Boulder City

Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam make a good trip for a crowd with wide interests because there’s a lot on offer. History nerds will geek out at the dam—take the long tour, which is filled with all kinds of historical tidbits about the employees brought in during the Depression and how (astonishingly) the project was finished ahead of schedule. More adventurous visitors may want to access the lake itself: Ask your concierge to arrange a jet-ski or boat for the day to escape the desert heat.

Ok, so it might be a tiny bit cheesy, but this huge, grown-up zip line is really, really fun. Riders take a bus from Boulder City up to the top of the course and zip line alongside as many as three friends for a good 1½ mile stretch. It offers gorgeous views of both the city and the surrounding mountains, and there’s a decent chance you’ll see some big horn sheep along the way. It's also a perfect excursion for those with brave kids.