The short version: I'm looking for recommendations about where to visit outside Las Vegas. I want to rent a car and visit a quiet little town or two. My qualifications for a nice little town are a good restaurant, a good museum, beautiful natural attractions, a good hotel (doesn't need to be too fancy - just clean) and a bare minimum of tourists or conventioneers.

The long version: I won a free trip to Las Vegas in a no-limit Hold'em tournament. The trip is only for two nights, so I'm going to make arrangements to extend the return flight home by a few days. That will give me time to rent a car and explore the southwest for a few days. After two days in Las Vegas, I'll be ready to shift gears and spend some peaceful time in smalltown USA.

Ten years ago, I would have gone straight to Moab, but I'm afraid of what the world of extreme sports may have done to upset the tranquility of that town, and the fantastic National Monuments that surround it. Has anyone been to Moab recently? Is it still a great place to go to get away?

Yes, I realize that Moab is something like 7 hours away by car. But I love to drive, and 500 miles through beautiful terrain is my idea of a good time.

Any other suggestions? Utah? Arizona? Stay within Nevada? I have a chance to explore a part of the country that I haven't been to since 1986, so I want to take advantage. Please, tell me about your favorite town, and why you think it would be a nice place to go. Thanks very much...

P.S. - I can arrange to go any time of the year that I want. When is the best weather? I know the mountains and the low-lands offer much different climates at different times of the year, so let me know what you think about travel dates, weather-wise.

St. George, Utah.

http://www.utahsdixie.com/index.html

St. George tries to get meetings/conventions, but I haven't experienced that as a problem when I've stayed there. Some adventure travelers. But great access to Zion, good wildlife museum and a few other museums, and beautiful surroundings. And nice small town feel and hospitality.

St George - Okay. I've never heard of it, so I'll look into it. Zion is fantastic. Thanks...

"...love to spend a night in Zion..."

Flagstaff, AZ in winter, unless you're cold and snow averse. Maybe Page, Az or Lake Havasu City, Az would work as well.

A co-worker has described St. George as dusty, dirty and not much to write home about. If you're interested in Zion I would think Springdale would be a better choice because it's right there.

Drive to Springdale. It's at the Zion park entrance. Next day take Bryce canyon. We stayed in a motel in Hatch not far from the park.Paul

June Lake, California.

Flagstaff has a nice museum of Southwest Indian items and is close enough to the Grand Canyon for a drive over there.

Continued thanks for your thoughts, folks. I was considering Flagstaff - I'll have to do a little more research about that. Thanks again...

Moab's developed a bit more in the last ten years but I don't think it's drastically different. I never really thought of it as "tranquil," though-its been a tourist center for decades, and events like the big Jeep Safari, where THOUSANDS of off roaders converge on the area, have been going on for 30+ years. So, I don't think you have to worry that extreme sports have changed the area in the last few years. The National Parks don't allow a lot of that stuff, anyway.

I'd skip St. George-there's a lot more scenic places in Utah. If you haven't been to Zion and Bryce, I'd consider that, though the towns are small and touristy-I'm not sure they'll have a good museum, and you can't count on good restaurants (Springdale does have a couple).

May and September have the best weather for these places (though Bryce is at a high elevation and can be chilly), but a fair number of people go in those months. If you are trying to avoid crowds, April or October would be better.