Travel Destination: The Goldwell Open Air Museum In Nevada

Nevada is home to some pretty weird stuff. Walking down The Strip in Las Vegas is always an adventure into the bizarre and test of a person's self-control. But, before you even get to that level of crazy, a six hour drive from Twin Falls gets you to quite possibly the creepiest hotel attraction possible, The Clown Hotel, filled with colorful clowns and clearly haunted. Then, if you continue south into Nevada a few more hours near Death Valley and the ghost town of Rhyolite, you'll find the strangest museum around. The Goldwell Open Air Museum isn't a large attraction but it is filled with some big surprises.

The creations for the museum started in the early 80's when Belgian artist, Albert Szukalski, began creating plaster human shroud pieces. One is called the 'Ghost Rider' which was a practice piece for the artist before creating the larger and more inspiring 'The Last Supper'. Other pieces of art have been added over the years including 'The Couch' which was originally an item at a local children's museum. The largest piece of art was constructed in 1992 and may not be suitable for children. Another Belgian artist named Hugo Heyrman constructed 'Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada' out of cinder blocks. Lady Desert is a seemingly nude and pixelated statue of a woman towering over the desert scenery. For whatever reason, Lady Desert isn't included in many of the YouTube videos. You can however get a good look at her about eight minutes into the video below.

The Goldwell Open Air Museum is always open and has no admission fee. Owners only ask that you are respectful and don't vandalize any of the artwork.