy character. There were a lot of people coming in and out of the building. My daughter’s eyes widen and she smiled at us as we walked inside the building. The place is created for all chocolate lovers and it’s a chocolate haven. Each floor or level offers a wide variety of different M&M merchandise and candies. It’s one big chocolate place with all the M&M-themed merchandise. Everything that we saw was branded with the M&M candy characters such as candy dispensers, t-shirts, key chains, bags, trinkets, ornaments, clothing items, magnets and many more. All the M&M’s you could imagine or want in one big place.

One of the unique things that caught our attention is the option to personalized or create your very own one-of-a-kind M&M’s with a personal printer combining customized messages and the different variety of the candy dispenser design. My daughter immediately grabbed a bag and filled it with all the different colors or flavors of M&M’s to satisfy her sweet cravings and bought a few candy dispensers with the M&M candy character.

We then proceeded on the 4th floor where we took a picture of the famous replica of Nascar racer Kyle Busch’s #18 M&M’s sponsored Nascar. The racing car was very attractive, colorful, bright and a lot of people were waiting in line to take a picture with it. There was a lot of unique and colorful M&M racing merchandise and candies.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about M&M’s World in Las vegas after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you

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Gowan’s Family Orchard (Apple Wine Cider Orchard Tasting)

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Address: 6320 CA- 128 Philo, Ca. 95466

Gowan’s Cider tasting in the Orchard is California’s first ever cider tasting orchard. It is located in Philo, California which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes from San Francisco via 101 North and CA-128 West. Gowan’s Orchard are renowned for rare, exceptional heirloom apples and established in 1876. Apple wine is fermented apple cider similar to the wines made from grapes which are simply fermented grapes. Gowan’s Family Orchard famous apple wines cider are Heirloom, Gravenstein, Macintosh, Rose, Spiced Apple and Sierra Beauty.

We found Gowan’s Family Orchard by accident while we were driving on CA-128 coming from Mendocino County. As we passed through a few wineries along CA-128, we immediately saw the big sign of Gowan’s Apple wine tasting on the side of the road. We were curious as this is our first-time apple wine tasting on an old apple tree orchard. There were a lot of clean picnic tables set up underneath an apple tree all over the Orchard. It was a very nice and relaxing setting that made me want to just enjoy and drink apple wine underneath an old apple tree. We proceeded to a tent with all their famous apple wines displayed on the table. We were immediately warmly greeted by the owner herself Ms. Sharon Gowan. She recommended a few apple wines to my wife and provided my daughter their popular apple cider slushies(non-alcoholic beverage). I tried my daughter’s apple cider slushies which were so refreshing and soothing on a warm beautiful day.

We then proceeded to the orchard and selected a nice picnic table near an apple tree with some sunshade to keep us cool. Sharon educated us about the apple wine, its history, the different flavors available and served the apple wine on the glass to my wife. My wife loved, enjoyed the Rose and the Sierra Beauty Heirloom apple wine cider which she later purchased. We felt a relaxing ambiance just sitting or standing underneath an old apple tree while drinking our favorite refreshing apple wine cider.

Overall, it’s our first time experiencing an apple wine tasting on an apple tree orchard. It was a very memorable, unique experience for us and a family-friendly place to just enjoy and drink some apple wine tasting on an orchard. Super friendly owners and delicious apple ciders.

Tips: They have a few portable porta-potties available onsite for customers. The parking area is on a dirt area composed of sand and gravel. There is also a great winery close to the Gowan’s Family Orchard called Navarro Vineyard and Winery. Be careful and cautious while driving as CA-128 has a lot of switchbacks and very winding roads in some areas. They also accept walk-ins such as in our case.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Gowan’s Family Orchard apple wine tasting after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you

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Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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Address: 1000 Scenic Loop Drive, Las Vegas Nevada 89161

Red Rock Canyon is a National Park located in Clark County and situated in Nevada’s Mojave Desert. It’s composed of 200,000 acres and 30 miles of amazing hiking trails, rock climbing, and mountain biking. The rocks moved with the earth’s tectonic shifts. A faults shifting involuntary moved the gray sedimentary rocks towards the red rocks which caused the colorful stripes on the red rocks. Its area is mostly composed of red Aztec sandstone cliffs and it is Nevada’s first National Conservation.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. and 7 days/week. We drove for 30 minutes and about 14 miles from Bellagio Hotel where we stayed. We passed through a few Casinos along the way and it is about 5 minutes away from the Red Rock Casino and the Summerlin area.

On our way into the entrance, we saw a big sandstone rock with the name “Red Rock Canyon” etched on it near the entrance of the National Park. We were greeted by a Park Ranger and the entrance fee is $15 per car but we got in for free since we have an annual National Park Pass. We drove through the entire 13 miles one-way scenic loop for about 2 hours due to us stopping on each Vista Point/ Rest Area for a photo opportunity. Most of the Vista Point on the way has clean public restrooms. While driving through the 13 miles one-way scenic loop, we were all amazed at the gorgeous views of the Red/orange colors of the Aztec sandstones and some have unique colorful stripes. We even took a few pictures of the sun setting down through the top of the mountains that created a picture-perfect view. A small signage on the road that states “watch out for tortoise crossing” caught our attention and we had to look for a tortoise on the road. (LOL…) The speed limit on the 13 miles one-way scenic loop is between 15-25 mph.

Overall, it is a very unique and well worth experience for us to explore Red Rock Canyon since we were supposed to visit Grand Canyon but end up not going due to scattered thunderstorms.  Red Rock Canyon is also known for its geological features such as the towering red sandstone peaks, the Keystone Thrust Fault, as well as the Native American petroglyphs.

Tips: The Red Rock Visitor Center is closed due to Covid restrictions. And there are about 26 different hikes and trails and I heard that “Lost Creek” is an easy hike for kids. Watch out for bees and insects, I would recommend wearing a good hiking shoe with a good grip due to slippery rocks. Drive slow and respect nature. Bring your own water and food as it was 115 degrees during our visit. (July). Pay attention to the weather changes as we encountered having zero visibility while driving on the freeway due to a storm, torrential rain, thunderstorm, and a flash flood.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Seven Magic Mountain (Las Vegas)

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Address: S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas Nevada 89054 ( Clark County)

Seven Magic Mountain opened in May 2016 and scheduled to be open for 2 years but was later extended until 2021. The art installation costs about 3.5 million to built and install. It was brought about by the Nevada Museum of Art and Art Production Fund. It’s an innovative, appearance of human existence in the desert. The desert art piece is created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone which features 7 colorful, painted boulder that stands 35 feet high in the middle of the desert.

It took us about 27 minutes to arrived at the Seven Magic Mountain from Bellagio Hotel where we are staying. It is located in Clark County and the art installation is visible along Interstate 15 South. From Interstate 15 South we exited towards the Terrible Casino and a gas station. We drove for about 10 minutes going back to where we can from and alongside Interstate 15. We parked on a decent size dirt parking area and also walked through a dirt trail towards the art exhibit.

When we arrived at the parking lot we saw a lot of people and the weather was about 110 degrees, dry, and very humid. We bought a few bottled water, sunscreen, and wore our masks for safety.

Overall, it’s a cute little hidden gem in the middle of the desert with a lot of great opportunities to take pictures. It’s a picture-perfect view due to the arts colorful, bright, and unique large boulders.

Tips: We just stayed for about 15 minutes and took a few pictures. There is a casino close to it called “Terrible” and a gas station. The art installation is on public land and opens from sunrise to sunset. No available public restrooms onsite or other amenities. Prizm outlet (Shopping Mall) and Primm Hotel & Casino are a few miles away from the art installation. Pay attention to the weather changes as we encountered having zero visibility while driving on the freeway due to a storm, torrential rain, thunderstorm, and a flash flood.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about the Seven Magic Mountain after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.